I don’t know Shekau’s whereabouts –Chadian President ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA
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hadian President, Idris Derby, yesterday denied knowing the whereabouts of Boko
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Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau. The Chadian President was earlier this year quoted as saying he knew the whereabouts of the wanted Boko Haram leader.
I’ll boost morale of officers, men, says IGP
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Buhari won’t persecute Jonathan, ministers –APC ...as transition committee denies rift with FG OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU AND ROTIMI FADEYI
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Don’t seek admission in Houdegbe University, NUC cautions students P.4 ADVERT HOTLINES For advert bookings and information, please contact: LAGOS 01-8446073, 08113947415 08113947419 08113947420 08113947422 ABUJA 08113947421 PORT HARCOURT 08113947418 OGBESE 08113947424
L-R: Former President Shehu Shagari; President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and son of the former president, Captain Bala Shagari, during a visit to the President-elect in Abuja, yesterday.
Mark to state lawmakers: Don’t be rubber stamp for governors Court orders police to vacate Enugu Assembly
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I don’t know Shekau’s whereabouts –Chadian President CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
such information if he knew where Shekau is. This is just as security aides in the Presidential Villa withdrew the accreditation badge of Radio Deutsche Welle’s correspondent, Ubale Musa, for asking a question that may have been considered embarrassing. Ubale had asked Derby about the relationship between the multinational task force fighting in Lake Chad and the South African mercenaries fighting with them. While speaking further on his visit to the President, Derby said it is regrettable that the Nigerian and Chadian armies are working separately, stressing that if they were into joint operation, they would have achieved more results. The Chadian President who spoke in French said: “It is regrettable that the two armies; that is, the Nigerian Army and the Chadian Army are working separately in the field; they are not undertaking joint operations. If they were operating joint operations, probably they would have achieved more results. “I cannot tell you today that I know where Shekau is hiding and even if I know I won’t tell you,” he added. When asked on the relationship between the multinational task force fighting in Lake Chad and the South African mercenaries fighting with them, Derby said he had no information concerning mercenaries from South Africa. He further explained that in the Lake Chad Basin there are four countries - Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger - currently securing the area. According to him, the four countries have managed to form a multinational mixed force that would metamorphose into what would probably be known as a Rapid Response Force that the African Union is trying to form for Africa. Derby had earlier said he came to consult with Jonathan, explaining that Chad and Nigeria have a lot of similarities in fighting insurgents.
He noted that Chad has had its own insurgency problems in the 70s and 80s and that Nigeria assisted the during the difficulty times. Speaking on the 2015 general elections, Derby said he was also in the Presidential Villa to congratulate President Jonathan for the statesmanship he demonstrated during the elections, stressing that he demonstrated the qualities of a real democrat by conceding and congratulating the President-elect, General Mu-
hammadu Buhari (rtd). “You all know that when Nigeria sneezes, the neighbouring countries catch cold. If Mr. President had not taken that laudable initiative you all know what would have happened by now. Nigeria is still living in peace; you all are living in peace and that would not have happened but for that laudable initiative he took. “So, I came to congratulate him for leaving a legacy not only for Nigeria but also Africa as a whole,” Derby said.
Meanwhile, two soldiers from Cameroon have been killed and at least two others wounded in an attack by Boko Haram fighters near the Nigerian border, security sources yesterday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Cameroonian military officer said two troops were killed, and an officer and a soldier injured in a clash on Saturday with the Islamists. A security source said the troops had been ambushed while patrolling
Krawa-Maffa, a northern village located one kilometre (less than a mile) away from the Nigerian border. On the other side of the frontier, “the Nigerian army is striking Boko Haram’s positions almost every day, while the terrorists are trying their hardest to cross over to our side”, the Cameroonian source said. Nigeria’s military has claimed a series of major victories over Boko Haram across the northeast during an operation launched in February with support from Cameroon, Chad and
President Goodluck Jonathan (right) welcoming President Idris Derby of Chad at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.
Niger. But the extremists still hold positions along the Cameroonian border with Nigeria, in the Sambisa Forest and Mandara mountains. Nigeria’s authorities say they are winning the war against Boko Haram, and that they aim to recapture the group’s Sambisa stronghold by May 29, when president-elect Muhammadu Buhari is due to take office. Chadian and Cameroonian forces have also seized Boko Haram positions nearby.
PHOTO: NAN
Buhari won’t persecute Jonathan, ministers –APC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
ments credited to President Goodluck Jonathan recently. APC, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, however, that those who have played poker with the nation’s destiny must be willing and eager to clear their conscience before man and God. It said: “That the President-elect is a man of integrity is not an issue for debate, and he has made it clear that he will not be bogged down by endless probes. “However, the hands of the incoming government will not be tied by those
who have chosen to play the victim and exhibit a persecution mentality. Whoever has any reason to be afraid must lay bare such reason before Nigerians.” Saying that under the climate of change that Nigerians have ushered in with their votes, only the guilty needs to be afraid, and those with guilty consciences, on account of their actions in the public sphere, must clear such so they can be at peace with themselves, Mohammad added: “The last time we checked, this does not fit the definition of persecution.” He wondered why the President chose a public forum to express his fears
when he could have done so privately during his meetings with the President-elect. Mohammed said: “Since the presidential election was won and lost, the President and the Presidentelect have met privately a number of times. Why didn’t President Jonathan express his apprehensions during these meetings? “Even if the two have not met, the President could have reached out to the President-elect over any fears that he may be nursing, instead of engaging in an action that seems like he was being preemptive and seeking to curry public sympathy.” APC insisted that the priority of the incoming
government would be the welfare and security of the long-suffering people of Nigeria, enjoining all citizens to support the incoming administration in charting a new path for the country - away from the rapaciousness and impunity of the past years. Meanwhile, the leader of the transition committee of Gen. Buhari’s incoming government, Ahmed Joda, has denied having any rift with the Federal Government’s committee set up in preparation for the May 29 handover date. Joda spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a joint meeting between his committee and that of the Federal
Government chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo. He noted that there was no truth in reports that the Federal Government’s committee was making smooth transition difficult by not showing enough cooperation. Joda said contrary to such insinuations, the transition committee of the present government had shown the needed cooperation to his committee. Speaking in the same vein, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, said the meeting was fruitful, stressing that there are no contending issue between the two committees.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
L-R: Member, Business Education, Services and Trainning Unit, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Wole Ogunjobi; Vice President, LCCI, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa; Director-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf; and Lead, Marketing Communications Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Segun Olalandu; during the inauguration of 2015 LCCI mentoring programme in Lagos, recently.
L-R: Lagos State Governor Bababtunde Fashola; Director-General, National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam and Assistant Manager, Card Activation, Mrs. Jeniffer Louis, during activation of the multipurpose national identity card for Governor Fashola in Lagos, yesterday.
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
L-R: Publisher, Marketing Edge, Mr. John Ajayi; Chairman, Troyka Group, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo; wife of Chairman, Stb-McCaNN, Lady Modupe Omojafor; Chairman, Stb-McCaNN, Sir Steve Omojafor and wife of Publisher, Marketing Edge, Mrs. Modupe Olubunmi Ajayi, during the presentation of Marketing Edge Brand Personality of the Decade to Sir Steve Omojafor at the Marketing Edge 2015 Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards in Lagos, recently.
L-R: Acting Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Mr. Victor Muruako (left) and Prof. Pat Utomi, during National Forum of Fiscal Responsibility in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
National News
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residential Committee on Review of National Defence Policy yesterday in Abuja submitted its draft report to the Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (rtd). The 35-member committee was inaugurated on November 20, 2014. Receiving the report, Gusau said the National Defence Policy, NDP, was promulgated in 2006 and had never been reviewed, even though the nation had undergone a lot of transformation. He said the nation had also gone through security challenges, adding that there had also been new developments and challenges in the global environment that had direct impact on national defence and security. “All these highlighted the need for the review of the NDP in order to bring it to terms with new developments, emerging and anticipated threats and challenges. “We have started a process, which can obviously not be completed before May 29 when a new government takes over. “As a non-partisan group of professionals, what you
35-man committee submits draft report on defence policy have produced will be handed over to the next administration for continuation of the review process. “And I am confident this may lead to the promulgation of a new defence policy for Nigeria,” Gusau said. The minister said inputs for the NDP were further expected from defence establishments, civil societies, the National Assembly and other stakeholders. He noted that the model of national defence for the 21st century all over the
world remained complex, fluid and multi-dimensional. He said that fashioning the right defence posture for Nigeria now and for the future remained a daunting task. Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Umar (rtd), said the defence of any modern society like Nigeria was a collective responsibility of the political leadership, the military, security agencies and the civil popu-
lace. Umar said there were also cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries and international community to minimise transnational threats. He said these were critically considered during the review and were at the heart of the philosophy of total defence. Umar said the need for the armed forces and security agencies to work together based on the principle of comparative advantage
in specific tasks was also enshrined in the reviewed policy. “Democratic control of the military is also emphasised in the reviewed policy. “However, the first step to having strong armed forces is for the society to be based on the ethos of democratic governance. “The review of the NDP should be seen as a process that must be conducted periodically in line with changing security situation. “The committee, there-
fore, recommended a period of a 5-year for the review of the policy,” he said. A member of the committee, Ambassador Abdul Zango, said the committee had in the last three months focused on emerging challenges affecting security the sector in the country and neighbouring countries. “We tried to articulate what we think should be a people’s defence policy, a policy the people owned and feel they are part of,” Zango said.
Don’t seek admission in Houdegbe University, NUC cautions students
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ational Universities Commission, NUC, yesterday cautioned Nigerian students against seeking admission in Houdegbe North American University, HNAUB, Cotonou, Benin Republic,. NUC Deputy Director of Press, Malam Ibrahim Yakassai, gave the warning in an interview in Abuja. According to him, the
commission has a lot of reservations for the university and has made a lot of publications to alert Nigerians. “In fact, we listed the university as an illegal university in Nigeria, however, in Benin Republic, where it operates, it could be a legal university, but we cannot vouch for its quality. “There are a lot of
unethical practices in HNAUB and we have the information. Sometimes, students pursuing medical programmes will come back to Nigeria for clinical and other things. “We have no right to say it is not a recognised university since it is recognised by the country it operates, but we do not approve that university in Nigeria,” he said.
The NUC spokesman said that there were serious doubts about the quality of the institution; therefore, NUC would not recommend that parents should send their children there. He said efforts made by NUC to visit the school for fact findings were frustrated by the HNAUB’s authorities. Yakassai, however, said he could not confirm if the
institution was dominated by students from Nigeria as being insinuated. He added that Benin Republic had its regulatory body for universities which should monitor the activities of Houdegbe University. It would be recalled that a recent report has it that 85 per cent of the students’ population of HNAUB are from Nigeria.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Mark to state lawmakers: Don’t be rubber stamp for govs GEORGE OJI ABUJA
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enate President, David Mark, has enjoined elected members of the 36 state Houses of Assembly to always assert their independence and refuse to be rubber stamps for their state governors. “If I may tell you, the general impression is that the state legislatures have remained an appendage of the Government Houses or governors,” Mark said, noting that, “at the national level, the legislature has continued to assert its independence and resist executive interference. Thus, the legislature has achieved institutional stability and transformed from being a mere rubber stamp of executive decisions and policy initiatives into an institution that now enjoys a reasonable degree of legitimacy and respect.” Mark gave this counsel to the lawmakers in his
keynote address while declaring open, a four-day Induction Certificate Course for members of the state Houses of Assembly legislators-elect, organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies, NILS, taking place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Suggesting ways the state lawmakers can assert their autonomies and operate outside the clutches of the chief executive officers of their states, Mark advised that “as lawmakers, you must avoid holding your sessions in the Council Chambers of the Government Houses. It is ignoble to use the Mace outside the chamber or borrow Local Government Legislative Council Mace to conduct your affairs or resort to self-help by using your Mace to perpetuate violence.” This was also as the Senate president bemoaned the high turnover of lawmakers at both the national and states Hous-
es of Assembly every four years after each general election. He regretted that this trend, which has been consistent since 2003 has led to the loss of institutional memory as well as impacted negatively on legislative effectiveness at both the national and state assemblies. His words: “Since 1999, a defining feature of our democracy has been the high turnover of our legislators. This presents a serious challenge as it impacts negatively on legislative effectiveness as more experienced members give
way to new ones. As a result, in every four years institutional memory is lost and sadly the nation is worse for it.” Mark, in addition, implored the state lawmakers to exercise restraint in the impeachment of their Speakers, deputy governors and even governors at promptings of forces outside their hallowed chambers. He added that “impeaching a public elected official is a very serious legislative process and must not be abused or taken for a joke. Impeachment is not designed for a few days exer-
cise. Where it has become the last resort, it must be painstakingly conducted within the hallowed chamber of the parliament in accordance to the extant rules of the House and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The Senate president called for synergy between the executive and state legislatures on matters of public good, just as he charged the Independent National Electoral Commission, to carry out a comprehensive review of the just-concluded 2015 general elections. Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Leg-
islatures, Sam Ikon, who doubles as Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, tasked state assemblies to resist any attempt by the executive to undermine the legislature. In his lecture titled, ‘Legislative Procedures and Practices in the State Houses of Assembly,’ chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, expressed worry that state legislatures have become appendages of the executive, adding that “the legislature at state levels is now treated lower than paraststatals or as a mere department in a governor’s office.”
ICPC to arraign NSCDC officials over N1.2bn unspent fund
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ndependent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, said it has concluded plans to arraign three officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, over N1.2bn unspent fund. Resident media consultant to the ICPC Mr. Folu Olamiti, stated this in a statement in Abuja yesterday. He said the officials would be arraigned today before Justice Husseini Baba of an FCT High Court. He said a former Assistant Commandant General of the NSCDC, Mohammed Umar, and two others, Amobi Chidozie and Ojuolape Oyemomi, would be arraigned before the court. Olamiti said the arraignment is in respect of an alleged conspiracy to offer gratification to some public officers in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federa-
tion, AGF. According to him, the gratification was to induce the public officers in the AGF’s office to extend the time of remittance of the N1.2bn unspent funds belonging to NSCDC in December 2004. He attributed the delay in the arraignment to the health challenge of Umar and the death of one of the accused persons whose name was struck out from the charge sheet. “The accused were alleged to have conspired and also used their public offices to offer gratification to some public officers in the office of the AGF in the sum of N1.5m as an inducement. “The trio will also be facing trial for the transfer of N8.2m meant for overhead vote to personnel vote, an offence contrary and punishable under Section 22 (5) of the Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act 2000,” he said.
L-R: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Director-General, National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), Dr. Ladi Hamalai; Senate President David Mark; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Umar Ghali-Na’aba and Sen. Ita Enang, during induction for members of State Houses of Assembly in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
I’ll boost morale of officers, men, says IGP OMEIZA A JAYI ABUJA
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igeria’s acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, has lamented how the country continues to lose between 20 and 30 policemen every month without replacement. According to him, the situation has made Nigeria grossly under-policed. While Nigeria’s population is said to be in the region of 170 million, the strength of its Police Force is sadly unknown, with the figure hovering between 375,000 and 400,000 according to statements by officials. The United Nations recommend a minimum of 222 police officers per
100,000 people, but an analysis by the global body in 2012 showed that Nigeria had 205 policemen per 100,000 people. Arase who paid a maiden visit on the Police Service Commission yesterday alongside his management team however promised to do everything within his powers to raise the morale of his officers and men as well as scale up the overall efficiency of the Force. Arase’s position was contained in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani. The police boss who complained that lost officers are hardly replaced, added that the situation has affected the strength
of the Force. He appealed for urgent recruitment into the Force to ensure that it is well-positioned to perform its duties. The acting IGP pledged the loyalty of the police management team to the commission and promised a cordial and fruitful relationship for the optimal effectiveness and efficiency of the Force. Arase also complained of stagnation in the Force, explaining that some officers had been on one rank for upwards of eight years because of non-availability of establishment vacancies, a development he said had seriously affected the morale of the officers. Responding, chairman of the commission,
Sir Mike Okiro, a retired IGP, said the commission would look into the possibility of expanding the establishment of the Force to accommodate more promotions and reduce stagnation in the Force. Arase appealed to the commission to assist the Force in ensuring that more establishment vacancies are created to cater for the backlog of promotions. Okiro also admitted that Nigeria is underpoliced and noted that there is need for urgent recruitment into the Force to ensure the country is well-policed. He aligned with the acting IGP that there is need to replace lost officers who may have died in the course of duty.
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ECOWAS to Buhari: Be magnanimous in victory …says with Nigeria, Togo polls, democracy has come to stay
geOrge OjI ABUJA
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conomic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, has enjoined Nigeria's President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure that no part of the country suffers any discrimination or persecution on account of their electoral choices in the March 28, 2015, polls, which brought him to power. The parliament also said it believes Nigeria and indeed, the entire West African region will be better for if Buhari matches President Goodluck Jonathan's sportsmanship in defeat with magnanimity in victory. The position of the parliament was contained in an address delivered yesterday
at the opening of the 2015 ordinary session of the Third legislature of ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja by Speaker of the parliament, Nigeria's Ike Ekweremadu. Congratulating President Jonathan on his acceptance of defeat at the polls, the parliament noted that by that singular action, President Jonathan has set a new standard, which every African leader will be tasked to emulate to ensure that true democracy, sanctity of the ballot box and wishes of the people are upheld." The parliament also commended the people of Togo Republic for conducting a successful presidential election on April 28, which was adjudged by local and international observers to be free, fair and credible. It observed that the successful elections in Nigeria
and Togo effectively combine to announce to the world that democracy has not only come to stay in West Africa, but that our democracies have truly come of age." This was as the parliament in addition condemned the recent xenophobia attacks in South Africa, which the parliament noted was not only ugly, but highly unnecessary. According to the body, the unfortunate events in the Republic of South Africa were very barbaric and a total shame; contrary to African heritage as our brothers' keepers. ‘’The attacks were a total betrayal of the collective sacrifice by the people of the continent to end apartheid in that country," the body said. Regarding the recent immigrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, occa-
sioned by the continuing risks by able-bodied African youths to migrate to Europe in search of jobs and better life, the parliament promised to initiate urgent and concerted efforts to end what it described as the suicidal voyages. It put the number of the immigrants who have died from their bids to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year alone at 1,800. While accepting the unfortunate notion that greed, ignorance and false expectations contributed to the endless fatal journeys, the parliament pledged that it must, as a regional and national parliament, step up, legislative efforts to entrench good governance that provides jobs, equal opportunities and indeed caters for the welfare and security of the people of the region.
L-R: A member of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr. George Weah; Speaker of the Parliament, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu; President, ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Maria Monteiro and President of ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Desiré Ouedraogo, during the First Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, yesterday
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Jonathan commissions Gwagwalada sub-station ChIdI ugwu ABUJA
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ederal Government yesterday commissioned the 330/132/33kv transmission sub-station in Gwagwalada, a suburb of the FCT, to the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, scheme. Executed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, the project, which commenced in 2013, is a critical link to national grid meant to ensure efficient power delivery across the country. Speaking on the occasion, President Goodluck Jonathan described the project as critical to the transmission sub-sector of the nation’s electricity industry. Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, enjoined citizens to shun vandalism of power infrastructure, stressing that generations yet unborn will benefit from the legacies of the present administration only when critical infrastructures were protected. He noted that remarkable system stability have been achieved due to extensive work in the transmission sub-sector of the electricity industry. The president reiterated that all decisions taken by the government was done not only with great sense of responsibility, but in the utmost interest of the country, stressing that posterity will place his regime in good light. The Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, said with the commissioning of the sub-station, Nigeria
is in good stead to generate 6000mw with wheeling capacity of 5,500mw. Nebo, urged Nigerians to protect the project which he said is one of the major dividends of President Jonathan’s transformation agenda. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Engineer James Olotu, said that prior to the advent of Gwagwalada substation, Abuja and all of FCT and Nassarawa State were supplied by a 330kv double circuit line and a 132kv double circuit line from Shiroro Hydro Power station terminating at Katampe 330/132/33kv sub-station and Apo 132/33kv sub-station respectively. Other locations within the FCT and Nassarawa State were thereafter supplied via various 132kv lines from Katampe and Apo. According to Olotu, the 330kv line segments totalling 252.6kms were constructed by Messrs North China under NIPP Lot 222(T). He added that the originating bay extension works and controlling switchgear at Ajaokuta 330/132/33kv sub-station were constructed by Cartlark International under NIPP Lot 22-1A(T) with project consultancy services for all these scopes provided by Messrs Elens Konsult. These works were completed and energised from Ajaokuta along with Gwagwalada sub-station on 22nd December 2012. According to him, Gwagwalada 330/132/33kv sub-station is equipped with 2X150MVA 330/132kv transformers as well as 2X60MVA 132/33kv transformers.
Court okays secret trial for Nyanya bomb blast suspects
...Ogwuche's trial starts today Ise-Oluwa Ige
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Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, yesterday granted a request by the Federal Government to shield from public view all its witnesses scheduled to testify against the suspected masterminds of Nyanya bombing, which claimed several lives and left scores injured. The high court also granted a separate order that the witnesses should use a non-public route into the court room to further
guarantee their protection. The witnesses, who are billed to mount witness box from today are, however, to be sighted by lead counsel to the suspects awaiting trial. But the accused are not to see or know the identities of the prosecution witnesses set to testify against them in the matter. National Mirror reports that the grant of partial shield by the court for the prosecution witnesses had stalled progress in the case as the witnesses refused to attend court. The prosecution witness-
es argued that testifying against the suspected terrorists in the public glare was tantamount to condemning them to the gallows. The orders of the court followed an application by the prosecution counsel, Mohammed Diri, that the identity of prosecution witnesses be shielded with tinted screen to protect their identity. With yesterday's ruling, the Federal Government is expected to open its case today. Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, Ahmed Abubakar, Moham-
med Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (alias Kofar Rama); Anas Isa, Adamu Yusuf and Nasir Abubakar are facing charges bothering on terrorism and the prosecution team was to call their witnesses. At the resumed trial yesterday, a representative of the prosecution counsel, M. Ogunsina moved a motion seeking to modify the order of the court made on March 18, 2015. Justice Ahmed Mohammed in his ruling ordered the use of tinted screens to shield the prosecution wit-
nesses to protect them from public view, but to allow only the lead counsel to the accused persons, access to view the facial identities of the prosecution witnesses. The court further granted the request of the prosecution that the prosecution witnesses protected access to the court room through a non public route. In a five paragraphs affidavit in support of the motion, the deponent stated that failure to grant it would affect the witnesses' willingness to sacrifice and give evidence for fear of
their lives. Prosecution specifically told court that the witnesses were currently engaged in field operations in the North East against the Boko Haram insurgency. In addition, he stated that the application was at the behest of the witnesses who complained of their personal security and that of their families. However, the defense Counsel Ahmed Raji (SAN), and five others vehemently opposed the motion and urged the court not to grant it.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Oil thieves jailed 24 years WALE IGBINTADE
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ustice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday convicted and sentenced four men to a 24-year jail term for stealing petroleum products belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The convicts were Yama Abass, Adeleke Adetoro, Olaniyi Tope and Beliya Abegunde. The convicts were said to have stolen 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) valued at approximately N3.2 million. They were arraigned last August along with one Alabi Olayinka, an accountant in a petrol station, in Lagos. Abang in his judgement convicted the four men on counts three and four of the charge, but discharged and acquitted Olayinka. The judge held that the evidence before the court did not in any way link Olayinka to the crime. The judge further said
Olayinka would have a good case against the police if he sued for “unlawful arrest, detention and malicious prosecution.” The court, however, sentenced each of the four convicts to three years jail term on count three; and six years on four, holding that the terms would begin from July 13, 2014 and run concurrently. Abang refused the plea by the defence counsel for mercy, saying “nobody should commit an offence and expect the court to show mercy. “They have no sympathy for this country and the citizens. In spite of all the efforts by the Federal Government to protect the petroleum pipelines and make petrol to get to everybody with ease, the convicts and their cohorts have made consistent efforts to sabotage and frustrate the effort of the Federal Government.” Describing the convicts as harbingers of evil, the judge said they (convicts) could not plant thorns and expect to har-
Niger gov snubs new Assembly Speaker PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA
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iger State Governor Mu’azu Aliyu yesterday refused to recognise the new Speaker of the House of Assembly, Isah Kawu, at a public function they both attended. This occurred at the commissioning of Minna Building Materials Market, which event was graced by the impeached Speaker, Adamu Usman, new Speaker Kawu, some members of the House and other personalities. The governor only addressed both members as “my employers” without recognising either as speaker in his protocol list and sitting arrangement. However, it was observed that the seat where the Speaker ought to have sat was occupied by the impeached Speaker.
Kawu after the occasion, in a chat said he noticed the omission, since it was done at a public function. “I saw the omission, it was not hidden. I am sure everyone noticed it, but it does not change anything. I remain the Speaker of the House of Assembly.” The Assembly complex remained locked by the police, preventing members from holding legislative functions. But Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ibrahim Gambo, stated that the complex closure is to safeguard it.
Aliyu
vest flowers, adding that it was shameful that despite being blessed with petrol, “Nigerians are still suffering from scarcity on account of the activities of the convicts.” The NNPC in a charge with no. FHC/ L/220c/2014 stated that the four convicts with some persons still at large, conspired and
damaged oil pipelines and stole 33,000 litres of PMS belonging to NNPC on July 13 along EpeIkorodu road in Lagos. They were said to have been apprehended while selling the stolen products to filling stations in the city. The offence, according to the prosecution, contravened sections
390 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Section 7(a) and (b) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act, Cap M 17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Abang, in his judgment, ordered the petrol stations that bought the stolen products to make
restitution in the sum of N3.2 million to the Federal Government within seven days of the judgment. The court also ordered the sale of the tanker used in conveying the stolen product by auction within 14 days of the judgment and the money paid to the Federal Government.
L-R: Members, Transition Committee, Ogbonnaya Onu; APC Chairman, Chief John Oyegun; Deputy Chairman, Transition Committee, Doyin Salami; Chairman, Ahmed Joda and Vice President Namadi Sambo, during the committee’s meeting at the Presidential Villa In Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
Political killings: Panel shuns court order, begins sitting DENNIS NAKU
PORT HARCOURT
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eoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State yesterday served the commission of inquiry on politically motivated killings in the state an interim order of the Federal High Court, restraining it from sitting. In spite of receiving the court order that was served by PDP legal adviser, Emma Aguma, the commission entertained petition from the family of slain All Progressives Congress, APC, member in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Mr. Clever Orukwuowu and others. The commission, which was set up by Governor Chibuike Amaechi to probe politically motivated killings in the state before, during and after the last general elections, has fixed Wednesday for hearing of PDP’s objection to its sittings and activities. The PDP legal team led by Aguma had stormed the Obi Wali
International Conference Centre, venue of the Prof Chidi Odinkalu-led panel, to present the interim order by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, restraining the commission from going ahead with its investigation. Aguma argued that though the commission had initially feigned ignorance of the court order, it was now incumbent on it to obey the order pending determination of the suit filed by the party for a declaration that the setting of the commission by Amaechi was unconstitutional and 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 the country was vested in the police. But after listening to Aguma’s submission, Odinkalu explained that the commission had not been served any court order and announced that it will listen to PDP’s objec-
tions on Wednesday. Among those whose petitions were heard during Monday’s sitting was the wife of slain APC youth leader in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Mrs. Ruth Clever Orukwuowu. Mrs. Orukwuowu, 41, mother of seven, appealed to the government and police to protect her family who now live in constant fear after the gruesome murder of her husband on April 11. She explained in an emotion-laden voice that on the fateful day, her husband had finished accreditation when unknown gunmen donning military uniform invaded Unit 5 in Idu community and killed him. She said had she not earlier left to visit the loo, the gunmen would also have killed her. Orukwuowu explained that they had gotten hint of the plot to kill her husband shortly after the murder of former Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni council chairman, Mr. Christopher Adube, his three children, driver
and cousin at Obrikom. Accompanied by her seven children, she appealed to APC, the Rivers State government and the police to offer them protection because they feared that gunmen might still come after the entire family. Also, a supervisory councillor in Etche local government area, Mr. Blessing Nwuchigbo, whose family house was razed by alleged members of a rival political party, asked the commission to cause the police to conduct proper investigation that would lead to the arrest of culprits behind the arson. Nwuchigbo alleged that shortly after his house was burnt at Ozuzu on March 19, he notified the police but regretted that nothing was done to apprehend the culprits. Similarly, both Nwuchigbo and Mr. Loveday Onuwa also claimed that their houses and other valuables were razed by suspected PDP thugs and demanded compensation.
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South West
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Ondo tribunal orders substituted service on APC, PDP candidates OjO Oyewamide AKURE
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ndo State Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Akure, yesterday ordered that petitions against some candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, be served by substituted means. The order was granted by the three-man panel headed by Justice Anthony Ogar, following complaints of counsel to both parties in their petitions that the defendants had been trying to evade service. One of the APC lawyers,
Charles Titiloye, while moving his applications for Ilaje constituencies I and II, complained that defendants in the petitions, Prince Abayomi Akinruntan and Coker Malachi, had been evading personal service as required by law. Titiloye asked the tribunal to grant him an order to serve the petitions on the defendants through pasting them on the wall of the party’s secretariat at Oyemekun and Alagbaka roads in Akure. Also, Dr. TunjiAbayomi who appeared with Prince IdowuMafimisebi and Ayo Adedipe, in his applications, said the PDP candidates who
were declared winners of the House of Assembly election in Idanre, Ondo West 1 and 11 and Ondo East state constituencies had been evading service in order to frustrate the hearing of the petitions. Abayomi attached to the applications, an affidavit deposed to by the bailiff of the tribunal to the effect that he had not been able to effect service of the actual petitions on the defendants, praying the panel to grant his ex parte order for substituted service. PDP lawyer, Remi Olatubora, also asked the tribunal to grant substituted service on the candidates of the APC who were declared winners
of the polls in Akoko South West constituencies 1 and 11, Owo constituency 11, Akure South constituency 11 and Akoko North West constituency. Olatubora complained that the APC candidates had been evading personal service, saying substituted service was necessary in order to meet the deadline for the conclusion of the petitions before the tribunal. The panel granted the applications moved by the lawyers to both the PDP and APC and asked the petitioners to either paste the petitions on the walls of the parties’ secretariats or drop them with the secretaries of the political parties.
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$330,000 scam: How court registrar defrauded Bamaiyi - Witness matthew irinOye
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n investigative officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Emmanuel Afanda, yesterday told a Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, how a court registrar, Oluronke Rosolu, aided Fred Ajudua to defraud former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, to the tune of $330,000. Afanda made the statement at the continuation of Rosolu's trial before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo. It would be recalled that Rosolu, a former registrar to Justice Joseph Oyewole, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences and obtaining money by false pretences. The EFCC alleged that she helped Ajudua to funnel the money from Bamaiyi between November 2004 and June 2005, while both of them were being remanded at Kirikiri Prisons for separate offences. The anti-graft agency said Ajudua obtained the money
from Bamaiyi by claiming that it represented the professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to handle his case. While being led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Mr.Seidu Atteh, Afanda told the court that he was a member of the team that investigated Bamaiyi's petition to the EFCC regarding the scam. The witness said during his interrogation of Bamaiyi, it was revealed that Rosolu visited him thrice at the prison facility and collected the money on November 20, 2004. He said the team also interviewed a prison officer, ACP Abdullahi Garuba, who also confirmed the visits and the transaction. The witness said the defendant was invited to the EFCC office on July 25, 2013, and that she made four statements voluntarily denying ever visiting the prison. He noted that a search warrant was consequently executed at the defendant's residence somewhere in Ogun State and a document which emanated from Ajudua was recovered by the officers.
Teaching hospital staff protest, seek kidnapped nurse’s release abiOdun nejO ADO EKITI
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (middle); Deputy Governor-elect, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga (2nd left); General Manager, Southwest Region, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr. Li Bing (right); Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru (3rd left) and Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mrs. Yewande Muoyo (left), at the site of the Proposed Federal Airport, Imosan in Ewekoro Local Government Area, one of the projects in the state inspected by the governor and his cabinet members, yesterday.
National ID: We’re paying for our past failure —Fashola Francis suberu
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overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday said what many Nigerians went through while searching for their permanent voter cards (PVCs) would not have been necessary had Nigeria succeeded in its previous attempts on the National Identity Card project. The governor said this when he was officially presented with his ID card by Director-General of National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, at the Lagos House, Ikeja. Fashola, after receiving his Unique Identification Card said the country was
paying for its failed previous attempts at capturing eligible individuals in the country in a common data base. He said: “I need to emphasis that this is a very important undertaken for all Nigerians. What we have not got right in previous exercises we are all paying for now. One cannot really overemphasise the role common and reliable identity management exercise can play when government - whether at the state or federal level can identify all the people it is responsible for. “Government cannot provide services for people who will remain anonymous and the national ID card helps government in doing many things in terms of planning. If this had been done
successfully, it would have eliminated or substantially reduced the stress we put ourselves through in order to get the PVC to vote. “So, anyone who is involved in this must know that if he does it well, he is contributing to building Nigeria, and if he does it badly, he is undermining the country.” Earlier, Mr.Onyemenam had made a distinction between Unique Identification and ordinary card issuance; stressing thatunique identification is biometric-based. His words:: “We are here to present your Identity Card to you and thank you for the support you have been giving to the commission. I recall that Lagos and Abuja are selected for the
pilot scheme of the exercise. We are presently operating from 23 locations and the expectation is to cover all the LCDAs. “The distinction between Unique Identification and Card Issuance is when a card is issued based on a unique data base, you are talking about a unique identification. It is usually based on unique set of standards, especially when it is founded on biometrics, like fingerprints, face or the eyes, or a combination of these. “What the National Identity Management Commission is charged to do is to provide the foundation identity; so it becomes possible for all functional identities or registration to pick from.”
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orkers of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI), Ekiti State, yesterday protested the continuous stay of a nurse of the institution, Mrs. Margaret Aladenika, in a kidnappers' den since May 3. The placards-carrying workers, who massed at the teaching hospital complex, demanded intensified effort on the part of security agencies to locate the kidnappers' den with a view to releasing the nurse and arresting the culprits. The nurse and her husband were driving along Ido-Ipere Road that fateful Sunday when she was kidnapped, with her husband beaten up and a fellow traveller killed in the process. The state of insecurity in the hospital and among its personnel became worse four days after youths of the host community under the aegis of Ido Youth Vanguard violently invaded the teaching hospital demanding that 100 of them be given imme-
diate employment or risk destruction of the medical facility. The state governor, Mr.AyodeleFayose, while addressing the protesting staff yesterday, assured them that his government in collaboration with the security operatives would bring back the nurse and others kidnapped recently in the state to rejoin their families. Fayose said: "Mrs.Aladeneka would soon be with us. I appreciate you for being your brothers' keeper. It could be anybody; it could be your brother. Let me tell you that I share this sorrow with you. This is one of the burdens I carry with you. I am sure that she will come back to join us. "Whether you are a politician or not, everybody must join hands with government to unravel the security issue, and bring it to an end. We are calling on all Ekiti indigenes, irrespective of any political affiliation and all security agencies to support government to bring this unholy development to an end.
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
South West
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Group appeals to Aregbesola over unpaid salaries boladale bamIgbola OSOGBO
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sun State-based socio-political group, Osun Mandate Group, OMG, yesterday appealed to Governor Rauf Aregbesola to find means of getting workers paid their outstanding salaries. Disclosing this in a statement signed by the group's chairman, Adunola Bimbo, and secretary, Gbemi Olufiade, in Osogbo, it said since the President-elect, General Muhammad Buhari, has declared that "there would not be quick fix" for the plethora of problems facing the country, other means of getting the problem solved must be explored by the governor. The group noted that
Osun State was in similar situation when Governor Aregbesola assumed office in 2010, at the time ex-governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was struggling to pay workers, adding that the situation persisted until Aregbesola introduced "financial re-engineering". According to the group, the situation the unpaid salaries has put the economy of the state is worrisome and called for urgent action to prevent any untoward development. The statement reads: " Since General Buhari, on whom many indebted states put their hopes, has come out clear that there would not be quick fix for many challenges facing the country, including poor financial situation of many states,
Governor Aregbesola must, as a matter of urgency, find means to pay workers their salaries. "The number of beggars on the streets of Osogbo in particular is growing and this portend security risk for the state. Direct government funding is very important for an economy like ours, since there are no industries or many private employers. "Economy of this state squarely rests on the salaries of these workers. That is why Aregbesola must find means of settling backlog of unpaid salaries owed workers Meanwhile, the inability of Osun State government to pay workers salaries has been put at the doorstep of the Federal Government,
"under which the economy of the country collapsed, resulting in the drop in monthly allocations going to states." This was stated by Executive Secretary, Ayedire Local Government Area, Mr Gbenga Ogunkanmi, who said Governor Aregbesola could not be blamed for the backlog of unpaid salaries, adding that all avenues money could be sourced had been blocked. Ogunkanmi, who was addressing members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, at a meeting held in Ileogbo, headquarters of Ayedire Local Government, said the present administration could not have deliberately owed workers if money to pay them was available.
Ekiti tribunal lawyers caution parties against smear campaign abIodun nejo ADO EKITI
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lection Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, held its inaugural sitting yesterday with a warning to parties in the matters before it to avoid smear campaign against its members. The three-member panel headed by Justice A.N. Erahor assured that the tribunal would handle all matters dispassionately and be impartial arbiter throughout the period matters would be heard. Erahor in his inaugural address, told the parties: “If you notice any infraction in the course of the proceeding, just call our attention to it. We don’t want any frivolous allegation against any of the members of this tribunal." The panel, which also has Justices A.T. Lamina and P.A. Obayi as members, will handle six petitions for senatorial and House of Assembly elections. The tribunal chairman said critical and crucial na-
tional assignment deserved diligent prosecution, calling on the parties to take cognisance of the fact that it had 180 days to dispense justice on the matters in line with section 285 of the 1999 Constitution. He spoke on the need to avoid unnecessary distractions to meet the stipulated time frame, adding: "I expect everybody to play his role professionally so that all the issues can be handled firmly and fairly." Erahor appealed to the security agencies to provide security for the judges, lawyers, politicians and other members of the public. At the tribunal, the APC senatorial candidates in Ekiti South and North, Senator Tony Adeniyi and Mr Gbenga Olofin respectively are challenging the victories of Mrs Biodun Olujimi and Fatimat Raji-Rasaki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the National Assembly election. Four APC House of Assembly candidates are also asking the tribunal to invalidate the victory of their PDP opponents in the election.
Illegal firearm: Lagos CJ takes over case file Wale IgbIntade
C L-R: Wife of the late Prof. Tekena Tamuno, Olufunmilayo; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Emilolorun Ayelari, during a Special Senate meeting for former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, the late Emeritus Prof. Tekena Tamuno by the University of Ibadan Senate, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
N68m theft: Court adjourns trial of NBC manager Wale IgbIntade
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Lagos Chief Magistrate's Court has adjourned till June 24, 2015, the trial of a top management staff of Nigerian Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Olubusoye Ayodeji Abayomi, who allegedly stole N68,703, 480, from the company’s coffers. The defendant was charged before the court by men of the Department of Criminal Investigation Department of the Lagos State Police Command, Panti Yaba, on a two count-
charge, bordering on conspiracy and stealing. The offences, according to prosecutor, Inspector Richard Odigie, are contrary and punishable under sections 409 and 285(7) of the Criminal Code of Lagos State, 2011. Police had informed the court that the accused and others, now at large, committed the offence between June 2011 and June 2014 at the Nigerian Bottling Company, Iddo House, Lagos. A police source informed our correspondent that the act was revealed
when a forensic audit was conducted on the company's account. Following the sterling revelation of fraud, the police source said the accused was handed over to the police by the beverages company's management for prosecution. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, the prosecutor, Inspector Odigie, informed the court that the matter was slated for mention, and he therefore urged the court to set a date for a trial. Counsel to the accused, Mr. Tunji Adeyemi, did not
oppose the prosecution's application for trial. When the charge was read to the accused, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the offence. Upon his plea of not guilty, the presiding magistrate, Mrs. I. O. Adelaja, admitted him to bail in the sum of N2 million, with two sureties. The sureties, according to Chief Magistrate, must present to the court, three years tax clearance certificates to Lagos State Government, means of livelihood, which must verified by the prosecutor.
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hief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, has taken over the case file of two brothers, Suleiman Sanusi and Kehinde Sanusi, standing trial over alleged illegal possession of firearms and disrespecting court order. The chief judge took over the case file soon after the trial Magistrate, Adeola Adedayo, raised an alarm over alleged threat to her life. At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday before Magistrate Adedayo, the defendants and their counsel were absent from the proceedings. Meanwhile, counsel from the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, S. Dawudu, told the court that there was a legal advice from the DPP. The matter could not go on as the magistrate said she was not in possession of the case file and no information was given in respect of that. It was gathered that the
first defendant (Sulaiman Sanusi) was asked to face trial as the DPP insisted he has a case to answer over illegal possession of firearms, while his younger brother, Kehinde Sanusi, was asked to go, as there was no evidence linking him with the offence. The two defendants are the children of the late Lagos business mogul, Chief Abdul-Rasak Sanusi, they are being prosecuted by the police. At the last sitting, Magistrate Adedayo, of Igbosere Magistrate’s Court raised alarm that she had received letters delivered to her residence from the defendants, who are yet to be arraigned. The magistrate said she was disturbed that the defendants knew her house and had detailed her personal life in the letter. “I feel very threatened. Let the world know about it so that if anything happens to me and any member of my family the whole world will know who to hold. I don’t know why a defendant should know my house. My life is at risk.”
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South East
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Court orders police to vacate Enugu Assembly complex Dennis Agbo ENUGU
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ederal High Court in Enugu yesterday ordered the police to vacate Enugu State House of Assembly complex. The order subsists pending the determination of a suit brought by the Speaker, Eugene Odoh, on behalf of 15 members of the House, who issued an impeachment notice against Governor Sullivan Chime last Monday. The court presided over by Justice D.V. Agishi also restrained the police from curtailing the personal liberty of the Speaker. It ordered that policemen
should not be seen around the House of Assembly complex except at points determined by the Speaker. It further ordered that the Speaker and other 15 House members should be allowed access to the legislative complex, particularly the chambers. The orders were made in an interim injunction granted in favour of the Speaker who filed a suit before the court on behalf of the 15 members of the House. The respondents in the suit are the eight members of the House loyal to Chime and the Nigeria Police. Justice Agishi adjourned the matter to May 19 for further hearing.
Akpabio appointed Ritman varsity chancellor
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kwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has been installed pioneer Chancellor of Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene. Speaking after the installation ceremony, Akpabio thanked the Chairman and Governing Council of the university for honouring him with the position of chancellor of the institution. Akpabio assured that he would use his contacts as pioneer chancellor to attract lots of goodwill to the university to make it one of the best private universities in the country. He said the establishment of the university had invariably placed the host community, Ikot Abia Idem, on the world map, and urged the people of the state to take the advantage offered by the institution to develop themselves. The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof Julius Okojie, congratulated the institution for obtaining the licence to operate as the 58th private university in the country. Okojie, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof Chiedu F. Mafiana, advised the school not to price itself out of the market. Okojie said as one of the 61 private universities in the country, Ritman should brand itself with quality academics and ensure strict adherence to NUC
guidelines. Chairman of the occasion, Senator Anietie Okon, applauded the university management, noting that it would go on record in the annals of the state as one of the private institutions that has risen academically. Founder of the university, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, expressed appreciation to all the dignitaries that graced the occasion, including the governor for his contribution to education. Essien, who thanked the Federal Executive Council, FEC, for granting the approval for the establishment of the university, said the institution would open its doors to students on October 2015 in three faculties with 14 departments as approved by NUC.
Men of the Nigeria Customs Service during the display of impounded 1,777 cartons of fake drugs in Owerri, Imo State at the weekend.
Imo plans tax hike to pay salaries Chris njoku OWERRI
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ndications emerged yesterday that Imo State government may increase its tax rate to meet up with the burden of paying workers’ salaries and other social obligations in the state. It was gathered that for the past few months the state government has been struggling to pay workers salaries following the slide
in oil price with attendant consequences of drastic reduction in federal allocation to states. Due to this development, it was learnt that the state government plans to increase Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, by increasing tax rate and aggressive tenement rent collection in the state. This may require citizens, residents and businesses in the state paying higher taxes. Briefing members of In-
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when such increment comes up soon. While commending members of the institution for the roles they play in tax administration and regulation among others, she pledged the cooperation of the state government with the organisation. Leader of the institute, Cosmos Nwohiri, said the members visited her office to solicit the government’s cooperation for their forthcoming meeting in the state.
NLC, NUT, others shun Elechi's commission of secretariat AliunA. goDwin ABAKALIKI
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eadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, among other leaders of thought and some founding fathers of the state yesterday shunned the
inauguration of 13 ultramodern state secretariat complex built by outgoing Governor Martin Elechi. Inauguration of the uncompleted project by the governor was because of fear of abandonment by the incoming government. Elechi said the failure
Prioritise Ebonyi workers’ welfare, Umahi advised
he incoming government in Ebonyi State has been advised to ensure that workers’ welfare tops its list of programmes. The state's chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday. The statement, signed by Mr Leonard Nkah, president of NULGE in the state, said there was need for the new government to declare a state of emergency on workers’ welfare.
stitution of Taxation who visited her office in Owerri, a Permanent Secretary and the immediate past Accountant-General of the state, Mrs. Stella Udogu, regretted the financial crunch low federal allocations have caused. He noted that Imo government would step up its tax in the state to increase IGR and help pay salaries to workers. She urged the citizenry to bear with the Rochas Okorocha government
According to the statement, there is need to promptly pay minimum wage to workers when due. It also demanded that backlog of promotion arrears and leave allowances be paid, including the provision of buses to subsidise transport cost for workers. “Our expectations are that the incoming government will end the gross misappropriation of local government funds,” it stated. It further called for an overhaul of the Local Government Service Commis-
sion, LGSC, to ensure the eradication of mediocrity and nepotism in the local government service. The statement pointed out that improvement in the health and agriculture sectors of the local government economy is crucial to development of the state. The union expressed its determination to partner with the incoming government to ensure rapid development of the state. “We are hopeful that the administration will perform as pledged,” the statement added.
of the House of Assembly to support his demand to collect N15 billion bond to enable him complete the projects he embarked on since the beginning of his administration contributed to his failure to complete most of the projects, especially the international market and Ocho-udo city. The governor, while lamenting the setback in providing even development to the people of the state, noted that he had tried to fulfill his promises to the people. “In 2008, we decided to award contract to renovate our hospitals, but things changed badly that we had to put that on hold. Later in 2010, we got bond facilities and utilised it in our various ways as have been explained in our book of account and in town hall meetings. “Last year, our House of Assembly graciously resolved overwhelmingly
to support our borrowing N15 billion bond to enable the completion of our capital projects. Unfortunately by November, our Speaker in newspapers to the President, requested stoppage of the bond. Having regard that investors’ confidence had been badly shaken, and with little time to utilise the fund, I had to cancel the project and the bond application,” he said. The governor, who lamented the paucity of fund to complete most of the projects embarked on, further noted the need of the canceled bond, saying: "We made provision for about N2 billion for the completion of this secretariat and N3.2 billion for the completion of the international market. If we do not commission the projects and put them in use immediately, the depreciation effect will cost us more to bring them back to this stage we are now."
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
News
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
FG woos Poland on power investment
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ederal Government yesterday called on its Polish counterpart to set up power plants that can deliver smaller megawatts of electricity in the country with a view to making same available for supply to the people within the shortest possible time. According to a statement from the Ministry of Power, Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Godknows Igali, made the call at a meeting with a Polish delegation led by its Minister of Economy, Andrzej Dycha. He said such investment would provide a win-win situa-
tion for both parties, as investors would get their turnover quicker, with Nigeria in turn enjoying increase in power output instantly. According to Igali, the entire gamut of electricity value chain is suffering from long years of neglect and under-funding, which informed the determination of this administration to pursue privatisation with vigour. He said having seen the transformation in the banking and telecom industries as a result of privatisation, it saw the need to inject private sector dynamism into the
system. He noted that since the exercise began about 20 months ago, there has been tremendous increase in the nation’s power sector output, which would have been noticed, but for incessant vandalism of gas pipelines. Citing the Ughelli Power Station, he said the station has since increased its generation capacity from a paltry 115mw to 650mw, targeting 850mw in some months ahead. Igali assured the Polish delegation that Nigeria has enough coal deposits to provide
5,000mw of power from coal, adding that the government will provide the necessary backing for take-off of the deal. He further stressed that all permits and licences would be fast-tracked in order to ensure seamless realisation of the projects. Earlier, leader of the delegation, Dycha, stated that Poland was currently the fastest developing economy in Europe. He further stated that his country had developed superior technology for coal and renewable energy, which it wants to collaborate on with the Nigerian government.
L-R: Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Chinedu Mafiana, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio and Chairman, board of trustees of Ritman University, Sen. Emmanuel Ibok Essien, during the presentation of Governor Akpabio to the public as pioneer Chancellor of Ritman University.
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FG doles out N400m for Education Survey AdeOlA TuKuru ABUJA
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hairman of National Population Commission, NPC, Eze Duruiheoma, yesterday revealed that N400 million was disbursed by the Federal Government to conduct the Nigeria Education Data Survey, NEDS, in the country. Duruiheoma added that the money billed for allowances and other exigencies would be distributed in three tranches over three months. He disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja on the commencement of field work for the 2015 NEDS, adding that the plan was to collect information from 30,000 eligible households, which have at least a child between ages 4 and 16, during the event. According to him, the survey is expected to interview at least 30,000 parents/guardians in order to collect data on more than 45,000 children aged 4 to 16. He said the interview would focus on reasons for dropping out of school, frequency of pupils’ absenteeism and reason for missing classes, cost of schooling, among other issues. “The information will provide insight into the behaviour and attitude of parents and guardians in the country. The conduct of NEDS marks another major step by NPC to re-
spond to the national imperative of providing adequate and relevant data for national planning,” he said, adding that the commission conducts and disseminates demographic data collected from censuses. He said, “Effective planning requires more specialised and regular data to achieve concrete improvements in the living standards of the people.” To ensure that the 2015 NEDS meets its lofty objective of providing the much needed data for educational planning, Duruiheoma said the commission has adopted a meticulous and scientific approach at every stage of the survey. He explained that the survey is designed to generate information on the educational status of the Nigerian population and expectedly, the interviewers will ask a wide range of questions. The NPC boss urged respondents to be patient with the interviewers and provide truthful answers to questions asked, noting that information provided would be treated with absolute confidentiality. “As we move towards the conduct of the census in 2016, we solicit the support of all Nigerians for every segment in our programmes and projects. Census is an economic exercise in which the data generated are used for planning purposes,” he said.
NAHCO hikes cargo tariff 30%, clearing agents kick Olusegun KOiKi
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igerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO Plc, yesterday reviewed upward its cargo tariff by additional 30 per cent. With the new regime, a kilo of cargo that hitherto went for N40 per kilo would now be offered at N52 per kg. But spokesman of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, Basil Agboarumi, reacting to enquiry on the cargo review rate, said the company was yet to review its cargo rate. He said SAHOCL still charges N38 per kilo on
each cargo, noting, however, that the cost of operations has heightened in recent time. National Mirror gathered that a kilo of cargo goes for N40 per kilo; N38 for ground handlers, while leadership of the clearing agents, ANLCA, and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, get N2 per kilo. This is apart from the 5 per cent Value Added Tax, VAT. But the introduction of new tariff by the ground handling company did not go down well with clearing agents as leadership of ANLCA, said it would resist the new rate.
The association immediately ordered its members to stay action pending when the issue would be resolved by both parties. A source close to the clearing agents told our correspondent in Lagos that NAHCO had reviewed upward its tariff without adequate consultations with the stakeholders. The source, who pleaded anonymity, said that rather than upwardly review its tariff on cargo, the clearing agents expected a downward review especially at this critical period. He maintained that a downward review would further encourage expor-
tation and boost exportation of agricultural products. He decried the high cost of doing business in the sector, which he said had made most business organisations to fold up, stressing that with reduced cost of business, it would create more room for diversification in the system. But NAHCO spokesman, Tayo Ajakaye, who confirmed the new regime, told our correspondent on phone that the ground handler had met with all stakeholders and carried everybody along in the new cargo adjustment rate. He recalled that NAH-
CO had in March 2015 at a stakeholders’ summit in Lagos, informed that it needed to review its existing tariff in order to meet up with the current challenges in the sub-sector. But ANLCA President, Aloysius Igwe, in a phone conversation with our correspondent, insisted that the association was not carried along in the whole exercise. He maintained that until the ground handler reverts to the old tariff; its members would not carry out business activities with it, but could not specify how much clearing agents pay per kilo on each cargo. Acting Managing Di-
rector, NAHCO, Nobert Bielderman had said recently in Lagos that the ground handling business in the country was facing hard times due to the economic challenges in the country. He said to safeguard the industry from collapse, all players would have to make sacrifices, embrace mutual respect, understanding, maturity, tact, long-term view and professionalism. He said NAHCO expected appropriate price adjustments in sync with current realities and urged its clients to continue to support and show continuous loyalty to its brand.
12
North
JAMES ABRAHAM JOS
I
ncessant bloodbath in parts of Plateau State yesterday raised fresh concern, as hundreds of youth groups blocked major roads linking Jos, the state capital, and calling on the authorities to halt the trend and arrest those involved in the killings. Last week, the people of Tarok ethnic nationality in the state embarked on a similar protest to the House of Assembly over the killing of their kins-
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
More protests trail Plateau killings men allegedly by solders in Wase Local Government Area of the state. During an attack in Kadarko, Mutum Biyu, Wadatan Arewa, and Wadatan Kasuwa communities of Wase, over 50 villagers were killed and 150 others injured and several houses burnt. During yesterday’s protest, the coalition of youths who came out wearing black and white T-shirts, as well as carrying placards said they
were not happy with the incessant night attacks and continued killings in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Wase local government areas and other parts of the state. The youths also threatened to petition the International Criminal Court, alleging crimes against humanity by the Federal Government and the Nigerian military for killing unarmed civilians, if both the Federal Government and the military
refused to take action. Leader of the youths, Dr Daniel Meshak, while speaking with journalists yesterday after the protest condemned the killing of innocent citizens in the state and called on all authorities concerned to appropriately deal with the matter. “The military should make known the outcome of their two weeks operation in parts of Barkin Ladi and Riyom, where the killings still continue
till this moment,” Meshak said. The protesting youths, who were also supported by women, however, called for a thorough search in Mahanga, Bangyai, Shonong, Atakar, Kwi, Rim and Sopp villages of Riyom Local Government as well as parts of Bokkos, so as to fish out the unknown men who have been terrorising the areas. It would be recalled that for the past 10 years, Pla-
Eight injured in collapsed palace building ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO
D
President of Rotary Club District 9125 of Jos, Mr. Santos Larab (left) presenting tri-cycle wheelchairs to physically challenged persons in Jos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
Tribunal orders substituted service on Dankwambo
G
ombe State Election Petitions Tribunal yesterday ordered substituted service on Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo. The order followed the inability of the court bailiff to serve the governor with summons. Attempt to serve the governor with court summons was thwarted last Friday as the gate to Government House, Gombe, was shut against a court bailiff, Mohammed Dawaki, who was mandated to serve the tribunal processes on the governor. Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, is contesting the re-election of Dankwambo in the just concluded governorship election. The tribunal’s verdict on substituted service came after submission by Chief Niyi Akintola
(SAN), counsel to Yahaya. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice M. O. Adewara, in his ruling said: “In a matter of motion ex-parte seeking an order granting leave to the petitioners/applicants to serve the 1st respondent (Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo) by substituted means to wit; by delivering the originating process i.e. petition, witness written disposition, list of witnesses, list of documents and all front-loaded process meant for the 1st respondent (Dankwambo) in the suit to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, state secretariat, Gombe State; “And/or pasting same at the entrance gate of the Government House, Gombe, on Monday, the 11th day of May 2015. “Upon reading the motion ex-parte filed on the 2nd day of May, 2015, and the supporting affidavit
of Tunji Ogunrinde and after hearing Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), with A.B.M. Bello, A.U. Barde and Oladele Oyelani for the petitioners/ applicants, it is hereby ordered as follows: The application is granted as prayed.” The APC in its petition to the tribunal had alleged that some of the results from 11 local government areas in the state were either inconclusive or marred with all sorts of grandiose electoral malpractices. The party and its candidate sought the following reliefs: “An order declaring him and the APC winner of the governorship election of 11th April, 2015, in Gombe State, having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast in the said election. “An order compelling the 3rd respondent (the
Independent National Electoral Commission) to withdraw from Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Certificate of Return as the validly elected Governor of Gombe State in the governorship election held on 11th April, 2015. “An order compelling INEC to present to APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, as the validly elected governor of Gombe State in the governorship election held on 11th April 2015.” In the alternative, APC and its candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, sought for an order nullifying the entire governorship election conducted in Gombe State on 11th of April 2015 on the grounds of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010.”
teau State has witnessed the orgy of violence in sustained, systemic and coordinated attacks on innocent people by faceless terrorists without being arrested. Meanwhile, Chairman of Riyom Local Government Council, Mrs Josephine Piyo, said the damage done in the locality would have been avoided if security personnel had responded to distress calls from citizens.
isaster struck yesterday at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, when a mud wall under reconstruction collapsed, injuring eight persons. National Mirror reports that the mud wall caved in on the injured persons around 11am on Monday as rescue workers, who rushed to scene inside the palace conveyed the wounded in an ambulance to the nearest medical facility for treatment. According to eyewitness, about 10 construction workers were working on the building when it col-
lapsed. National Mirror gathered that on being informed of the incident, the emir ordered a senior official in Kano Emirate Council to investigate the reason behind the collapse for appropriate action. National Mirror reports that five persons buried in the rubbles were rescued and taken to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital for medical attention. One of those who escaped unhurt, Iliya Ahmadu, said: “I thank God for escaping unhurt, I am a water vendor from Babura Local Government of Jigawa State, when I heard there were some construction work going on at the emir’s palace I decided to engage in the casual work.
Ahmed dissolves cabinet WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN
K
wara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, yesterday dissolved his cabinet in what looked like a clean sweep exercise. Announcing the dissolution Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, said: “His Excellency, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has approved immediate dissolution of the State Executive Council. “Also affected by the dissolution are Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Liaison Officers, and Youth Employment Coordinators. “Similarly, all boards of government-owned companies, commissions, parastatals, and organisations other than those of statutory status, are also dissolved.
“Meanwhile, all commissioners are advised to hand over government properties in their custody to their permanent secretaries, while heads of MDAs must hand over to the most senior officers in their establishment,” he added. Gold said the governor expressed sincere appreciation to all affected political office holders for their immeasurable contributions to the success of his administration in the last four years and wished them success in their future endeavours. There had been apprehensions immediately after the governor was returned for the second term in office last month when Dr. Bukola Saraki, the governor’s godfather, declared within the first 24 hours that all those holding political appointments should not expect to stay on in the new dispensation.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
SUPER TUESDAY
S
ince the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, attained and held unto power in 1999, it has had cause to from time to time deal with one internal crisis or the other, but none could be compared to the present crises rocking the party, since the All Progressives Congress, APC, defeated it at the March 28 presidential and April 11 gubernatorial polls. After the election, where the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, things have continued to fall apart for the one time acclaimed most populous political party of black nations, and the centre just refused to hold! The party’s problems rage from en-mass defection of its members and leaders to the opposition party and most worrisome, is the current accusation and counter-accusation, going on among the top echelon of the party, on who and who was responsible for the party’s dismal performance at the polls. To many political observers, this is certainly not the best of times for the PDP, which once boasted that it will be in power for at least 60 years. It conspicuously appears to be having its boat threatened by imminent wreckage, occasioned by its loss of power at the centre. There is present fear that unless stakeholders of the party rise to the occasion with precise and calculated efforts to nip the present acrimony racking the party in the bud, PDP might become extinct and may only be remembered as a once might political party. The crises Prior to March 28 presidential election, there were signs that all was not well with the PDP, though its chieftains, lived in false hope, maintained a facade far from reality and carried on as if all was well. But the outcome of the March 28 and April 11 general elections was all that was needed to know the true state of affairs in PDP. While many Nigerians had expected members of the party to close ranks, rebuild, reposition and re-strategise on how to bounce back in 2019, rather a good number of them jumped ship, defecting to the incoming ruling party. As if that was not enough, what have followed are recriminations about what went wrong, with party stakeholders trading blames and calling for each other’s head. For instance, after a meeting of 19 PDP governors, who got together to do a post mortem on the election in Abuja recently, the resolution was that the national officers should resign to pave the way for a new leadership. PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu and some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, were said to be part of the closed-door meeting, but Mu’azu and his team were later asked to excuse the governors. On their own, members of the NWC are poised for a show down with the governors, as they have vowed not to resign and are calling for a public hearing into who caused the collapse of PDP between the governors and NWC. The leadership of the party insists that at the public hearing, members, stakeholders and leaders of the party would listen to views from everyone to ascertain who created problems that led to the poor performance of the party. Many political pundits opined that PDP members have a lot of soul-searching to do, because apart from losing the Presidency it has held for 16 years, the party also lost its majority in the National Assembly and will be the leading opposition when the 8th National Assembly is inaugurated after the May 29 handover. The PDP won 46 senatorial seats out of 109, while the APC took 60. The story is not different in the House of Representatives. And from a height of 21 state governors, the party now has 13 and lost in its traditional strongholds of Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Niger, Kaduna Jigawa and Bauchi. Blames What is now rooted at the centre of affairs of the outgoing ruling PDP is accusation and counter-accusation of who did what and who did not do what that led to the party’s abysmal
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
13
Politics
Issues from general elections threaten PDP’s stability The unity and sustenance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is at present threatened by blame games resulting from its abysmal performance at the last general elections. EBERE NDUKWU looks at these blames and its likely consequences on Africa’s most populous political party.
Jonathan
Muazu
and ignominious performance at the general elections both at the federal and state levels. While some have continued to heap the blame on the party’s NWC, insisting that the Mu’azu-led NWC must resign their position or be sacked for failure to deliver the presidential seat to the party, good many others feel their grievances are misplaced as they argue that the President and his campaign organisation should rather be blamed for the party’s failure.
the defeat of President Jonathan. According to the source, the NWC members were more interested in pursuing their private material interests than the party’s corporate interest. The source said: “They were too busy helping themselves to party funds as President Jonathan’s campaign suffered.” It claimed that members of the NWC stole funds belonging to the party’s treasury shortly after President Jonathan lost the presidential election. Two of the President’s associates noted that the President was dismayed by the greed of the NWC members, who allegedly stole over N250 million from the party’s war chest prior to the April 11 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Presidency First to openly light on why PDP performed woefully at the general elections were President Goodluck Jonathan’s aides and close associates, as a Presidency source noted that the conduct of members of the NWC contributed largely to
this is certainly not the best of times for the
PDP, which once boasteD that it will be in Power for at least
60 years. it
consPicuously aPPears to be having its boat threateneD by imminent
wreckage, occasioneD by its loss of Power at the centre.
NWC Several NWC members, in a fierce refutation said President Jonathan himself and not the NWC was the architect of his own failure, arguing that he was the person running the country and not members of the NWC and that if Nigerians turned against him, that it was not because of anything the NWC did or did not do. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the party lost the presidential election because of the hate campaign deployed by managers of the presidential campaign, led by Dr. Ahmadu Ali, insisting that had the NWC been involved in the campaign, the results would have been different. He also blamed the Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, for calling for the sack of the NWC even when he is a beneficiary of the level-playing ground policy of the party. Metuh, addressing journalists in Abuja recently said: “I can tell you from my own records that we generated billions. I think we generated more than N9 billion. We generated a lot of money. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
14
C
Politics
ome May 29, no fewer than 20 million Lagosians will witness the swearing-in of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the 14th governor of Lagos State, having crossed the hurdles before him in the April 11 election and emerged as the state’s governor-elect. He will be taking over the mantle of leadership from the outgoing Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, who most Lagosians believed has set a benchmark for performance by succeeding governors of the Centre of Excellence. As Lagosians look forward to this historic date, the task before the former Accountant-General of the state is no doubt enormous as agenda has been heaped before him. Being a man with required experience, speculations among the people in the state is that Ambode will, without doubt, meet up with expectation, considering what one can safely call splendid achievements of the outgoing Governor Fashola. But as it is going, even before the swearing in, Lagosians, including some political players in the state, have begun highlighting what should be Ambode’s agenda as he resumes office if he will taste success like his predecessor. Among these people is Honourable Abayomi Dauda Kako-Are, the member who is representing Mushin federal constituency I at the National Assembly. He advised the incoming governor to focus on education, security among others as priority. Speaking on security, Kako-Are explained that Lagos, being a mega and leading commercial city in the country, must have adequate arrangement to strengthen the state Security Trust Fund already put in place by Fashola. He said: “He (Ambode) must embark on acquisition of the modern advanced security apparatus to empower the security arm of the state. These would enhance proper tracking of any criminal related activities in the state. Likewise, he should partner with the media to ensure adequate sensitisation of the dwellers in the area of security and others. Highlighting on education as what should top the incoming government’s agenda, Hon. KakoAre said Mr Ambode, having promised free education up to secondary school level as a basic right of every child in the state, must adhere to his promise. He added: “The governor-elect must continue the current schools’ renovation programme of Governor Fashola. He must upgrade libraries to e-libraries as well as making Lagos State University, LASU, and the Lagos State Polytechnic centres of academic excellence. He should encourage the education staff to do more in the area of their responsibilities. Teachers should be encouraged as necessary; and there should be adequate provision of learning materials for citadels of knowledge. “I am advocating this because I know that Lagosians are seriously awaiting him, and I believe this is one of the reasons why they pulled their weight behind him during the election. Mr Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and human right activist, said he is not expecting anything from Ambode administration than fulfillment of its manifesto. According to him, “Ambode and his party have manifesto, they campaigned base on certain issues, which they said they will attend to if they gain power, and now is when to transform their promises to action. Going by their agenda, issues like unemployment should be solved with 25,000 jobs he said he is creating. I can’t give him a new policy now which was never in his programme, but we are all expecting him to transform his promises into reality. The same thing goes with General Muhammadu Buhari, we want to see all those promises made being fulfilled. He promised
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Lagosians set agenda for Ambode’s incoming administration ADELEKE ADESANYA writes on the expectations of Lagosians from the incoming Akinwunmi Ambode-led All Progressives Congress, APC administration in the Centre of Excellence.
Ambode
to fight corruption, ensure security, jobs creation and others. Let us be patient to watch them accountably based on their promises in their campaign because some of them have promised a lot, and now is the time to fulfill them. “So what I am expecting from Mr. Ambode and his party is to fulfill their promises. Meanwhile, leaders of different tribes in Lagos State have begun to express their minds on what should be embedded in the incoming governor’s agenda of operation in relation to the interest of their people. According to some of them, priority should be given to making the state more homely, positing that their contributions to the state’s development cannot be overemphasised. One of the Igbo community leaders in Lagos, who spoke
It wIll be recalled that lagos, for the fIrst tIme In 16 years wIll be governed by the same party at the federal
level, hence,
the hIgh expectatIon that the IncomIng state government wIll meet
yearnIng of Its people.
on this issue, Eze Peter Agbanari, the Agun’eche mba Ndigbo of Apapa, advised that the incoming government should strive towards impressing the dwellers with performance that will overshadow his predecessor. According to him, much emphasis should be placed on health sector in the state. The governorelect is expected to do more on health in the state, thereby ensure avoidance of pervasive strike of the sector workers, which seemed to be one of the failures of the outgoing government in the state. Agbanari said: “The governor-elect must advance the state of primary health care system in this state, and also ensure it is affordable for all.” Agbanari, while speaking on housing, also called for the need for provision of affordable accommodation for Igbo people in Lagos. He said: “Among the important things we will like the incoming government to consider for our people is good and comfortable housing project that an average man can afford. “Apart from expanding the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, HOMS, to involve more people, the incoming Ambode administration must focus on affordability. The candid advice in this direction is to embark on mass housing scheme to target the lower class of the society. This would reduce the emergence of slums caused by the fast exploding population of Lagos.” The leader of Ebira community in Lagos, Alhaji Momoh Sanni Yukub, said though the outgoing Fashola administration has done well in the area of transportation, the incoming administration needs to do even more. His words: “The Ambode government must introduce and establish officially designated bus stops/routes in Lagos. New roads must be constructed and the existing ones must be adequately maintained. He should increase the number of traffic officials in the state to clear the roads of heavy traffic which is the bane of the city. These traffic officials should be on duty round the clock, especially at problematic junctions which are often abandoned during peak periods, leading to traffic chaos and loss of man hours. “Clearly, to decongest Lekki Road which has become a nightmare to motorists, the Ambode administration will need to build overhead bridges and prevent people from trading at bus stops. “The incoming administration will also need to increase the usage of waterways for public transportation through channeling and dredging.” It will be recalled that Lagos, for the first time in 16 years will be governed by the same party at the federal Level, hence, the high expectation that the incoming state government will meet yearning of its people. The Ambode administration is expected to leverage on this and bring more dividends of democracy to Lagosians, especially from the federal level, something which had eluded the state in the last 16 years. Expectedly, being a product of the system, Ambode is expected to hit the ground running, as Lagosians will not entertain any excuse for under performance.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
15
A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS
World’s largest oil spill clean-up underway in Ogoni DENNIS NAKU
PORT HARCOURT
W
hat can be termed the world’s largest environmental clean-up and restoration effort ever undertaken in a tropical mangrove environment is expected to commence in Bodo community, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, in July, this year. The clean-up which will be undertaken by Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, will also engage the indigenes of Ogoni. The clean-up which will cover the shoreline of the creeks in and around Bodo, an area of approximately 1000 hectares, include areas that were heavily impacted by two
major oil spills that occurred in Bodo, in 2008, for which SPDC has accepted responsibility. The environmental clean-up, restoration and remediation exercise of the affected area forms part of a mutual agreement between Bodo community and SPDC; a process that commenced after the conclusion of a long-running litigation between Bodo and SPDC in London, last year. Two reputable international contractors have been contracted by SPDC “to execute the Free Phase Oil cleanp-up of the polluted area. “These two contractors emerged from a transparent and competitive technical bidding process which started in July 2014”. A statement issued in Port Harcourt, weekend and signed by the parties that participated in the
talks that led to the resolution to commence the environmental clean-up of Bodo community, in Ogoniland, stated that a memorandum of understanding has been entered by Bodo community, SPDC, and the facilitators of the talks, saying the “discussion had laid the ground for an operation which will be the world’s largest clean-up and restoration effort ever undertaken in a tropical mangrove environment”. The statement observed that “the environmental damages as a result of
these and other spills, including those caused by oil theft and illegal oil refining, negatively impacted the livelihoods of many members of the community which used to derive most of its income (livelihood) from fishing and farming.” According to the statement, some of the results achieved through the mediation process include the formation of Bodo mediation plenary, steering committee and three technical working groups which deliberated on clean-up
and remediation; pipeline infrastructure security and confidence building programmes aimed at sustainable community development initiatives “to ensure that SPDC is given access to Bodo community to conduct the clean-up and remediation works”. “The contracting of a project director, Mr. Kay Holtzmann, who assumed his duties in April, and who has vast technical experience will be responsible for the technical overview and approval of the clean-up and remediation
work. Holtmann’s selection is based on the joint approval of Bodo community and SPDC. “A scoping Mission which will follow the innovative ‘Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique, SCAT, for which the actual remediation and restoration will be deployed to map out the scope of these activities and the methodology to be adopted: an initial scoping mission has already started work in order to strengthen and guide the Free Phase Works. “The set-up of an adminCONTINUED ON PAGE 16
A`Ibom wins NNPC quiz competition RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR
C
ontestants from AKwa Ibom State on Monday afternoon emerged winners for the 2015 Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, National Quiz Competition for the South-south geo-political zone in a keenly contested zonal round among the six states that made up the south-south geo-political zone. Ini Ebehe Okoho and Onyekpe Chidubem both of Top Faith Secondary School, Uyo came first after scoring fifty five points ahead of their Cross River and Rivers State counterparts who got fifty points to take the second position while their Delta State counterparts emerged third after scoring forty five points with Edo and Bayelsa states who scored forty points each to take the forth position. The science based competition had questions drawn from Mathematics, Physics, chemistry and biology. Organisers of the quiz competition said the exercise is aimed at encouraging sciences in second-
ary schools within the zone. “No country can advance technologically without the core science subjects so this competition is an instrument for enhancing science education in the country, coaching students towards their promotional and qualifying examinations and to build friendship among students”. Professor Offiong Offiong, the Cross River State Commissioner for Education who was special guest at the event said. Offiong maintained that the quiz competition started in 2001 adding that the competition has brought benefits to secondary schools as every year students look forward to the competition with the hope of winning the top prize which confers on them scholarship to any Nigerian University sponsored by the NNPC to study the science course of their choice. Speaking also at the ceremony, Mr Olutayo Sanni, the National Coordinator of the competition stated that Mr Ohi Alegbe, the Group General Manager Corporate of the NNPC who initiated the programme has a passion for education and has ensured its success in the past fifteen years .
L-R: The Gbenemene of Tai Kingdom, King Godwin Gininwa; representative of the Governor, Mr Dickson Umunnakwe and State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps, Mrs Ngozi Nwatarali, at the swearing-in ceremony of 2015 Batch ‘A’ Corps Members in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Ex-militants urge Buhari to sustain amnesty programme THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI
R
epentant armed militant youths from Ijaw extraction in the Niger Delta region have called on the Presidentelect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rted) to disregard calls for the scrapping of the amnesty programme when he assumed office in May 29 saying that scrapping the programme can destabilize the relative peace in the region. The former agitators acting under the umbrella body of Meinbutus Federated Communities, one of the frontline organizations that started the Niger Delta Struggle, yesterday, said it
was particularly worried by the recent statement by Itsekiri youth leader, Chief Ayiri Emami who asked Buhari to scrap the programme. In a statement issued by Hon. Andabofa Namah (Olabrakonpre Community), Comrade Turbos Demeteide (Ogbokone Community), Christopher Portua (Bolou Ama Community), Denco Moni (Leader, Meinutus) and Charles Mokena on behalf of the group berated those calling for the scrapping of the programme by Buhari. It particularly said Ayiri recent outburst was borne out ethnic hatred for the Ijaw Nation saying that the Itsekiri youth leader who recently defected to the
All Progressives Congress after the presidential election, was not a very important person when it comes to Niger Delta struggle. The body of former armed carrying Ijaw youths maintained that in the heat of the struggle for a better deal for the region, Ayiri was nowhere to be found as such has no justification for calling for the scrapping of the amnesty programme which was granted as a way of engendering peace in the region. The statement posited that Ayiri was only promoted by the government of Delta State under the leadership of James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan to benefit from the efforts of those who fought for the
region. It reads: “This has once again demonstrated Ayiri Emami’s hatred for the Ijaw people for obvious reasons. In the first place, the amnesty programme was designed for only ex-agitators in the Niger-Delta. It was not a programme for all comers. “However, upon the declaration of amnesty and when Ayiri and his Itsekiri kinsmen saw the success of the programme, the Itsekiris under the umbrella of the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) started agitating for inclusion of Itsekiri youths despite the fact that they were obviously not entitled to be included in the programme.
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World’s largest oil spill clean-up underway in ogoni CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
Governor Liyel Imoke inspects the new monorail
Monorail passengers coach arrives Calabar RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR
T
he much touted monorail project which had in the past brought several bashes to governor Lyel Imoke of Cross River state has finally come to rest given the fact that the passengers coach has landed in Calabar. if there was anything to go by, the arrival of the passengers coach would make the on-going construction of the Calabar monorail project initiated by erstwhile Gov. Donald Duke and his predecessor sen. Liyel Imoke to become a reality. The arrival of that coach brought smiles in the faces of all who had on several occasions yearn for the completion of the gigantic project before the governor leaves office on the 29 May. Okongor Bissong said the coach had brought a boost to fast tracking of the project as before it was difficult for him to believe that the governor had the intention to complete the project. This development has made Imoke’s critics to remain quiet with their mouths open without even knowing what to say. However,even those who had in the past doubted Imoke’s ability to fix the monorail project which the governor had in several occasions made a lot of noise couldn’t even hide their feelings but to say pleasant things in favour of the governor. But the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke who was on hand to receive the coaches said it is gratifying to see that
the monorail project which was planned for the state years ago has been finally delivered and in matter of weeks will link the Summit Hills and Tinapa, thus bringing the Business and Leisure Resort closer to Calabar metropolis. “The Monorail line is a project that has been on the books of Cross River State for many years. So it is very gratifying for us to see that the trains are finally delivered to site and work is going on. In a couple of weeks we will have this train running linking Tinapa to the city of Calabar and berthing at Calabar International Convention Centre. “This is a realization of a dream and an indication of growth and economic expansion particularly in the area of tourism which the state is known for. This is growth for business and leisure which should be appreciated by the people.”
The governor said he was excited and pleased that the vision depicts a good project, adding that the monorail, which will run across an artificial lake separating the two facilities, will be the newest tourism attraction in the state. Continuing he maintained: “As an administration, we will continue to build and strengthen that sector. This train will further enhance that because it will be used for both business and pleasure and I expect everyone to come and enjoy a ride of this nature that links the two great tourists ‘ attraction centers. “Though I may not take a ride on the train before my exit, but as we speak everything has been procured and delivered on site, it is just waiting to be coupled and it will be up and running and this will become the newest tourists’ attraction in Cross River State. If
you take an aerial view of these facilities, I don’t think we have any site in Nigeria that can be compared with these except may be the Obudu Mountain Resort,” he said . The governor disclosed that an agreement has been signed with technical partners to ensure locals are trained to maintain the equipment when they take over. “Just like we did with several other projects, we have professionals maintaining it. So the company that supplied the equipment will take the responsibility of maintaining it and they are also training Cross Riverians currently who will subsequently take over the running of the facility.” Mr. Hahn Wolfgang CEO Ponent, the constructing firm,said though some materials are still being expected on site, they have undertaken 80 percent construction work.
istrative structure by the Bodo Community, the Bodo Development Foundation, for the implementation of the confidence building programmes aimed at the sustainable socio-economic development of the community. “The foundation was registered with the appropriate Nigerian authorities in April 2015, and it is expected that first interventions in the area will commence soon. “As a sign of goodwill, SPDC Joint Venture will financially support these socio-economic activities over a period of three years, to be implemented by the Bodo Development Foundation. The partners acknowledged that addressing clean-up and remediation requires a comprehensive approach and sustained action to also address the serious risk of re-polution, not only within Bodo area but also from neighbouring communities. “To this end, the parties agreed to carry out a series of sensitization campaigns for community members, security agencies, government officials and civil society. The Bodo community has agreed to provide surveillance to mitigate crude oil theft and illegal refining activities while SPDC has committed to do its utmost to ensure pipeline safety,” the statement said. A former ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria, Bert Ronhaar, and Inemo Samiama, coordinator of National Coalition and Gas Flaring and Oil Spills in the Niger Delta, NACGOND, a coalition of environmental rights Non-Governmental Organisations in the Niger Delta, facilitated the talks that led to the signing of the memorandum of understanding to commence the environmental clean-up of the polluted creeks of Bodo community in Ogoniland.
Rivers Assembly at war with Amaechi over workers’ salaries DENNIS NAKU
PORT HARCOURT
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he Rivers State House of Assembly may be preparing for a showdown with the executive arm on issues bothering on the state’s economy, especially the non-payment of salaries of civil servants and pensioners by the state government, as well as insecurity there. Peeved by the development, the Rivers State House of Assembly in its 169th session on Monday
extensively deliberated on why government could not pay the salaries of the civil servants despite claims by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari that salaries had been paid up to March this year. National Mirror reports that there has been pockets of protest from workers in the state concerning the non-payment of their salaries running into months. The House however resolved to summon nine
commissioners, and four heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to appear before it today , by 10am prompt, over the alleged poor state of finance in Rivers in view of the conflicting reports making the rounds. Those summoned to appear before the House included Commissioners for Finance, Agriculture, Power, Health, Tourism, Information, Budget, Works and Transport. Heads of MDAs invited by the House were the
State Accountant-General, Chairmen of Board of Internal Revenue, Chairmen of the Rivers State Assembly Service Commission and Secondary School Management Board. The two motions raised by the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon Nname Ewor, representing Ahoada East Constituency 1 expressed grave concern about the security of the state leading to the unprecedented political killings and the inability of government to pay salaries of its staff for
months. Ewor’s motion also said the commissioners and MDA’s are ‘to appear before the House to explain their activities in the last four years.” The lawmaker expressed worry that, while the state government had claimed it had paid salaries of civil servants up to March, 2015, there were conflicting reports against that in the state with workers publicly protesting non payment of their salaries and other entitlements.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Don’t criminalised Ndigbo’s political preference DESTINY ISIGUZO
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consuming danger that may threaten the unity of this country if not nipped in the bud looms. In the March 28 presidential election, the Igbo voted in a pattern that revealed a sense of political alienation and domination they have experienced in this country for decades: They lined behind incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. The similarly expressed this political preference in the 2011 presidential election. Let us put the issue in perspective. After the assassination of General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi in July 1966 and the pogrom of the Igbos in the North which led to the bitter Civil War, no Igbo has had a shot at nation’s central power. Then Jonathan shot to limelight in 2011; for the first time after the civil war, NdiIgbo had a kind of close affinity to power with a South South man, who bears Ebere and Azikiwe. This sentiment that informed the Igbo’s choice in the 2011 election cannot be ignored. The 2015 general elections have come and gone, but a situation when an ethnic nationality group is perceived as born to rule and another as born to be led, has persisted. In the just concluded presidential election Ndigbo saw a need to be unwavering
in their support for someone who they feel is closer home rather than supporting a Muhammed. After the election, Jonathan conceded defeat in order to ensure the unity of this country, a sacrifice many has adjudged as an evidence of true statesmanship. This sacrifice has shamed our detractors, who predicted a break-up of the country as a likely fallout from the outcome of the election. But that sacrifice is not well appreciated given the kind of hatred that is brewing against the Igbo in some parts of the country. Let me reiterate the fact one of the contributing factors of APC’s poor showing in the South East the weakness of its political structure in the region, while the PDP did well because of its strong structure in the region. It is equally pertinent to say that apart from the sentiment of Jonathan being an “Ebele” and “Azikiwe”, PDP and APGA are to the South East what the formal ACN was to the South West. I find it strange that after the election and the manifest voting pattern of Ndigbo, some notable Nigerians came hard on the Igbo for what they called sentimental voting. Even some notable Igbo played to the gallery, claiming the Igbo were myopic, adding that only those that supported APC were political correct, thus creating the impression that the winner takes all
IGBO VOTED IN A PATTERN THAT REVEALED A SENSE OF POLITICAL ALIENATION AND DOMINATION THEY
HAVE EXPERIENCED…FOR DECADES in an electoral contest. No doubt people like Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Chris Ngige may have risen above ethnic sentiment, it does not make them politically wiser than Igbo voters who voted PDP. If truth be told, it was only the South West that voted with sentiments considering the voting pattern in the core north, where Buhari had strong victories despite the long existence of PDP and its entrenched structures in the region. Given the pattern and strength of APC, it will be right to say that voters in the core North also voted on sentiments! I don’t know why the Igbos should be singled out for castigations. When Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, after the defeat of Jonathan, described South East and South South as mere appendages of this country, I dismissed his message because of the status of the messenger and his penchant for being too loquacious, often making utterances that
undermine the unity of this country. But with the hate speech of one of the exalted Yoruba monarchs during the recently concluded gubernatorial election and the statements in some quarters that the Igbo do not have a place in the incoming government of Buhari, Dokubo’s position is beginning to make sense to me. Some APC members in South East were reported to have met to look at the way they will convince the incoming APC Federal Government to consider an Igbo person as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. This development made me to wonder why such steps should be necessary for an Igbo person to get that position. Such lobbying is unwarranted, but in a place where a particular nationality is made to feel alienated from the mainstream, it becomes expedient to shield the Igbo from being ‘punished’ for voting Jonathan. I believe the post of SGF should naturally go to the South East since no Igbo federal lawmaker is eligible to occupy any of the top leadership positions in the National Assembly, given the zero sum game nature of our politics. The brewing hatred against Igbo is a cause of national concern for all believers of one Nigeria. We should not allow history to repeat itself. Isiguzo is on the Art Desk of this newspaper.
How government can make millions from touts SANDRA EGUAGIE
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n the Nigerian context a tout is someone who struggles with public vehicle owners and market men and women in order to issue tickets as a way of collecting taxes for government, their unions and most times themselves. In another context, touts work for politicians as thugs. If you have ever been to the market to buy or sell any commodity in Benin City or any other urban/rural settings in Nigeria, or you have used a commuter vehicles, then you will know who a tout is because you would have witnessed his activities. Touts control the inter-state transportation sector and also the ‘market sector’ across the country. They work side by side with government officials in collecting taxes for government. Owners of commercial vehicles plying different routes in our cities and towns, pay different amounts of money to touts as taxes every day. Drivers of these vehicles do the paying. Refusal or reluctance to pay is visited with sanctions or punishment, including damage to the vehicle. In the market place, once you are given a ticket, you pay instantly or else your goods will be confiscated or destroyed. Market men and women pay up to four or five times a day for different tickets. But there is other category of touts who collect money in the market because they are the youths in that locality where the market is located. They don’t remit to any government
agencies, and tickets are not issued. The market men and women who suffer from this are mostly those who do not have enough money to rent a shop or have abandoned their shops inside the market. They are the ones hawking or selling by the road sides in the market. In fact, commercial drivers and market men and women see these touts like mini gods. In 2008, Senator Effiong Dickson Bob sponsored a bill for an act to prohibit touting in public and to establish the national committee against touting in the country and for other related matters. But the activities of touts have continued to thrive and have become very lucrative due to the amount of money they make every day, and the kind of power they control. Many drivers have abandoned driving to ‘agberoism’. It is a breeding ground for hoodlums, drop out, thieves, cultists, and lazy youths in the society. Touting is becoming part of a known profession that has come to stay in this country. Different governments have come to power with the promise of changing this practice, instead they have empowered touts and agberos by giving them monetary target to remit daily or monthly. So the government has continued to use them not only to collect revenues, but also as political thugs during elections. Should we just allow agberos to continue to control and mess up a part of the informal sector, where large revenue is coming from but which cannot be fully accounted for? It is established that Nigeria’s informal
NIGERIA’S INFORMAL SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR AN ESTIMATED
57.9 PER CENT OF THE NATION’S REBASED GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) sector accounts for an estimated 57.9 per cent of the nation’s rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Business day online, June 25, 2014). The informal sector refers to economic activities in all sectors of the economy that are operated outside the purview of government regulation. It is the key promoter of socio-economic development. Over 90 percent of the nation’s work force operates in this sector. It is the key driver of the economy and the sector is growing every day due to the high rate of unemployment in the country. Government needs to formalize this sector by restructuring its different sub sectors and the passage of Prohibition of Touting in Public Places Bill into law. Educated individuals, preferably holders of SSCE, ND and even university graduates, should be recruited to collect these taxes in a civilized way with proper documentation. In addition, the books must be made available for auditing after every six months by an external audit body in order to get the actual amount of money generated from this sector and what it is used for.
To get the full benefit of this plan, these touts should be trained on skilled jobs by the government. They can also be supported with required equipment and some money to start off a new independent life. If enough attention is given to complete eradication of touts in the country, then the operators of the informal sector will be encouraged to continue to operate without fear of molestation and exploitation. The nation’s GDP will increase and more people will come into the sector, thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the country. The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) as a non- governmental organization is of the view that development of any country is better achieved when every aspect of the economy is well structured and proper documentations are made. It is time to formalize the interstate transportation network and market sector into a school-like system where the actual number of operators is known, the type of business done and also the money collected as taxes properly documented. Sandra is a Programme Officer with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice and can be reached via Sandra@aneej.org 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
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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All the Facts, All the Sides A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER
SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO SEYI FASUGBA DAILY EDITOR GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR BEN MEMULETIWON GENERAL EDITOR DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF
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AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS
Agric Minister’s contentious rice import waiver
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he Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), early last week, voiced its rejection of the waiver the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, purportedly granted Olam Nigeria, an acknowledged major rice investor, citing the minister’s lack of power to do so. Such concession, the NCS says, can only be extended to importers by President Goodluck Jonathan or the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Dr.Adesina allegedly allocated an import quota of 246,000 metric tonnes of rice to Olam for the period spanning April 2015 to March 2016. In addition, he was quoted saying Olam qualified for 10 per cent duty and 20 per cent levy waiver allocations, on which basis the outfit would pay only N3.5 billion. Thought the Minister of Agriculture has denied granting duty waivers or recommending exceptions for rice importers, the development has ignited envy across rice importers and farmers in the country. The minister was said to have made a good case for Olam, quoting its massive rice production and milling investment in Nigeria over the last two years put at over $120,000,000. In response to the development, however, the NCS, through its spokesman, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, a Deputy Comptroller, insisted it would collect the appropriate
duty from the importer or impose sanctions on the firm in the absence of the right duty. “…We have government backing on this issue. The president has given us the mandate to recover fully the duty on excess importation of rice; and management has no reason whatsoever to shirk its responsibility in this regard…”, Adeniyi said. In 2013, following the flagrant abuse of import duty waivers and related concessions, confirmed by an ex-Finance Minister, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, we did warn that the indiscriminate granting of waivers could provoke contestations between the National Assembly (NASS) and the Finance Minister/NCS over whose responsibility it is to grant waivers on imported goods. Reckless granting of waivers or the conversion of the concession to uses other than those they were intended had become intolerable at the time, resulting in huge revenue losses to the country. Between 2000 and 2008, NCS records indicated that FG lost N276.9 billion to import duty waivers, for example. In 2010, the sum of N6.6 billion was reportedly lost to tax concessions and waivers granted to some companies by the Apapa Customs Command alone. Similarly, a colossal sum of N37.2 billion was lost to import duty waivers granted to importers of raw materials in 2011, a development that compelled the FG to suspend the granting of waiv-
May 12, 1998 In Indonesia, four students were shot at Trisakti University, leading to widespread riots and the fall of President Suharto. Suharto (June 8, 1921–January 27, 2008) was the second President of Indonesia, holding the office for 31 years from Sukarno’s ouster in 1967 until his resignation in 1998. Severe financial crisis led to widespread unrest and his resignation on May 12, 1998. Suharto died in 2008.
OFTENTIMES… POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC WAIVERS ARE INTRICATELY BUT CONSCIOUSLY MIXED UP BY CROOKS, INSIDERS INCLUSIVE ers and concessions, which it could not strictly enforce in 2012. In June of the same year, for instance, the Lagos State Government secured a duty waiver from the Presidency on vehicles imported for the 18th National Sports Festival (Eko Games 2012). But the Lagos State waiver was itself abused with the inclusion by Coscharis Motors, the importer of the controversial bullet-proof BMW cars purchased by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) purportedly for the former Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. Globally, the power to grant import waivers is vested in the executive arm of government. But the power is exercised with utmost caution, prudence and in the interest of the economic health of nations truly desirous of growth and development. This, sadly, appears not to be the case in Nigeria. Of the three major forms of import waivers so far identified - y political, economic and legal - political import duty waivers granted to
ON THIS DAY May 12, 2007 Riots in which over 50 people were killed and about 100 others injured took place in Karachi, Pakistan, upon the arrival in town of the country’s Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Chaudhry was coming to address the city bar association on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Sindh High Court Bar Association. Apart from the deaths, roads were blocked and cars burned.
friends and cronies of people in government account for the largest chunk of computed import duty revenue losses. Economic waivers, which are expedient for stimulating the growth of vital domestic industries or wooing investors who require tax concessions, can be applied by the executive to grow the nation’s economy. Perhaps this was the aim behind the waivers Adesina allegedly granted Olam Nigeria. Oftentimes, nonetheless, political and economic waivers are intricately but consciously mixed up by crooks, insiders inclusive, to short-change the government and the nation. This will help explain the seeming uncompromising position of the NCS on the Agriculture Minister’s alleged waivers for Olam. Legal waivers are established by treaties or conventions of sub-regional, regional and multinational organizations to which the country is affiliated, and the Presidency grants them as a legal obligation whenever the need arises. Consequently, instead of dwelling on inter-agency hostilities, the NCS and Ministry of Agriculture should sincerely appraise the veracity or otherwise of the reasons behind the waivers Adesina allegedly granted Olam Nigeria. The end sought should not be inter-agency antagonism, but to ensure that granting waivers are contingent upon the genuine needs of the Nigerian economy.
May 12, 2008 United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials conducted the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville. Nearly 400 immigrants were arrested for identity theft and document fraud. About 300 were convicted for document fraud. The majority served a five-month prison sentence before being deported. Several employees, lower and middle level managers were also indicted for conspiracy.
Business
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Experts harp on imperative of Great Green Wall bill
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Mergers, acquisitions key to air travel agencies’ growth –NANTA President
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Insurance firm offers free health to underprivileged
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AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Dana Air
L-R: 2nd Vice-President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) Mr. Adedapo Adekoje, Acting President & Chairman of Council, Mr. Oluwaseyi Abe and Registrar/Chief Executive, Mr. Adedeji Ajadi at the 20th Annual General Meeting of the Institute in Lagos…recently
Dubai route: Nigerian airlines’ route of attrition in air travels business Aviation stakeholders and professionals say the recent suspension of operations in Dubai route by Arik Air indicates that Nigerian carriers may not have learnt the rules of competing on major international routes, ostensibly because the right policies to put them on strong pedestal for competitiveness are lacking. To reverse this ugly trend, experts are consensual that fashioning the right fiscal and operational frameworks for the airlines is imperative. OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.
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igerian airlines are in troubling times indeed. Apart from the apparent fact that international airlines are crippling their activities at the domestic front due to multiple entry points allocated to them by the government, those on regional and international routes are daily being forced out of operations by the same foreign carriers whose governments adopt appropriate policies to boost the airlines’ strive for global competitiveness. Even when it appears that Nigerian carriers dominate the West Coast, their performance along international routes, particularly London, United States of America, South Africa and Dubai, remain
abysmally poor by all assessment parameters. Quite pathetically, the Nigerian carrier operating along these routes, Arik Air hardly operates its aircraft to full capacities in most of the routes while its foreign carrier counterparts such as Emirates, Etihad, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, amongst others are never short of passengers and the attendant returns on their investments along these highly profitable Nigerian market. Arik, as it were, is not only lacking patronage from air travellers but has continued to operate in an inclement domestic policy envi-
ronment that is putting its owners and shareholders at very strong position to keep the wings of their airline on air. Just recently, Arik Air management announced a “temporary suspension” of its Lagos -Abuja -Dubai route in United Arab Emirates under worrisome circumstances. The airline in a statement by its Communications Officer, Chigozie Okereke, attributed the suspension of the route to the decision of its Executive Board due to what the airline described as a challenging wider economic environment in Nigeria as well as increasingly stringent travel regulation controls in UAE.
Aviation analysts observed that while Nigerian carriers have been suspending or closing their operations on the route over time, Emirates and Etihad Airways, the two airlines from UAE are busy expanding their control and share of the route’s operations in the country. But, Emirates for instance has been on the consistent growth of the Nigerian market despite challenges. The airline, which started operations into the country on 2 January 2004, with just four flights per week from Dubai to Lagos linked with Accra in Ghana, using an A330-200 aircraft, as at December 2013, airlifted more than CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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 Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily
Med-View Airline Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50. Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00
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Business
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Dubai route: Nigerian airlines’ route of attrition in air travels business 2.6 million customers on the Lagos-Dubai route within a nine year period. Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of the airline, also played a key role over the past 10 years in facilitating trade between Nigeria and its trading partners in the Emirates network. In 2013 alone, more than 12 000 tons of cargo, ranging from household goods to pharmaceuticals and construction equipment, was imported into Nigeria using Emirates SkyCargo services. As at date, Emirates and Etihad Airways fly directly from their bases in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja daily. While Emirates enjoys 21 frequencies into the two airports weekly, Etihad on the other hand flies twice daily into MMIA. In all, the two airlines enjoy 35 frequencies weekly into Nigeria. Apart from the duo, several other international airlines fly into the route from Nigeria after a stop offer in their home countries. Airlines like Qatar, Egypt Air, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Asky among others fly into the UAE route and operate profitably despite the stringent regulations introduced by the UAE government. The first airline to operate direct flights to the route from Nigeria after the demise of the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways, Air Nigeria was compelled to close shop after just one year on the route. The airline had operated to the route between 2006 and 2007. On the commencement of the route by Air Nigeria, Emirates had slashed down ridiculously its airfares by almost 40 per cent, a situation, which led to massive loss of revenues and low passengers traffic for Air Nigeria. After some months of struggling and flying empty on the route, Air Nigeria called it quit on the Middle East. On commencement of the Middle East operations on Monday July 28, 2014, the President of Aviation Round Table, ART, Capt. Dele Ore had warned Arik Air to beware of the antics of operators on the UAE route. Ore in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos had described airlines flying the route as “predators” that would do everything possible to frustrate the airline out of the route. Ore had warned that the operation was capable of knocking the airline off completely from the market, stressing that it didn’t have the chance to compete with other carriers that had already established themselves on the route, but the management of the airline insisted it would make headway on the routes. He said, “Equipment to equipment, our Arik doesn’t have a chance to compete effectively. Let’s face it, when we talk about capacity and frequencies, how many times can they operate in and out from Nigeria to Dubai when compared with over 21 frequencies from Emirates alone. “They would try, but I still say they don’t have a chance to compete with the airlines on the route. This may likely be a very big disadvantage to its own survival.” An engineer with the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, Sheri Kyari in an interview with our correspondent re-
Chidoka
THE TRUTH IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS AIMING AT YOUR AIRLINE AND NOT THE PASSENGERS BECAUSE TRAVELLING IS ALL ABOUT TOURISM.
EMIRATES OR ETIHAD
CAN DECIDE TO SLASH FARES FOR A MONTH IN ORDER TO PUSH YOU OUT OF BUSINESS
Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos
vealed that Arik suspended flight operations to the country as a result of low passengers’ traffic. Kyari said that the travel restriction on Nigerians by the UAE government would have affected the passengers traffic of the airline, adding that if the country is proactive, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Economic Planning should have immediately found out the reason for the restriction of Nigerians on the route, open up new routes to other countries where Nigerians could travel to with ease for their business engagements He noted that the UAE government could create waivers for air travellers flying with its own airlines on the route, a situation, which he said would further give the two carriers advantage over passengers of other
carriers coming into its country. The planned operations of Mev-View Airline to the same route in the next few months, Kyari maintained that the success of the airline would depend largely on the other lucrative international routes the airline is flying to at the moment. He said: “The truth is that the government is aiming at your airline and not the passengers because travelling is all about tourism. Emirates or Etihad can decide to slash fares for a month in order to push you out of business on the route and once you are out, they will then return to their old rate. Within the period, they can augment those losses from other routes they operate into. It’s all about business. “Whether you like it or not, you will need some money somewhere to augment and its
management should not forget that it would fly into the route for at least three months before it can make any money on the route. “It’s a game of marketing. If the airline has two planes dedicated to the route, it would be able to make it on the long haul route. The dedication of two planes is necessary so that whenever one aircraft goes for a Check, it can conveniently deploy the other plane to the route. This will ensure high reliability rate for the airline on the route,” he said. An aviation analyst, Mr. Chris Okagbare, noted that that the claim of stringent travel regulation and challenging wider economic environment in Nigeria by Arik Air may not be true after all. Okagbare insisted that the major reason the airline suspended its operations on the route may not be unconnected with its inability to compete with others in the face of stringent fiscal and other policy guidelines. He pointed out that since former Nigeria Airways developed the route over three decades ago, no other Nigerian airline had been able to fly successfully and make profit on the route. He said, “We should know that the government of UAE heavily subsidise the airline’s operations. Even, American Airlines that promoted Open Sky policy are crying seriously about Emirates and want a reverse of the policy for the airline because they too cannot compete with them. “Those two airlines can even take fuel free from their country and this is what takes about 35 per cent of airlines’ earnings. Arik’s management may be economical with the truth. The same factor that made Air Nigeria to close its operations on the route equally affected Arik Air. The bottomline is that they cannot compete on that route”, Okagbare conjectured. Similarly, the President, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Comrade Benjamin Okewu also doubted the reason given by the airline for quitting the route. Okewu noted that since the demise of Nigeria Airways, none of the country’s carriers had been successful flying to Dubai, adding that the airline should explain the unfavourable government policies it complained about along the route with a view to making it possible for the Nigerian government to act as may be appropriate on the issues. “We need to know those policies, is it in terms of spare parts and waivers that is keeping them out of competition with other international airlines like Emirates, Qatar and others?”, he queried. In addition, the ATSSSAN leader also advised the airline’s management should adopt customer-based products that would be acceptable to passengers at the international market. The Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, Capt. Noggie Megison, told our correspondent that until the government reviewed its Bilateral Air Service Agreement, BASA, with several countries and stop the multiple entries to international airlines, no Nigerian airline would last long in operations, both in local and international routes. Megison said that it was obvious that Arik Air could not compete with Emirates, which had three flights to Nigeria daily while Etihad had two daily flights to Lagos from its base in Abu Dhabi.
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Business News
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Sterling Bank to raise $150mn to fund expansion plans TOLA AKINMUTIMI
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terling Bank Plc has unveiled plans to raise between $100million (about N20 billion) and $150millon (about N30 billion) in Tier 2 capital market this year to finance its expansion plans. Giving this hint during an interactive session with Business Editors in Lagos recently, tThe Bank’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/
Executive Director, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, explained that the Bank was on track on its expansion targets which it unveiled in 2013 and would soon embark on another phase of its growth strategy. According to him, the bank currently has 1.5 million customers and has been able to achieve over three per cent market share from one per cent a few years ago just as its branch networks are projected to hit 200 this year, from 84 branches in 2006. The plans are
also intended to increase the number of its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to 1000 by the end of this year Suleiman also disclosed that the bank will soon deploy a new core banking application which would significantly boost the quality of its operations and service delivery The Executive Director said that the bank’s goal was to be among the top five lenders in the industry not in terms of balance
L-R: Representative, Minister of Health Mr Linus Awute; Marketing Director, RB West Africa Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili and National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe during the 2015 World Malaria Day Celebration in Abuja PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA at the weekend.
Crime: NCC to set up emergency communication centres REGINA OTOKPA ABUJA
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he Nigerian Communication Commission has disclosed that more operational emergency communication centres would be set up across the country to help curb the rate of crimes. Speaking during a meeting with senior journalists in Abuja, the Director Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission, Mrs. Maryam Bayi, explained that the commission had already established emergency communication centres in the 36 states and the federal capital territory, but only five were operational at the moment. She explained that as parts of efforts to ensure all established centres become operational, 10 more emergency communication centres would soon be equipped to enhance operation in full capacity. Bayi said: “Right now the commission has emergency communication centres in the 36 states including the federal capital territory; out of that we have five that are operational right now. If you use your phones to dial the emergency number 112, you will get a response from a call agent. We hope that before the end of this year, we will have ten additional
centres that will become operational”. According to her, response agents and relevant security agents would be deployed to all emergency centres to attend to distress calls. Reacting to the series of unsolicited text messages from service providers in the country, the director disclosed that the commission was on the verge of placing sanctions on defaulters of the consum-
er code of practice binding service providers from unsolicited calls or messages. “This is a challenge seriously so, we are frustrated by it. We have regulations according to the consumer code of practice part 3 section 20 sub section 2, it is clearly indicated that service providers are mandated to allow opting in and opting out of calls or SMS and also avoid calls, calls or do not call even in our value added services.
BoI disburses N127bn credit to MSMEs in 2014
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lufemi Adeosun, Abuja The Bank of Industry said its loan portfolio to the Medium and Small Scale Enterprises, MSMEs, last year stood at N127 billion. The Bank also disclosed that the disbursement of the loan facilitated the creation of over 500,000 jobs during the year under review. The Chairman, Board of Directors, BoI, Alh Abdulsamad Rabiu, gave the statistics in Abuja during the Bank’s 55th Annual General Meeting. Rabiu, also disclosed that despite the nation’s challenging business environment, the bank was still able to achieve loans and advances of N544.3bn in 2014. He said that the loans and advances of N544.3bn, indicated a nine per cent increase when
compared to the 2013 figures of N498.2bn. He said, “In the year under review, our bank disbursed loans worth about N127bn to enterprises, while over 500,000 jobs were created directly and indirectly through our business activities. The group achieved loans and advances of N544.3bn.3bn in 2014 compared to N498.2bn in 2013, which represents a growth of nine per cent despite a challenging operating environment.” Rabiu said despite the harsh economic climate, the group’s capital and reserves grew by 5.9 per cent from N153.7bn in 2013 to N162.2bn in 2014 just as profit for the year improved from N2.18bn in 2013 to N5.19bn representing a growth of 137 per cent.
sheet size but in the areas of quality service delivery and compliance to regulations. He pointed out that there were banks with much bigger balance sheets which were not meeting customers’ expectations in key areas, adding that as Sterling Bank continues to expand and becomes a bigger financial institution, it will continue to outperform its peer group. Suleiman said: “We have consistently outperformed our peer group and we will outperform the next group. We want to be there when it comes to service delivery, in terms of compliance to regulations and how we are perceived as good corporate citizens.” The banking expert pointed out that regulatory headwinds, especially the hike in Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR) on public sector deposits have impacted banks’ profitability and restricted their lending capacity to finance economic growth, arguing that the amount of bank deposits that the CBN had sterilized as a result of the 75 per cent CRR on public sector deposits and 20 percent
CRR on private sector deposit was “unprecedented” and had constrained banks’ capacity to lend. The bank’s chief pointed out that the deposit with the CBN were non-earning adding that not only does this impact banks’ bottom line but it also prevents lenders from funding businesses, saying however that despite the tough operating environment Sterling Bank is still committed to meeting its expansion targets. He dismissed suggestions by analysts in some quarters that the Bank would not be able to achieve its capital raising targets this year due to regulatory headwinds, recalling that such skepticisms were similarly expressed in 2013 when the bank announced that it plans to raise additional capital via equity issues. The bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yemi Adeola, had told journalists last December that the bank would raise capital this year, since “capital is the tool of banking; banks have to continue to raise capital.”
Non-certification of local firms hampering steel supply –Investigation SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
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ndications have emerged that non-certification of Nigerian steel companies by American Petroleum Institute, API, have hindered the supply of steels and pipes to oil prospecting companies in the country. Investigation by National Mirror revealed that indigenous steel companies could not supply steels to the oil majors like Chevron, Shell and Total among others due to non-certifications by the API. It was also gathered that without such certification, indigenous steels and pipes are regarded as substandard with low--strength for structural buildings; hence it requires high-strength to withstand the test of time. Reacting to the API certification issue, the Managing Director, Nigeria Gas and Steel Limited, Lagos, Chief Hasib Moukarim, said t indigenous steel entities were not certified due to high cost of $100,000 certification fee, saying that the amount is not a small amount for a company to spend. While confirming that his company had secured the approval of the board to embark on the certification, the industrialist pointed out that his company was planning to change its method of production and to
achieve this, consultants for the certification and procurement of testing equipment had been engaged. He canvassed: ‘’I wish the Local Content Board can provide us the support to gain this certification to be able to sell our products to companies in the oil and gas industry’’. According to him, the company is not against the call for investors in the sector, but the existing ones should be encouraged to survive, adding that as manufacturers, the company makes big pipes, which are suitable for oil and gas industry. He however noted that noncertification could not allow the company to achieve its full potential in the sector. Moukarim noted that prior to the planned certification; his company had diversified its products to a better range of Hollow Structural Section, HSS, which is high-strength, welded steel tubing, used as structural elements in building structures as well as variety of manufactured products. The HSS has high strength-toweight ratio, with excellent compression support characteristics and excellent torsion resistance. The industry’s chieftain stated that HSS was environmentally-friendly because it is made from steel, which is the world’s most recyclable and recycled materials.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Group laments SON’s product standardisation policy FRANCIS EZEM
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takeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry under the aegis of Registered Freight Forwarders Forum have said that renewed war against importation of fake and substandard goods into the country by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria SON, is harsh and currently taking its toll on importers and freight agents. The apex standards regulation bureau in Nigeria had in the recent past adopted stringent measures to check the worsening cases of influx of fake and substandard goods, one of which was the introduction of electronic product registration for all regulated products, which was designed to enthrone a regime international best practices in the nation’s supply chain. Chairman of the group Mr. Festus Ukwu, who spoke in Lagos at the weekend, said that though the new measures have brought about
sanity in the industry as they have significantly improved the quality of products imported into the country, they have also brought more hardship to the importers and their freight forwarding agents. According to him, both importers who undertake all the processes involved in bringing in these products in and the freight forwarders who clear them out of the seaports have following the introduction of these measures been struggling to meet the required standards. He said: “Though these new measures introduced by the management of SON to check importation of substandard goods into the country are quite commendable, they also proven to be a pain on the necks of importers and indeed their customs brokers” According to him, the direct implication of this is that many importers in the effort to meet required standard and quality have had to slow down in the turnaround time of their importation,
in terms of the number of containers and the number of times they import, a development that has also affected the customs brokers negatively because they have fewer containers to clear over a given period. “Most importers who before now bring in goods into the country regularly have slowed down because they want to ensure that the products comply with all the standards and quality needed by SON officials at the seaports”, he also lamented. The group however admitted that the idea of insisting that imported goods must meet certain standard and quality was good as it will reduce the nightmare Nigerians suffer over inferior goods. He said that many Chinese manufacturers have become aware that the policies in Nigeria cannot accommodate the importation of inferior and substandard products and have began to adjust their systems in order to meet the required quality and standards for Nigerian importers.
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
CBN approves new ED for Unity Bank
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nity Bank Plc at the weekend announced the appointment of Mrs. Tomi Somefun as an Executive Director and member of its Board The announcement, which was based on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s approval letter, was expressed in a notice to The Nigerian Stock Exchange, indicated that Somefun is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) in 1981 with a Bachelor of Education in English Language. She began her professional career with KPMG as a Senior Audit Assistant from 1982 – 1986 before joining Arthur Andersen & Co in 1986 to 1989 as an Audit Senior. She also worked with
Ventures & Trusts as an Associate between 1989 -1992. Between 1992 and 1995, Mrs. Somefun worked with Credit Bank Ltd before moving to UBA Trustees Ltd in 1996. She joined United Bank for Africa Plc in 2003 as an Assistant General Manager and became the Managing Director of UBA Capital & Trust Ltd from 2004 to 2005 and the founding Managing Director/CEO of UBA Pensions Custodian Ltd from 2005 to 2014. The new Executive Director has attended several Executive Training and Advanced Managing Programs both within and outside Nigeria including INSEAD Fontainebleau, France, EUROMNOEY training programmes, Harvard Business School and Global Custody Conference, UK.
…as WAPIC announces Ojeniyi as DMD
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he Board of Directors of Wapic Insurance Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Bode Ojeniyi as Deputy Managing Director with immediate effect. In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, the company stated that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 23 March 2015 approved the appointment. The company stated that Ojeniyi held a BSc. and MSc. in Agric. Economics from the University of Ibadan. He also has an MBA in Strategic Management as well as in Finance from Ogun State Uni-
versity. A former employee of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Ojeniyi has also worked in Ecobank Plc rising to the position of Senior Manager/ Head Mortgages & Consumer Finance (Retail Banking) – December 2005 to August 2007. Until this appointment, Mr. Bode Ojeniyi was the Executive Director in charge of Institutional Clients Strategic Business Unit in Wapic Insurance Plc, a position he has held since 16 January 2014. The Company states that the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) approved this appointment on 22 April 2015.
MTN Foundation invests N11bn on projects I SAIAH E RHIAWARIEN Representative of the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr David Ige, cutting the tape to declare open the Nigerian pavilion at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas.
13 airports to get airfield lightings –FG OLUSEGUN KOIKI
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he Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka has disclosed that 13 airports across the country would be fitted with airfield lighting facilities that would enable aircraft to operate both visual and night operations. So far, he said that two airports, namely Benin and Enugu, had been fitted with the facilities while the exercise would be completed on other 11 airports before the end next month. Chidoka disclosed this during the commissioning of the Common User Passenger Processing System, CUPPS, at the Mur-
tala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2, Lagos at the weekend. He assured that the installation of the facilities would further improve productivity and enhanced operations of airlines across the country. Apart from Benin and Enugu Airports, the minister did not mention the other airports where the equipment would be deployed, but emphasised that most airports that were not able to operate beyond visual flights would be equipped with the equipment. He decried that most of the aircraft spent more hours on the ground rather than in the air, stressing that with the installation, most the aircraft would be
in the air for about 16 hours daily. Chidoka further promoted the concept of one aviation stating that “safety security and comfort must be above board.” According to him, the concept of Measurement, Monitoring and Improvement, MMI, had become inevitable if the country’s aviation industry must move forward. The CUPPS installed by BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, operators MMA2 is the first of its kind in the country. Earlier, the Chairman, BASL, Dr. Wale Babalakin, commended the government for the support given the company and promised to continually support developments in the sector.
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he MTN Foundation said it had invested about N11 billion on 341 humanitarian projects across the country. Chairman, MTN Foundation, Ambassador Hamzat Ahmadu, made the disclosure ahead of activities to mark the 10 years of its status as the first foundation to be established by a Nigerian telecommunication company. He said that the MTN Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility vehicle of leading ICT Company, MTN Nigeria, is celebrating a decade of touching lives through its hugely impactful social investments in education, health, and economic empowerment. Ahmadu noted that the successes which have been recorded in the last 10 years are based on the Foundation’s
ability to leverage on the power of local and international partners who are able to bring relevant knowledge and experience to the table, to create and execute sustainable projects across the country. “The giant strides made by the Foundation and the remarkable transformation of lives seen through the gains of our various initiatives in the area of health, education and economic empowerment are an eloquent testimony of how well we have been able to demonstrate our commitment to enriching lives and adding value to the lives of the citizenry,” Ahmadu said. Corporate Services Executive of MTN and Director of the Foundation, Mr. Wale Goodluck, expressed delight at the giant strides made in the past decade adding that corporate social responsibility is at the core of MTN’s organisational philosophy.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Jobs & Career
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
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Why Buhari-led govt must engage professionals, technocrats – Analysts Analysts are of the view that incessant changes in leadership positions remain one of the major banes of national development. MESHACK IDEHEN, in this report, highlights why experts believe retention of professionals and technocrats in public service would help in efficient implementation of policies and programmes for national benefits.
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uman capital experts agree that national development is a function of the quality of manpower and other endowments of countries generally. In Nigeria, analysts of the nation’s achievements over the years have said that the level of achievements recorded by Nigeria over the past half a century nationhood were indicative of how the political leaderships have, to a great extent, promoted the concept of professionalism and job continuity at the highest levels of governance in the public sector. Reflecting on the need for Nigeria top prioritise professionalism in public sector, the Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, (CIPM), Mr Sunday Adeyemi, pointd out that political exigencies and partisanship should not be seen as the hallmark of public sector as a new administration is set to chart developmental course for the country in the next four years. He said: “Political exigencies and partisan gratifications aside, the need for professionalism, continuity and national development should override the urge for change just for change sake.” Adeyemi, a manpower expert, told National Mirror when asked about the need for governments to retain its best hands, said proven technocrats and high quality performers that are already serving in the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan should not be sacrificed on the altar of political partisanship. Insisting that these calibres of professionals and technocrats, particularly those heading specialised institutions and agencies be allowed to complete their strategic vision within the constitutionally approved time frame, the CIPM boss was of the view that such a move of retaining the best hands irrespective of the party in power was the trend in most of the highly developed and industrialised countries of the world. Taken from that perspective according to human resource experts and management practitioners , informed stakeholders said this admonition to the incoming government to retain its best hands, irrespective of party affiliations has become urgent, imperative
Adesina
President-elect, Buhari
ITF DG, Chukkas-Onaeko
the itf dg stands head and shoulder above her peers in the battle to eliminate
unemployment from the country.
her non-
partisan disposition, sound management and fiscal ability, alongside a solid
academic background are factors the
incoming government will find needful, once it takes over the saddle of governance and crucial, in the light of ongoing speculations that the expected incoming government will do away with anyone, technocrats and professionals, that had any link with the outgoing administration, irrespective of whether those appointments are constitutionally recognised as mandated fixed tenures of appointment. Citing the example of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, a man generally acknowledged as hard working, a UK- based human rights activist, Dr Mike Uyi, said it was obvious that certain caliber of professionals and experts must be retained in the incoming government, if the new administration is to hit the ground running, and quickly meet the expectations of Nigerians. Uyi, who is also the leader of Nigerians in diaspora, United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter, said it is globally ac-
knowledged the performance of the agriculture minister which necessitated the President elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to send a very high powered delegation to lobby other African nations to support the minister’s bid to become the next president of the African development bank, (ADB) Uyi also called for the retainership by Buhari of experts and technocrats. On his part, management expert and Chief Operating Officer Prot Consult Limited, Mr Sunny Agboju, said what the Buhari-led government needed to do, was to take a through and unbiased look at key ministries and agencies of the government, and make decisions that will move the nation forward, instead of listening to hawkish individuals and groups within his political party that may not mean well for his government and the country. Speaking in the same vein, Career Development Expert, Mr Obo Obi-
tunde, told our correspondent that unnecessary changes of top performers within agencies of government was not only capable of derailing the overall strategic goal of the government, but also capable of putting on hold, the career growth prospect of workers within the system. He explained every organisation required a certain level of continuity and stability to succeed, whether they are in the public or private sectors, pointing out in the case of proactive training agencies like the ITF, that leadership change less than mid-way into the actualisation of its objective may also negatively affect the eventual outcome of its strategic objective. Taken together, Nigeria, according to Labour Activist, Mr Emmanuel Ezueme, will be the biggest beneficiary of the decision, should the incoming administration choose to retain capable hands. Ezueme, who is the President of Progressive Leadership Organisation, (PLOI), said his stance was based on the fact that not only will there be a marked reduction in the wave of brain drain, should the incoming government keep top performers in the outgoing administration, but also that those kept will simply increase their level of hard work and result oriented activities. These virtues, he argued, will be for the productive advantage of Nigeria and its hopeful citizens in the immediate and long terms.
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Jobs & Career
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Tips for dealing with change in the workplace The technology of the 1980s and 1990s bears almost no resemblance to what we have today. In the same way, our jobs and organisations probably bear little resemblance to that time. Companies reduce their staffs, outsource their operations, rearrange their organisational structure, and upgrade their platforms Recognize that change does happenOur own personal lives change as we grow older. Why should our careers and jobs be any different? Denying that change is or will be occurring, and continuing to live in the past only makes things more difficult. The more we understand that change will happen, the less upset and surprised we will be when we encounter that change. Be aware of your surroundings- recognise when change might be occurring in your own specific situation. Keep alert to subtle clues. For example, are you being excluded from important meetings? Does your
boss seem more distant? Is the rumour mill engaged? Recognize the stages- All the stages don’t necessarily occur. The progression might not be a smooth linear one, and different amounts of time may be involved with the different stages. Regardless, the quicker you get to the acceptance and moving on stages, the better it will be for you. Communicate with others- Communications is always important, but especially so when you face change. A lack of communications from others can have a negative impact, while effective communications can have a positive one. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, you need details about the change, so that you can determine how it affects you. Don’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. Part of the fear of change involves dealing with the unknown. If possible, try to minimize this factor by talking to others who have undergone such a change.
Post election violence: Jonathan saved upcoming generations Meshack Idehen
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he Trade Union Congress (TUC),said the forward-looking disposition of wellmeaning Nigerians, particularly our “statesmanly” President Goodluck Jonathan, have effectively brought to naught the doomsayers’ evil predictions about this country. The congress said today that every Nigerian stands tall and proud in the global democratic arena, because upcoming generations can rejoice that they would never know postelection crisis, as Jonathan has saved them that experience. TUC said the recent May Day celebrations is essentially the celebration of a new Nigeria that is set for a smooth rancour-free transition, nothing though that Nigeria is in a watershed where, unlike in the past, the country is effectively claiming its rightful position in the comity of nations. Congress President, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, told National Mirror without doubt that the theme of this year’s celebration which was “The Working Class, Democratic Consolidation and Economic Revival: Charting a Way to
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n available job vacancies for this week, the position for Direct Sales Agent in a multinational company is on offer. The company which is the leading provider of human resource personnel to major corporations in Nigeria said it is seeking to recruit highly intelligent, young and dynamic professionals with integrity for the position of Retail Sales Offices Nationwide. The skills and educational requirement are the following Responsibilities are to Introduce and sell the bank’s products and services to new customers and to manage customer relations and cross sell to existing customers. Qualifications and requirements are a Bsc. Only (Second Class Lower), Not more than 24 years, no prior experience required, NYSC must be completed and drive for result. Others are Relationship management, Negotiation skills and Good oral and written communication skills. Interested and qualified applicants are to visit www.jobberman.com for more details.
National Rebirth,” is an apt and timely when considered in the light of the nation’s challenges over the years, and the need for us to make a paradigm shift as a nation. According to him, though great successes have been recorded by the present administration there are yet more grounds to cover, as terrorism, violence, hate speeches, corruption, devaluation of the naira, casualisation of workers, outsourcing, unemployment, poor healthcare facilities and infrastructure remains evident and taking great toll on Nigerians. According to the TUC president, as the present government prepares to hand over to a new one later this month, the nation sees a new vista which the working class, must crystallise to consolidate on our democratic gains and economic progress, and march on to new horizons. “The entire world acknowledges that Nigeria is a great nation. But many of our people have lost hope due to decades of rape of the national treasury by a privileged few who have thereby subjected the vast majority of the nation’s populace to untold hardship.
Candidates seeking for employment
Do a self assessment- SWOT analysis can be just as helpful to you. What skills and strengths do you have? Where do you need to improve? By understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and knowing as much as you can about the new situation, you have a better chance of finding a place to fit in.
NLC women want ILO convention on maternity ratified Meshack Idehen
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he Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) National Women Commission has called on the Federal Government to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 183 on maternity protection for women to ensure decent life and work for working women. Immediate past Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, Hajia Ladi Iliya, who made the call recently also called for greater participation of women in governance. She further called on the legislators to consider women issues as priorities in the constitutional amendments. Specifically, she emphasised that the nation’s constitution should outlaw all negative and discriminatory poli-
Job vacancies
Still from www.jobberman..com is the post for a Communications Manager, Nigeria Franchise for the Coca-Cola Company. Job Summary for the position includes playing a key role in the development and implementation of effective communication and stakeholder engagement strategies to grow the reputation of our Company and Brands and support the business goals in Nigeria. Boosting the Company’s communications impact across the media spectrum (print, broadcast and social) to increase awareness and recognition of the economic and social impact of the Coca-Cola business and engage our various audiences. Championing ambassadorship through leveraging internal communication (including Coca-Cola Journey) and volunteering opportunities to inform engage and inspire our system associates amongst other duties. Required Experience for the job is over 7 years’ experience in communications or public relations functions, while the preferred qualifi-
Be flexible- Change requires flexibility. The better able you are to adapt to change, the greater your chances of being successful. After you complete your self-assessment, take a look at the requirements of the new situation. Source: Forbes.com
cations is a university degree preferably in communication, journalism or English Language and related fields. From www.findjobafrica.com is the position for a Personal Assistant to be based in Ikoyi, Lagos who will work closely with senior management to provide administrative support, usually on a one-to-one basis. Discretion and confidentiality are therefore essential attributes for the successful Candidate. The PA is expected to deal with secretarial and administrative tasks, devising and maintaining office systems, including data management and filing; arranging travel, visas and accommodation and, occasionally, travelling with the manager to take notes or dictation at meetings or to provide general assistance during presentations; Other responsibilities are screening phone calls, enquiries and requests, and handling them when appropriate; meeting and greeting visitors at all levels of seniority; organising and maintaining diaries and making appoint-
cies, cultures and practices that are against women particularly the right to of women to property, inheritance and full employment. “We believe that Nigeria is overdue for protective legislation regarding women’s right. We need strict laws against sexual harassment, rape and violence against women. The Nigerian constitution should outlaw all negative and discriminatory policies, cultures and practices that are against women particularly the right to of women to property, inheritance and full employment,” she said. Speaking further, Iliya said the commission has submitted proposals and various resolutions that would enable the NLC improve the status, welfare and rights of women within the trade union movement and the larger society.
ments and dealing with incoming email, faxes and post, often corresponding on behalf of the manager; Qualifications for the post are a degree, as well as personal qualities, experience and general office skills. Candidate must be conversant with Microsoft office suites and Internet service. Good interpersonal skills. Fluent in spoken and written English, and experience of between 5 to 7 years experience. Preferred age 40 - 45 years. From www.jobberman.com,is the position for a Relationship Officer who is to be based in Delta state. The company which is into information technology and customer service said some of the responsibilities for the incoming is to Initiate apt activities to ensure on time and scheduled response to customers, review independently all documents and link entire customer accounts to suitable relationship, provide securities details, quotes and valuations to customers and implement and supervise all unsolicited trade activities.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
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Real Estate & Environment
Experts harp on imperative of Great Green Wall bill As the curtain draws closer for this present National Assembly to rap-up its plenary sessions, experts are worried that the Great Green Wall, GGW, bill may not be passed into law. In this report by OLUFEMI ADEOSUN, experts underscore the importance of GGW to some communities in frontline states of the North, whose sources of livelihood are being threatened by desertification.
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ike other outstanding bills at the National Assembly, the National Council on Great Green Wall GGW bill may suffer serious setback, as there is no sign in sight, to suggest that the bill will be passed as the curtain draws closer to the plenary sessions. Federal Government had in 2014 approved the establishment of the National Agency for GGW to coordinate the country’s activities towards addressing the ravaging effects of desertification and degradation on some communities living in the frontline states of Kebbi, Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto,
Mortgage Education and Training
Gombe, Bauchi and Katsina. Chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the programme, an offshoot of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiatives, GGWSSI, was conceived by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 to tackle the menace of desertification in dry land region of Africa. It was a 15km and 7,775km long from Dakar and Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the east. The belt is expected to pass through eleven countries of Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan and Chad. Aside from addressing the challenge of
massive deforestation in the affected states, the GGW entails the provision of Shelter belts, measuring 15km wide and 1,500km long, stretching from Kebbi to Borno states. Other components of the programme include, setting up of orchards, gardens and plantations of predominantly economic trees. Until 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan gave vent to the implementation of the programme, which environment experts say, has the potential of redefining the lives of over 40 million inhabitants in the frontline states, whose livelihood and social cohesion have been completely eroded due to the ravaging effects of desertification and
CCESSA urges President-elect to sustain existing contracts 27
degradations. To herald the implementation, President Jonathan did not only approve N10 billion for its execution in the affected states, but also flagged-off the programme in Kebbi state in 2013, with the planting of 2,871,415 seedlings for forestry and orchards. Beyond this, he also approved two major committees to fast-track its implementation and they include, the National Council on Shelterbelt and Aforestation, headed by the Vice President and the National Technical Committee, headed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
Living room flooring ideas 28
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Real Estate & Environment
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Experts harp on imperative of Great Green Wall CONTINUED FROM 25 Consequently, the Federal Government last year approved the upgrade of the Programme Implementation Unit, PIU, coordinating the activities of the GGW to seek for the establishment of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall. While the bill had passed second reading at the two legislative arms of the National Assembly, experts warned on the delay. According to some members of the National Assembly, the nation must push for the implementation of the programme to reclaim the dry lands of which the frontline states are said to have constituted the larger part of about 43 per cent lost to desertification. For instance, the National Coordinator, Climate Change Network Nigeria, Surveyor Efik underscored the importance of having an agency to coordinate the programme, adding that it would help to move the fight against climate change, which is the major cause of desertification. According to him, desertification is a serious environmental concern that needs to be given serious national attention, especially by the 7th assembly in terms of ensuring that the bill is passed before the assembly rounds-off. ,”There is great need for the establishment of a national agency to coordinate the activities of the GGW programme, as it is the case in other African countries involved in the project. It will help in moving the fight against climate change. It is a known fact that increases in temperature and water stresses are major factors responsible for drought and desertification’’, he stated. According to his statement, “So the GGW is an important continental programme that Nigeria must give adequate and priority attention because the menace of desertification is affecting not only the lands of the affected states in the North, but their means of livelihood is also being jeopardized on daily basis. Speaking on the negative effects of desertification, Efik said, “Already eleven frontline states in the North are grappling with heavy weights of droughts and desertification, saying Nigeria border has also been locked up by desertification as many communities in the north have been closedup and the rate of migration increased. This is in addition to the disruption in agricultural activities of the affected communities. “Desertification is serious environmental concern and as such, every effort to address it should be supported by the 7th Assembly. I therefore urge the distinguished assembly members to, as a matter of national importance; conclude the process before winding down. According to an environmentalist, Dr. Newton Jibunoh, to make the programme achieve its desired objectives, adequate structure must be put in place, not only to guarantee sustainability, but also ensure that the trees planted survive. Apart from the provision of a legislative framework, the environmentalist also advocated a bottom-to- top approach to the programme, explaining that the programme would only succeed when affected communities are made to own it. “Based on my contact with the desert in
Goodluck
Eyakenyi
THE EFFORTS BEING MADE BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE THE LINGERING EROSION PROBLEM BESIEGING SOME COMMUNITIES IN THE SOUTH EAST ARE HIGHLY COMMENDABLE
Mallam
the last 40 years, I have been advocating for a programme to recover our lost lands, especially in the desert areas of the North. The idea of the GGW is therefore a positive development. But I have always insisted that in putting the structure like this, we need to have sustainable infrastructure that will ensure that the trees planted survive while
also ensuring that those trees are not cut down for firewood. “For the programme to succeed, it has to be community-drive. In this case, I advocate a bottom-to-top approach, as against the topbottom approach. In this regards, they will take charge and become partners in the development. Water is important, especially during the dry season; there must be provision of adequate water resources. Tree needs about two years of nurturing before
it can begin to nurture it. There has to be constant nurturing for the trees by the community. It had to also be followed up with constant funding”, he stated. Jibunoh, who stated that the programme ought to have started a long time ago, lamented the extent of the desert encroachment in the affected communities, explaining that the scourge is affecting the people’s grazing fields, and animals’ health. On the effect of desertification on national security, Jibunoh stated that, “Migration arises as a result of desertification. If desertification is going to deny people of their prime land, grazing fields, water, they migrate to where they can get vegetation, they go to where there is adequate water, where they can farm and those lands belong to other communities. In the process of these competing demands, conflicts are generated and these have serious security implications for our nation”. Also speaking on the significance of the GGW programme, its National Coordinator, Ahmed Goni noted that it was designed to halt and reverse land degradation, prevent depletion of biological diversity, and meet the energy, water, food and other needs of the people in the affected communities. According to him, the programme also has the potential to combat unemployment, eradicate poverty and promote alternative means of livelihood in the northern part of the country. President Jonathan had while flagging off the programme on November 25, 2014, underscored the importance of the initiative. According to him, the initiative avails the nation the great opportunity to advance its vision of a green pathway for human development, and address new and emerging environmental challenges in the country. On the negative effects of desertification on the nation’s environment, the President stated, “Desertification is one of the greatest environmental and developmental problems of the 21st century. This ecological problem can trigger a vicious circle of environmental degradation, impoverishment, forced migration and conflicts, often threatening the political stability of affected countries and regions. He noted that his administration decided to give priority attention to the scourge of desertification not only because of its likely spill over effects on other states of the federation, but also its potential to weaken the nation’s socio-economic development efforts and engender other challenges. The Great Green Wall Programme is an expression of our commitment for enhanced environmental management, and thus overcome the problems of desertification. It is a strategy adapted by African leaders supported by the international community and development partners, to fast track the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, roll back poverty and address the specific risks and vulnerabilities in our dry lands. “Our desire to enhance the economic transformation of our great nation, and improve the livelihoods of the citizenry requires that we address the risks and vulnerabilities in the drought and desertification affected States. This is what we intend to achieve by coming together to implement this programme’’, he added
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Real Estate & Environment
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
MORTGAGE NOTES
M
Fasanya-Osilaja
Email: Nike@MVPSolutionsinc.com https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35277333
Mortgage Education and Training
T
he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines for a housing finance entity includes a mandatory employee training programme. The big problem for most of such entities is how to implement a programme without clarity and/or access to the most effective solutions available for their needs. My column today will hopefully put you on the right path. The first and most critical step towards effective training programme is actually having one. You must have a cogent, well-planned training programme for the employees actually hands on involved in the loan production department. We have developed a customized pyramid programme that has worked very well for our own mortgage brokerage company as well as for clients we consult for. Please feel free to adapt the ideas therein for yourself, and if you need to, email me at nike@mvpsolutionsinc. com for advice or suggestions. As I stated in my last column, it is called the “Pyramid Level Plus”, and it is based on our firm belief that every officer, from the clerk to the chief executive of a mortgage company, must be able to handle the basics of loan origination. The programme actually looks like an inverted pyramid. This must be the first training programme organized for all applicable staff. From that initial “level”, the training programme must pyramid in multiple levels, increasing in sophistication as it rises. Every officer on an increased level must be proficient; both in the training modules for his/her level as well as for every level below. At the very top of the pyramid will be the executive director level, which should be able to personally take a mortgage application from start to finish. The goal is to ensure that, at any given point in time, there is the requisite
THE FIRST AND MOST CRITICAL STEP TOWARDS EFFECTIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME IS ACTUALLY HAVING ONE.
YOU MUST HAVE A COGENT, WELL-PLANNED TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR THE EMPLOYEES ACTUALLY HANDS ON INVOLVED IN
THE LOAN PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
expertise to keep the business open and operating, and to keep customers satisfied enough to keep the referrals coming. A typical training pyramid might look like this: Level 5: Executive Compliance; Compliance; Secondary Markets; Securitization; Loan Origination to Closing (3); Taking an application Level 4: Compliance; Secondary Markets; Securitization; Loan Origination to closing (3); Taking an application Level 3: Securitization; Loan Origination to closing (3); Taking an application. Level 2: Loan Origination to closing (3); Taking an application Level 1: Taking an application. And there is your training (inverted) pyramid. This should be the initial training programme because it is the most easily implemented. Once this is accomplished, the company is secured enough to start adding more programmes, with a focus to continuing education at least on an annual basis. In order to expand beyond the Nigerian market, such training must cover both national and international applications, whether or not the company
FG tasks REDAN on housing quality OLUFEMI ADEOSUN,
with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja
plans to expand immediately. There is a confidence that comes with knowing your stuff, and it is apparent to your customer as soon as you start to speak. Does international training mean international travel? Not at all. There are several great training programmes available without leaving your desk. If you prefer to be in a seminar setting, you will find equally great programmes. You just need to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Your goal xxxxx should always be to provide your employees with actual practical, useful and relevant training. At the end of the training, you should be able to put that employee in a position, and he/she should be able to at least recognize the basics of what is required of them, and perform with reduced supervision. So, how much is your business continuity worth to you? You might have the clout to attract clients, but it is your expertise that will keep them to either come back or not. As usual, all questions and/ or comments are welcome, and I hope you will choose to follow me on this column.
ABOUT THE WRITER Fasanya-Osilaja a lawyer and mortgage expert has owned and operated Marvel Ventures Mortgage, Inc. (www.marvelmortgage.com), a Chicagobased Mortgage Brokerage Company since 2000 and has worked in the US Mortgage industry since 1996. She also consults and facilitates industryrequired activities, from set up of mortgage organisations to documentation, training and compliance.
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inister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Dr (Mrs) Akon Eyakenyi has called on the newly-elected executive of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, REDAN, to ensure that stakeholders in the sector maintain quality in pursuit of affordable housing for Nigerians. Eyakenyi, who spoke in Abuja during a meeting with the newly- constituted REDAN executive led by its President, Reverend Ugochukwu Chime, said upholding standard would help to curtail incidences of collapsed buildings in the country. The Minister, who commended the transparent process that ushered in the new executive, however urged them to continue to maintain an open and allinclusive administrative policy that would benefit stakeholders in the sector. “If you have an open administration, you will succeed’’, she admonished. Eyakenyi, who noted that gov-
ernment, is a continuum, also expressed hope that the in-coming administration will continue the laudable programmes and projects in the sector. The Minister further advised the REDAN executive to ensure that on-going projects are duly completed, assuring that the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, as a government institution would continue to render relevant financial assistance to developers. However, she admonished that such financial assistance should be well utilized for the benefit of providing affordable and quality housing for Nigerians. REDAN President however commended the Minister for the various strides recorded during her tenure, noting that she had commissioned more housing estates than any past minister had done in the ministry, attributing it to her inspirational and outstanding leadership qualities. He said the ministry’s vibrant policies and synergy with stakeholders had helped to boost the sector, adding that she would be leaving behind ‘a good taste in the heart”.
FG adopts national policy on PCB OLUFEMI ADEOSUN
F
ederal Government has adopted the Nigerian National policy framework for the Nigerian-Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Management. A statement signed by the PCB project communications expert, Charles Ojugbana and made available to newsmen in Abuja, said the policy was adopted last month during the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan. The approval, according to the statement, has strengthened Nigeria’s capacity for the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPS, as required by the Stockholm Convention to which Nigeria has been a signatory since May 2001. The policy adoption, that statement added, “provides the important legal framework, enabling power as well as the appropriation of budget to implement the Nigerian PCBs Management Project, which was declared effective in 2012.” The Nigerian PCB programme itself has been enhancing national capacity for the identification, analysis and environmentally-sound management of other POPs, including pesticides. It has also contributed towards
on-going efforts to reduce the risk to human health and ecosystem integrity from industrial pollution and the overall improvement of the nation’s solid and hazardous wastes. The Project Coordinator, Nigeria PCB programme, Mrs. Stella Mojekwu, said that the action of the Council had helped to achieve one of the expected outcomes of the Nigeria PCB project as enunciated in its Project Appraisal Document, PAD. According to her, Nigeria is now making determined efforts to have liquid PCB and contaminated equipment subject to environmentally sound management, not later than 2025 in line with the requirements of the Stockholm Convention. She said some of the milestones recorded so far by the Nigeria PCBs included the development of technical and administrative guidelines for the management of PCBs, completion of baseline inventory of PCBs in a total of 25 states of the federation since 2009 and conduct of feasibility studies of PCBs disposal options in the country. It would be recalled that the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam officially launched a massive National Awareness-Raising Campaign on the use of PCBs in Abuja.
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Real Estate & Environment
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Living room Choose Real Wood for Lasting Beauty
For beauty and warmth underfoot, wood floors are unrivaled. An new manufacturing methods, they’ve become increasingly durable a fordable. Solid-wood floors cost less than engineered-wood flooring, althou bor for installing and finishing solid wood pushes the price up. Solid floors hold their value because they can be sanded and refinished times. With the right care, they age gracefully, developing a patina th look-alikes can’t match.
Layer Rugs for Richness
Layering a smaller area rug over a larger rug defines a seating within the larger space. It also enriches the palette of patterns in the To use this layering technique effectively, avoid high contrast be the room-size rug and the area rug. In this living room, a swirl-pri lays over a neutral woven rug.
Brick Tiles for Rustic Charm
Brick pavers bring a rustic, old-world look to a room. They may b in basket-weave, herringbone, or running-bond patterns, and you h choice of sizes and thicknesses. After it has been sealed, brick is e maintain simply by sweeping or vacuuming. Dirt and mud can be rem with soap and water.
Custom Wide-Plank Floors
Wide-plank hardwood floors bring character and beauty to any room. Search online for companies that specialize in reclaimed or sal wood or for those that focus on sustainably harvested new growth. Custom-crafted floors like this are expensive. If you’re going to s your home for a long time, however, real wood floors can be a good i ment, because they will last as long as your home does. If properly car wood ages gracefully and can be refinished as needed.
Paint a Colorful Floor
A painted floor can set the tone for thedecor of an entire room. Th metric pattern of rectangles establishes the room’s bold, playful style Use deck and floor paint to apply the design. If you want a hint wood grain to show through, wipe off excess paint until you get the
CCESSA urges President-elect to sustain existing contracts MESHACK IDEHEN
C
onstruction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association, CCESSA, has called on the Presidentelect, General Mohammadu Buhari to sustain the existing contracts awarded in the Industry as part of renewed efforts to avoid abandoned projects in the country, This move, according to the workers’ union, is necessary as most of the construction companies in the country, took loans from banks to finance their projects and if not sustained would affect the construction firms that may not be able to pay back the loans, speculating that banks may not be able to recover their monies. Addressing newsmen on the economic effects of abandoned projects in the Country, the General Secretary, CCESSA,
Mr Ezekhumhe George said it would be out of place for President-elect to stop the existing projects left behind by the outgoing administration, as such action would eventually have a spill-over effect on workers in the industry that will be put on redundancy as the banks gave out loans to construction companies. “The incoming administration should also look at the issue of contract staffing that is now prevalent in the industry. The operators of this cartel are the so-called labour consultants, persuading employers of labour in the industry to reduce their overhead as well as expenses by converting unionized employees (our members) to contract workers”. Continuing, he said, “Today as we speak, almost all the Chinese and Lebanese companies in the industry have bought into the idea. The so called Labour Consultants will engage
workers to their clients (the companies) and the salary plus or minus allowance of the workers are paid to the consultants based on the agreed terms’’. The consultants, he said, would in turn, pay the employees in their own terms usually far below what the company pays and in most cases, about half or below half of what the consultants collect from the company”, the union leader lamented. According to George, as one of the highest employers of labour, the association is also admonishing the new administration to look closely into the issue of expatriate quota in the construction Industry very critically, in order not to make the industry a dumping ground for all manners of foreigners at the detriment of local graduates and young school leavers. “We urged the new administration should try as much as possible to settle the huge debt
owed to the construction companies on completed and certificated contracts, which has already cost the industry and the nation more job loss to the construction workers between 2014 and 2015, saying they should make provision for a back-up fund for new contracts awarded, so that all satisfied and certificated contacts would be paid, based on the contractual agreement without unnecessary delay”, he said.
L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-G Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Chief Ede Dafinone, Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos recently.
LASG hands over Walkway, P SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
L
agos State Government has commissioned and handed over the longest Canopy Walkway in Africa to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF. This is in addition to the Family Park located within the nature reserve of the Lekki Conservation
Centre, Lagos. Governor Babatunde Fashola, who commissioned the facilities, said those facilities were built by the state government through the Ministry of Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations. The 401 Meters Canopy Walk and the Family Park, according to him, would boasts jungle gym, outdoor games as well as Koi and Tilapa
Po tre
an Pr tio As sta sh for the
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Real Estate & Environment
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
29
m flooring ideas
d with and af-
ugh lad-wood many hat the
group room. etween int rug
be laid have a easy to moved
living lvaged
stay in investred for,
his geoe. of the e effect
you like. Apply several coats of polyurethane to protect the finish.
Capture Warmth with Carpet Carpet warms a room physically and visually, and it’s comfortable underfoot. The wall-to-wall carpeting adds warmth and texture to this pretty living room. Choose a neutral color like this one if you want to downplay the floors. For a room with a high ceiling, opt for an attention-grabbing hue to ground and balance the space without detracting from the expansive atmosphere.
Get the Look of Stone with Concrete Polished concrete floors in this living room are sleek and understated. Concrete floors can be stained and scored to mimic stone or tile at a lower cost than either material. They y can also be stained to imitate leather or treated with other decorative rative effects, providing a chic and versatile flooring material for contemporary rary living rooms. Concrete is porous, however, and must be sealed to protect it from moisture and spills.
Define Space with Rugs In this living room, small- and mediumsizerugs lend definition and visual separation. A rug beneath h a table sets off thatt space as a work zone, e, while a rug placed in n the center of a seating ng arrangement denotes it as a gathering place. To securely anchor a groupuping, a rug should be large rge enough for the pieces to rest entirely on it.
Local contractors chide FCT-UBEB boss SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
A
overnmental Relation, Disun Holloway; Governor Babatunde Fashola and Chairman, during the official opening and hand-over of the Family Park and Canopy Walkway at
Park to NCF
onds within the Conservation Cene in Lagos state. Speaking at the commissioning nd handing over ceremony, the resident of the Nigerian Conservaon Foundation, NCF, Chief Philip siodu expressed gratitude to Lagos ate government under the leaderip of Governor Babatunde Fashola r taking a bold decision to develop e centre as Eco-tourism park, add-
ing that about 30 hectares of land in the centre, is carved out for Family park to enable visitors and tourists enjoy themselves while appreciating the natural environment. According to Asiodu, the establishment of Lekki Conservation Centre, LCC, stemmed from the fact that the NCF’ is committed to conserving Nigeria’s vast natural resources. With the NCF headquarters in Lagos, it was desirable to have a conservation project site within the metropolis that will serve as a biodiver-
group of indigenous contractors that executed various projects for the Universal Basic Education Board, UBEB, in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja have chided the Chairman of the board, Alhaji Umaru Ningi over what it described as selective and indifferent attitude towards the payment of jobs they executed. A Contractor, who spoke under anonymity, regretted that most of the jobs they executed in the last sity conservation and environmental education centre. “Three potential areas in Lagos state were surveyed in 1987 by the NCF technical team in partnership with the defunct Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Lekki area was selected and here we are today, at the Lekki Conservation Centre. Over the years, the 78 hectares of the Conservation centre has continued to attract both local and international interests’’, he stated.
two years are yet to be paid for by the UBEB under the chairmanship of Alhaji Ningi. Most of the contracts are through counterpart funding, under the Special Grants projects and was surprised that these contracts are yet to be paid for. The contractors noted that this is the first time in the history of UBEB that contracts were awarded without necessary cash backings for its prompt payment. The contractors are regretting that in spite of the fact that most of them got the contract by “buying” as much as 25 per cent of the contract sum, their monies are yet to be paid by FCT UBEB. The Contractors are alleging that the Chairman is collaborating with a finance company based in Wuse district of Abuja to convert the funds meant for the payment of jobs for his personal use. According to the contractors, the Chairman is busy awarding new contracts to companies
with strong ties, using the funds meant for the payment for earlier jobs to settle the new contracts. Some of the concerned contractors are also alleging that most of the new contracts awarded were never executed, alleging that the monies were diverted into his private accounts. The contractors also stated that they have the records of the contractors being used to siphon funds for unexecuted jobs, promising to spill the beans at the appropriate time. The Contractors noted that the UBEB Chairman refused to grant audience to the association of local contractors, who had sought his explanation on the delay in the payment of jobs executed by local contractors. They further alleged that the Chairman later invited the Exco of the local contractors to “settle them” while explaining that the non-payment of jobs done were due to the fact that the money was allegedly diverted by top FCT officials for campaign purposes.
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Real Estate & Environment
UK property market set for growth amid stable election
H
ouse prices in the UK, especially the prime property market in London, are set to rise on the back of the Conservative win at the general election, according to property experts. London is likely to see sales surge as people, who put off buying, particularly overseas buyers, now go ahead and make a decision with the possibility of a mansion tax evaporated. Indeed, according to Edward Heaton, of Heaton and Partners property search agency prime country house prices could rise by as much as 10% within weeks. ‘There will be bun fights in the next few weeks for the best houses which come to the market as confidence in the top-end of the regional market returns,’ he said. ‘For many operating in the prime property market, there is a palpable sense of relief at the election outcome as there were some genuine concerns about the possible impact of mansion tax tied in with the attack on non-doms proposed by Labour,’ he added.
The result will bring stability to the markets, according to Michelle van Vuuren, the Managing Director of Residential Development at Sotheby’s International Realty UK. The firm is already getting calls from would be international buyers. ‘The removal of the uncertainty that has clouded the last year of the coalition will allow developers to plan confidently for the medium term with a consistent economic policy. Having said that, we do hope to see the Tories come good on their annual pledge of 200,000 new homes and freeing up Brownfield sites for development,’ she said. ‘Increasing the supply of homes is the only way to truly overcome the hurdles that the housing market places for the majority of buyers. At the top end, for the next five years at least, a cessation of the clamour for a mansion tax will see a number of transactions that have stalled to come back on line as certitude creeps back into the market. It is going to be an exciting time to be in the London market,’ she added.
‘Andrew Ellinas, director of central and north west London agency Sandfords, believes that confidence will return quickly and it is likely that there will be a significant late spring bounce in activity as those who have held back start to act. ‘London has established itself around the world as a safe and thriving place to invest and increased confidence will once again be restored and with that see the return of overseas investors. It has felt like the market was becalmed and now will steam ahead once again, with London prices that have been subdued steadily rising throughout the second half of the year,’ he pointed out. ‘My advice to those who have been thinking about selling, but awaiting political certainty, is to make a move now and beat the rush. The market has been challenged most recently by a lack of stock, but this is likely to change quite swiftly now, creating more competition for vendors. Take advantage whilst conditions are most favourable,’ he added.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Improved economy boosts Cairo property markets
A
ll sectors of the Cairo real estate market have witnessed a positive performance and improved sentiment during the first three months of 2015 due to stronger confidence and investment appetite created by increased economic and political stability. A new analysis from international real estate firm JLL says that this confidence is most clearly illustrated by the recent announcement of the mega real estate project Cairo Capital which will serve as an extension for New Cairo and will draw the centre of gravity further to the East of the existing city. The report shows that residential sale prices have continued to increase across Cairo in the first quarter of the year with office rents increasing in New Cairo and retail rents edging further upwards over the past quarter. The hotel sector has also recorded improved performance with tourist numbers and hotel occupancy rates improving. The performance of both the tourism sector and other parts of the real estate market are expected to continue to benefit from increased levels of foreign investment into Egypt, committed at the recent Economic Summit in Sharma El Sheikh in March 2015. The report points out that Cai-
ro’s residential market continues to recover with improved sales figures as a result of the recovering economic and political sentiment. Apartment and villa sale prices increased during 2015 across all the areas monitored by JLL as many residential developments have few units left and have increased prices accordingly. Performance in the rental sector remains more mixed, with some properties experiencing an increase while others are experiencing a reduction due to the unstructured nature of the rentals market in Egypt. An extra 31,000 units are planned to be delivered during 2015 of which 11,000 are in New Cairo and 19,000 are in the 6th of October. ‘The positive economic outlook arising from the Economic Summit is expected to result in additional investment in the residential sector, strengthening the market further in 2015,’ the report says. During the first quarter of the year some 250 units were completed in Al Rehab City, New Cairo, in addition to 640 units in the Zayed complex, increasing the current supply to around 106,000 units. A further 31 residential developments are expected to complete in the rest of 2015 ten of which will be in the second quarter, adding an extra 30,000 units to the current supply.
RICS set to grow Brazilian real estate markets
T UK property
California investors move from Single to Multi-Family assets
T
he California Association of Realtors, C.A.R., survey of its members on their interactions with investors amid depletion of available distressed homes on the market over the past two years, revealed that more investors are shifting from singlefamily homes .to investing in multifamily properties. C.A.R.’s 2015 Investor Survey found 21 percent of investors purchased in multifamily properties in the past year, up from 19 percent in 2014 and 14 percent in 2013. Eighty percent of the transactions were non-distressed, up from 70 percent in 2014, reflecting the recovering housing market. Additionally, consistent with investors
purchasing more equity and multifamily properties, the median sales price increased to $375,000 in 2015, up from $320,000 in 2014 and $292,000 in 2013. Investors also turned to higherpriced properties given a lack of inventory of lower-priced properties. Twenty-three percent of investment properties purchased ranged between $501,000 to $1 million, up from 16 percent in 2014, and 9 percent were above $1 million, up from 8 percent in 2014. Among the reasons investors cited for buying now include good price (39 percent), followed closely by good location. Additional findings from C.A.R.’s “2015 Investor Survey”
include: More investors (65 percent) rented their properties, rather than flip them (26 percent), up from 58 percent in 2014 but down from 73 percent in 2013. Investors held properties for a short period of time at an average of 6.1 years in 2015, down from 8 years in 2014, and 7.9 years in 2013. Investors also owned fewer properties on average in 2015 (6.4), down from 8.3 in 2014 and 6.5 in 2013. In a sign of optimism, the vast majority (70 percent) of investors believed their property would increase in value in one year, and three-fourths said the property would increase in value in five years.
he Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has an important role in the real estate industry in Brazil as growth in the markets continues, it is claimed. RICS entered Brazil, following in the wake of real estate market growth, which has been largely stimulated by foreign investment and has worked mainly within the valuation and facilities management sectors. But is now looking to direct its attention towards construction, according to RICS country manager for Brazil Marcia Ferrari. She explained that RICS came to Brazil to help stakeholders from abroad who wanted to invest in the country. ‘It is only natural that this type of investor needs valuations carried out in accordance with international standards. When an investor is purchasing portfolios across the world, they need to use a common language,’ she said. ‘Whenever RICS opens an office in a new country, there is some give and take, what the organisation can give to the country and vice versa. The professional bodies understand that we are here to contribute,’ she added.
In Brazil RICS has developed relationships with the Brazilian Institute of Valuations and Building Inspections (Ibape), the Brazilian Association of Facilities (Abrafac), and the São Paulo State Housing Syndicate. Recently RICS moved towards signing memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian Association of Developers (Abrainc). Ferrari also explained that a lot has changed in the last decade in the Brazilian market since RICS opened its first office. ‘A great deal of investment came from abroad and, along with it, there was a surge of interest in professionalism and international standards. Both multinationals and local companies seek qualified people for their teams. It is this demand for professionals that spurs the gradual improvement in our market,’ she pointed out. ‘I believe that being part of the international market involves learning about international standards and that allows a local professional to respond adequately when an international player wants to do business in Brazil. A common language ensures the transparency needed to make investment decisions,’ she added.
Aviation
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Mergers, acquisitions key to air travel agencies’ growth – NANTA President The President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, NANTA, Alhaji Aminu Agoha, in this interview with OLUSEGUN KOIKI, spoke on the challenges facing the agents, the need for them to embrace mergers or acquisition as a survival strategy amid sundry other issues affecting the nation’s aviation industry generally. The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, NANTA, has been urging its members to merge or consolidate their operations, why this call at the moment? Globally, consolidation, business acquisitions, mergers and all that are the order of the day. We felt that to be able to face the future challenges, the revolution going on in the airline industry, we felt it is proper to start thinking about consolidation in this country because it has happened in the United States and Europe where some agencies come together and then form one formidable force to be able to enhance their business. The purpose of this is to educate our members on the process of consolidation and the advantages of consolidation. It might not happen now or tomorrow, but it’s a pacesetter towards preparing their minds for the challenges that lie ahead because as you can see, the airlines have now started going towards zero commission. If you talk about zero commission within the industry, our members need to make a living. So, by consolidation you will now have a higher purchasing power, a major bargaining power to be able to sit down with the airlines to say ‘look I am this big, so, I should be able to dictate my terms.’ By this, the airlines would go after you. So, what we are trying to do is to educate our members on the way forward on the global trend of doing business. The banks were compelled to consolidate their operations a few years ago when the going was really tough for them to survive; do you think that is also desirable for travel agencies to merge? When you talk of the banks, you can’t say the same of the travel industry because the banks are being regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and they had a minimum capital adequacy base. We cannot say that with the traveling industry whereby there is no government regulations guiding or controlling the affairs of travelling agencies. It is purely a private limited liability and a private initiative without the government enforcing that on us. We have tried over the years to bring in the government in by trying to establish the Act of the National Assembly that will guide and regulate the activities of the travelling agencies, but you know, things never come easy in this country. That Act has not seen the light of the day till today. Whatever we are doing now, we are doing it as an association base on our own initiatives and not on any government intervention or government administrative fiat.
Agoha
It’s a sad story that our natIonal carrIer became extInct due to some
government polIcIes, but If
I would suggest, there
Is an every need to have a natIonal carrIer
Are you so certain that consolidation would work in Nigeria because of our peculiar approach to business strategy? Like every loose end, there are always teething problems. I would say here now that some of our members from the Lagos zone have already started consolidation under a brand name and are working now. Personally, I think that is a test case for our members. During the cause of the Annual General Meeting, AGM, one of the groups in the consolidation shared his experienced to our members on how far they have gone; the drawbacks and the benefits. Until we start, we cannot be able to say for sure the drive would work or not. South Africans do say it is possible.’ It is possible for the process to work if we get it right and it is possible for it to be beneficial to our members. Only time will tell.
any business in Nigeria, particularly the aviation industry where everything is dollar denominated. The fuel is dollar denominated, the maintenance of the aircraft is dollar denominated, the service charges and others. The moment the dollar starts going stronger against the naira, definitely, the cost of air travels would go high and this is something that we as travel agencies cannot control. It is forces of the market; demand and supply. So, we cannot control that unless if the government do something to bring the exchange rate down. Airfare is high now and it will continue to go high until maybe there is an intervention from the government to bring down the rate of the dollar, but that notwithstanding, Nigerians are people that love travelling. Still, a good number of Nigerians irrespective of the dollar and airfare still travel. If you go to the airports, you see people still travelling not minding the cost of tickets. One thing we have discovered in this industry is that Nigerians are very likeable people in terms of traveling. They travel quite a lot and some of them would have saved their money for a very long time to go on vacation with their families and all that and some in the government circle even travel abroad for training. What we are saying is that irrespective of the exchange rate of naira to the dollar, people do travel, but the volume might be lower than when the dollar was a little bit lower than as we have it now.
Sir, how has the exchange rate affected your business with the devaluation of naira against major currencies? Well, if you ask me, the dollar is the determining factor of
Sir, what is your position on the planned national carrier for Nigeria? Personally, I would say a national carrier as far as a coun-
try is concerned is inevitable because when you go to other countries you see their national carriers flying their flags, but the same cannot be said of this country. It’s a sad story that our national carrier became extinct due to some government policies, but if I would suggest, there is an every need to have a national carrier. But having said that, the national carrier when put in place should not be fully dependent on government and should not be owned 100 per cent by the government. There should be private-public-partnership in the national carrier. Let it be run like a business and not like government organisations where government can control the Chief Executive Directors, CEOs. If you run it as a business concern, put qualify people there and not because of my closeness to the Minister of Aviation. If they do so, I can assure you that within a short time, our national carrier would return to its former glory because I remember in those days that I used to fly Nigeria Airways as a student, I fly to London in the summer with the student fares, but now a days, you cannot have that because no airline would give you a student fare now, but if we have our own national carrier, we can have student fares. Unfortunately even at that time, some top people were abusing the process; they just get the form signed by any school principal and say that ‘I at the age of 40 or thereabouts I’m a student.’ That should not be. It must be one that is run as a business concern. What is the greatest challenge facing travel agencies in the country? One of the greatest challenges that is facing us is stiff competition that exists between the travel agencies and the airlines. Sometime, you will see yourself competing to sell tickets with the airlines and the airlines because of the flexibility of their fares, they tend to sell cheaper than the agents, which should have been the other way round. What we do know is that if you are an agent of a company, somebody comes to you and buys it cheaper than when he goes to the company because of the agency’s relationship, but in Nigeria this day, you find out that the travelling agencies’ fares are sometimes more expensive than the airlines’ fares because the airlines they post on their websites cheaper fares than they put on the travel agencies’ inventory. Also, in Europe and America, you cannot work into the city centres and see the offices of the airlines. You see offices of travelling agents. So, if you want to buy tickets or anything, you work into the offices of the travelling agents, but here in Nigeria, you will find out that the travelling agencies and the airlines are occupying offices side by side with each other. So, what we are saying is that the government should come to our aid by making it mandatory for all airlines operating in this country including the foreign airlines to close down their city’s offices and move down to the airport. If I know that it would take me three hours to come from Victoria Island to Ikeja to purchase a ticket and takes me another three hours to go back, I would have spent the whole day in the traffic, I would just go around the corner at Idowu Martins to patronise any travel agent within the area. That is the way it should be. I have not seen any airline office anywhere within Central London. All of them are at the Heathrow Airport. So, a passenger considers going from Central London to Heathrow and then juxtaposes it with buying from an agent. So, he would just patronises the agent. These are the challenges facing the travelling business.
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Aviation
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Bi-Courtney commissions CUPPS for passengers’ facilitation StorieS: oluSegun KoiKi
I
n a bid to further improve air travellers’ comfort, security and safety at its terminal, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, operators of the Murtala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2, over the weekend commissioned Common User Passenger Processing, CUPPS. The CUPPS, which included selfchecking, automatic e-gates and a full baggage reconciliation system, the terminal operator said made it the only airport terminal in Nigeria to have solely installed the latest version of a computer system that enables the passengers and terminal users to experience a fast, secure, safe and customer friendly way to board a flight. Speaking at the unveiling, the, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, BASL, Mr. Christophe Penninck said that the company trained at least 300 airport staff of airlines, ground handlers and its own personnel in the country and abroad for the usage of the latest equipment in the sector. Penninck explained that the facilities installed were the same as those in international airports across the country and promised to
regularly install such equipment at its terminal, adding that all the airlines operating from the terminal are connected with the self-checking facilities. He said, “Based on extensive research of what best system is available abroad, we selected RESA to be our system provider. The system we are inaugurating today is the same as installed in major international airports like Charles De Gaulle, Bangkok International; the brand new airport terminal in Mauritius and over 200 airports worldwide. “We changed all the check-in counters and scales and increased their number from 31 to 45. The design and manufacturing was done by the same company providing Amsterdam Schiphol and various other major international airports. We chose them for their quality of workmanship and product. The computers at the check-in desks were all changed and each computer is connected to a brand new boarding pass printer and a new baggage tag printer. “Each airline has a ticket barcode scanner to call up the ticket immediately and without any keyboard input to accelerate the check-in process. For passengers travelling without bags, we have purchased and
Babalakin
installed four self-check-in kiosks.” He also appealed to the authorities to invest in passengers’ facilitation, which he said would further increase safety, security and industry efficiency, adding that it is through such equipment that the sector would be able to contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Besides, the Chairman, BASL, Dr. Wale Babalakin, described the last eight years of the terminal as great difficulties. He noted that there was nothing like Nigeria aviation, but global and urged operators in the industry to comply with international standards in their operations
SAA strengthens asset base for stability – Ag. CEO
T
he Acting Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of South African Airways, SAA, Mr. Nico Bezuidenhout has said that South Africans can now boast of a national aviation asset that is well on its way to relative stability. Bezuidenhout who stated this at a media briefing earlier in the month, used the opportunity to provide feedback on the conclusion of SAA’s 90 Day Action Plan. An online media statement by the airline’s consultant in Nigeria stated that the plan was a roadmap to stabilise the carrier and resume full implementation of a refined long-term turnaround strategy. Within the 90 days, Bezuidenhout
South African Airways
stated the airline managed to implement and effect several changes that address some of its major financial issues. Total annualised EBITDA improvement, from the commencement of its new financial year on April 1, would amount to R 1,25bn as per the initial target as agreed in November. “There is no doubt that while we have achieved significant milestones during the 90-day period in review, the real task of full implementation of a refined LTTS is at the starting block,” he added. SAA he said was expected to save around R440m per annum as a result of cutting its direct flights between Johannesburg and Beijing and Jo-
hannesburg and Mumbai. The airline has also renegotiated a deal with Airbus, first made in 2002, to receive 10 of the 20 A320 aircraft it had on order. The statement informed that SAA would no longer receive 10 A320s, rather, it would take delivery of five A330 wide-body, fuel-efficient aircraft that would better serve its medium-haul African routes, which would come on stream in 2016 and is expected to save the airline R1,4bn. The SAA Board has investigated several future funding models for the business and would table recommendations to National Treasury. This includes plans to privatise parts of SAA operations as well as pursue a public listing of its subsidiary, Mango. Bezuidenhout said there was buyer interest in some of the constituent parts of the group and that government would make a decision in the first quarter of the new financial year, which began this month. Regarding recent reports that suggested SAA was in talks with both Air China and HNA Group’s Hainan Airlines that could see the airlines take a stake in SAA, Bezuidenhout said SAA was “not in talks about selling itself to any other airline right now.”
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273
Now that Arik Air stopped flying Dubai route
T
he announcement of the suspension of Lagos via Abuja to Dubai route by Arik Air recently was like a bolt out of the blues to various observers of the sector from the outside, but not so to stakeholders and professionals within the industry. In fact, industry players gave kudos to the airline for staying on the route for a whopping nine months! The intense competition and demarketing on the route by Emirates Airlines, Etihad and some other foreign carriers who fly into the route through a stopover in their home countries is second to none. But, unfortunately, Arik Air, just like its predecessor, Air Nigeria bowed out of the route unprofitably. Rather, it was expending revenues from other more successful routes to run the Dubai route.
Airside insists lack of equipment and adequate research by the airline and not any “challenging wider economic environment in Nigeria as well as increasingly stringent travel regulation controls in UAE,” compelled the airline out of the route. Airside recalled that before the commencement of the lucrative, but challenging route, some stakeholders and even journalists warned the management of the airline against the antics of established carriers on the route, but expectedly, the management treated it as a pinch of salt. Today, the airline lost out with several billions of naira that went down the drain. Airside advises the management to in the future carry out concrete and extensive research before delving into any seemingly lucrative route. A word is enough for the wise
SAHCOL: Needless disclaimer against union leaders
T
he Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, is undoubtedly a giant in the ground handling business in Nigeria, but its recent action against some of its in-housing unions’ leaders that simply demanded improved welfare packages to its members was a disappointment. Apart from the fact that SAHCOL management trampled on the right of the workers to associate freely without being witchhunted, the company also went as far as publishing a disclaimer advert in the media against the four affected leaders. Airside says this action of the management should be challenged in the law of court while
the union leaders in the sector should rise stoutly against the pull-him-down syndrome of the management. Airside believes with Alhaji Oluropo Owolabi who is an astute aviation professional as the Managing Director in SAHCOL, the management would have been able to manage the crisis better, but was let down by his inability to manage a simply crisis. Airside warns that if this action was not checked by the appropriate bodies in the sector, this might give other companies the leeway to treat staff as slaves and threaten them with unjustifiable sack just as SAHCOL has done. Time to nip the dastardly act in the bud is now.
BA offers about 75% discount off special child fare
B
ritish Airways has announced 75 per cent discount cut to children travelling with it to United Kingdom and other destinations around the globe. The airline stated that the new offer was in celebration of additional Princess to the British’s Royal family delivered last week, adding that the offer affords customers the opportunity to purchase a child ticket for a child up to the age of 12 with a 75 per cent discount to London and United States of America and Canada. Tagged ‘Royal Baby Offer’, the special offer is available for purchase from 3 May 2015 until Saturday, 16 May 2015. The travel period for the offer is effective immediately till Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Speaking on the offer, British Airways Regional Commercial
Manager for West Africa, Mr. Kola Olayinka, stated that customers travelling to London and other destinations in the UK, Europe and North America from Lagos and Abuja in the World Traveller and World Traveller Plus cabins would enjoy the “amazing offer within the luxurious ambience of British Airways cabins with their children during this period. “The Royal baby offer is our own way of commemorating the newly born British royal Princess. With this offer, we are telling our customers to take their kids along on their next trip to UK or other destinations in Europe” Olayinka advised customers to confirm their bookings and seats early with the fares excluding taxes, stating that the bookings are available at British Airways websites, call centres and with travel agents in the country.
Insurance
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
33
Insurance firm offers free health Tips for purchasing life insurance I insurance to underprivileged STORIES: MESHACK IDEHEN
T
he management of Royal Exchange Plc said it had offered free health insurance services to employees and pupils of the Pacelli School of the Blind and Partially Sighted for one year. A statement from the company indicated that this was part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, just it stated that the firm donated educational learning aids to the pupils of the school. The Group Managing Director, Mr Chike Mokwunye, said one of the main objectives of its CSR was to impart knowledge and assist the underprivileged in the society, whenever the need arose. He added that as a responsible corporate citizen that the company must be willing to offer a helping hand to those in society who need-
ed support to become better citizens tomorrow. “As children who are at a disadvantage due to no fault of theirs, our aim is to make sure they learn valuable vocational and educational skills which in turn will make them more capable of leading normal lives as responsible citizens who can fend for themselves and not be dependent on the larger society for any form of assistance,” he stated. Mokwunye also commended the principal of the school, including its teaching and ancillary employees for their efforts in ensuring the students have the best education, despite their disadvantaged positions in life. On her part, the Principal of the school, Rev Sister Jane Onyeneri, thanked Royal Exchange
Mokwunye
for coming to the aid of the employees and more importantly, the pupils, through the provision of writing frames, mobility frames, stylus and other study and recreational materials which would enhance the learning of the students.
PenOp has remitted N260bn to retirees
P
ension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, (PenOp), disclosed that it had remitted N260 billion of the contributory pension fund to retirees from the inception of the scheme till March 2015. The association made this known in Lagos, while also urging all employers and workers alike to join in the scheme to secure a future for them (selves) when they retire. Executive Secretary of PenOp, Mrs Susan Oranye, said the contributory pension scheme, which has ex-
PenCom DG, Anohu Amazu
isted for about 11 years, has recorded its successes. According to her, pension administrators have paid almost N260 billion to retirees from the inception to March 2015. As at last year, we had 5.5million contributors in the contributory pension scheme, it has gone up to 6.4 million and we have just ended the first quarter. On workers in the informal sector, Oranges pointed out that the informal sector contributes to bulk of the Nigerian economy which she said cannot be ignored, adding that there has to be a framework that caters for the uniqueness of the informal sector. She assured that the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and PenOp were collaborating and working on a framework that will accommodate the informal sector, so that everybody who works will have the opportunity to set up a retirement savings account. The framework is being discussed among the operators, stakeholders and the National Pension Commission. Oranye said the essence of Pe-
nOp’s involvement in the May Day celebration was to celebrate the Nigerian worker, celebrate the hard work that Nigerians go through every day and to encourage them to prepare for the future. “As you work very hard today, you must remember that there will be a time when you can’t work as hard as you work today. When you retire and your salary stops coming in, you will still need to cater for some other needs. That is the essence of having a pension,” Oranye explained.
nsurance is an important part of financial planning — but understanding insurance and buying the right product can be tricky. From whole to term life, riders to convertibility clauses, how do you make sense of all the choices? Here are some steps you can take to ensure you get the right product for the right price. Recognize that insurance is for protection — not investing. Term insurance provides protection only, without a savings component. Whole life and universal life policies have a savings component and are much more expensive. You are almost always better off just paying for term insurance, and using the cost savings to invest elsewhere. Ask the tough questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the advisor questions. You should know the product inside out before buying it. Is the policy renewable and noncancellable? How long are premiums guaranteed for? Is there an accidental death rider? What are the exclusions? Watch out for “know-it-all” advisor. If the advisor answers all your questions without referring to anything, or pretends she “knows it all”, chances are that she does not. Insurance policies are complicated, and even the best advisors do not know every product 100 percent and may have to look things up. There is nothing wrong with that. Compare similar products. When you price shop, make sure you compare similar products. Don’t replace old whole-life
SA Insurance, Life merges
T
he Boards of both SA Insurance Plc and SA Life Assurance Limited said they have approved the merger of both companies to become a single insurance company offering all classes of insurance business. Spokesman for the organisations, Mr Nelson Egboboh, told journalists in Lagos that the boards’ corporate decision of combining the existing strengths of both companies was spurred by their desire to create a bigger and financially strong composite insurance company with stronger capacity to serve its various clients and play a more dominant role in the insurance sector. He said in order to give the merger plan the necessary regulatory backing, that the management has already applied for and secured no objection consent
policies. If you have had a wholelife policy for several years, try not to replace it. You may lose all the premiums you have paid. You may also have to pay new administration fees (if applicable), and reset some clauses (such as the suicide clause). If your situation has changed and you need more insurance, just buy more. (This warning does not apply to term life.) Do not buy expensive riders. The advisor might ask you to add on all types of riders. Stay away from them unless you fully understand them and need them. Again, in training there was always an emphasis on selling riders. Often I didn’t see any benefits to the client. Do your homework. Make sure you do your homework before purchasing an insurance product. Make sure it fits your needs and budget, and make sure you understand the contract. The advisor is obligated to explain it to you. Don’t sign until you understand the contract? Take a 30-day free look. You have 30 days to look at the policy and understand it. If you are not satisfied with it during that time, cancel the policy and you will get your premium back. Keep it simple. Do not make your insurance planning complicated. Because it is based on protecting your family, it should be based on your needs. Don’t fall for all the bells and whistles the company may try to sell to you. Source:www.getrichslowly. org
from the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM.” He explained that in line with market procedures and pursuant to Rule 228 (ii) of the Investment and Securities Act 1999, that the management has also notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange of the development, adding the companies are engaging the services of appropriate financial and merger experts to drive the transactions, noting that “it is our plan to complete the process before the end of the third quarter of this year.” According to him SA Insurance Plc which became quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2003 currently has a shareholders’ funds of N4.7 billion and asset base of N8.8 billion while its affiliate company, SA Life Assurance Limited has a Shareholders’ Fund of N2.1 billion and a total asset base of N6.9 billion.
34
Insurance
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Courteville has re-defined vehicle insurance business in Nigeria –MD Courteville Business Solutions Plc pioneered the use of innovative technologies to dismantle the bottleneck surrounding motor vehicle insurance and registration in Nigeria through the AutoReg innovation. The Managing Director of the company, Mr Adebola Akindele, tells MESHACK IDEHEN, in this interview that Nigeria will start exporting technology and business solutions in the nearest future. What has Courteville Business Solutions Plc been up to since its innovative solutions in the area of motor vehicle registration via the AutoReg? The company is doing very well even as we aim to try to diversify our portfolios with less attention on government projects and more attention and focus in the private sector. Amongst other portfolios, the company also operates an online gateway to commerce called “Egole”, which is a web based portal that allows various merchants of different categories, service providers and consumers to transact business (buying and selling) online, real-time. The company developed and deployed this robust, flexible and secure platform as a one stop business community in cyberspace, which affords everyone the opportunity to buy and sell goods and services globally via the internet. It is indeed a well thought through platform that guarantees both the merchants and consumers convenience in usage and security. All online transactions on the platform are highly secured with international standard and best practices. The platform is fully supported by our vastly experienced and seasoned professional team. What is the relationship between Courteville Business Solutions Plc and the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), and what is the relationship meant to achieve in the immediate and longer term? The company recently deployed the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID) solution which is an initiative of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) to create a central insurance database wherein details of all vehicle insurance policies issued by insurance companies are updated. This is to create an authentic and verifiable database of motor vehicle insurance in Nigeria. The NIID solution is designed to help Insurers and the NIA monitor and authenticate all insurance policies issued in Nigeria toward reducing the incidence of fraudulent transactions and the loss of business by the insurance companies. The motor vehicle insurance policy module is the first part of the project that has commenced, while other insurance cover types are expected to commence soon. It is clear therefore from all indications within the next few months that any motor vehicle with an insurance policy that the information is not stored on the NIID platform and cannot be verified by law enforcement officers will be running foul of the law. How does the AutoReg operate, and what value would you say the innovation has brought to bear in the registration, insuring and documentation of vehicles in Nigeria? It is a web-based business solution for motor vehicle documentation developed and patented for 20 years by our company to address the inefficiencies of motor vehicle administration system.
with handheld devices, which they currently use for the verification of motor vehicle documentation and driver’s Licenses from anywhere on Nigerian roads. This service is to be provided in Sierra Leone. We currently collaborate and provide invaluable assistance to insurance companies and law enforcement agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Economic & Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the State Security Service, in the investigation and tracking of criminal suspects.
Akindele
The NIID soluTIoN Is DesIgNeD To help INsurers aND The NIa moNITor aND auTheNTIcaTe all INsuraNce polIcIes IssueD IN
NIgerIa
TowarD reDucINg The INcIDeNce of frauDuleNT TraNsacTIoNs aND The loss of busINess by The INsuraNce compaNIes It is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. The innovation is now in operation in more than 22 states in the country is currently deployed in over 5,000 processing points. The innovation has created the best online, realtime records, for government and its agencies thereby eliminating cases of duplicated registration of motor vehicle number plates. We have also created the largest and most authentic database of motor vehicles and motor vehicle owners in sub-Sahara Africa consisting of over 9million records. The AutoReg solution now cover all other motor vehicle documentation service such as Roadworthiness certification, Hackney Permit and in fact third party insurance issuance, while revenue from motor vehicle administration activities have increased by over 250% within the first 2 months and revenue continues to increase in states where we are operational. We have provided the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other law enforcement agencies
What about the Auto Insure innovation? Courteville Business Solutions Plc has developed a marketing platform for all insurance houses to sell genuine insurance policies. The Auto Insure policy pays more claim than other third party policies and most of the insurance companies in the country are already partnering with Courteville Business Solutions Plc on this product. It has to be clear however that Auto Insure is not an insurance policy; it is a marketing platform created for insurance companies to market their insurance policies and programmes. What we came up with is a system that will also automate the process of issuing motor vehicle insurance like the process of issuing motor vehicle licence. The government is aware that there is a policy in place for every vehicle. In different states, they have their own appointed insurance scheme and not necessarily Auto Insure scheme. So, in Auto Insure, we don’t have a licence as an insurance company but what we have is a platform for insurance companies to come and sell their insurance policies. What is your opinion on the performance of the National Insurance Commission and the NIA? NAICOM and NIA have done extremely well, and it is my belief that both organisations will successfully take the NIID to the desired level. With the development that NAICOM, the NIA and private sector players like Courteville Business Solutions has brought to bear in the industry, it surely makes no sense for anyone to patronise touts as far as vehicle insurance and registration are concerned. The development in the sector must be sustained using the NIID, as it is crucial that all vehicles have valid vehicle insurance. Indeed, the NID Director General, Mr. Sunday Thomas must be commended for doing a wonderful job. What is the latest with the African expansion plans of your company? The AutoReg, for example, is now functional in the Caribbean and other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Gambia and Ghana. This is in pursuit of the company’s dynamic growth strategy, as Nigeria would soon become a major exporter of technology and business solution around the world.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Money BVN Registration: Banks excited as customers embrace exercise
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As June 2015 deadline for Bank customer biometric registration draws closer by the day, findings reveal increasing compliance by bank customers as the monetary authorities and the DMBs rev up public enlightenment about the BVN exercise. UDO ONYEKA reports.
B
ank customers appeared to have, as it is usual with Nigerians, to be waiting for the deadline of the Bank customer biometric registration, BVN, before they decide to embrace the project en masse, investigations on the ongoing exercise suggested. Some months back records from the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System, NIBSS, indicated that many customers of banks operating in the country have not been registered. Currently many customers have been registered, with those that have not been captured willing to be part of the project that is aimed at making the banking industry more secure. Before now most of them were sceptical about the programme and were reluctant and even ignored internet and SMS messages from their banks regarding the BVN registration. Despite the initial fears of many, the CBN and the banks have consistently maintained that BVN was designed to enhance the integrity of the banking system by protecting financial institutions and their customers from nefarious antics of fraudsters. Convinced of the desirability of the exercise and its potential benefits for all stakeholders, the Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, under the aegis of the Bankers’ Committee of the CBN, intensified call by DMBs to increase their campaign and enlightenment efforts which have paid off considering the increasing number enrolments. The DMBs using all communication strategies have broken the barrier of illiteracy; doubt and ignorance that threatened the project. The DMBs mustered all efforts at their disposal, as all of them were involved in sending messages to their various customers through the media and through internet and SMS. According to stakeholders the successes made by the DMBs in rallying their customers for the BVN project underscore the importance of financial literacy. An Executive Director at Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, in supporting the project has said that the ongoing biometric registration of customers by will curtail arbitrage and fraud in the foreign exchange market. He said the Bank Verification Number initiative, when fully implemented, would make each bank customer to have a unique identification which would prevent people from violating the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent policy on the use of naira-denominated debit cards for transactions abroad. According to him the BVN scheme would help to move the banking sector to the next level, adding that the unique identification the biometric registration will give each bank customer will make it impossible for members of the banking public to carry out outlawed transactions. The BVN, an initiative of the CBN and the Bankers’ Committee, was launched on February 14, 2014. It is a unique identifier for each bank customer across the financial industry, making it possible to build and track customer financial
Director, Banking and Payments System Department, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun
Managing Director, GTBank, Mr. Segun Agbaje
This will allow banks access To more reliable informaTion ThaT could inform decisions on cusTomer loan and crediT applicaTions and oTher complex TransacTions history and activity. It will allow banks access to more reliable information that could inform decisions on customer loan. As part of efforts to encourage enrolment for the BVN, the CBN had directed banks to only honour transactions over N100m from customers with the BVN from March 2015. Also Managing Director of the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, NIBSS, Mr. Ade Shonubi, has said that the BVN initiative will help to boost retail credit in the banking industry. He said that once banks are able to identify and blacklist fraudulent customers, they would be encouraged to extend loans to those customers that are credit worthy and do not have any record of being delinquent borrowers. Shonubi noted that apart from the challenge of identifying customers, a major hindrance to retail credit in the Nigerian environment was the perception that most Nigerians are crooks who would look for ways of failing to repay loans. He pointed out that the BVN would address this problem by helping to identify and distinguish fraudulent Nigerians from law abiding and honest citizens. “When the BVN project came up, there were three key things. First and most important of all is for us to identify our customers and to identify them uniquely across banks and across accounts. So, once you have BVN, even if you have 10 bank accounts, it is the same BVN that will be tied to the bank accounts. “Now, relating to identifying is the possibility of banks blacklisting people who have commit-
ted financial infractions. It could be fraudsters; it could be people who have gone to forge documents because what happens today is that the same guy will go to a bank, commits fraud, then runs to another bank and because there is no way of tying all these activities across. So, we found out that there were quite a lot of losses related to these individuals from one bank to another”, he said. Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Ibrahim Mu’azu had explained that the BVN was aimed at protecting bank customers and to further strengthen the banking system. He said it also seeks to address the safety of customers’ funds, avoid losses through compromise of personal identification numbers and other criminal activities in the industry. “The project has been described as a ‘silverbullet solution’ to many of the challenges in the banking industry. 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. “This will allow banks access to more reliable information that could inform decisions on customer loan and credit applications and other complex transactions”, Mu’azu clarified. According to him, banks are also now able to reduce identity fraud within the financial industry and increase accountability levels. As part of efforts to encourage enrolment on the BVN, the CBN recently directed banks to only honour transactions over N100m from customers with BVN from March 2015. Such transactions according to the apex bank
Managing Director of the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, Mr. Ade Shonubi
include but not limited to, money transfers, loans, and contingencies, among others. The CBN, while urging all bank customers to register for their BVN by June 2015, warned that any bank customer without a BVN would be deemed to have inadequate know-your-customers, KYC, by that date. BVN involves the registration of customers in the financial system using biometric technology making accounts more secure using unique identifiers such as fingerprint. The Bank Verification Number Project is an initiative aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the Nigerian banking system. It is an initiative of the CBN and the Bankers Committee. According to Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank, GTBank, Mr. Segun Agbaje, once a person’s biometrics have been properly captured, the person is given a Bank Verification Number. He said the objective the BVN initiative is to protect bank customers, reduce fraud and further strengthen the banking system. “Fraud is reduced because no two people have the same biometric information. Banks will therefore be able to check the features of a person doing a transaction against the record which the bank has captured thereby correctly identifying the owner of an account. The BVN require all bank customers in the country to register or enroll for a BVN, and the CBN directed that all bank customers must have their BVN by June 2015. Apart from the issues and concerns over misconceptions about real intention behind BVN initiative, safety of personal information and lack of privacy, many customers are not willing to go to any of their bank branches to enrol just because they cannot afford to waste their time on long queues waiting to take their tune. But the Director, Banking and Payments System Department, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, said the fear of time wasting before registering should not be there since the process is very simple.
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Global Business
China cuts interest rates to 5.1% as economy slows C hina’s central bank has cut interest rates for the second time this year, amid a continuing economic slowdown. It lowered its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 5.1%, saying the move was aimed at boosting development. Last year’s growth rate - 7.4% down from 7.7% in 2013 - was the weakest in 24 years. The cut is the third in six
China President Xi Jinping
months and will take effect from Monday. It follows other measures designed to spur growth in China, including tax cuts. China’s slowdown is expected to continue for some years. Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted China’s growth would stabilise at about 6% by 2017. Also last week, weaker than expected official figures on both trade and inflation were released. The rate cut suggests data to be published this week, on industrial output and investment, may also disappoint. The country’s economic problems also include the property market, which is cooling after a damaging period that saw a speculative bubble emerge. The central bank said in a statement: “China’s economy is still facing relatively big downward pressure. “At the same time, the over-
all level of domestic prices remains low, and real interest rates [interest rates relative to inflation] are still higher than the historical average.” Recent rate cuts have not yet fully filtered through to market rates. Li Qilin, an economist at Minsheng Securities, said: “The effectiveness of the rate cut won’t be very big. “The PBOC has already cut benchmark interest rate by a total of 75 basis points, but borrowing costs have only fallen marginally.” One economist suggested Chinese interest rates have far further to fall. Li Huiyong, an economist at Shenwan Hongyuan Securities, said: “This won’t be the last cut. “The rate could be lowered to 2% at least, and we expect the economy to gradually stabilise in the coming two quarters.” (Sources BBC).
Obama blasts Warren on Pacific trade deal
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
scalating the fight with his own liberal base, President Barack Obama, in an interview posted online on Saturday, took on Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a champion of the left by suggesting that she was motivated by politics in her battle against his proposed Pacific trade accord. Obama said that some of Warren’s warnings about the potential damage of the trade deal were nothing more than the “hypotheticals” of a law-school professor and were, at their root, “absolutely wrong.” “The truth of the matter is that Elizabeth is, you know, a politician like everybody else,” Obama told Matt Bai of Yahoo News in an interview Friday at Nike’s headquarters near Beaverton, Oregon. “And, you know, she’s got a voice that she wants to get out there, and I understand that. On most issues she and I deeply agree. On this one, though, her arguments don’t stand the test of fact and scrutiny.” The president’s rebuttal of Warren, D-Mass., who came to national prominence in part through her work with the Obama administration, underscored the schism within the Democratic Party over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal. Warren, a
former Harvard law professor, has become a leader of those Democrats who argue that the agreement would cost American jobs. Obama’s comments came after he delivered a speech at the Nike headquarters in which he lashed out at liberal critics of the agreement, arguing that they were fighting an old fight, even though he was negotiating what he called the most progressive trade deal in history. He seemed most irritated at Warren’s suggestion that the trade pact could be used as an excuse by a future president to undercut the financial overhaul Obama signed in 2010 in response to the Wall Street excesses that led to the recession. “She’s absolutely wrong,” Obama said in the interview. “Think about the logic of that, right? The notion that I had this massive fight with Wall Street to make sure that we don’t repeat what happened in 2007, 2008, and then I sign a provision that would unravel it?” He added, “I’d have to be pretty stupid.” Obama said opponents of his trade deal were living in the past. “Their arguments are based on fear,” he said, “or they’re fighting NAFTA, the trade deal that was passed 25 years ago, or 20 years ago.” He added: “I understand the
emotions behind it. But when you break down the logic of their arguments, I’ve got to say there’s not much there.” The president’s criticism of Warren has irritated some of her allies. Ralph Nader, the longtime consumer advocate and former presidential candidate, said Saturday that rather than attack from a distance, the president ought to debate Warren in person, much as Al Gore, then the vice president, did with Ross Perot over NAFTA in 1993. “A president can get away with his soliloquies when he stays on his throne,” Nader said by telephone. But if he is going to go after critics of trade deals, he said, “then I think he is obligated to engage in a public debate that will inform the American people.”
Obama
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UK trade deficit narrows to £2.8bn in March – ONS
T
he UK trade deficit narrowed to £2.8bn in March from £3.3bn in February, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The country’s £10.1bn deficit in goods was bigger than expected, but was partially offset by a £7.3bn surplus in services, the ONS said. Goods exports were 1.4% higher than in February, while imports were down 1%. For the three months to the end of March, the deficit was £7.5bn, £1.5bn more than in the previous quarter. The value of the pound has increased 10% against the euro since the beginning of the year. This held back the UK’s exports in the first three months of the year, which were down £2.7bn on the previous quarter.
“The steady appreciation of sterling on a trade-weighted basis since the beginning of the year may have played a role in widening Q1’s deficit,” said Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY Item Club.
Cameron
US firms creates 223,000 jobs in April
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mployers in the US created 223,000 new jobs in April, a much larger increase than the month before. At the same time, the US Department of Labor said the unemployment rate dropped to a seven-year low of 5.4%, down from 5.5% in March. Big job gains in the service sector helped to offset weakness in mining, Investors welcomed the re-
port, sending shares broadly higher on Wall Street. Many see the report as a sign of solid strength in the economy. The total was a big improvement on March’s payroll figures, which were revised to show a gain of just 85,000 jobs. Experts blamed such factors as the exceptionally cold winter in the north-east of the country for weighing on hiring in March.
Israel’s West Bank housing policy by numbers
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ince seizing the West Bank in 1967, Israel has held full control over all planning matters for both Palestinians and Jewish settlers in an area covering over 60 percent of the territory. Although settlers can secure building permits with ease, the opposite applies for Palestinians who are forced to build illegally, with Israel bulldozing hundreds of such unauthorised structures every year, rights groups say. Over 60 percent -- around 360,000 hectares or 890,000 acres -- of the West Bank is classified as Area C, which Israel aims to retain under any final settlement. This is where Israel has full control over security and also civilian affairs which are managed by the Civil Administration, a unit of the defence ministry. UN figures show there are an estimated 298,000 Palestinians living in Area C, grouped into 532 residential areas. There are also 341,000 Israelis living in 135 settlements and 100
or so unauthorised outposts. Less than one percent of Area C is designated for Palestinian development, compared to 70 percent which falls within the domain of local settlements, the UN says. Palestinian construction in the other 29 percent of Area C is subject to severe restrictions and almost impossible to carry out. Since the 1993 Oslo autonomy accords were signed, Israel has issued more than 14,600 demolition orders, according to Israeli planning rights watchdog Bimkom. So far, about 2,925 structures have actually been demolished. Bimkom architect Alon Cohen Lifschitz estimates there are an average of two structures per order, meaning that over the past two decades, Israel has issued demolition notices to nearly 30,000 Palestinian-owned structures. Last year, Israel issued 911 demolition orders on grounds of a lack of building permits. There are currently more than 9,100 outstanding demolition orders which can be implemented, Bimkom says.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Capital Market
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First Bank has 19.4% portfolio in oil, gas sector, says GMD The Group Managing Director of First Bank Limited, Mr. Bisi Onasanya was at the Nigerian Stock Exchange last week where he explained to investors on the banks involvement in the oil and gas sector among others. JOHNSON OKANLAWON reports. Could you explain why it is necessary to rationalise non- viable branches of the bank? The bank has always been in the forefront of playing its developmental roles in the society even when it comes to a certain cost to the institution. In spite of the challenges in the industry, we still have the greatest numbers of branches in the Nigerian banking industry; we have 700 branches. So, when we talk of the rationalisation of non-viable branches, it’s not only that we are essentially driven by profit motive. Most times, we measure banks by how much profit that a bank makes, irrespective of the policy they implement! So, it’s like we don’t get credits to our developmental roles in the society. A lot of our peers have gone to the level of shutting down non-profitable branches, but we chose not to because of our responsibility for financial inclusion to the society. However, it is becoming critical that going forward, it is not the numbers of the branches that matters alone before we can provide services to our customers. We are looking into some areas where we can still provide banking services without also maintaining gigantic physical structures. In an area where we have big structure, we can look at the profile of the customers in that area, migrate them to internet banking, mobile banking is also working well as you can do everything on your phone. We are going to slow down the physical infrastructure in some environment. How is the bank going to reduce the numbers of branches? We may look at some towns where we have five branches and we don’t need up to that to service them, we are looking at combination of factors in such a way that nobody is denied access to banking services and yet, we can bring down the cost of doing business. That also is to meet market expectations, to bring down cost to income ratio. So, we are very responsible in the way we handle the structure. Banking customers will not suffer, as everybody will still have opportunity to bank, but we will do so using technology and modern infrastructure without increasing our costs. How many staff you are going to retrench as you cut down the number of branches? In terms of numbers of staff that we would be rationalised, I can assure you that nobody will lose his/ her job as a result of rationalisation. People lose job because of other factors, not because of the rationalisation. You can expect that in a growing banking environment, you could move people from branch banking into front office to deal with customers’ issue; marketing sales etc. Again, I can assure that nobody will lose job because of rationalisation. What is the bank level of exposure to oil and gas sector? This is our edging strategies in our oil and gas sector exposure. We need to unbundle them, as there are three different segments in the oil and gas sector and the risk so far is completely different. First, financing the importation of petroleum sector into Nigeria
Onasanya
In many cases, nobody was ready to fInance them from the InternatIonal
envIronment; we came In, provIded opportunItIes
nIgerIans to take part, for once, In the major sector of nIgerIan for
economy is oil and gas sector, but it is downstream segment; it’s pure importation, trade and finance. It is the same risk and exposure for people to open letter of credit, bring the petroleum products, sell and we pay the facilities. First bank has close to 19.4 per cent of our loan portfolio in that segment of the market. In spite of our participation in this sector, you can feel that other banks don’t seem to have taken up these responsibilities because we still have banks in Nigeria today whose exposure to downstream sector is almost zero. Now, you have to balance your developmental responsibilities as a bank with your profit objective. In spite of heavy persecution in that sector, you can still see queue in the filling stations. And the risk there is totally limited, and there is a reference to the price of crude oil, which is the major concern why people are worrying about taking position in the business, but the size of our portfolio is very minimal. The second segment is the upstream sector, which is financing the production of petroleum products. Our exposure in this area is about 10 per cent and we do not take exploration risks in the entire portfolio. So,
if you look at the entire portfolio of first bank in the upstream segment, there is no participant bank that is doing exploration. There is no where we have financed that is not producing well and the cash flow to support the payment are based on the cash flow generated from those wells and others businesses. In almost all cases, we have the domiciliation of the proceeds of crude oil coming directly to the bank, for it to take its debt service function and then the balance for the operations. The next one is the midstream sector, which is purely financing the contracts of the oil majors because they have sub contractors. If you look at those places or segments and you unbundle them, the risk in those segments are completely different. There are different ways you can hedge your risk. One of them is going through the hedge contractors but it is also depends on which price deck you did valuation at the time you are providing the facilities. If the oil price was going at $100 per barrel as it were in those days, we would normally sensitise our cash flow to see whether that facilities can be repaid at the level of $50 per barrel, which was what we did. Even if oil price falls to $50 per barrel, what will happen is to elongate the tenor for the facilities because it is not necessarily means that the facility is bad. The oil wells will continue to produce. The cash flow is reduce, however you can stretch the payment by additional one year or less than two years. At the time oil majors were diverting from their oil blocks they were forced to divest from, if no Nigerian bank came forward to finance them, which bank will finance the transfer of those assets to the hands of Nigerians? So, we see this as part of our development responsibilities as a national financial institution. What we did was to take position, finance the transfer of those assets. In many cases, nobody was ready to finance them from the international environment; we came in, provided opportunities for Nigerians to take part, for once, in the major sector of Nigerian economy. And these wells are producing. I want to douse the fears and anxieties about the exposures. We are very professional and conscious the way we handle those projects. I can assure you that there is no cause for alarm, the oil wells are producing, and the cash flow is coming. What is your message to shareholders? We remain focused on diversifying our revenue streams through the extraction of value from our recent bank acquisitions, consolidating our position in the investment banking space, especially with the acquisition of Kakawa, and expanding our insurance business scope. Our investment in technology, human capital and portfolio expansion are beginning to shape the longterm fundamentals of the group and will deliver a positive return on investment over the longer term. However, in the short to medium term we continue to ensure our business remains as resilient as can be to the shifts in the regulatory and macro-economic environment; shore up our risk management processes; and, drive inefficiencies across the group.
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Features
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Climate change: Suppressing Lagos
Effects of Climate change in the environment
FRANCIS SUBERU
T
hat Lagos, is a costal city, vulnerable to climate change is a well known fact to all Lagosians, and by extension, all Nigerians . The city is surrounded by water which include the Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. In terms of climatic classifications, Lagos has a tropical wet and dry climate culminating in the city experiencing two rainy seasons. The heaviest rain fall between April and July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March. According to wikipedia, monthly rainfall in the city between May and July averages over 400 mm (16 in), while in August and September it is down to 200 mm (7.9 in) and in December as low as 25 mm (0.98 in). The main dry season is accompanied by harmattan, which between December and early February can be quite strong. Given
the importance of climate change to the socio-economic development of the state and the survival of the citizenry in general, Lagos State Government in the last seven years has been consistent in organising a yearly climate change summit. Over 700 people from far and wide participated in this year’s summit held between April 21 and 23, 2015. The theme of the summit
Gov. Fashola
"TREE PLANTING IS AN EFFECTIVE MITIGATION MEASURE FOR REDUCING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE. URBAN REFORESTATION, IN PARTICULAR, IS A LAUDABLE APPROACH TO IMPROVING CARBON SEQUESTRATION OF URBAN AREAS AND MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE-INDUCED URBAN HEAT ISLAND."
is "Seven Years of Climate Change Governance in Lagos State, Celebrating Success Stories, Reviewing Challenges and Setting Future Agenda." The lead paper presented at the summit was entitled "Climate Change Governance Challenges and Opportunities." It was delivered by Professor Richard Beardsworth, Director of Research Department on International Politics Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom. In his presentation, Richard emphasised the importance of purposeful leadership in having an effective global response to the challenge of climate change as a global phenomenon. Prior to the paper presentation, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who de-
clared the summit open noted that since 2009 the summit had been a principal vehicle for attracting required attention to environmental challenges of our time. He stressed the need for mankind to reflect on the threat posed by the continuous exponential growth of the world population to the sustainable exploitation and use of natural resources. He then highlighted the achievements made by the State Government in the past seven years in mitigating the effects of climate change; even as he hinged human survival on sustained climate change mitigation. Fashola like other experts who spoke at the summit noted that nature does not need human beings to survive whereas human beings need na-
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Features
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
39
vulnerability through green economy ture for survival; added that human beings will come and go but nature will remain. According to the governor; "As we have heard from conservation international, nature and the environment do not need us, but we need them. They will evolve, can we evolve? Nature and environment have been here long before we came. Many like you and I have come and gone; we have come and certainly we would go. "The greater challenge therefore is for us to understand how to preserve nature's gifts. To adapt to nature's evolution, mitigate against the hazards of the environment and seek for sustainability in all that we do. "Every year, our summit has been built around a theme that seeks to highlight these issues of conservation's, mitigations, adaptation, vulnerability and their impacts on our daily lives. "From transportation to housing, infrastructure and our reproductive lives, our life expectancy, our businesses and our general wellbeing, our poverty or prosperity, the environment has played a crucial role and so we ignore it to our own peril. Governor Fashola said this year's theme provided government with opportunity to measure progress, assess what has not been overcome and chart a course for the future. Expressing satisfaction on the efforts of his administration in the area of environment, Fashola said; "not even our critics can deny the success and the fact that we are leaving greener Lagos behind. After planting over five million trees, creating 196 parks and over 90, 000 jobs that are not in existence when we started, I am
proud to acknowledge the success of our greening initiative." On his part, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Martins Uden commended the state government for its initiative on environment; saying the issues raised in the summits are topical issues all over the world. Martins said: "Let me commend His Excellency the governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola for his visionary leadership. He created the Lagos State summit on Climate Change as a well established institution as highlighted in the yearly Lagos conference agenda. "For this, awareness was created and exchange promoted between stakeholders, academics and body of experts as well as the business world on relevant issues relating to climate change. A look into this year's summit agenda shows the broad range of issues from waste management to public transportation, green economy, sustainable solution in energy generation , distribution and sustainable development." Representative of the German Consul General, Mr. Mitchel Deruz said the relationship between Germany and Nigeria in the area of renewable energy has increased tremendously. He said: "Over the last seven years, the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Germany have increased considerably. And one of the areas which the relations has been boosted was the energy partnership between both countries which was first signed in 2008 and renewed in 2015. "It is based on an MOU which serves as a platform for the bilateral exchange on sustainable en-
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello delivering a welcome address at the 5th Climate Change Summit In Lagos
"MASS TRANSIT IS A KEY PANACEA TO THE PROVISION OF FUNCTIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN
LAGOS STATE IN THE
FACE OF RAPID RATE POPULATION GROWTH AND THE DESIRE OF DWELLERS TO OWN THEIR OWN MOTOR VEHICLES.
ergy solutions. One issue that is important is the vocational training on renewable energy. I hope that we can count on the interest of the new government that would be sworn-in in few days. "A lot has to be done by everyone in mitigating against the threat posed by climate change. For instance, the threats pose by gas flaring. There is need for African leaders to cooperate and show more commitment in the fight against climate change in the continent." From the papers that were delivered at the summit, it was observed amongst others that Climate change is a global common problem in which all states and people are involved as they are all affected irrespective of the sources or location. It was also observed that there are many opportunities in the future for sustainable development that is imperative for human existence and survival in the rapidly changing climatic condition. The summit observed that green economy makes a lot of business sense and going green is a profitable business. It also provides new opportunity for global cooperation in the area of promoting energy mix for sustainable socio-economic and environmental development. Other observations by the summit are that; "our civilization challenges provide opportunity for transiting to green economic development path. "Rapid and unguided urbanisation, poor institutionalisation of public mass transportation with unsatisfactory commuter/freight demand are responsible for rapidly growing use of private vehicles in Lagos. "Mass transit is a key panacea to the provision of functional transportation system in Lagos State in the face of rapid rate population growth and the desire of dwellers to own their own motor vehicles. "Tree planting is an effective mitigation measure for reducing the impact of climate change. Ur-
ban reforestation, in particular, is a laudable approach to improving carbon sequestration of urban areas and mitigating climate changeinduced urban heat island." At the end of the summit, about 24 recommendations were made. They include the following: Government should continue to invest in climate change to promote environmental sustainability and assured future for human existence in the State. Lagos as mega city must commit to addressing greenhouse gas emissions reduction; including introducing Controlled Parking Zones to deter the use of private vehicles and establishment of carbon registry to monitory GHG emission levels, among others. Lagos State should further enlarge its mass transit programme to transit it into an integrated, coordinated and functional public mass transport system, complimentary road furniture and a comprehensive urban transport policy driven by empirical research study. Urban development should be controlled through appropriate measures that will reduce dependency on motorised vehicles and reduce the increasing need for urban infrastructure. Lagos State should continue to showcase the benefits of its tree planting initiative, as a climate change mitigation and adaptation measures to other parts of the country. The State should look into the feasibility of enriching its remaining forest areas in the context of REED+ to create financial value for carbon stored in forest, address the drivers of deforestation, enhance its carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation, and even provide additional means of livelihoods for the concerned communities. The State should develop a climate change information management system in which all research outputs are catalogued and widely disseminated on a regular basis. Technology should be put in place to reduce GHG emissions from waste in the State. Youths should be encouraged and involved in the development of climate change mitigation technology. The State should pursue a strategic alignment with the private corporate organizations in the State in its fight against climate change and promote research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D), particularly in the development of technological response to the challenge..
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Global Business
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Euro zone set to report growth W A
BP to appeal some Gulf spill damages claims
ith optimism building that the United States is already recovering smartly from another horrible start to the year, focus will shift this week to reports that may show the euro zone is finally shaking off half a decade of torpor. The 19-member currency union has been a millstone around the global economy’s neck ever since the financial crisis spawned a sovereign debt crisis particular to Europe. China’s economy is no longer driving growth and other emerging markets like Brazil are grappling with disappointing performance in the run-up to what most expect will be the first U.S. interest rate hike in nearly a decade later this year. So it is all the more crucial for more than just its citizens suffering from years of high unemployment and feeble or no growth that Europe
EU Bank President Mario Draghi
is able to pick up some of the slack. Eurogroup finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss once more Greece’s sclerotic progress in implementing economic reforms in exchange for bailout funds as it gets dangerously close to running out of cash. [ID:nL5N0XX2QJ] But policymakers have already played down hopes of major progress early next week, which leaves the spotlight on the first read of how quickly the euro zone and its component economies performed at the start of the year. For the first time in many years, it seems clear that the euro zone performed not only better, but far better than the U.S., which almost certainly suffered a mild economic contraction in January-March. Euro zone growth is forecast at 0.5 percent, according to a Reuters poll of economists, which would even put it ahead of Britain, which consistently has been leading the biggest economies in Europe, not only in growth but employment. Given that the European Central Bank only just began in March a 60 billion euro-a-month bond purchase program of mainly sovereign debt, such growth data certainly would raise even
louder cries that perhaps stimulus is not even required. Germany, Europe’s largest economy and the one that was most opposed to ECB bond purchases, is forecast to have grown 0.5 percent. France, which has been the laggard among the big economies, is expected to grow 0.4 percent. Even Italy is expected to chalk up 0.2 per cent growth. One thing that analysts seem in agreement on is that apart from Greece’s seemingly endless fiscal troubles, many positive forces have lined up behind the euro zone in addition to the launch of massive amounts of monetary stimulus. “This recovery is supported by five underlying drivers: (1) stronger external demand; (2) easier domestic financial conditions; (3) an end to fiscal austerity; (4) a weaker euro exchange rate; and (5) lower oil prices,” wrote Huw Pill at Goldman Sachs. The Bank of England also will announce its interest rate policy this week and publish its latest Inflation Report, just days after Prime Minister David Cameron swept back to power in national elections with a narrow majority that took political pundits and much of the electorate by surprise.
Monsanto set to sustain Syngenta takeover plan – Source
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.S. agrochemicals firm Monsanto (MON.N) has not given up on a proposed takeover of Swiss rival Syngenta (SYNN.VX), a source close to Monsanto said on Friday after its $45 billion offer was rejected. It is still working on the deal and could decide to increase its initial bid which valued the firm at 449 Swiss francs a share, a 36 percent premium to Thursday’s closing price. A deal would give Monsanto, which dominates the market for seeds and genetically-modified crops, access to lucrative crop protection chemicals and create an industry behemoth with combined sales of more than $31 billion. Syngenta rebuffed the cashand-shares offer, saying it undervalued its prospects and did not fully take into account regulatory risks. But the Swiss firm does not consider the deal dead, according to another source, who is familiar
with Syngenta. Monsanto, which earlier confirmed it had made an offer, declined to comment on whether it would improve the bid. A spokesman for Syngenta declined to comment. Meanwhile, major investors in Syngenta told Reuters that they were confident a deal with Monsanto would come off if the U.S.
Syngenta headquarters
firm upped its initial $45 billion bid by at least 10 per cent. “Monsanto is likely to come back relatively soon, and not with a modest price,” said a third source, a banker who has worked with the U.S. company in the past. Monsanto may need to pay a premium of up to 40 per cent to Syngenta’s shareholders to make the deal attractive, the banker said.
U.S. federal appeals court said on Friday BP Plc deserves the right to appellate review of some damage claims awarded to people and businesses in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans could help BP limit its payout to victims of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers and caused the largest U.S. offshore oil spill. BP originally expected to pay $7.8 billion to resolve claims under a 2012 settlement, but by late April it had boosted its estimate to $10.3 billion, according to a regulatory filing. About $5.13 billion has been paid out so far to 63,597 claimants, according to a website maintained by claims administrator Patrick Juneau. In its appeal, BP complained that
rules adopted by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier compromised its right to appeal awards he approved and which the company did not like to the 5th Circuit. Writing for the appeals court, Judge Fortunato Benavides said BP deserved that right to appeal because it did not expressly waive it. “Where a settlement agreement does not resolve claims itself but instead establishes a mechanism pursuant to which the district court will resolve claims, parties must expressly waive what is otherwise a right to appeal from claim determination decisions by a district court,” the judge wrote. “The point at which a party seeks the district court’s discretionary review is the point at which further review by this court becomes a possibility.”
Gas flaring station
China cuts interest rates for third time in six months
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hina cut interest rates for the third time in six months on Sunday in a bid to lower companies’ borrowing costs and stoke a sputtering economy that is headed for its worst year in a quarter of a century. Analysts welcomed the widely-expected move, but predicted policymakers would relax reserve requirements and cut rates again in the coming months to counter the headwinds facing the world’s second-largest economy. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said on its website it was lowering its benchmark, one-year lending rate by 25 basis points to 5.1 per cent from May 11. It cut the benchmark deposit rate by the same amount to 2.25 per cent. “China’s economy is still facing relatively big downward pressure,” the PBOC said. “At the same time, the overall level of domestic prices remains low, and real interest rates are still higher than the historical average,” it said. Sunday’s rate cut came just days after weaker-than-expected April trade and inflation data, highlight-
China Central Bank Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan
ing that China’s economy is under persistent pressure from soft demand at home and abroad. While the PBOC acknowledged the difficulties facing China’s economy, it said in its statement accompanying the announcement that it wants to strike a balance between supporting growth and deepening structural reforms. As part of these reforms, it lifted the ceiling for deposit rates on Sunday to 1.5 times the benchmark level, the biggest increase in the ceiling since it began to liberalize the interest rate system in 2012.
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Tare Konyefa may be charged for alleged malicious damage OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA
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are Konyefa, sister to Bayelsa State First Lady, Rachael Dickson, is again in the news, this time around, the law firms of A.P. Egbegi and Co has threatened to drag her to court if she fails to remove a container she allegedly dumped at a building site belonging to a Port-harcourt businessman. It was gathered that the businessman was erecting a building to house a communication firm and shared a fence with the massive structure being built by the sister to the wife of the Bayelsa First Lady, Tare. She was alleged to have unlawfully interfered with the proprietary right of the said Port-Harcourt businessman, Tony Ezekiel, in respect of the land and building works situated along Erepa road, Yenezue-gene, Yenagoa. It was alleged that Tare Konyefa, had sometimes in April this year instructed her Architect
simply know as Faboh, to destroy the building of Tony Ezekiel together with the aids of thugs hired by her thereby causing malicious damage to their client. In a letter by the law firm and made available to newsmen, it reads, “with the aid of thugs, a ‘portacabin container’ was dumped on the building of Tony Ezekiel by the agents of Tare
Konyefa in a manner suggestive of what that statement asserts as ‘conscious and well contrived plan to completely stall the continued works of Mr. Ezekiel. The lawyers said her action had denied their client of further ownership rights over the property, as the foundation of the house was already compromised. “The net effect of this display
of naked power has been to intimidate our client such that he can no longer continue with the lawful use of his property as contemplated.” They demand that she remove the portacabin container and pay damages to the works done on the property and materials in site or face the wrath of the court. The letter added that if she
fails to act with 72 hours of receipt of the latter, “we shall have no choice than to summit this matter for ‘public testing’ with the rigorous litigation and deserving publicity.” In a telephone chat with Tare, she denied knowledge of Mr. Tony Ezekiel, the lawyers letter or knowledge of what went on the day in question.
‘Edo govt not owing workers salary arrears, says Odion
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do State Government has denied owing workers salary arrears, insisting it is up-todate in its obligation to the state workers. The government in a statement yesterday insisted that the state should not be lumped in the league of some states in default of payment of salaries as it meets its wage obligations before the end of each month. In a statement, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion said: “we read with deep shock claims that the Government of Edo State owes workers five months salary arrears. Nothing could be more misleading and mischievous. “While it is true that some states are currently unable to meet their financial obligation, Edo remains an exemplar. For the records, Edo State Government does not owe workers salary arrears as the government has fully discharged its obligations. As a matter of state policy since Comrade Oshiomhole assumed office in 2008, pensioners receive their pay first, followed by workers who get paid not later than the 25th of every month. The policy has not changed. For April, all pensioners and workers were also paid on schedule. “Comrade Oshiomhole’s entire life has been devoted to the defence and advancement of the workers’ cause. While it is true that states have come under heavy pressure on account of steep fall in oil price, for the Comrade Governor, the pay day remains sacrosanct.
L-R: Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Rep. Aminu Suleiman; Chairman, Board of Trustees of Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo in Delta State, Amb. Akporode Clark, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Mcjohn Nwobiala, during presentation of Provisional Licences to two private universities in Abuja, recently.
Akpabuyo council chairman raises alarm on HIV/AIDs RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR
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ormer House of Representatives member who represented Akpabuyo,Bakassi and Calabar Constituency at the lower House of National Assembly and now current Chairman for Akpabuyo local government council in Cross River, Hon. Patrick Ene-Okon,has decried the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in his council Area in recent times. Okon raised the alarm while receiving a team of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) who paid him a courtesy visit at the weekend at Ikot Nakanda council Headquarters for Akpabuyo Local Government Area in Cross River State. This came as he decried the council’s inability to finance some of its capital projects due to the fall in crude oil prices and requested for urgent attention from all concerned to checkmate the incidence adding that HIV/AIDS discovery was made
recently by a group based in the United Kingdom. The group according to him had earlier visited the area to offer free medical services to the people stressing that prior to the exercise, some of the victims, he explained had little or no knowledge concerning the virus. The Akpabuyo council helmsman lauded USAID’s role in the fight against the scourge of the dreaded diseases threatening the wellbeing of youths
in the area and advocated for intensive education which according to him had become necessary to be given to the locals to help reduce the spread of HIV/ AIDS disease. “We have really been having high incident of HIV in this local government area. “There is one organization that came from the UK to provide free medical services, after some people were tested; we discovered that many tested positive”Okon said. “If we don’t work hard to
lessen the spread it would become a huge problem because some of them do not even know that they were positive”. We need to educate the people on this virus”,The chairman maintained. Earlier, the Programme Manager of USAID, Tessie Philips, said the organization’s goal was to add value to the lives of the people and assured that USAID was working towards addressing the vulnerabilities identified in the area.
Catholic bishop urges Nigerians to support Buhari’s govt THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI
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igerians irrespective of their political and religious lineage have been urged to support the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari for the country to move forward. The call was made by the Catholic Bishop of Warri Diocese, His Lordship; Most Rev.
Dr. John Okeoghene Afareha, who also commended Nigerians for unity and peace during and after the just concluded general elections. Bishop Afareha Nigerians should support the new government to enable it implement developmental programmes and accelerated economic growth in the country. He advised Nigerians to also maintain peace as they have shown during the governorship and the House of As-
sembly elections throughout the country and as expected the losers should congratulate the winners and ready to work for peace and progress of the country as President Goodluck Jonathan congratulated the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari. “We must continue to be united as a people and continue to work hard so that we can move Nigeria forward while we remain faithful and steadfast in Christ.
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NGOs, youths protest land grab by Wilmar RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR
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wo Non Governmental Organisations on Sunday joined forces with aggrieved youths of some communities in Biase and Akamkpa Local Government to launch protest over Wilmars`International grabbing of land for oil palm plantations in Cross River state without consulting host communities. Youths of the communities who carried placards and chanted songs asking Wilmar to go home,our forest is not for sale,stop deforesting our rain forest,say no to land grab,our forest is life and plantation is not forest accused Wilmar of grabbing about one hundred and fifty thousand hectares of land from its original owners without due consultation or compensation thus forcing the original owners whose occupation is subsistence farming to be displaced and live in abject poverty and penury. Addressing the crowd at Obasse hotel and resort venue for the protest in Akamkpa Local Government area, Executive Director for Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria,Dr. Godwin Uyi said the protest action was precipitated on the fact that Wilmar appropriates or converts the farmlands meant for the host communities to oil palm plantations which have no direct benefits to the host communities. The NGOs helmsman posit that the palm plantations were only cultivated to provide biofuel,which help in the making of fuel for cars and machines compete with food sources. Uyi maintained that to se-
RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR
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he recent courtesy visit of prominent Cross Riverians, led by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba to President-Elect,Mohammadu Buhari serves as a bailout for Cross River State, said Senate Leaders`media
cure a customary land rights to land,ERA/FoEN,has initiated a platform of action called Community Forest Watch (CFW) across the communities in Nigeria are hereby mobilised to commence conducting community resource mapping,land and forest survey in order to secure their communal land rights. He said that by so doing the expansion drive of Wilmar and other landgrappers would be put in check and called for abrogation of land use act of 1978 as it is elitist and take away the rights of the communities to their customary
land right. The environmental NGOs charged state corporations to always recognise communities` prior and informed consent in any proposed development to prevent future occurence of land grabbing. He said that eviction and land displacement of in any event should not lead to human rights violations and homelessness stressing that Wilmar has violated this in Cross River State by rendering thousands of peasant farms homeless base on the appropriation of communities for-
CALABAR
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Calabar-based human rights activist,chief Barr. Utum Eteng recently charged the governor of Cross River state Sen.Liyel Imoke to show the aircraft he bought for the state with the people taxes. Eteng dropped the charge while addressing journalists on the topic “very sad and uncommendable event in Cross River state,and urged the Governor to
had been evicted and displaced. “It is an issue of international Global investment capital seeking for where to make profit”She added. Schaik stated that a mandatory Environmental Impact assessment (EIA)prescribed by law should be properly conducted with active public participation for informed decision on any proposed development with regards to project proponent on a down payment of fixed bond in lieu of any potential social and environmental damage as part of the EIA process.
L-R: National President, University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Dr. Kemi Emina; Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, and Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole during decoration of the governor with honorary membership award of the Alumni at the 2nd National Public Lecture held at the university, at the weekend.
Aide says Egba visited Buhari to discuss Cross River bailout aide Chief Sam Arikpo. A statement issued by senate leader`s media aide and made available to National Mirror in Calabar on Sunday evening rejected the criticism trailing the courtesy visit by a section of the public and said that the visit was
not only timely but crucial to help integrate Cross River into the main stream of national polity even though some Cross Riverians barred the president elect from using a decent place for his presidential campaign. The media aide who said that
let the people of Cross River state know the were about of the said aircraft he and other human rights activist,some traditional rulers whom Eteng refused to mention their names to the press,his chambers would be left with no option but to call the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission[ EFCC] to help in recovery of the controversial aircraft to the people of Cross River State. In the next six weeks Gov.Imoke would be leaving the seat of Governor of the state. “Can you show us the aircraft
you bought for the state with the peoples`s taxes. If you cannot recover the aircraft we shall call the EFCC to recover it for us”The human rights activist said. Another issue which the legal luminary raised was the true ownership of the Songhai Farms cited in Itigidi Imoke`s home town,the ownership of ibiaye palm estate and if the Ibiaye palm estate is leased out to private individuals Eteng said that Cross Riverians seek to know the conditions of lease.
Lawyers task Imoke on aircraft expenditure RICHARD NDOMA
est lands and without payment and compensation or provision of alternatives. The aggrieved communities of Ehom,Betem,Akpet and Idoma in Biase Biase, Mbarakom/Uwet/ Njagachang and Mfamosing/ Anineje averred that large scale plantations are no forest and as such can never be effective strategy on sustainable food production. Also speaking,Anne Van Schaik of the friend of the Earth Europe,said that the problem with Wilmar is that the benefits accrue more to external interest than to the interest of rural dwellers who
during the visit, it was gathered that the delegation congratulated Buhari on his victory at the presidential elections and apologized on behalf of the state over the cold treatment Buhari received when he visited the state to solicit for votes in Cross River State. Arikpo maintained that the statement had become necessary based on the speculation which rented the air particularly from critics of Ndoma-Egba who had already concluded that NdomaEgba is warming up to decamp to All Progressives Congress (APC) shortly after that courtesy visit to Gen.Buhari.. The speculation came up because of the recent decamping of Ndoma-Egba`s Director General for the defunc Victor NdomaEgba`Campaign Organisation Mr. Ernest Irek, among other
supporters to All Progressives Congress (APC), which earlier triggered similar speculations in Cross River State. The senate leader dismissed such speculations and stressed that he remains a bonafide and loyal party man of the PDP. Prominent Cross Riverian who followed the delegation to see Buhari include; Dr. Mathias Offoboche, Deputy Governor, Old Cross River State, Etubom Anthony Ani, former Minister of Finance, Dr. Emmanuel Nsan, Former Minister of Works and Health. Other members of the delegation includes Chief Wilfred Inah, Former Head of Service to Government of old Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, Mrs. Nelly Andem, Chief Okoi ObonoObla, Barr. Utum Eteng, Chief Sam Bassey among others.
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Politics
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Issues from general elections threaten PDP’s stability CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 “The first initial donation we made was half a billion to the presidential campaign funds, even though we were not involved in raising funds for the presidential campaign. “They generated campaign funds up to N21 billion. The party was not involved in it and the party cannot account for it because we were not involved with that money. It was a Jerry Gana Committee and they handled it and nobody can question us for that. “There is no gubernatorial candidate that received less than N100 million from the NWC. And House of Assembly candidates across the country got money from us. It depends on the state. These monies were given to some ministers and some people to distribute to the states. In some states, it was the campaign coordinators that we gave money; in some states, we gave to the governors or directly to the candidates of the party. ”Those of us in the North where the type of campaign that we generated made it impossible for our leaders in the area to garner support for our candidate, because of the hate campaign that was generated, we are not answerable for it. “While I am not holding any excuse for them, we cannot be held accountable for issues that were generated that worked against our candidate in the North. This is clear; all Nigerians knew what happened.” Some NWC members have gone as far as accusing the Presidency of masterminding the crisis. A recent statement signed by Metuh, said NWC is aware of the clandestine activities of such aides and associates of the President, including their unholy alliance with some elements in other parties, to undermine and weaken the PDP by attacking its leadership. He said: “The NWC is aware that these same individuals who mismanaged the presidential campaign are now desperately seeking to cause crisis in the PDP with a view not only to divert attention from their misdeeds, but also to ensure that they remained politically relevant by hijacking the party structure for their selfish purposes.” The embattled PDP National Chairman, Mu’azu, believed that President Jonathan lost due to activities of praise singers and insincere people who misled him during the electioneering period. He added that low perception of the President and the PDP in the North was partly responsible for the low votes it garnered from the region. Mu’azu, a former governor of Bauchi State, whose influence could do little to convince his people to vote for Jonathan, said: “The perception of Jonathan and our party in the North was at all time low because of the lies the people were told by politicians. “Those who blame us for not delivering maximum votes to the President in the North seem to have forgotten that it is the people who vote. I have repeatedly reminded many that I, Adamu Mu’azu, has been in the PDP since 1999 as a matter of principle and strong ideology. Those who insinuate that I did not do my best for our great party and Mr. President during the elections are being economical with the truth. “In the face of abuse, insult and open ridicule by our friends and brothers, we supported our leader, President Jonathan, faithfully. I gave my best and my all to the campaign of Mr. President and the party. We went to every state in Nigeria to campaign.” Denying allegations that he conspired with the APC to ensure the presidency returned to the North, he said that those calling for his resignation alongside other NWC members were the ones that contributed to Jonathan and PDP’s defeat. Party chieftains Among the arrow heads, in what many analysts term as blame game going on in PDP is, Governor Fayose, who unequivocally called without apology for the sacking of the party’s NWC, challenging them to provide evidence of money released to him to prosecute the last elections, saying that “only N30 million was received for the last two elections and to the glory of the Almighty God and support of Ekiti people, we won all elections. I therefore demand for the mode with which money was released to me by the NWC.” While describing the attack on his person by the NWC as unfortunate, Fayose said: “How do we explain the PDP losing so scandalously in Bauchi State, despite the presence of the National Chairman, Federal Capital Territory Minister and the state governor?
Metuh
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“I am even more particular about the National Chairman because he sold the party to the opposition. I have cogent evidences of his unholy alliance with the opposition before the elections and if they go any further, I will expose all his underhand deals. “I want to say it again that I have no apology for calling for the resignation of the NWC members, especially the National Chairman. After all, someone resigned his position as the National Chairman for Alhaji Mu’azu to assume office.” Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, speaking recently in Yenagoa at the inauguration of a special committee, blamed PDP’s loss, at the federal level, on indiscipline and disloyalty of some party members. In the same vein, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba from Cross River State, in a recent interview, explained that the road to the defeat of the PDP in the March 28 and April 11 elections was paved from the partty’s December 2014 primaries, when PDP state governors deliberately shut out “unwanted candidates” and imposed their own on the party, saying the failure was as a result of impunity and sycophancy of the leaders. For so many other party members, which Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, is one of them, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Femi Fani-Kayode and Governor Fayose were responsible for the fall of the PDP. Tsav, who accused these three among others, of hijacking the party and speaking for it everywhere, said: “Imagine the First Lady inciting people to be violent during the campaigns. She also brazenly insulted the people of the North and a former Head of State without due regard to the party chairman, who is from the North. Fayose and Fani-Kayode also engaged in hate campaigns against the opposition, which was focused and never left the substance to pursue the shadow.”
parently to appease the party officials, the President promised to investigate the rumpus with a pledge to sanction his aides that may have erred. The President’s plea forced the National Chairman, Mu‘azu, to withdraw a statement in which he had alleged that presidential aides were determined to destroy his legacy through their open conflict with PDP officials. But despites the calls for ceasefire, it appears the end to the crises remains at distance, as many chieftains and members of the party seem hell bent on their call for the Mu’azuled NWC’s resignation from office. In his reaction to the crisis last week, Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party said: “Playing politics has to do with maturity. After any election, there is a way it is being done that any party that lost, the managers of the party will honourably bow out. “There should be civility in anything being done but in the meantime, you cannot be a judge in your case. That is legitimate, that is sensible. All the noise about people collecting money here and there, to me it should not be so. “You do not wash your dirty linen in the public. Do you think the APC do not have their filthy linen? With what PDP leadership has done, it is sending shivers into the spines of Nigerians. “We are going to readjust ourselves and strengthen all the structures from the wind that just blew us. You do not go to the marketplace and start describing the name and house of your father. “The position we arrived at, at the Ado Ekiti meeting was the consensus of the party leaders after thorough deliberations which recommended that the NWC should step aside for an independent group to reshuffle the party. If they found out that the NWC still need to be there, they will be recalled. “I am shocked about the reactions of the people which now became an issue on the pages of newspapers. Which party in the world exists without internal wrangling? It is natural and normal.” For Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a member of PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, the whole brouhaha has to wait until after the meeting of BoT in the coming weeks. He said: “I am not personally interested in the tantrums being thrown at each other by presidential aides and the NWC of the party. I believe the BoT should be meeting in about two weeks where some of these major issues will be thrashed. I am only interested in what the outcome of the BoT meeting is and not this tantrum being thrown around.”
Intervention In the midst of all these, President Jonathan and senior party members are said to be intervening and calling on warring members to pull away from the acrimony that is threatening the survival of the party. At a meeting with the NWC members last week, the President, according to sources, called on PDP officials to keep the peace, saying that two wrongs do not make a right. Ap-
For so many other party members, which alhaji abubakar tsav, a Former commissioner oF police in lagos state, is one oF them, the First lady, dame patience jonathan, Femi Fani-kayode and governor Fayose were responsible For the Fall oF the pdp.
Surviving the tide The sustenance of PDP as many analysts say, now majorly lie with the BoT and chieftains of the party, who must play fatherly role to ensure that all the warring members drop their gauntlets. Like a commentator recently said, President Jonathan, having seen PDP lost the power it has held onto since 1999, should do everything possible to ensure that the party does not also cease to exist on reasons revolving around him. To many Nigerians there is the need for an alternative party, a strong opposition they may fall back on should the APC tomorrow chooses to treat them the same way PDP did while it held sway. So for them, PDP rather than destroy itself with crisis, should gets its acts together, reposition and rebrand itself for a worthy opposition Nigerians may have to beckon on in the event that APC fails.
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Politics
GeorGe oji ABUJA
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ormer governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, who contested the Abia North senatorial election, has been advised to accept the outcome of the election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Kalu who is currently before the election petition tribunal challenging the result of the election, which placed him third
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Abia North: Group counsels Kalu to accept defeat after the senator-elect, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Chief David Ogba Onuoha of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA. Amongst other allegations, the former governor is claiming that INEC adhoc staff who participated in the polls connived with
his political opponents to cart away some sensitive electoral materials and falsified electoral results, which led to his defeat. In a statement yesterday in Abuja, a group under the aegis of Peace and Media Advocacy, PMA, condemned the former governor for not accepting defeat as announced
by INEC. Aside from condemning the governor for instituting the action before the tribunal to try to thwat the will of the electorates, PMA claimed that Kalu’s conduct is capable of influencing the current election tribunal sitting in Abia State. In a statement signed by
its leader, James Okoronkwo, PMA said: “We condemn in strong terms the current propaganda being spread by Chief Kalu and his political partners aimed at distracting the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia by alleging that some of the adhoc staff that participated in the March 28 National
Assembly election carted away election materials and falsified results.” It insisted that Kalu came third in the election, but has unfortunately been allegedly going around trying to influence INEC to declare him winner. PMA called on the tribunal to be wary of what it described as Kalu’s antics, by ignoring the former governor, even as it urged the tribunal to carry on with its job without fear or favour.
We’re committed to repositioning APC –AG roberT Awokuse
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Newly elected legislators of state Houses of Assembly, during their induction certificate course in Abuja, yesterday.
PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA
Kashamu’s planned abduction threat to Nigeria sovereignty –CSO AdeolA Tukuru ABUJA
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Civil Society Organisation, CSO, African Civil Liberty Committee on Rendition, ACLCR, has described alleged plans by the United States of America, USA, to abduct Prince Kashamu Buruji to face American law courts as a threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty. In a statement signed by its Country Director, Mr. Sunday Philips, yesterday in Abuja, ACLCR said the attempt was a direct affront to the Nigerian judiciary system, stating that the Nigerian judiciary has enough mechanism to take care of all infringement committed on or outside Nigerian shores and should be seen in its autonomous power. Philip noted that ACLCR’s opposition to the abduction attempt should not be seen as an obstruction of justice but a move to ensure that international conventions are respected,
describing the plan as rendition. It said: “They are working on extraordinary rendition or irregular rendition, which our earlier source described as ‘government sponsored kidnapping and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one country to another’. Saying that it is ironic that Kashamu has sum-
marily been discharged by three British courts on same issue, Philip noted further that an American judge, Charles R Norgle, District Judge of United States District Court for the Northern District Illinois, Eastern Division on July 15, 2010 ruled that Kashamu is not a fugitive. Prior to this, a court in England presided over by
district Judge Tim Workman on January 10, 2003 declared in his judgment (after 3 years of diligent trial) that he found the man not culpable. The US authorities have not appealed this judgment and no steps have been taken further by the US until now that they are being instigated by some elements in Nigeria.
Tribunal grants Maku leave to inspect electoral materials iGbAwAse ukumbA LAFIA
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asarawa State All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, gubernatorial candidate, Labaran Maku was yesterday granted an ex-parte application by the Election Petitions Tribunal brought before it by his counsel to inspect electoral materials used in the April 11 gubernatorial election in the state. Maku contested the governorship seat of the
state but lost and is challenging the election of the incumbent governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura. The motion to that effect was filed by Maku’s counsel, Mike Okwori, and the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, after hearing granted the application and ordered the third respondent, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow the petitioner inspect the election materials. Consequently, Justice
Mohammed ordered that the petitioner’ experts and their counsel be allowed to inspect all INEC forms EC8A for all 1,495 units and forms EC8B for all the thirteen local government areas of the state. He petitioner is also to inspect form EC8D, form EC8E, list of registered voters for all 1,495 polling units of the state as well as list of INEC ad hoc staff, and list of Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, collected per ward, and per polling units.
kiti State All Progressives Congress, APC, Action Group, AG, has reiterated its commitment to bailing the party in the state out of the doldrums and lifting the morale of all party faithful, who have strongly supported it in all measures since the gubernatorial election, held on June 21 last year. APCAG spokesperson, Segun Dipe, disclosed this in a press statement he issued, saying that APC Action Group was neither impetuous nor ambitious in its formation, but rather was set up in response to the objective situation in Ekiti State to address post election trauma. He said the group came as a pressure group within APC as a result of growing concerns that the party leadership did not re-awaken the low spirit of party members, which went down after the defeat suffered. Bitterly recalling how the party lost the election and how this brought disunity among members, Dipe also berated party leaders for failing to call for a post election review to know the cause of the loss, despite all the advantages at its disposal. He said: “The opposite of action is inaction. Progressivism and activism are what APC should be known for and these are what our group stands for. We saw the party in a precarious state immediately after the election. We called on our leaders to take action by reviewing the election, returning to the drawing table, calling members,
telling them what went wrong and restoring them to a state of equanimity in anticipation of future elections, but no satisfactory response came from them.” Describing APCAG’s efforts as supportive and not competitive, Dipe said: “We act as a fulcrum to the party because it was at that moment the Action Group came to the fray to boost the dwindling morale of members and never in the history of politics in the state has a single caucus within a party achieved what Action Group has achieved within a short time. “We have woken up our party from the sleepy mode it went into after the illfated June 21, 2014, we have re-awakened the spirit of progressivism within our party members, we have aligned with other groups to expand the APC frontier in the state, we have organised activities around the youths and women groups, and we campaigned vigorously for party candidates in the last National and state Assemblies’ elections. We have also broadened a culture of debate which hitherto was stifled in the party.” He noted that despite not throwing up any aspirant from within the group to contest elections, the APC Action Group, gave maximum support to all the candidates presented by the party, campaigned vigorously for them, gave financial and moral supports in a way no person or group within the party did in the state and restored the confidence of members through various enlightenment programmes. Dipe further stressed that the party will not wallow in self-pity or allow members to be bullied by fascist power.
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Politics
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Bayelsa guber: Okorotie rallies support for Dickson OsahOn Julius YENAGOA
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lder statesman and one of the founding fathers of Bayelsa State, Chief Thompson Okorotie, has called on all Bayelsans and the entire Ijaw nation to join forces with Governor Seriake Dickson to regain political relevance at the federal level, saying that incumbent Governor Dickson deserves a second term based on his performance in office. Speaking with journalists in Yenagoa ahead of the forthcoming Bayelsa gubernatorial election, shortly after a marathon meeting with leaders and members of a socio-cultural group, the Bayelsa Development Forum, BDF, which is at the vanguard of emancipation and economic development of the
the Niger-Delta region, Okorotie, who reviewed political developments in the state in recent times and the implications for the future, said the choice before Bayelsans and the entire Niger Delta region would have to be one that would ensure the protection of their common interests now and in the future. This, he said, must also be founded on demonstrated actions in the past and now, by those who are angling for leadership positions. He said: “Having lost power at the centre, we have to come together and be unified for a common purpose that can realistically help us to reposition Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta for greater political relevance. It is imperative for all Bayesians and the entire Niger
Delta region to remain committed in our support for Dickson’s Restoration Government. We have seen what he has done and his resolve towards the key interest of the Ijaw nation, which no one can wish away.” He, therefore, cautioned the people against politics of greed and self-centeredness which, he said were the bane of underdevel-
opment, adding that, true development can only be made possible when public spirited leaders were at the helm of affairs. While endorsing the incumbent Governor, Seriake Dickson, for a second term, which he said was based on his performance in office, he advised the people of the state to disregard attempts by those he referred to as “desperate
politicians” to run down his administration, saying the governor’s record in infrastructure, education, health, urban renewal, economic diversification and general restructuring of the government to deliver on the welfare of the people were clear indications that he meant well for the state. He criticised in particular, those behind a recent
45
statement credited to some Bayelsa Elders, which claimed that, the people did not get what they deserved from the PDP both at the federal and state levels and were in support of change. He said such claims were unrealistic, adding that the level of delivery of democracy dividends by Dickson’s administration in the last couple of years was unprecedented in the political history of Bayelsa State.
Kano tribunal begins sitting today abdulgafar OladimeJi KANO
K
ano State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, would today commence sitting over the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, challenging the emergence of Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as senator-elect representing Kano Central. The PDP had filed the petition challenging Kwankwaso’s emergence as the senator-elect representing Kano Central under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. In its originating summons, PDP had informed the tribunal that the process through which the Kano Central senator-elect emerge the standard bearer of the APC contravened the provisions the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. The petitioner further alleged that, the APC informed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that it would stage a primary election on December 8, 2014, stating that, the party failed to conduct the primary election as announced. Alleging that the declaration of Governor Kwankwaso as senator-elect was not correct as its senatorial candidate in the election, Senator Bashir Garba
Mohammed, secured the highest number of votes at the March 28 senatorial election, the petitioner contended that over 60 percent of Kano electorates were illiterates, arguing that it is impossible not to have recorded invalid votes, urging the tribunal to declare as invalid the votes scored by Kwankwaso and proceed to declare Mohammed as the senator elect representing Kano Central. The PDP stated that the substitution of Abba Yusuf with Kwankwaso as APC senatorial candidate for Kano Central was in contravention of the provisions of the law, adding that, Yusuf did not resign his position as the state Commissioner for Works as enshrined in the laws, prior to seeking APC ticket as senatorial candidate before being substituted by the senator-elect. The tribunal would also determine three other cases filed before it, prominent among which are that of Abdullahi Muhammad of the PDP contending the election of Hayatu Musa Salau of the APC as member representing Kura/Garum in the state House of Assembly and PDP’s Adamu Umaru’ petition challenging the election of APC’s Mustapha Bala Dawaki as member resenting Warawa/Dawakin Kudu federal constituency in the House of Representatives.
L-R: Public Relations Officer, North-East Credible Alternative Alliance, Alhaji Sanusi Muhammed; Secretary, Yusuf Rakis and Chairman, Bauchi State Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Huseyni Mbar, during a news conference by the North-East Credible Alternative Alliance in support of memberelect Yakubu Dogara to occupy the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives in Bauchi at the weekend.
Rivers guber: Princewill denies joining APC to contest Wike’s victory dennis naku
PORT HARCOURT
R
ivers State Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, Prince Tonye Princewill, has denied claims that he was joining the All Progressives Congress, APC, to contest at the tribunal, the declaration of Chief Nyesom Wike as
governor elect of the state. Rivers State APC chairman, Davies Ikanya, had in a recent statement congratulated some political parties, including the LP in the state for joining it to contest Wike’s election at the tribunal. But Princewill in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday and signed
by his media aide, Wabiye Idoniboyeobu, urged the public to ignore the claim by the APC, saying is not true. The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a recent statement credited to the Rivers State APC chairman, Dr Ikanya, congratulating gubernatorial candidates including that of the LP, for joining its
North-Central leaders back Akume for Senate Presidency adeOla Tukuru ABUJA
A
North-Central leaders delegation, led by Alhaji Mohammad Ari Gwaska and former Plateau State deputy governor, Paulen Tallen, has asked other zones, especially NorthEast senators jostling for the Senate Presidency to drop their ambition for political stability, saying their time for such has not come. The leaders also canvassed that because the President-elect, General
Muhammadu Buhari, is from the North-West, and the Chief Justice of the Federation is from NorthEast, the remaining arm of government which is led by the Senate President must be headed by someone of ethnic minority group from the NorthCentral. Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the North-Central leaders said they are however, delighted to present Senator George Akume, who is Tiv and Christian to head the 8th National Assembly. They said: “We, as lead-
ers of the North-Central zone, comprising Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, and Plateau states, are particularly interested in the position of the Senate President. We have no doubt at all that the leadership of the party will zone this crucial position to our zone to allow for necessary stability, political harmony, justice and fair play in the polity of our country.” Alhaji Gwaska, speaking on behalf of the NorthCentral elders called on all Nigerians and all senators-elect in particular, to support Akume.
gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, to challenge the results of the just concluded elections at the election tribunal. “We want to state it clearly, that Prince Princewill has no intention of visiting the election tribunal. His decision not to go, was taken and made public many weeks ago after wide consultations. “In his words: ‘We are not inclined to go down the road of a huge legal expense to pursue “justice” in court since a repeat election, if it were to come, may only reproduce an even bloodier outcome which will also too be the subject of litigation. “Where will it end? In spite of the flaws in the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, still went ahead to announce a winner. As law abiding citizens, we can not stop him but we promise him, we will always be here to remind him (Wike), Rivers state must always come first. God is not sleeping.”
46
Politics
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Audu to Nigerians: Cooperate with Buhari Wale IbrahIm LOKOJA
F
ormer governor of Kogi State and chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Abubarka Audu, has urged Nigerians to be patient with the President-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari in his bid to reposition the country. Audu who made this call while speaking at a grand reception organised
•Says he’ll heed peoples call to govern Kogi by APC senators-elect, House Representatives and House of Assembly members-elect at his country home, in Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government of Kogi State, stated that it will require time to repair all damages done by outgoing Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led administration. He added that though peoples’ expectations are so high but what Buhari
will do in four years would be more than PDP’s sixteen years of misrule. Expressing gratitude to people of Kogi for voting enmass for APC candidates in the just concluded general election,, he disclosed that APC won three senatorial, six House of Representatives and 11 House of Assembly seats in the state. Ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election
in the state, the APC chieftain stated that APC is battle ready, even if it comes tomorrow. Noting that the voice of the people is the voice of God, Audu said: “I will heed my peoples call to contest the gubernatorial election. The people are yearning for me to come back because of my performance between 1999 and 2003 and with PDP now, a lot of people are
wallowing in abject poverty in the mist of many. As a matter of fact, Kogi is my baby and if I turned my back against my baby, it means I am an irresponsible father.” He explained that he is coming back to savage, rescue the state and place it back to where he left the state in 2003 and even go beyond that, saying that crude oil was selling between $9 and $12 during
his time as governor of the state, but now that it is selling between $50 and $100, they are saying the economy is bad. Audu however assured that with the emergence of Buhari, a well discipline manager and a great leader, as President-elect, things would come to shape in the country, adding that the nation has had bad and non-prudent managers in the past.
Lagos PDP sacks chairman over presidential, guber loss •’Sack laughable, null and void’
ebere NdukWu
L
agos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday sacked its chairman, Hon. Tunji Shele and named Hon. Kamal Olorunoje the new acting state chairman. Shele’s impeachment was announced yesterday morning at the party’s state secretariat, GRA Ikeja, with an impeachment notice endorsed by all the state executive members. The reasons adduced by the state PDP for the sack, included failure of the party during both the presidential and state gubernatorial elections as well as the alleged questionable manners he has been running the affairs of the chapter. But a press statement made available to newsmen by the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Taofeek Gani, described the alleged sack of Shelle as “laughable, null and void,” asking party members to discountenance the rumour while also admonishing the brains behind the preposterous action to retrace their steps and allow peace to reign in the party. Gani reiterated that the state chairman leading the present state exco, has delivered the best unprecedented electoral result to the party members, adding: “It is therefore very irrational for any persons to provoke acrimony in the party by claiming that the state chairman has not
performed to warrant continuing in office.” He faulted the modus operandi employed by the detractors which offends the provisions of the party’s constitution on the sack of a state chairman, saying “the state chairman is a member of the PDP National Executive Committee, NEC, and can only be removed or suspended by the consent of the NEC. There is no NEC approval to the action. It thus stands, null and void. For the sake of clarity, Capt. Tunji Shelle, remains the legitimate chairman of PDP in the state. All dealings with the party in the state should be through him.”
L-R: Kaduna Central senator-elect, Shehu Sani; State Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Alhassan Hamua and Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bala, during the visit of the executive council of the union to the senator-elect in Kaduna, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
CNPP Benue chapter advocates restructuring of EFCC, ICPC heNry Iyorkase MAKURDI
S
tate wing chairman of the Conference for all Nigerian Political Parties in Benue State ,Engineer Baba Agan has advocated for the repeal and re-establishment of anti- graft agencies by the incoming Gen. Buhari’s led administration in order to enable it function for the purpose it was established in the country . The CNPP Chairman Speaking yesterday to National Mirror in Makurdi ,argued that the anti-graft umpire over the years has remain dormant and toothless bulldog and there is every need to reawaken its consciousness and restore the lost glory of each of the organs for the betterment of the the
society. Engineer Agan, further implored president -elect General Buhari to revitalize both agencies with view to enable it perform its obligation of holding public officers accountable for their inadequacy while their tenure lasted . “I hereby wish to reaffirm my belief that EFCC and ICPC both of whom has lost its relevance and consequently there is the need to establish a strong law towards its revalidation to make both bodies self dependent and in the present scheme of things in the country.” The APC Chieftain also observed with displeasure that in the last six years or so no serious cases were prosecuted by the umpires bodies in the outgoing administration
adding that they have fail Nigerians woefully in all ramifications. According to him,the anti-Graf organs are very integral ingredients of determining the success of any administration therefore
is incumbent on us as citizens to advocate for ways to checkmating excesses in governance and even our individuals life . Similarly, the APC stalwart warned those with cases pending before the
EFCC ICPC to steer clear from participation in the purported cabinet, stressing that if by any omission, someone with fraudulent background makes the list it would further tantamount to exercise in futility.
Minister of Defence, retired Lt-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (left) receiving a draft report from the Chairman of Presidential Committee on the Review of the National Defence Policy, AVM Mohammed Umar (rtd) in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Capital Market
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Index drops 0.1% despite ASeM gains JOHNSON OKANLAWON
S
ecurity markets for emerging business, the Alternative Securities Market, ASeM, yesterday recorded marginal gain in the last two months. The ASeM was up 0.05 per cent to close at 1,213.52 points. The Nigerian Stock Exchange had in April 2013 launched the market for emerging businesses, but despite the gain in the market, the lead indicators closed negative. The All Share Index depreciated 0.13 per cent to close at 34,341.88 points, compared to the loss of 0.04 per cent re-
corded on Friday to close at 34,388.21 points. Market capitalisation shed N16 billion to close at N11.66 trillion, higher than the depreciation of N4 billion recorded on Friday to close at N11.67 trillion. The NSE 30-Index lost 0.20 per cent to close at 1,577.55 points, while the Banking Index fell 0.96 per cent to close at 393.42 points. The Insurance Index was down 0.48 per cent to close at 146.42 points, while the Consumer Goods Index appreciated 0.82 per cent to close at 865.47 points. The Oil and Gas Index Index declined 1.33 per cent to
close at 374.41 points, while the Lotus Islamic Index added four per cent to close at 2,242.34 points. The Industrial Index was up 0.05 per cent to close at 2,214.42 points. CI Leasing Plc led the gainers’ table with six kobo or 9.09 per cent to close at 72 kobo per share, followed by Berger Paints Plc with 45 kobo or 4.96 per cent to close at N9.52 per share. Caverton Plc gained 17 kobo or 4.93 per cent to close at N3.62 per share, while Red Star Express Plc appreciated 23 kobo or 4.89 per cent to close at N4.93 per share. NASCON Plc was up 40
Nestle’s turnover hits N143bn JOHNSON OKANLAWON
N
estle Nigeria yesterday declared a turnover worth N143.32 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2014, which also represents eight per cent increase over N133.84 recorded in the corresponding period of 2013. Speaking at the company Annual General Meeting in Lagos, the Chairman, Mr. David Ifesulike told shareholders that the food and beverages giant, would soon commission a N4.6 billion high technology factory in Abuja. According to him, the facil-
ity which occupies14.13 hectares reflects more than just an investment, which could also broaden the company’s operations. On the results, he explained that the company has delivered on its shortterm commitment, while continuing to strengthen the foundations of future growth. The company declared a final dividend of N17.50 kobo ordinary share from the pioneer profits, in addition to the interim dividend of N10.00 per share already paid, translating to N27.50 kobo per share. This also represented
an increase of eight per cent over N25.50 paid in the previous year. Looking ahead, the Chairman assured shareholders that the company would continue to put the right actions in place to face regulatory headwinds in 2015 and more so, to deliver results in both short term and long term investments. The National Coordinator, Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Timothy Adesiyan, having lauded the company’s performance in the last one year, expressed appreciation for the support of all shareholders and reiterat-
kobo or 4.82 per cent to close at N8.70 per share. On the flip side, Unity Bank Plc depreciated 25 kobo or 9.54 per cent to close at N2.37 per share, while Fidelity Bank Plc dropped 12 kobo or 6.25 per cent to close at N1.80 per share. Eco Bank Plc shed N1.22 or 4.98 per cent to close at N23.27 per share, while Skye Bank Plc depreciated 12 kobo or 4.80 per cent to close at N2.38 per share. Air Service Plc dipped nine kobo or 4.29 per cent to close at N2.01 per share. A total of 207.3 million shares valued at N2.36 billion were traded in 3, 907 deals.
ed the commitment of Nestle in sustaining the leadership and dominant position on the continent. While affirming the company’s commitment to strict adherence to the best practice in corporate governance, he expressed satisfaction with dividend policy and payout proposal in the current financial year. The National President, Proactive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Boniface Okezie raised investor’s hope of subsequent increments in dividends payout and additional benefits that may be accrued to them.
Transcorp posts N8bn pre-tax profit
T
ransnational Corporation of Nigeria has announced a profit before tax of N7.7 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2014,. A statement from the company yesterday said its gross profit stood at N27.6 billion for the financial year, while group operating profit also grew from N10.2 billion to N13.6 billion in 2014. The company explained in the statement that the results has shown it is on track to deliver on its growth and expansion plans, in spite of a sizeable exchange loss on foreign currency loans in the power business, capital market volatility, and lower average occupancy in the hospitality business. The statement quoted the Chairman of the company, Mr. Tony Elumelu, as saying
that shareholders approved the annual account and the re-appointment of retiring board members. Elumelu, who spoke at Abuja, highlighted the operational excellence that has guided the company’s turnaround from takeover in 2010, to super performer in the years following under the current leadership . According to him, the gross earnings increased from N18.8 billion to N41.3 billion in the review period, a reflection of the first full year of earnings from the power business. He explained that based on the result achieved in 2014 and in view of the positive business prospects for the current financial year, a dividend of six kobo per share was also approved. Transcorp Group Presi-
dent, Mr. Emmanuel N. Nnorom, stressed that the story of Transcorp is a standout among conglomerates in Nigeria and one that gets better each day. “Our focus early on was turnaround and stabilization and this year’s results reiterate this commitment. Now, our focus is on growth. From hospitality to power, agribusiness to energy, we are blazing a trail in the sectors in which we operate and our ability to deliver in the face of strong economic headwinds, as we witness more stability in the economy, we will be able to perform ever better.” He pointed out that shareholders are generally long term shareholders, who might have lost money in the past. “We have our work cut out
Source: NSE
Inter-Bank Rate Naira
Rate (%) Inflation
8.2
MPR
13
Crude oil price
$58.96
US Dollar
$1
N197.00 Market indicators All-Share Index 34,341.88 points Market capitalisation 11.66trn
Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY
OPENING
CLOSING
CHANGE
% CHANGE
CILEASING
0.66
0.72
0.06
9.09
BERGER
9.07
9.52
0.45
4.96
CAVERTON
3.45
3.62
0.17
4.93
REDSTAREX
4.70
4.93
0.23
4.89
NASCON
8.30
8.70
0.40
4.82
HONYFLOUR
3.96
4.15
0.19
4.80
FLOURMILL
35.29
36.95
1.66
4.70
MAYBAKER
1.79
1.87
0.08
4.47
FIDSON
3.15
3.26
0.11
3.49
LIVESTOCK
2.45
2.52
0.07
2.86
CHANGE
% CHANGE
LOSERS COMPANY
OPENING
CLOSING
UNITYBNK
2.62
2.37
-0.25
-9.54
FIDELITYBK
1.92
1.80
-0.12
-6.25
ETI
24.49
23.27
-1.22
-4.98
SKYEBANK
2.50
2.38
-0.12
-4.80
AIRSERVICE
2.10
2.01
-0.09
-4.29
CONTINSURE
0.99
0.95
-0.04
-4.04
ABBEYBDS
1.30
1.25
-0.05
-3.85
ABCTRANS
0.57
0.55
-0.02
-3.51
GUINNESS
160.56
155.00
-5.56
-3.46
FO
163.01
157.50
-5.51
-3.38
FGN Bonds for us to help them recover that money and our focus is on planting seeds to grow the company through re-investment of profits among other measures.
47
Bid
Description
Offer
Price
Yield
Price
Yield
13.05 16-AUG-2016
1.27
99.09
13.81
99.24
13.68
15.10 27-APR-2017
1.96
101.94
13.92
102.09
13.83
16.00 29-JUN-2019
4.13
106.51
13.86
106.81
13.77
16.39 27-JAN-2022
6.72
111.09
13.79
111.39
13.72
14.20 14-MAR-2024
8.84
102.33
13.73
102.63
13.67
10.00 23-JUL-2030
15.20 68.06
15.52
68.36
15.45
Closing Market Prices of May 11, 2015
Treasury Bills Maturity Date
Bid
Offer
Exchange
Rates (N)
13-Aug-15
10.31
10.59
WAUA
270
03-Dec-15
12.83
13.83
USD
197
05-May-16
13.29
15.30
EURO
214
CFA
0.32
YEN
1.64
SWISS FRANC
NIBOR Tenor
Rate (%)
202
O/N
9.8750
1M
13.5013
POUNDS STERLING
293
3M
14.8234
SDR
273
6M
15.9936 The Fixings of May 11, 2015
48
Capital Market
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at May 11, 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, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
49
Community Mirror You can imagine what is happening in the high sea where up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil, which we rely on, is stolen everyday with the full cooperation of those who are supposed to protect it. President-Elect –Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
7 injured as fire razes 109 shops in Lagos DARE AKOGUN
N
o fewer than seven persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in a Sunday night inferno which gutted more than 109 shops and resi-
dential buildings in Ijora area of Lagos State. It was gathered that the fire started from one of the shops where black oil was stored at the 7up area of Ijora. Confirming the incident, the South-West Zonal spokesman of
the National Emergency Maintenance Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the affected buildings belonged to the Bayelsa Government. According to him, “About 109 shops and residential buildings were consumed in the fire out-
break at the scene, located in open space belonging to the Bayelsa State Government besides the 7up Bottling Company, Ijora. “One person who sustained serious burns was rescued and taken to the hospital. “The fire started from a shop filled with drums of black oil. People are also using the space as residence,” he said. Attempts by fire fighters from Iganmu Fire Service Station to put out the fire were blocked by irate hoodlums, who were reportedly seizing the opportunity to loot. The fire was said to have started following a power surge from in one of the affected buildings and spread rapidly because of the na-
ture of the wooden houses. However unconfirmed report as it that two persons identified simply as John and Yaro was killed in the inferno as they were reportedly sleeping in one of the burnt buildings, when the fire started. It would be recalled that early in the year, two people were burnt to death in an early morning fire that ravaged 10 buildings, including a brothel in Ijora. The inferno which occurred on January 15 also destroyed millions of naira worth of property. Several people, mostly sex workers and their customers were also injured during the attempts by occupants to escape from the fierce fire in the brothel.
Ojora preaches unity among Nigerians WALE IGBINTADE
An accident scene at Airport Road in Abuja, yesterday.
Police arrest armed robbery suspect
P
olice in Oyo West have arrested a suspected armed robber alleged to have been terrorising the Fasola- Iseyin road in Oyo West Local Government area of Oyo state. The suspect, names withheld and others at large believed to be of the Fulani/Bororo extraction was seen robbing travelers along the road in the mid-night and on
sighting police patrol vehicle immediately took to their heels. Luck however ran against one of the robbers as he was arrested in the thick forest as he was not so familiar with the terrain. Police source revealed that over three vehicles have been robbed before the arrival of police to the scene of the incident. According to the Divisional Po-
lice Officer of Ojongbodu Police Station where the suspect is been kept Mr. Afeez Oyekan revealed that members of the Vigilante group Nigeria alerted the station of the incident. The DPO disclosed that he personally led his team of patrol officers who foiled the robbery operation while one of the robbers was arrested.
...Brokers peace between herdsmen, farmers
O
yo Police Area Command, Durbar has finally put an end to the long time lingering crises between Fulani heardsmen and farmers in Oyo and OkeOgun, area of Oyo State. At a well attended meeting organised by the Oyo Area Com-
mander, ACP Olawale Olokode as directed by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police Alhaji Muhammad Musa Katsina, invited all the factions involved. The Area Commander in his address on behalf of the Commissioner of Police advice both par-
ties to always be aware of any new visitors that enter into the communities for security purposes. He commended the Hausa and Fulani herdsmen and the farmers for showing maturity in the meeting which made the settlement to be recorded.
PCRC member commends police, vigilante in Oyo
A
Member of Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC Mr. Ademola Aderonmu has lauded the operations of the Oyo State Vigilance Group of Nigeria, VGN, under the leadership of comrade S. A. Olajide for working hand in
hand with the Oyo State Police Command and the entire communities and villages in the state which has resulted in reducing crime in the state. Aderonmu also commended, the state commissioner of police Alhaji Muhammed Musa Katsina
for the maturity role displayed in extending the hand of fellowship to other sisters agencies, and therefore commends him for a job well done, and because of the leadership style that allowed for free information on criminal activities.
H
is Royal Majesty, Oba Fatai Aremu Aromire (Oyegbemi ll), the Ojora of Ijora, has stressed the need for unity among Nigerians to build a virile and united nation. Speaking on Monday on the preparation for the forthcoming Odun Elegba festival, the Monarch, said ‘’when there is unity, there is every hope for development. The monarch who is one of the First Class Obas (traditional rulers) in Lagos State also stressed the need for unity among traditional rulers and the need for them to always speak with one voice. According to him, the yearly festival is aimed at bringing all the sons and daughters of Ojora within and outside the country together for the overall development of the community. He further disclosed that the event which will be attended by sons and daughters of Ojora and well wishers within and outside the country is a yearly celebration. ‘’We will use the opportunity to pray for long life and prosperity of the community. The festival is to unite the society for the purpose of bringing development and progress to the community. The event has continued to attract
more and more attention, not just from us but also from people outside the Ojora family. The Festival is for every son and daughter of Ojora kingdom. It is an occasion where we express gratitude to God for spearing our life and the need for us to live together in unity’’ ‘’We also want to use this festival to appraise the society and contribute to the growth of our nation both on the spiritual, political and economic consideration”, he stated. The monarch said since his assumption of the throne, he had made various moves that had engendered peace and progress in the area. The Ojora urged the youth in the community to continue to eschew violence and nurture the peace of the area adding that efforts would be made to further ensure that the youth are productively engaged to enable them contribute to the development of the community. The monarch further stated that the welfare of his people is the most important adding “I am working towards the welfare of the traditional rulers and chiefs in my domain and ensure that they are adequately taking good care of. I have also drawn the attention of local government chairmen to the plights of the traditional rulers and chiefs.
50
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
World News Kerry to visit Russia amid Ukraine crisis
No refugees or migrants intercepted at sea will be sent back against their will.
51
–EU Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini
Burundi’s president defies EU, US calls to delay polls PAUL ARHEWE
WITH AGENCY REPORTS
B
urundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has rejected EU and US calls to delay controversial elections set for June. He told the BBC that such a move would plunge Burundi into a deeper crisis. At least 18 people have been killed in protests against his bid for a third term and more than 50,000 have fled to neighbouring states. Belgium said it was suspending nearly $6m (£3.8m) in aid to Burundi, as the EU and US warned that credible elections could not be held by June. Last week, African Union (AU) commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also said the climate in Burundi was not conducive for elections. Nkurunziza told the BBC’s Emmanuel Igunza that the protests against his third-term bid
President Nkurunziza
had been orchestrated by “outside forces” and the deaths were regrettable. Burundi’s opposition and civil society groups insist that Mr Nkurunziza’s third-term bid is unconstitutional and he should step down. But the president argues his
first term does not count as he was appointed by parliament, not directly elected by the people. Last week, the constitutional court backed this interpretation. Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, has ruled Burundi for nearly 10 years.
Protests against Nkurunziza continued in parts of the capital, Bujumbura, on Monday. The protests have taken place almost daily since Nkurunziza announced his re-election bid on 25 April. “We encourage the government of Burundi to take measures to calm the situation, and the idea of a delay in the electoral timetable would be for us a good thing,” EU special envoy Koen Vervaeke said at a press conference in Bujumbura. US ambassador Dawn Liberi read a similar statement, a news agency reports. Belgium, Burundi’s former colonial power, said it would withhold about $2.2m it had pledged to help organise the elections. It also said that it would pull out of a $3.5m police cooperation deal with Burundi. Burundi’s police have repeatedly been accused of using violence to end the protests.
Ghana, Ivory Coast to talk on maritime dispute, says Annan
T
he presidents of Ghana and Ivory Coast agreed yesterday to negotiate an amicable end to issues around their maritime dispute, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who will chair the negotiations, said yesterday. “We have a deal,” Annan told Reuters. A source close to the talks later made clear Annan was referring to the fact that he had been able to get the two presidents - Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara and Ghana’s John Dramani Mahama - to talk.
“This is just a start of the process. They are asking Mr Annan to help them find an amicable solution,” the source said. The two presidents will not be discussing the delimitation of the border, the source said, since that is under the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg. The tribunal issued an interim ruling last month that Ghana could continue developing a $4.9 billion offshore oil project in the area, but imposed a ban
on new drilling. The decision was regarded as positive for Ghana and British oil firm Tullow, which leads a consortium developing the TEN field, where it has already drilled the wells it needs to start production. The tribunal did not judge the merits of the dispute, on which a final ruling is not expected until 2017. Analysts have said that precedent suggests it is unlikely to redraw the current equidistant maritime boundary.
Annan
South Sudan clashes leave 300,000 without aid –UN
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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
ore than 300,000 people are without “life-saving” aid in South Sudan’s oil-rich Unity state after heavy fighting forced aid agencies to withdraw, the UN has said. Government forces have been advancing towards Leer, the birthplace of rebel leader Riek Machar, reports said.
Emergency relief has come to a stop in areas worst-affected by fighting, the UN said. International mediation efforts to end the 17-month conflict have failed. South Sudan is the world’s newest state, gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. Violence broke out in December 2013 when President Sava
Kiir accused Mr Machar, his sacked deputy, of plotting a coup. Machar denied the allegation, but then formed a rebel army to fight government troops. “Ongoing hostilities in Unity state have now obliged all nongovernmental organisations and UN agencies to evacuate staff from Leer and other locations,” said Toby Lanzer, the UN
aid chief for South Sudan. “As a consequence, over 300,000 civilians who are in need of emergency relief, including food aid and medical services, do not currently have access to such life-saving assistance.” On Friday, the UN said that up to 100,000 people had fled fighting in Unity state in the first week of this month.
WORLD BULLETIN
Three kidnapped French crew members released French oil services company Bourbon said yesterday that the three Nigerian crew members kidnapped after one of its speedboats was boarded off the Nigerian coast on April 8 had been released. “They are in good health and arrived at Port Harcourt on May 8,” Bourbon said in a brief statement. The crew members had been abducted on board a Surfer 1440 boat. Bourbon operates a fleet of light, fast cruisers called Surfers that are used to move professionals to offshore oil and gas sites, especially in West Africa.
Guinea’s former coup leader to run for president Guinea’s former military leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, said yesterday he would seek the presidency in October’s election as the candidate for a newly created party, Patriotic Forces for Democracy and Development. Camara, who ruled the West African country for almost year after seizing power in a 2008 coup, said that President Alpha Conde could not prevent him from returning and contesting the election. Camara remains popular in his native Forest region of southeast Guinea, but his reputation in Conakry, the country’s capital, was tarnished by a massacre carried out by soldiers during his rule. At least 157 people were killed in September 2009 in the capital. “President Alpha Conde, who was elected and who I respect, cannot refuse me: he cannot forbid me from returning to the country of my birth,” Camara told a news conference in the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso. “The suffering of the Guinean people has lasted too long.” Camara’s support in the Forest region could make him an important power-broker in the presidential polls, particularly if they go to a second round between Conde and his main rival, Cellou Dalein Diallo, observers said. Some 2,000 women on Friday took to the streets of Nzerekore, the largest city of the Forest region, more than 900 km (540 miles) southeast of Conakry, to demand Camara’s return. Camara has lived in exile in Burkina Faso since resigning the presidency in late 2009 after he was shot in the head in an assassination attempt organized by his aide de camp. He returned to Guinea briefly for his mother’s funeral in Nzerekore in 2013. The former army captain resigned from the military last month, his lawyer said.
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
WORLD BULLETIN
Macedonia jails 30 over weekend battle with militants Macedonian authorities yesterday jailed 30 people captured in a weekend gun battle in a northern town that left 22 police and suspected ethnic Albanian militants dead, at a time of heightened political tension in the small Balkan country The suspects face terrorismrelated charges. They are accused of participating in the fighting, which killed eight police and also injured 37 people in the northern town of Kumanovo that has a mixed population of Macedonians and minority ethnic Albanians. Most of those arrested came from neighbouring ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo, where officials called for a “credible and transparent investigation into the killings.” A court in Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, identified the suspects Monday as 18 Kosovo residents, 11 Macedonians — two of whom were living in Kosovo — and one Albanian. All 30 were ordered detained for 30 days, the maximum period allowed under Macedonian law, which can then be renewed until the suspects go to trial. The weekend fighting is the worst since 2001, when an ethnic Albanian insurgency nearly developed into all-out civil war in the small country of 2.1 million, a quarter of whom are ethnic Albanians. No group has claimed any connection with the incident, which Macedonian authorities have blamed on ethnic Albanian paramilitary groups that fought Serbian and Macedonian forces in the area in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
World News
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
S
ecretary of State John Kerry is heading to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin on his first visit to the country since relations between Washington and Moscow plummeted to post-Cold War lows amid disagreements over Ukraine and Syria. The State Department said Kerry would meet Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. But in a sign of the considerable strains, the Kremlin said Putin’s attendance had yet to be confirmed. “This trip is part of our ongoing effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement. In addition to Ukraine and Syria, she said the talks would also focus on the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the group of nations known as the P5+1 — Russia, the United States, Germany, Britain, France and China.
Kerry to visit Russia amid Ukraine crisis
Kerry
The short trip to Sochi will be only Kerry’s second to Russia since taking office. He first
visited Moscow in May 2013 and had meetings with Putin and Lavrov before the Ukraine
crisis erupted and Russia annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in early 2014. In Moscow, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it hoped Kerry’s visit will “normalize bilateral relations on which global stability largely depends.” Ukraine has served as the main source of discord in dialogue between Moscow and Washington. The western-backed government in Kiev continues to be embroiled in a sporadic conflict between government and separatist rebel forces in its eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk despite a ceasefire agreement sealed in midFebruary. Western nations have accused Russia of supporting the separatists with arms and manpower — a claim that Moscow has denied.
Deal will be difficult at Eurogroup meeting –Greece
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inance Minister Yanis Varoufakis acknowledged that a deal to ease Greece’s cash crunch was not likely at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later yester-
day despite progress in talks with lenders on some issues. Greece is under growing pressure to reach agreement with lenders to avoid financial chaos though many Greeks also want
EU seeks UN support to tackle migrant smuggling EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has pleaded for UN help to dismantle criminal groups smuggling migrants into the European Union. “We need to count on your support to save lives,” she told a Security Council briefing on EU plans to use force against smugglers. Libya, where many smugglers operate, has objected to the EU proposals. More than 1,800 people are feared to have died this way in 2015 - a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014. Some 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year, the UN estimates. Many of the migrants are fleeing conflict or poverty in countries such as Syria, Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia. Speaking in New York on Monday, Ms Mogherini said the EU’s first priority was to “save lives and prevent further loss of lives at sea”.
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Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis arrives to make a statement to the media after meeting with Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos in Madrid, Spain, recently.
the government to stick to its “red lines” of avoiding further pension cuts and labour reforms making it easier to fire workers. A 750 million euro debt repayment to the IMF falls due on Tuesday but Varoufakis said a deal that would provide some liquidity relief for Greece was more likely in the coming days. “The likelihood is not ruled out. The messages we are getting are that it will be difficult,” Varoufakis told Sto Kokkino radio yesterday. Varoufakis, who will take part in the meeting, said the two sides had converged on many issues. “The Greek government is struggling in a very tough negotiating fight to achieve an agreement that will not only be an agreement to have a disbursement (of aid) but one that will
deliver a substantive hit to the crisis,” he said. “I think the solution will be given in the coming days and not necessarily today. We will do whatever we can to achieve (liquidity) relief today.” Euro zone officials have ruled out a deal with Greece at Monday’s meeting and said any statement they make is unlikely to be enough to allow the European Central Bank to raise the limit on short-term Treasury bills that Greek banks can buy - a move Athens has sought as a way to avert a national bankruptcy. In a sign of growing pressures within the ruling Syriza party against backing down to lenders, the parliament speaker Nikos Filis suggested on Monday that the IMF debt repayment would depend on the Eurogroup outcome.
Moroccan F-16 jet goes missing in Yemen
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Moroccan F-16 warplane has gone missing while on a mission with Saudi-led forces in Yemen, Morocco’s military said on Monday, and Yemen’s dominant Houthi militia said regional tribesmen shot down the aircraft. The disappearance of the Moroccan jet and intensifying duels of heavy-weapons fire across the border between the Iran-allied Houthis and Saudi forces could endanger a five-
day humanitarian truce due to start in Yemen on Tuesday morning. Saudi-led air strikes hit military bases and weapons stores in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Monday evening, setting off huge blasts that residents said launched rockets into the air which then crashed back down. “The violent explosions can be heard from anywhere in the city and we feel they could land on our heads. We’re living a
life of terror,” Sanaa resident Ahmed Fawaz said. Backed by Washington, the Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Houthi rebels and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26 with the aim of restoring exiled President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi to power. The Houthis’ ties to regional rival Iran have rattled the Gulf Arab states and the rebels remain the strongest force in Yemen’s civil war. Saudi Arabia,
the world’s top oil exporter, regards the Houthis’ rise as a grave threat. Morocco is one of eight Arab states to have joined Saudi Arabia in the military intervention against Houthi advances. “One of the F-16s of the Royal Armed Force put at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen went missing on Sunday at 6 p.m. local time,” Morocco’s military said in a statement on Monday.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Autonomy for state Assemblies needs constitutional backing –Lawmakers WOLE OLADIMEJI ABUJA
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Participants at the inauguration of training programme for youth and women on skills acquisition by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with Gombe State Government in Gombe, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN
Huge debt awaits Taraba gov-elect JUSTIN TYOPUUSU JALINGO
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araba State governor-elect, Darius Dickson Ishaku, will on assumption of office on May 29 inherit a huge debt profile from the outgoing administration. Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Gowon, confirmed this yesterday during an interview with our correspondent in his office in Jalingo. Gowon said the current debt profile of the state
was about N22 billion, including unpaid cheques. According to him, “it is not going to be easy with the incoming administration immediately, but with time they will surmount the challenge. It is normal with government. It’s not all the time a government boasts of being buoyant.” Former acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar, incurred a debt of over N14 billion for the state, and this excludes overdrafts from banks, which the present government said amounts
to over N17 billion. The commissioner noted that despite the financial constraints the state was facing, the former acting governor was committed in ensuring that salaries of workers were paid, adding that the state was among few states in the country that have paid workers’ salaries upto-date. Taraba State situation is so bad that it is spending N3.6 billion monthly on loan repayment to banks and another N364 million loan on the Joint State and Local Govern-
ment Account, popularly referred to as JAC. National Mirror checks revealed that work has since stopped on the Bali-Serti-Gembu road awarded at a cost of over N17 billion. Work on Gassol Sensani road and the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Jalingo, has also stopped. This is just as academic activities at the Taraba State University have been paralysed because of prolong strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Impeachment threat: Katsina Assembly fails to reconvene JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA
K
atsina State House of Assembly yesterday did not reconvene despite reports that it planned to do so. It was learnt that the development may not be unconnected with a plan by some lawmakers to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Ibrahim Shema. Hon. Danlami Kurfi (APC, Kurfi) had last week during an interview with newsmen threatened that 15 members of the House would serve impeachment notice on Shema yesterday. Kurfi, who was formerly with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said the members planning to do so were of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and some
aggrieved PDP members. The lawmaker, who was elected House of Representatives member for the Dutsinma/Kurfi constituency during the last general elections, said Shema’s offence includes poor handling of the state’s finances, among other issues. Minority leader of the House, Hon. Abdullahi Mahuta (APC, Malumfashi), had reportedly debunked Kurfi’s claim that lawmakers of the opposition party planned to serve Governor Shema impeachment notice. It was learnt that the fear of the lawmakers going ahead with their threat when the House resumes sitting was the reason the Speaker, Hon. Ya’u GwajoGwajo, was reluctant to call for reconvening. When contacted, the assembly’s spokesperson,
Nasiru Zango, said there had been expectations that the House would reconvene
after the general elections, but it had not been feasible till date.
member of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Tim Owhefere, yesterday hinted that without constitutional backing for autonomy of state assemblies, there could not be realistic independence for state legislators from the executive of states. He maintained that autonomy for state assemblies would not be realistic unless there is a constitutional back-up that separates them from the apron-string of governors. Owhefere, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a four-day induction course for state legislators organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies, said state assemblies would remain subordinate to the governors because there are no definite constitutional provisions that make them legally separate and independent of state governments. Owhefere was speaking with journalists after the ceremony, adding that autonomy could not be secured for state assemblies because the 1999 Constitution, as amended, does not expressly provide for their independence. Said he:”If there is no law backing the autonomy, it cannot change, you cannot insult a man who must give you money every week; state assembly will continue to be a rub-
ber stamp to the executive arm of government, so long as the executive releases the cash. “If there is no law on ground to define and shape of autonomy for state assemblies, the situation will remain the same. So, if there is no autonomy for state assemblies, all state assemblies will remain rubber stamps to the executive arm of government.” The lawmaker explained that a change could only come when the constitution is amended to that effect. Speaking on the crisis over the constitution’s amendment, the Delta State lawmaker said the amendment is more or less dead because of the steps already taken by the presidency. According to him, “you cannot fault the judgement of the Supreme Court. I wondered why it took the presidency so long to object to the amendment, considering the huge sum of money spent on this project.” He added: “Recall that the 36 houses of assembly met and voted on this amendment and to just wake up one morning and say that you are uncomfortable with the amendment, leaves much to be desired. I mean it doesn’t speak well of our democracy and if you look at all the amendments, you will find that everything was designed to strengthen the very foundation of our democracy.”
Jonathan appoints Sanusi UNIBEN chancellor ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO
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resident Goodluck Jonathan has appointed Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, as new chancellor of the University of Benin, UNIBEN. Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, yesterday in Kano visited the monarch at his palace, where he personally presented the letter confirming appointment of the royal father. According to the minister, President Jonathan had last month ordered
his ministry to review the appointment of chancellors in all the 38 federal universities in the country. Shekarau stated that some of the chancellors assigned to the federal ivory towers have spent over a decade in office, while others have passed on, adding that these factors necessitated a total review. He disclosed that he (Shekarau) personally recommended the appointment of Sanusi to the President for approval, adding that President Jonathan consented to the recommendation.
The minister stated that it was the tradition for vice chancellors of universities to present letter of confirmation to their new chancellors, but he opted to usurp the tradition because he cherished the appointment of the emir as new chancellor of UNIBEN. Responding, Emir Sanusi dedicated the appointment to God, saying: “I thank God for the honour bestowed on me as chancellor of a historic and glorious university, the University of Benin. “Many a time in the life of a man, you sow a seed and later you don’t have
prior knowledge of where you are going to reap what you have sown. “When I was Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governor, the University of Benin approached me for assistance to construct a bridge, which was to cost N500 million. I approved the funding of the project by CBN. Today, I am now part of that very university I assisted,” Sanusi said. The Kano monarch cautioned Kano political gladiators to put their political differences aside and join hands to work for the development of the state.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Retirement? Not for me, especially now that I am enjoying myself doing what I know how to do best –Brazil Legend, Ronaldinho
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
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Sport
Joola unveils Quadri Blade Series
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S c h a l k e sack Sidney Sa
‘Keshi’s boy’
...Ghana’s B
oateng also
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Gambo
Pillars: Gambo back on pitch, returns to action soon ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO
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ano Pillars Football Club captain and home-based Super Eagles striker, Gambo Muhammad, who suffered severe gunshot wounds in a robbery attack in March is expected to return to action soon. Pillars were travelling to Owerri for the opening match of the 2014/15 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) when their bus was attacked at Lokoja, Kogi State by bandits, leaving some players, including Gambo injured.
Two months after, Gambo yesterday commenced light training, engaging in a 30 minutes exercise at the Sani Abacha Stadium Kano. The training was strictly conducted under the supervision of the team’s medical doctor. Pillars spokesman, Idris Malikawa Garu, told National Mirror yesterday, “It’s very encouraging to see Gambo Muhammad on the track today and we wish him speedy recovery.” Also speaking, Gambo told our correspondent that he is getting better, noting that his health condition has improved
tremendously. He expressed the determination to be back in competitive action soon. The Kano Pillars forward hailed his team mates for their 2-0 victory over Sharks of Port Harcourt last Sunday in the Globacom League, urging them to brace up for the challenge ahead. National Mirror recalls that Gambo was among the players injured during a robbery attack on Kano Pillars FC on March 4 this year along Abaji-Lokoja expressway on their way to Owerri to honour this season’s Match day 1 fixture against Heartland.
erman club, Schalke 04, have suspended Nigerian born Sidney Sam and Ghana’s Kevin-Prince Boateng indefinitely following last Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Cologne. Midfielder Marco Hoger, who played the full 90 minutes against Cologne, has also been suspended for a week. Hoger, 25, joined the club from Alemannia Aachen in 2011. Sam was signed last summer from Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year contract, and for much of the first term of Coach Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles coach, was on Nigeria’s radar, with Keshi expressing his desire to woo Sam to play for Nigeria’s senior national team. On his part, former Tottenham and Portsmouth player, Boateng, joined from AC Milan in 2013 on a three-year deal. Ex-Black Stars forward,
m,
suspended
Boateng, 28, played 59 minutes of the Bundesliga match while ex-Germany youth winger Sam, 27, was absent. The club, managed by former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo, blamed a “lack of mutual trust” and told both players they can find new teams. A club statement read, “Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt announced there would be consequences after Sunday’s defeat away to Cologne and the first action taken has been: Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam have been suspended with immediate effect. “Marco Hoger is suspended from training and first-team action up to and including Saturday, 16 May.” Schalke, who lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16, still have two games remaining of the Bundesliga season.
Sidney Sam
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Sports
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
UEFA Champions League…
Lahm eyes ‘Porto demolition’ repeat B
ayern Munich captain, Philipp Lahm, says the Bavarians will battle to the end when they host Barcelona today at the Allianz Arena in their second leg semi final of the Champions League. The German champions fell 3-0 to Barca at Camp Nou in the first leg last week. But Lahm believes all is not lost on a reversal of fortune, drawing inspiration from the quarter final when Bayern lost 3-1 to Porto in Portugal but destroyed the Portuguese team 6-1 in the return leg to advance to the last four. “The only way we can make the final is by playing better than Barcelona and doing what we did in the second half of the
Today’s Toda d y’s ’ fixtures fixt i tures s
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona
Lahm
first leg,” the World Cup 2014 winner said yesterday. “Our only desire is try until the end,” he added, stressing, “We all know it’s a mammoth task, but we haven’t given up on it.” Bayern is still without wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, who are both out for the season, while Barcelona is at full strength. As well as missing Ribery and Robben, Bayern defender Holger Badstuber and left-back David Alaba are also out. Including a penalty shootout, Bayern has also lost four games in a row, while Barcelona has won its last eight, keeping seven consecutive clean sheets.
Gerrard plays down Blues’ praise
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We won’t take Bayern for granted
–Pique
Pique
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arcelona defender, Gerard Pique, believes there is still much work in today’s game against Bayern Munich if the Spanish side should go through to the final in Berlin on June 6. Pique was impressive in the first leg at Camp Nou where Nayern fell 3-0 to a late rush after holding on for 77 minutes. “We are the least to think the contest is over and I certainly am not thinking in that manner,” the Spain international said yesterday as the team rounded of training in Munich. “Of course, we are also wary of Bayern capability and
especially as they got to where they are at the moment. “It will seem to us as though the first leg is about to start and this is the approach we will adopt tomorrow (today). Asked if Barca would adopt stingy style that seeks no foray upfront, Pique said: “It’s our style to attack and we can’t even think of playing defensively. We want to be ourselves. “For me, the best thing is that we are all fit and free of suspension. We are ready for this game. Whether we will score first or not doesn’t matter at this point. Let’s just see how things go.”
iverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, says the standing ovation given to him by Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge last Sunday is of less importance. “I was more happy with the ovation from the Liverpool fans,” Gerrard, who is not easily given in to praise-singing, said yesterday. “Chelsea fans had respect for a couple of seconds but slaughtered me all game. “I’m not going to get drawn into wishing Chelsea fans well. It was nice of them to turn up for once at last, anyway. “I know they’ve absolutely murdered me for years because I never signed here. I’ve had g reat s u p port from the L iv er-
Gerrard
pool fans and that’s all that matters to me.” Gerrard, 34, has been the focus of chants from Blues fans for a number of years. Chelsea tried to sign the former England captain on three different occasions, while last season Gerrard famously slipped to allow Chelsea to score and put Manchester City on course for the Premier League title at the expense of Liverpool.
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Sports
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Joola unveils Quadri Blade Series T
the JOOLA blade section. Aruna Off is the current blade of the JOOLA top star, which he already used at his sensational performance at the World Cup 2014 in Dusseldorf. The only modified aspect is the design, with ideal feedback for a good ball feeling and high controllability as major features. Despite this, the 7-ply blade still increases rotation at topspin in an ideal way, with the necessary power for maximum speed due to its modern carbon technology, even as the blade weighs approximately between 85 and 90 grams.
he new blade produced by Germany-based kit company, Joola, for reigning ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri, has been unveiled to the public. In the new promo of the new JOOLA, Aruna Blade Series is tagged Play with the blade of the ITTF Star 2014 Aruna Quadri. A statement by the sports kit manufacturer yesterday said the experiences with the new plastic ball and the individual requirements of the ITTF star 2014 were combined to develop the new Aruna blade series, which after intensive tests represented innovative highlight in
Aruna Quadri
Okpekpe 2015: Commercial activities pickup AFOLABI GAMBARI
B Ogbeide
arely three days to the 2015 Okpekpe International 10 Kilometres Road Race, commercial activities in the community and environ have witnessed an upsurge. Makeshift stores have sprung up in Auchi, where hotels that will host the athletes, officials and other guests for the one-day event are located, even as other outlets have expanded their facilities to accommodate more guests.. A food vendor, Madam Bridget Kadiri, said her resolve was
borne of a desire to satisfy the teeming guests. “I want to meet the needs of the guests on refreshments,” she said. Meanwhile, roads leading to the mountainous town of Okpekpe have been taken over by athletes from neigbouring states who are engaged in pre-race training. One of the athletes, Usman Suleiman, said he targeted the star prize of $20, 000. “I think it is absurd that foreign athletes have dominated the event since inception,” Suleiman said.
NPL: ‘Why Bayelsa United sacked Ogbeide’ NWPL: Confluence revels in first win PAUL EREWUBA
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edia Officer of Bayelsa United FC, Eddy Ohis, yesterday said the management decided to sack the technical adviser Solomon Ogbeide due to poor results. Bayelsa drew 2-2 with Dolphins at home last Sunday with pressure mounting on the team to perform in the eight-week old Nigeria Premier League. “The poor run of results has not gone down well with the man-
agement,” Ohis said. “George Ederekumoh and Samke Nyanabofa have been appointed to take charge of the team immediately,” he added. Bayelsa United lies second from the bottom on the NPFL log with seven points from eight games. The club barely escaped relegation last season and has again started from the bottom this season. Ogbeide has emerged as the first casualty of the NPL 2015 season, having been sacked by his employers just eight weeks into the season.
AFOLABI GAMBARI
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onfluence Queens FC of Lokoja have expressed excitement on their first win in the Nigeria Women Premier League after trashing FC Robo 3-0 in Week 2 of the league at home last weekend. Aishat Bello opened scoring for the Queens before Lola Phillip increased the tally via the spot and substitute Ogunneye Kehinde sealed the visitors’ fate late on.
Spokesperson for the Queens, Tosin Ojo, quoted Coach Suleiman “Zico” Adamu as expressing delight at the scoreline, al-
Sule
Ali
though the gaffer believed the girls could have done better. “It was a very important win for us because this is our first game of the season at home,” the coach said, adding however that the side would hope to sustain the tempo against Adamawa Queens this weekend. FC Robo Coach, Emmanuel Osahon, blamed inexperience of his girls for the defeat. “They are a very young set of players but I am certain that the team will bounce back,” Osahon said.
WORLD RECORD
Fastest marathon marathon dribbling dribbling two two basketballs basketballs Fastest
N150
Vol. 05 No. 1110 Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The fastest marathon dribbling two basketballs is 4 hr 39 min 12 sec by Darren Weissman (USA)
Nigeria in 2050: Addressing the corruption scourge
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orruption is a violation of the trust vested by its ‘stakeholders’ in the holders of offices in any organisation, be it a government, trade union or even an NGO - Ha-Joon Chang in ‘Bad Samaritans: The Guilty Secret of Rich Nations and Threat to Global Prosperity’. Corruption is not just a current phenomenon in Nigeria. Our history shows that it has also been one of the justifications for military take-overs of government in times past; it has, however, increased geometrically now. With Nigeria having reputation for corruption, almost all aspects of our national life suffer from retarded growth including education, power, health, infrastructure, politics, industries, gov-
Guest Columnist
Olusola Akinyemi
ernment, judiciary, and NGOs, while religious organisations are no exception. It is now so endemic that a sizable number of our population has lost hope that we can never get out of it, at least, in this generation. The UNDP once described corruption as “the misuse of public power, office and authority for private gain through bribe, influence, peddling, nepotism, fraud, speed money or embezzlement”. The Zambian Anti-Corruption Commission also described it as “soliciting, acceptance, obtaining, giving, promising or offering of gratification by way of bribe or other personal temptation or inducement or the misuse of a public office for private advantage or benefit”. These two descriptions may not be exhaustive, but they substantially cover the field of corrupt practices. Chang’s position on violation of trust is a constant factor in all forms of corruption. To be real, we cannot refuse to acknowledge the causes of corruption, which are critical to addressing the scourge. Not peculiar to Nigeria only, corruption may be caused by poor ethics and value system; poverty; illiteracy; tolerance; complex laws and procedures; complicated tax regime; weak government institutions; and poor pay. Others are low incentives; lack of transparency; monopoly by governmentcontrolled enterprises on certain goods and services delivery; absence of effective political funding; and political desperation among others. All these have made Nigeria the 39th most corrupt country according to Transparency International’s 2014 Perception Corruption Index. The reality of Nigeria becoming one of the 20 leading economies by 2050 is largely dependent on the solution to these causes.
THOUGH CORRUPTION IS A STRONG IMPEDIMENT
TO DEVELOPMENT, YET DEVELOPMENT MAY BE THE MOST POTENT WAY TO REDUCE CORRUPTION Currently, corruption is a strong impediment to our national development, even as government decisions are easily influenced and/ or distorted, infrastructural development fall far below the required standard, quality of education (which is quintessential to our future and prosperity) continues to be compromised, public leadership has been more for private gain than public good, the civil service encourages bureaucracy that slows growth process, focus is on fast money by older, youth and younger generations as opposed to productivity and professional competencies with value development. These national realities frustrate development process and demand immediate solution for our national dream to come true. Taking a hint from countries that take measures in reduction of the scourge of corruption, the solution covers education, punishment and development, which we shall consider briefly. Education: In view of the national vision to become one of the 20 leading economies, which corruption keeps frustrating, it is necessary to take initiative to enlighten the public on the benefit of transparency and shunning corrupt practices on the one hand, and the evil of corruption to common good on the other hand. All hands must be on deck for this. Government
institutions must be involved, educational and religious institutions must take the campaign of a corrupt-free nation seriously for national development. Punishment: This is necessary to make those who engage in such practices suffer for their actions to serve as deterrence to many others. It was in this spirit that the ICPC and EFCC were established. It is necessary for these institutions or the restructured institution (as is being proposed) and other law enforcement agencies to be efficient and effective and without bias in the prosecution of corrupt people. An independent judiciary is quintessential as this is the hope of the people to make corrupt people (especially leaders) accountable. Development: Though corruption is a strong impediment to development, yet development may be the most potent way to reduce corruption. The place of poverty in corruption cannot be emphasised (though poverty is no justification). “When people are poor, it is easy to buy their dignity - starving people find it difficult not to sell their votes for a bag of flour, while under paid civil servants will often fail to resist the temptation to take a bribe”- Chang. A level of economic development is required to discourage corruption. What will enable the necessary economic development includes the provision of basic infrastructures like power, transportation, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities for the teaming youth. These can work wonders in reducing corruption. Leadership: Leadership is everything, as everything rise and fall on leadership. The stand of leaders at the central and constituent levels in any setting is instrumental to the increase or reduction of corrupt practices. A leader who does not indulge in corrupt practices and refuses to be lured is more likely to achieve reduction thereby facilitating national development. On the other hand, a leader who indulges or may be does not indulge in corruption but does nothing at discouraging it will have a regime that increases corruption thereby making the national vision remain fictitious. Akinyemi is President of Lagos-based Joseph Initiative Ltd.
Sport Extra
F
ormer Bayern Munich captain, Lothar Matthaus, feels the club is losing faith in Coach Pep Guardiola, who has insisted he will be staying on next season after speculations last week suggested he was on his way to
Bayern players losing faith in Guardiola –Matthaus Premier League side Manchester City. The Bavarians have now lost their last four matches in all competitions, going down 1-0 to Augsburg in their Bundesliga game on
Saturday. Matthaus, 44, also feels the changes Guardiola has made has unsettled the team, fearing that the players might have lost confidence in the gaffer.
“Guardiola has already said that their season is over and he’s been rotating his team so much that he’s disorganising the squad,” the former Germany international said yesterday.
“His team no longer has the stability it had for over eight months, enchanting football fans up and down Germany. “It seems the players’ loss of confidence is also not expected by the coach.”
Matthaus
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