Binder1

Fear grips military over imminent probe, mass retirement UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

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here is serious apprehension in the military over imminent mass retirement of certain

Badeh

Vol. 51 N0. 1105 115

categories of senior officers as well as a probe to sanitise the armed forces by the incoming administration of Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).

General Buhari, Nige-

Aviation fuel scarcity hampers airlines operations

ria’s President-elect, is said to be in favour of massive shake-up in the military as one of his first major actions on assumption of office on May 29.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

P.4

Chidoka

Tuesday, Tuesday,June May7,5, 2011 2015

How we shared N7bn P campaign fund –PDP

N150

OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

...trade blames over electoral failure

eoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday explained how the over N7bn generated from the sale of forms for its various office seekers were shared.

The party also dismissed allegation that its leadership mismanaged the presidential campaign funds.

Speaking with the media in Abuja, national publicCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Lagos secures conviction of 142 sex offenders P.9

Bribery: Court orders extradition to UK of ex-minting boss P.6 ADVERT HOTLINES For advert bookings and information, please contact: LAGOS 01-8446073, 08113947415 08113947419 08113947420 08113947422 ABUJA 08113947421 PORT HARCOURT 08113947418 OGBESE 08113947424

LEFT: One of the children rescued from insurgents in Sambisa forest handed over to the National Emergency Management Agency at Malkohi Camp in Yola on Saturday night.

RIGHT: A man carrying a four-day old baby, which was among children and women rescued by Nigerian troops from insurgents in Sambisa Forest.

PHOTOS: NAN

Gunmen kill 100 in Taraba, Plateau

...pastor, newly wed among the dead

Crisis rocks Enugu Assembly as gov gets impeachmenrt notice

P.2 P.12

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News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Fear grips military over imminent probe, mass retirement CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Military sources at Defence Headquarters, DHQ, told our correspondent in Abuja, that there is serious worry among senior officers over possible mass premature and compulsory retirements, especially of those who corruptly enriched themselves or seen to have abandoned professionalism for politics.

Another source at the Army Headquarters, AHQ, said the planned mass shake-up was already public knowledge in the military, which has become the subject of daily discussion in the various formations.

The source said although it was expected that the service chiefs would go, the fear was that several other senior officers in the category of major general are also going.

The fear, the source said was that many officers were alleged to have seriously been compromised in the past six years and Buhari could not trust that they would be absolutely loyal to his presidency.

The source at the AHQ pointed out that the military’s role in Buhari’s certificate saga was part of the issues now hunting senior officers, as the Presidentelect may have viewed it as politics taken too far in the military to disown him.

The source said that it was already speculated that very recently promoted officers in the category of major generals and some senior brigade generals are likely to be favoured in Buhari’s appointments of service chiefs and other principal officers.

It was learnt that already, a small group has been set up quietly to work out the modalities for the shake-up and scout for possible replacement.

However, it was gathered that officers who allegedly mismanaged funds meant for military operations, those who colluded with crude oil thieves and those who engaged in political activities in breach of their professional duties are most likely to be affected.

Military sources said there is a serious stock-taking going on as well as reconciliation of figures, preparatory to the imminent probe by Buhari, who they believe, as a General, would not blink in dealing with the

issues squarely.

There have been calls by some Nigerians, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for Buhari to purge and reform the military.

General Obasanjo, in his congratulatory letter to Buhari after the March 28 election, had urged the

President-elect to reform the military, insisting that so much harm has been done to many national institutions “including the military, which proudly nurtured you and me.”

Obasanjo, on assuming office in 1999, retired all officers who had held political appointments, an action

thought to have helped prevent a possible coup after several military interventions in the nation’s history.

The military under President Goodluck Jonathan has received so much attention and involvement in governance to the extent that several senior officers allegedly became supper rich

and comfortable, leading to their continuous pledge of loyalty to the President and vow against coup.

Buhari is a retired majorgeneral who had commanded divisions and held several positions in the Nigerian army before becoming head of state in 1983 after a coup.

He was retired in August

1985, following his ouster by his Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).

Therefore, it is believed that he knows what to do in the military and would not have to do anything extra to please them to command their loyalty; that is why CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

L-R: Executive Secretary, Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. JohnKennedy Opara; Minister of FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed; Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Jones Arogbofa and President Goodluck Jonathan, during departure formalities for the President at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

How we shared N7bn campaign fund –PDP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, also said the party lost the presidential election because of the hate campaign deployed by managers of the presidential campaign, insisting that had the National Working Committee, NWC, been involved in the campaign, the results would have been different.

Metuh also took a swipe at 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 said: “I can tell you from my own records that we generated billions.

I think we generated more than N7bn, N8bn or N9bn.

We generated a lot of money.

“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 N21bn. 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 N100m from the working committee. And the 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.”

Metuh said that the leadership of the party has been transparent in all its dealings since assuming office.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that this national leadership has remained very transparent in all its dealing since coming into office. No NWC member has been involved in any sleaze or embezzlement of party funds. Also, no member of the NWC has ever been accused of embezzlement of funds in any ministry, department or agencies of government

at any level whatsoever.

“We state clearly that we have not been given any money; rather the NWC generated billions of naira from the sale of forms from where we funded our candidates for governorship and state assembly elections in all the states of the federation in addition to funds released to key leaders, including the NWC and BoT members to prosecute the campaigns in their various areas. The NWC is willing and ready to make this account public in line with the freedom of information law.

“We hereby wish to alert the general public and all our members that the main agenda of these elements is not only to hijack the national leadership but also to create an impression of division and crisis and pave the way to lure some of our elected members to decamp to other parties

apparently in view of the recent ruling of the Supreme Court which allows defection in the event of leadership crisis at their party’s national level.

“However, we are happy to announce that the leader of our party, President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP governors and other key stakeholders of our party, including governors and legislators-elect are deeply concerned about this development and have intervened to ensure the desired stability in our party.

“We thank the President for his role in calling all stakeholders to order in the general interest of the party. In the same vein, we thank our governors and elders of the party for their mediation as well as in joining forces with the NWC in the efforts to reengineer and rebuild our great party and reposition it to regain power in 2019.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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Photo News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

L-R: Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; his wife, Deaconess Roli; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina and Chairman, Innoson Motors, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, during the 2014 Silverbird Man of the Year award in Lagos, on Sunday.

L-R: Chief Sales Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Godfrey Efeurhobo; Chief Operating Officer, Oando Marketing, Olaposi Williams and General Manager, Commercial Law, Airtel Nigeria, Babatunde Olaniyan, during the signing of memorandum of understanding in Lagos, yesterday.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo (left) presenting the Submarine Cable Company Award for Glo 1 to Head of Glo Gateway, Steve Stretch (middle) and Femi Odutan, also of Glo Gateway, at the Beacon of ICT Awards in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: Executive Director, Wema Bank Plc, Mrs. Folake Sanu; Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; MD/CEO, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi; Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo and Executive Director, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Ademola Adebise, during the closing gong ceremony in commemoration of the bank’s 70th anniversary at the NSE in Lagos, yesterday.

National News

Aviation fuel scarcity hampers airline’s operations •Marketers to ensure adequate supply of fuel - Official

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he nation’s airports yesterday experienced skeletal flight operations as scarcity of JET A1, popularly known as aviation fuel, continues.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport due to the scarcity.

Deputy General Manager, Public Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Abuja, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the scarcity had affected flight operations at the airport.

Yakubu said airlines were operating flights minimally, leading to many flight cancellations and leaving passengers stranded.

According to her, while some airlines were able to operate skeletal service, others that had no fuel had their operations grounded.

“The scarcity of JET A1 that had been on since the weekend still persists as

many flights were unable to operate.

“There have been many cancellations as a result of the situation and many passengers were also stranded,” she said.

However, Yakubu said that international flights were not affected by the scarcity as there has not been any case of flight delays or cancellation from that end.

Head of Corporate Communications, Arik Air, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said the situation had improved compared to what it was at the weekend when flights could not operate.

Adebanji said the airline was operating skeletal service due to scarcity of aviation fuel.

“The scarcity is still there, but it is better than what we had during the weekend because we could not operate any flight over the weekend.

“We are operating today (yesterday) but not full flights; it is skeletal,” he said.

It would be recalled that domestic airlines were forced to cancel a number of flights at the weekend due to the situation, while thousands of passengers were stranded at various airports.

Meanwhile, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, has assured the public of adequate supply of petrol to reduce queues witnessed across the country.

Executive Secretary of the association, Mr. Femi Olawore, gave the assurance yesterday in Abuja after a meeting with Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

“You all recall that there were some issues about movement of products to retail outlets, following release of the last payment.

“Owners of the trucks have agreed to allow their trucks to start loading. As we speak, there have been loading going on.

“Those of you can call your friends in Lagos; they will all confirm that

Lagos is getting better by the hour, but because of the distance between Lagos and Abuja, it will take sometime before Abuja gets to the normal position,” he said.

According to him, in a couple of days Abuja will also have relief of the situation.

He said marketers had discussed with the minister and resolved some issues and would continue to talk with government.

On the outstanding payment, he said marketers always calculated up to date as business people, attributing it to difference in figures between marketers and government.

Responding, OkonjoIweala said government had appealed to the group and it had agreed that following payment of the N154bn, members would make the products available.

“We really welcome the news that has been announced by marketers and we thank them, especially

with the discussion that makes the truck owners to move the products.

“On our side, we are looking at issues they have on the table; government is a continuum and I think you found that whatever the issues are, it would be resolved so that Nigerians will not suffer,” she said.

The minister corrected that N154bn had already been paid, instead of the N156bn early reported.

“When the amount paid is actually looked at, it comes to actually N154bn; so it is N2bn down; it is still within the calculation of the standard deviation,” she added.

Commenting on the outstanding payments, she said: “What I want you to understand is that this is a rolling business and that is what we actually discussed today.

“There is no one definite figure; even as we speak, by the time we leave, the executive of PPPRA may have cleared some more Sovereign Debt

Notes, SDN, and the figures will change.”

She added that as at last week when N154bn was paid, N98bn was outstanding, but currently, more SDN had been cleared.

According to her, the amount to be paid as outstanding is never a fixed sum for the total year.

The minister said that government throughout the year had been paying, including the ones in the years before.

She said there would not be need to be fixed on the argument of whether the outstanding was N98bn or N200bn.

“As long as they continue to supply fuel to Nigerians, there will always be something to be paid.

“When this administration took over, monies were owed and we paid; this will continue and it rolls on everyday and you clear the money as you go.

“Like we said, government is a continuum and the marketers have accepted that,” she said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

5

Gunmen kill 100 in Taraba, Plateau JAMES ABRAHAM AND JUSTIN TYOPUUSU

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bout 100 persons have been killed in separate attacks in Taraba and Plateau states by gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

A pastor with the Church of Christ in Nigeria, COCIN, Luka Gwom, and a young lady identified as Paulina were among the dead.

While 70 persons were killed in Karim Lamido and Takum local government areas of Taraba State, 30, including Gwom and Paulina were gunned down in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

National Mirror gathered that 27 people were killed in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, following a reprisal by the military.

Suspected Fulani gunmen, two days ago, ambushed and killed six soldiers while three were said to be missing when the gunmen attacked the soldiers between Amar and Kambari villages of Karim Lamido Local Government Area.

The soldiers were said to be on a routine patrol of the area when they were ambushed and killed. Three of the missing soldiers were also found dead by the military when they combed the area in search of them.

In Takum Local Government, 21 persons were hunted and killed yesterday by suspected Kuteb youths who were said to be on a revenge mission over the dead of 13 of their people who were killed along Takum-KatsinaAla road and Takum-Kashinbilla road between Friday and Saturday by unknown gunmen.

National Mirror gathered that while the soldiers were on search of their missing colleagues in Karim Lamido, suspected gunmen open fire on them and the military replied, leaving over 27 people dead, including children and women.

Chairman of Karim Lamido Local Government Council, Bobboi Bello Bendu, could not confirm the number of casualties, but said there was an exchange of fire in the area.

“Two villages were razed, but I can’t tell the exact number of casualties at the moment. The report I am getting indicates that some

persons were killed,” he said.

There were reports that truck loads of soldiers from Taraba State and the neighbouring Adamawa State stormed the area two days ago to search for their missing colleagues.

A military source who pleaded anonymity said they recovered two bodies of their missing colleagues and were looking for the remaining one when gunmen opened fire on them.

He added that they defended themselves and in the process, many of the attackers were killed. But locals said, over 27 people were killed including children and women.

Tension is said to be mounting in Takum town and its environs as the Kuteb youths are hunting and killing the Tiv people who they alleged killed 13 of their people.

Following the development, the council chairman, Mr. Caleb Bitrus Babafi, has imposed a 24-hour curfew in Takum town to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

Confirming the killings, Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Joseph Kwaji, said he was not aware of the killings in Karim Lamido, but said nine people were killed in Takum following a clash between the Tiv and Kuteb.

Kwaji who said no arrest has been made, however, noted that relative peace has returned to the area as the police were on patrol of the town and its environs to prevent escalation of the crisis.

In the meantime, a group known as Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier, CTTYF, has condemned in strong terms, the senseless and barbaric killing of innocent people in Takum and its environs.

In a statement issued in Jalingo by the vice chairman of the group, Mr. Kater Amah, the group called on the state government to quickly intervene and ensure the protection of lives and property.

The statement called on both parties to lay down their arms and embrace peace in the interest of peace, unity and development of the council and the state.

In Plateau State, Gwom and Paulina who got married about two weeks ago were among those confirmed killed yesterday

when gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia invaded two villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

The killing was coming barely three days after over 400 villagers were allegedly killed in Wase Local Government Area during an invasion believed to be a reprisal by soldiers.

In the latest attack in Barkin Ladi, 17 people including women and children were killed in Vat village, while 13 others were killed in Zakupang village Vat is the country home of the Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe.

Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Emmanuel Loman confirmed the attacks to journalists in Jos yesterday.

Loman who condemned the attack blamed security agencies for not protecting the lives of the citizens of the local government.

He also decried the incessant attacks in the locality

and challenged the security agencies, especially the Special Task Force, STF, to take action towards arresting the attackers.

Village head of Kapwen in Foron District, Da Gwom Ishaku Pam, confirmed the killing of Pastor Gwom and Pualina by the attackers.

The village head said the series of attacks in the locality is causing the people sleepless night and maintained that so far 17 corpses have been recovered and are awaiting mass burial as at the time of filling this report.

Meanwhile, condemnation yesterday trailed the invasion of three Taroh villages, including Kadarko, Kurmi and Wadata ın Wase by soldiers which resulted in the death of several people and destruction of their houses.

In a statement, the apex organisation of Tarok nation in the state, ‘Ngwang Ishi ‘O’ Taroh,’ described the attack as a conspiracy to

exterminate the people from their ancestral land, and vowed to take the matter to the International Criminal Court for redress.

The statement, signed by the general secretary of the organisation, Pastor Nanlir Kartim Napbut, reads in part: “The plan to remove the Tarokman has reached its peak with the killings and maiming of lives and the wanton destruction of houses and foodstuff at the weekend in Kadarko district of Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State. These inhuman acts were carried out by the Nigerian Army. The casualty rate is not known at the moment but property worth hundreds of millions in naira were destroyed.

“It is, however, very unimaginable that the intelligence and compass bearings of the military led them to settlements (Kurmi, Wadata and Kadarko) of over 100 years as militia bases. We consider this very unfortu-

nate and believe that the military has just conspired with some powers that be somewhere to ensure that the Tarok man is forced out of the land of his inheritance.

“If the following questions are answered, it will give a sense of relief: Who were the Tarok people arrested as militias? Who led the military to the settlements as militia bases? Are civilians (women and children) targets in any form of war? Are houses parts of the militia? What is/are the motive(s) behind the demolition of houses?

“We want to let the Nigerian government and the international community know that there is a conspiracy against the Tarok nation and we will channel this inhuman act to appropriate quarters, particularly, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Army and the Presidency.”

L-R: Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Olawore; Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of State for Finance, Amb. Bashir Yuguda and Executive Secretary, Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, during the Minister of Finance’s meeting with major oil marketers in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Fear grips military over imminent probe, mass retirement CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

he is going ahead with his plans to reform the military.

“The military has been politicised and bastardised in the last few years. Corruption has reached unprecedented levels with the oil theft in the Niger Delta and haphazard antiterror war. “Nobody can say sincerely that the leadership of the military has lived up to expectations.

“We need a professional military. We cannot be relying on neighbouring countries to be bailing us

out of our internal issues.

Buhari will transform the military into an institution of pride for all Nigerians again.”

The military has come under scrutiny in recent years over its seeming failure to curb terror and oil theft as well as corruption in its top hierarchy.

In the North East operations against Boko Haram, there were reports that monies meant for the allowances of troops were diverted into private pockets. Instead of the monthly

allowance of N30,000, the troops were reportedly getting N15,000 with no satisfactory official explanation on what happened to the balance.

The troops were also allegedly being given only three sachets of “pure water” per day in the desert heat and lacked sleeping kits. Their food supplies for the day were allegedly brought at once in the morning, a situation that saw them eating cold lunch and sour dinner.

Many troops were also

battle-weary and suffered psychological trauma but did not get the necessary support from the authorities, leading to several cases of mutiny which resulted in death sentences for soldiers found guilty of refusing to fight.

At some stage last year, troops fired shots at the commander of the 7th Division in Maiduguri, Borno State, Ahmed Mohammed, a major general, who narrowly escaped death in the hands of the frustrated soldiers.

6

News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tests, counseling priority for traumatised B’Haram victims –NEMA M any of the women and girls rescued from Boko Haram camps are traumatised and showing signs of depression, with psychological counseling urgently needed as they recover in camps, relief officials said on Monday.

“For some of them, who are really showing signs of trauma, we need to make them realise that this is not the end of life,” said Sa’ad Bello, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, camp coordinator in Adamawa State.

“They need trauma counselling and psycho-social support to develop coping

mechanisms,” he told AFP, adding that many of the female hostages appeared to be suffering from serious depression after enduring sustained abuse by their captors.

A total of 275 women and children were brought to a camp in Adamawa State capital, Yola, at the weekend, following a military operation that freed them from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest stronghold.

NEMA spokesman, Manzo Ezekiel, said the agency’s priority was to provide trauma management so that they are not treated as outcasts when they go back to the society.

2,000 children die in auto crashes -FRSC

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ederal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, said about 1,903 children died in auto crashes in Nigeria between 2010 and 2014.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Imoh Etuk, Corps’ Public Education Officer, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja as part of activities to mark this year’s Road Safety Week taking place from May 4 to May 10.

According to the commission, 1,903 children were killed and 8,667 others were injured in 61,806 reported cases of road crashes during the period.

“1,138 males and 765 female children died in the last 5 years, while 5,426 males and 3,241 female children were also injured during the same period.

“Global statistics on road crashes indicate that around 186,300 children under 18 years die from road traffic crashes annually.

“Also, rates of road traffic death are three times higher in developing countries than in developed countries,” Etuk said, adding that the United Nations sought to draw global attention to the plight of children on the world’s roads and generate action to better ensure their safety, with the theme “Save Kids’ Lives’’.

He said the week would

feature several events hosted by governments, international agencies, civil society organisations and private companies.

The FRSC public education officer said the week would also feature delivery of the “Child Declaration for Road Safety” to policy makers.

“These events will further highlight the World Health Organisation’s package of 10 key strategies for keeping children safe on the road,” he said.

The statement added that the Corps Marshal of the commission, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, would lead the corps’ management team on advocacy visits to strategic partners and stakeholders on road safety, as part of the celebration.

Oyeyemi would also visit the Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Federal Ministries of Health, Education and Women Affairs, the Federal Character Commission and the House Committee on Road Safety.

Similarly, the statement said, the Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association, ROSOWA, would also use the week to visit orphanages, while special Juma’at and church services would be part of activities to mark the week.

Two women described how the militants tried to force them into marrying the insurgents after they were captured and how their escape turned to tragedy as three women were killed by landmines.

Others were crushed by tanks as they hid in undergrowth of the dense forest to avoid shelling and firing between Nigerian soldiers and Boko Haram.

Ezekiel said the authorities were keen to avoid the women being stigmatised in religiously conservative northern Nigeria, with reports that Boko Haram may have used some of them as sex slaves.

Medical tests would not only check for conditions such as malaria, but sexu-

ally transmitted diseases, Ezekiel said.

Turai Kadir, who helps in the internally displaced people camps in the city, said the former hostages were “not in great condition. All of them are traumatised,” she added.

“They’re hungry. They are sick. One woman told me she was picked up from a market where she was selling with her husband.

They (Boko Haram) took them to the bush and killed her husband.

“They said they were going to get her married to their master. There’s nothing more traumatic than that.”

Bello said NEMA was receiving support from a group of international or-

ganisations with expertise in trauma counselling, including UN agencies and the International Committee for the Red Cross.

Some 700 women and children have been freed in recent days from the Sambisa forest, which the military says is the last remaining Boko Haram stronghold.

Yola has received hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the insurgents over the last two years, although many chose to stay with host families, rather than in camps.

Bello said resources in the camps, including medicine and food, are still sufficient to cope with the latest influx.

Efforts were under way to trace family members of

those just rescued, noting that most of them are not from Adamawa State.

In the isolated cases where relatives have been located, rescue agencies are trying to facilitate transport to Yola so that escapees can be reunited with loved ones, he added.

But the logistics of such movements are complicated in the restive region, where Boko Haram attacks remain a threat, especially on remote roads far from better-fortified state capital.

The hostages spent two days on the road in military vehicles after they were rescued before reaching Yola, Bello said.

“What we are actually doing is trying to stabilise them,” he said.

L-R: Chief Geoffery Uguru; Mrs. Pat Jim-Nwobodo; President-elect Gen. Muhmmadu Buhari and former Governor of old Anambra State, Sen. Jim Nwobodo, during a courtesy visit to the President-elect in Abuja, yesterday.

Bribery: Court orders extradition of ex-Minting boss to UK ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA

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Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday issued an order permitting the Federal Government to extradite former Managing Director of Nigerian Printing and Minting Company, Mr Emmanuel Okoyomon, to the United Kingdom to face trial for bribery and corruption.

The trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu, who moved in favour of the Federal Government, yesterday, anchored his decision on an

existing treaty between the UK and Nigeria.

He held that since the treaty between Nigeria and the United Kingdom was valid and applicable in Nigeria, the Federal Government had the powers to extradite the accused person.

Justice Chukwu also held that the legal procedure to extradite Okoyomon was properly followed by the Attorney-General of the Federation with the placement of certified true copy of the letter of indictment of the accused and letter of request for his extradition from the British

High Commissioner.

He held that Okoyomon did not challenge all issues of corruption levelled against him by the documents from the United Kingdom, which implied that he accepted the allegation brought against him.

Justice Evoh, though, observed that no Nigerian court would willingly surrender its citizen to any country for trial, yet, in this case, Okoyomon holds a dual citizenship of both Nigeria and British, and as such, there is nothing wrong in his extradition to his country for trial.

The judge consequently ordered that Okoyomon should be extradited within 30 days to the United Kingdom for the trial.

The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had brought the extradition application to court following a request from the UK for Okoyomon’s extradition.

National Mirror reports that Nigeria and UK government, had about a decade ago signed a pact to assist each other regarding extradition and trial of fugitive criminals in their jurisdictions.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

7

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

GOVERNMENT OF BENUE STATE OF NIGERIA RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION AGENCY (BERWASSA) NO. 179, AHMADU BELLO WAY, OLD GRA, MAKURDI. INVITATION TO TENDER FOR RURAL WATER SUPPLY FACILITIES IN BENUE STATE SANITATION, HYGIENE AND WATER IN NIGERIA (SHAWN) PROJECT II

1.0 PREAMBLE

Benue State Government has received funding from DFID/UNICEF to support the delivery of water and sanitation services in rural communities of Benue State.

Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency now invites bids to engage contractors for the drilling and completion of 116 no. boreholes within communities in Ogbadibo, Oju, Tarka and Konshisha LGAs of Benue State.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

&RQVWUXFWLRQ RI 1R +DQG SXPS DQG 0RWRUL]HG %RUHKROHV ZLWK GLVWULEXWLon network.

3.0 REQUIREMENT

Companies interested in the project are to submit company profiles which must contain the following: I. Evidence of Company Incorporation with Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria.

II. Evidence of registration with Benue State Tenders’ Board.

III. Evidence of valid Tax Clearance Certificate for the past 3 years.

IV. Evidence of VAT Registration.

V. Audited Accounts of the Company for the last 3 years duly endorsed by a firm of Chartered Accountants.

VI. List of relevant equipment.

VII. List of verifiable documentary evidence of successfully executed/ongoing projects in the past 3 years.

VIII. List of key staff including professionals (if any) and their CVs. IX. Provision of Bid Security for all bids at 3% of the bid price from a reputable bank.

X. Evidence of purchase of bid documents.

4.0 SUBMISSION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS. Interested eligible contractors are to collect bidding documents from BERWASSA office address below, upon presentation of bank teller for payment of tender fee of N10,000.00 into the following BERWASSA Bank Account, 0025386126, Sort Code 032305168, Union Bank, Makurdi.

Completed tender documents and company profile, which shall be in 5 copies (One original and 4 copies) with soft copies in a DVD (containing excel copy of the completed BOQ and PDF copies of other bid documents) are to be submitted in a sealed envelope marked with the company’s bid invitation number at the top left-hand corner, and addressed to: The General Manager, Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), No 179 Ahmadu Bello Way, New GRA, Makurdi, Benue State.

Sealed envelopes are to be submitted and received at BERWASSA Office from Monday, 4th May, 2015, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, Monday to Friday, until 12 noon, May, 18, 2015). Bid opening shall follow immediately after the submission deadline.

5.0 DISCLAIMER

This advertisement for “Invitation to Tender” shall not be construed as a commitment on the part of BERWASSA, nor shall it entitle any company to make any claim whatsoever, and/or seek any indemnity from BERWASSA, or from the State Government and/or any of its departments, by virtue of such companies having responded to this advertisement.

All expenses incurred in preparing “Invitation to Tender” response and all expenses otherwise associated with “Invitation to Tender” responses shall be borne solely by the prospective contractor.

Signed

Dr. James Aper, General Manager, Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency.

News

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Nigeria gets IFAD’s $100m boost …for rice, cassava production

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nternational Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, yesterday said it had earmarked $100 million for distribution among smallholder famers for the production of rice and cassava in Nigeria.

Country Programme Manager of IFAD, Ms. Atsuko Toda, said this in Awka, Anambra State when she led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Agriculture commissioner, Nnamdi Mekor.

According to her, Ebonyi, Benue, Niger, Taraba, Ogun and Anambra states will benefit from the money.

She said the target group is smallholder farmers, mostly women and youths.

She said the team was in the state to inspect ongoing work in the cassava and rice value chain programme and to see the connection between the producers, processors and marketers.

She commended the state government for its leadership role in repositioning agriculture as business and its consistency in the payment of counterpart funds.

National Programme Coordinator, Dr Ameh On-

oja, in his remarks said the programme was aimed at reducing the huge amount of money spent on the importation of rice and wheat.

Onoja explained that the programme was essentially targeted at developing small scale agro-business.

Responding, Mekor said that Governor Willie Obiano’s administration was determined to boost the agriculture sector in the state.

He noted that the government was working along the chain from production to marketing.

On the other front, the

commissioner explained that the state government was assisting farmers to develop 1,000 hectares of land and had acquired additional 37, 000 hectares.

According to him, “Since 2014, we have provided free tractor services to farmers but they will be required to make little payment this year for servicing the tractors.”

He noted that the state government had distributed 60, 000 bundles of highly improved cassava stems, provided free fertilisers and micro credit, to encourage farmers in the state.

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Lagos Assembly passes Health Insurance bill

L

agos State House of Assembly, LAHA, yesterday gave its final approval to the State Health Insurance Bill.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the scheme, when it becomes operational, will apply to all residents of the state, including employees in the private and public sectors, the self-employed and the unemployed.

The executive bill which had passed the third reading shall consist of a basic, defined minimum benefit package of healthcare services for Primary Care.

When passed into law, the scheme would provide healthcare services to contributors in direct proportion to their contributions.

Chairman, LAHA’s Committee on Health Services, Mr Suuru Avoseh, who presented the report on the bill, said it would permit residents access to good medical care when it becomes functional.

Avoseh said that when passed into law, it would afford Lagos residents the opportunity to access medical care through a health insurance scheme.

Also, Mr Rotimi Olowo, (APC-Shomolu I) suggested that the agency that would be managing the scheme should not be independent, but placed under a ministry.

He said the funds that would accrue to the agency should be properly monitored.

Aliyu sacks political appointees, boards PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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L-R: Otunba Johnson Fasawe; former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Sen. Andy Uba, during the arrival of Chief Obasanjo at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday.

Journalist’s illegal detention: Court hears suit today FRANCIS EZEM

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Federal High Court in Abuja will today hear a suit filed by the Editor-in Chief SouthSouth Magazine, Mr. Ovie Edomi, over his unlawful arrest and detention by the Directorate of State Security Service, DSS, prompted by one Mr. Kennedy Okwara.

The DSS operatives instigated by Okwara had on Friday June 27 last year at Ikeja, Lagos during the magazine’s 8th anniversary whisked Edomi away to Abuja where he was held till June 30, 2014 and was

rearrested on July 1, 2014.

However in the matter brought before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on behalf of Edomi and Revd Robinson Oritsuwa, the first and second applicants respectively, by their counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the duo among other things are asking for a declaration of the court that the arrest and detention of the 1st applicant on June 27 – 30, and July 1, 2014 by the DSS was unlawful, illegal, null and void and amounts to gross violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in section 34, 35 and 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Repub-

lic of Nigeria as amended.

The applicants’ lawyers equally asked for an order of the court to direct the respondents to pay the applicants the sum of N200 million for illegal arrest and detention, as well as tender a formal apology to the applicants by publishing same in two national dailies.

The council had argued that instead of using the operatives of the DSS to arrest and detain the first applicant, Okpara should have approached the court if he felt aggrieved with the publication entitled: ‘NCPC Executive Secretary’s Dirty Deals’, pub-

lished in the magazine, which prompted the arrest.

However, in a counter affidavit by the DSS (1st respondent) through its lawyer, Joseph Chukwura, noted that “the 1st applicant was arrested on June 27, 2014 but it is not true that he was held up to June 30.”

He further stated that “although, it is true that the 1st respondent had received a petition from the second respondent, the publication had come to the attention of its operatives, particularly the aspect that could undermine security was being reviewed.”

iger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Aliyu, has sacked all political appointees of their appointments, just as he also approved the dissolution of all boards in the state.

This is contained in a letter dated May 4 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Saidu Ndako in Minna, stating that the dissolution and sack takes effect from May 1.

The letter said: “Where a political appointee is the CHANGE OF NAME NWANNAM: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWANNAM NKECHI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNAM NKECHI. All former documents remain valid. NYSC, and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

head of the establishment, he is to hand over to the most senior civil servant in the establishment.”

The governor further directed that all categories of officers entitled to severance allowance gratuity but have vehicle loans and have not served up to two years that will qualify them for the severance are to return such vehicles.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Kudirat Morayo Agboola, now wish to be known and addressed as Kudirat Morayo Ojikutu. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OGBOKE: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OGBOKE NKIRUKA VALENTINA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NWANKWO NKIRUKA VALENTINA. All former documents remain valid. Agwu Local Govt. and general public take note.

UGWU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UGWU EUCHARIA .N., now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NWAONUMA EUCHARIA NKECHI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NNAMANI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS Nnamani OGECHUKWU CLARA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNAJI OGECHUKWU CLARA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC, and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME KALU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS KALU, IFEANYI ELENYA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. UKA IFEANYI EZIKPE. All former documents remain valid. ASUBEB and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME IKHIBOYA: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ikhiboya Ukiaghe Blessing now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oware Ukiaghe Blessing.

All former documents remain valid. N.P.F. and General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME EZE: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EZE UCHENNA CHIZOBA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OMAMEH UCHENNA CHIZOBA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Akpan Ifiok Etim, Francis Etim Akpan and Francis Etim Okpoto, now wish to be known and addressed as Francis-Ifiok Etim James. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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South West

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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Lagos secures conviction of 142 sex offenders FrancIs suberu

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t least, 142 sex offenders have been convicted in Lagos State in the last one year, even as the state government said it was currently prosecuting 1,069 criminal cases at various courts within the state.

Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Lagos State, Ade Ipaye, who made the disclosure yesterday at the yearly ministerial press conference of his ministry at Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Lagos, commended the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team of the state government for a job well done.

According to Ipaye, the

response team was established to improve the safety of vulnerable persons and ensure offender responsibility by providing a crossjurisdictional response that is uniform in approach in the state.

“The team was conceived as a response to the increasing report of sexual and gender-based violence cases in the state. The team facilitated the signing of Executive Order that established the Sex Offenders’ Register and Mandated Reporting Policy

by His Excellency on December 1, 2014. To date, over 140 convicted sex offenders have been listed in the register,” he said.

On criminal prosecution, Ipaye noted that the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, in the Ministry of

Justice, received 795 police investigation files for advice in the last one year, out of which 716 files had been worked upon, while the rest were still being processed.

He disclosed that in the last one year the DPP had been engaging in the prosecution of 1,069 criminal cases in all courts.

“This figure includes the 786 cases currently being prosecuted at the federal and state high courts, as well as 54 and 11, respectively, at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“The number is also inclusive of the 218 cases at the magistrates’ courts. In addition to the 1,069 active criminal prosecution files, the DPP’s office is also handling 160 applications for enforcement of fundamental

rights. In the past one year, judgments were delivered in 54 cases in various matters the ministry was prosecuting,” he disclosed.

On civil litigation, the Attorney General said the Directorate of Civil Litigation was currently handling 1,260 cases in various courts, including magistrate courts, high courts, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, adding that judgments were delivered in 63 of the matters being handled.

Speaking on activities of the Office of the Public Defender, OPD, Ipaye said in the last one year the agency handled over 15,000 cases on behalf of indigent Lagosians at no cost, saying these matters cut across labour cases like civil matters, criminal cases, coroner’s

inquests and fundamental rights cases.

“This brings the number of matters that OPD has been involved in the past four years to 30,998. OPD also facilitated the collection of over N42 million as compensation on behalf of complainants in the last one year. All together, in the past four years, OPD has assisted Lagosians to collect N152.85 million as compensation.

“During the period under review, OPD secured 49 judgments in favour of its clients. These judgments include those who were discharged and acquitted by the court after spending several years in prison, following applications by OPD,” he said.

Ekiti, labour parley over salaries abIodun nejo ADO EKITI

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L-R: Director, Odua Investment Company Ltd, Otunba Olajumoke Ogunkeyede; Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Najeem Salam; Deputy Speaker, Akintunde Adegboye and Osun State House of Assembly member-elect, Obokun State Constituency, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, during the presentation of certificates of return to elected candidates into the House of Assembly at the Independent National Electoral Commission Media Centre in Osogbo, yesterday.

kiti State government has begun discussions with stakeholders on how to ensure the state does not join the league of states unable to pay workers' salaries for months.

Finance Commissioner, Mr Toyin Ojo, said yesterday that the governor had started liaising with labour leaders as critical stakeholders on how to get suggestions that would be of assistance to the state government.

Ojo told journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday that the discussion was necessitated by the dwindling allocation

Demolition: Absence of counsel stalls Oritsejafor’s suit Wale IgbIntade

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bsence of Lagos State government yesterday stalled hearing of a suit filed by Word of Life Bible Church, WLBC, at the Lagos High Court, seeking to restrain the state government from demolishing or dispossessing it of a building located at Plot 21E, Abdulrahman Okene Close, Victoria Island Annex, Lagos.

Joined as defendants are state Attorney-General, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos Building Control Agency and Lagos Physical Planning

Permit Authority.

The church in its amended statement of claim filed by its lawyer, Kayode Bankole, is seeking an order compelling the defendants to issue without delay necessary building development permit to it having fulfilled all necessary steps expected, including payment of required fees.

The church owned by President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsajefor, is also asking the court to compel the state government to refund without delay the sum of N3,057,056 being money paid in excess for issuance of building develop-

ment permit.

At the resumed hearing of the suit yesterday, claimant’s lawyer, Bankole, expressed displeasure that the defendants were not in court even when they were aware the matter will come up in court.

Bankole also informed the court that the defendants were yet to serve him with their statement of defence, adding that the claimant was ready for Case Management Conference, CMC. Consequently, Justice Deborah Oluwayemi adjourned the matter till June 15 for Case Management Conference.

The claimant in its

amended statement of claim wants an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, officers, privies or whosoever from demolishing, destroying, dispossessing or forcibly ejecting the claimant from, or continuing to take steps or in any other manner engaging in any activities detrimental or inimical or contrary to the rights of ownership or possession of the claimant in respect of the land.

The claimant stated that sometimes in 2003, it acquired the disputed land with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) No. 68/68/199AR dated November 1991 with-

On community service programme, Ipaye said between January 2014 and February 2015, 3,083 offenders were sentenced to various terms of community service across the 12 magisterial districts of Lagos State.

“This brings to 5,834 the number of offenders who actively assisted to improve their respective communities instead of being incarcerated in prisons, with the consequential disruption to their economic, social and family lives. The Community Service Unit uses recognised Lagos State Government agencies and facilities, including courts, local governments, and hospitals as work placement centres,” he stated.

out any disturbance from the defendants.

The church added that its application for building plan approval was received and assessed for payment, which was paid promptly.

In March 2013, the claimant stated that it received a letter from the defendants directing submission of certain documents to facilitate approval of building plan and payment of N4.5 million, respectively.

It added that while waiting for the approval, the defendant posted another demolition notice on its fence and without waiting for expiration of the notice, demolished the building.

to the state from the federation account and the need to pay workers' salaries.

Ojo said: “We want all of us to sit down and discuss.

We are laying our cards on the table. We want our stakeholders to give us suggestions. It is after we have agreed on modalities that we will start paying.

“We are discussing with labour leaders on this issue, because it is a matter of greatest concern to the governor, who had vowed not to owe workers.

“It is our wish to pay them as and when due and that was why we are seeking suggestions from them.

As we are doing this, we are showing them evidence of what we have been getting from the federation account and how we have been spending it.

“We had been able to show them the amount to be spent on salaries, running grants, subventions to institutions and other recurrent expenditures in order of priority to government statutory financial operation.”

The commissioner allayed fears that the state might not pay salaries, saying no stone would be left unturned to ensure regular payment of workers’ benefits.

The discussion is part of efforts to allay the fear of workers that the state would soon owe them salaries, especially as April salaries have not been paid as at yesterday.

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South West

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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Ogun clamps down on bullion van drivers Femi OyewesO ABEOKUTA

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gun State government yesterday declared it would henceforth take punitive action against any bullion van driver that breaches laid down standards for smooth operation of commercial banks in the state.

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa, stated this while addressing members

of Ogun Bankers Forum during yesterday’s meeting in his office at the state secretariat complex, OkeMosan, Abeokuta, the state capital.

Speaking further at the meeting, which had in attendance heads of all banks in the state, Adeoluwa stated that government would not take it lightly with any operator of bullion van whose driver drives without adequate consideration for other motorists and

road users.

The SSG said this became necessary following the death of a commercial motorcyclist, Gbenga Okesola, who was crushed last Thursday at Oke-Ilewo axis of Abeokuta metropolis by a bullion van allegedly belonging to a new generation bank.

The state government, which condemned the murder of the commercial motorcyclist, maintained that the death of Okesola

was avoidable if the bullion van driver had observed the minimum acceptable standard.

He stressed that the Ibikunle Amosun-led administration places high premium on the lives of people in the state.

“We want you to note that the Ogun State government takes serious exception to the conduct of your bullion van drivers, one of which led to the death of a young man last Thursday.

Henceforth, we will take serious actions against any such employee and the bank that fail to properly train its employee before they cause such havoc," he said.

Adeoluwa, who reiterated that the government was not planning to ban commercial motorcyclists in the state, however explained that government would ensure their operations were strictly monitored and regulated.

In her contribution, the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, challenged the bankers to adopt a holistic approach to the menace of their drivers.

Responding, Chairman of the Ogun Bankers' Forum, Jubril Hassan, described the incident as unfortunate and promised that bankers would fashion out ways to prevent such occurrence in the future.

Court to review Ekiti APC lawmakers’ suit ise-Oluwa ige ABUJA

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L-R: Lord’s Chancellor, retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice George Adesola Oguntade; Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola; President of Synod, Most Rev. Dr. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo and his wife, Mrs. Oluranti Ademowo, during opening ceremonies of the Third Session of Thirty-Second Synod of the Anglican Communion Diocese of Lagos, yesterday.

Money laundering: Fani-Kayode knows fate June 18 wale igbintade

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ustice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday fixed June 18 to deliver judgment in the alleged money laundering case involving Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of Aviation and Media Director of President Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Fani-Kayode is standing trial on charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Justice Ajumogobia fixed the date after adoption of written addresses by counsels to the anti-graft agency and the accused, Fani-Kayode.

Adopting his address, Fani-Kayode's lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), submitted that the prosecution failed to lead evidences with

regards to the money allegedly accepted by the accused.

He said, "The prosecution had alleged that the accused received the sum of N1 million in the charge, but none of the prosecution witnesses testified as to giving any money to the accused. The accused has never confessed to receiving any money as was claimed by the prosecution."

Adedipe, while urging the court to dismiss the charges and discharge and acquit his client, maintained that the burden of proof was on the prosecution and it failed woefully in that regard.

In his submission, EFCC's lawyer, Festus Keyamo, while admitting that the offence committed was in receipt of the cash, stated that "the prosecution's point of divergence is the insistence of the defence that someone must come to show that the accused indeed collected the money."

According to him, the prosecution has disposed its burden when it disclosed that large sum of money was found on the accused.

"After this point, the burden shifted to the accused to indeed show where the money came from," he said.

During Monday's proceedings, Ajumogobia, in her ruling also granted Fani-Kayode's application to change his surety.

The accused had at the last hearing of the matter, through his lawyers, Ifedayo A. Adedipe, and Olawale Akoni both SAN, informed the court of his intention to change one of his sureties, Wale Ajisebutu, and replace same with one, Ogbor Kehinde Elliot.

The application was said to have been brought pursuant to Section 134 (1) of the criminal procedure Act Cap. C41 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the

court.

At the trial of the former minister, EFCC had called four witnesses, while the defence called two witnesses.

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia had earlier dismissed 38 out of the 40 counts against the accused.

Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday fixed May 21 to review actions taken by the All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers in Ekiti State to impeach the governor and his deputy.

Seven Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers in Ekiti House of Assembly initiated the suit, seeking to set aside all actions by the APC lawmakers to sack the governor.

The high court yesterday fixed the date after counsel to the seven PDP lawmakers, Ahmed Raji, informed the court that the defendants were yet to file their motion, stating why the order sought against them should not be granted.

Raji, however, urged the court to grant all their prayers nullifying all the actions of the APC lawmakers.

But counsel to the defendants, Terence Venber, quickly jumped up to raise objection to the request.

Olanusi bags APC BoT membership OjO Oyewamide AKURE

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ecently impeached deputy governor of Ondo State, Ali Olanusi, has been appointed a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Board of Trustees, BoT. The APC National Executive Committee, NEC, in a letter signed by its secretary, Mai Bala Buni, said Olanusi's appointment as a BoT member took effect from July 4, 2014.

The letter dated November 17, 2014, said the ap-

pointment would last four years starting from July 2014.

The APC said the former deputy governor would work with other BoT members to develop the party within the four-year tenure.

The letter advised the former deputy governor to liaise with other members of the board to work for the progress, unity and development of the party.

Olanusi defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to APC before the March 28 presidential election.

He also said why he had not filed the motion alluded to by Raji, saying that he had an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter in the first place.

He further argued that the law permitted him to argue orally because the motion on notice filed by the plaintiffs was in default, having not sought the leave of court before filing it.

The trial judge, Evoh Chukwu, however ordered the defendants to file their submission in writing.

He later adjourned till May 21 to hear the defendants’ application challenging his jurisdiction The plaintiffs: Dele Olugbemi Joseph, Ajibola Samuel Oyedele, Israel Olowo, Alex Ade Ojo, Adeyinka Adeloye, Adesope Olayinka and Ayoka Fatunmbi had approached the court through their counsel, Ahmed Raji, seeking an order to set aside all actions taken by the APC lawmakers.

Listed as defendants include Inspector General of Police; Speaker, Ekiti House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin; and 21 APC lawmakers.

The court had, at the last adjourned date, while ruling on an ex-parte application brought by the plaintiffs, ordered the APC members in Ekiti Assembly to maintain the status quo in their bid to impeach the governor.

After ordering the lawmakers to maintain the status quo, the judge summoned them to show cause why he should not declare their seats vacant and also set aside all the actions taken so far with respect to the impeachment of the governor.

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News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

11

Duty waiver: Reps threaten to arrest Adesina Wole oladimeji ABUJA

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Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson (left) and Team Leader, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies Course 37, Kuru, Jos, Maj.-Gen. Johnny Hamakim, during a courtesy call at Government House, Yenagoa, yesterday.

Kashamu sues NDLEA, EFCC over extradition plot Wale igbintade

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chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has sued the Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and 11 others before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged plot to extradite him to the United States of America to face trial on alleged drug-related offences.

Also joined as respondent in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/505/15 are Inspector General of Police, IGP; Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; Director General, Department of State Services, SSS; Interpol National Central Bureau, and Attorney-General of the Federation.

Others are Clerk of the National Assembly, National Security Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Nigeria Customs Services, Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

In a fundamental rights enforcement

suit, Kashamu is seeking a declaration that the move to abduct and forcibly transport him to the United States of America amounted to a violation of his right to liberty, freedom of association and freedom of movement as protected by sections 35, 40 and 41 of the constitution.

He alleged that the plot was a further move in the political designs of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to ensure that he (Kashamu) was denied the opportunity of enjoying the mandate freely given him to represent the people of Ogun East Senatorial District in the Senate.

Kashamu alleged that he had uncovered plans

by Obasanjo to mastermind his arrest during his swearing in as a senator and to transport him to the US in a private plane to face trial before

Judge Norgle.

Kashamu urged the court to declare as unlawful the alleged collusion between the 12 respondents and his political opponents, led by Obasanjo, to abduct and forcibly transport him to the US. The senator-elect is seeking an order of the court directing the police IG to "provide a security detail of at least six armed police officers to protect him at all times of the day and to protect (him from) any attack or abduction."

He also prayed for a court order directing Clerk of the National Assembly "to accord the applicant every facility, right and privileges due to a senator-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until he takes his oath of office and thereafter, as is due a senator of the Federal Republic

of Nigeria."

He prayed the court to restrain all the respondents and their agents from preventing him from entering the National Assembly hall.

Kashamu, in a 92-paragraph affidavit deposed to by himself, explained that though he was incarcerated in Brixton Prisons in London between 1998 and January 10, 2003, he was however, later discharged after Judge Tim Workman held that "the allegations of the US authorities against me with regards to importation of narcotics to the US was a case of mistaken identity."

According to Kashamu, the judge had held that there was no prima facie case that he was the same person as one Alhaji, who had been implicated by a group of drug traffickers apprehended in the US.

ouse of Representatives yesterday threatened to invoke relevant section of the Constitution against the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, over his failure to appear before an ad-hoc committee.

The ad-hoc committee looking into alleged fraud and evasion of duties on rice imported and levies by importer and investors had earlier invited the minister to appear before the committee at a public hearing.

Chairman of the committee and Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Leo Ogor, said the committee took exception to the executive ignoring invitation of the National Assembly.

The committee resolved to summon the minister following revelations from participants with regards to the administration of government policy on rice importation and payable duties/levies on import quota by investors.

Ogor, who spoke on behalf of Speaker of the House, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, stated that the public hearing was sequel to a resolution of the House mandating the ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged fraud, abuses, evasion of import duties by rice importers."

The minister was alleged to have given certain considerations to some importers, who allegedly exceeded their quotas and did not pay liable indemnity.

The committee also queried the powers of the minister to grant such waiver on the basis of encouraging investment

Inmate escapes in Benin

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n inmate of Benin Prisons was said to have escaped from the custody of a warder of the Nigeria Prisons Service, NPS, on Monday in Benin City.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, learnt that officials of the NPS are now in search of the prisoner, who escaped while carrying out

some menial work.

It was said that the inmate, along with his colleagues, were cutting grass at the building behind the state headquarters of the NPS when he escaped.

He was said to have pulled off his prison uniform and ran into a nearby bush.

When NAN contacted

the spokesman of NPS in Benin, Mr Aminu Suleiman, he could neither confirm nor deny the information.

He said: "I am not in the office and as such, I cannot tell you if it is true or not.

"I will speak with you on this after getting information on it upon my return to the office."

Oshiomhole

and job creation when in actual sense, the practice was discouraging local investors, who don't even have the capacity to utilise their allotted quota.

The committee also queried the non-payment of duty accruals for exceeded quota of over N3.5 billion by Olam Farms Limited.

One of the defaulting investors told the committee that as the largest farm owner on the African continent, it couldn't have grown its business by disobeying the rules, insisting that there was no directive asking the company to pay for exceeding its quota, which came out after the importations had been done.

According to the company's Business Development Head, Mr. Anil Nair, the company will gladly pay what is due to it as duty or levy if the government asks it to do so, invariably confirming that the minister actually waived such duties without due diligence.

The Nigerian Customs Service delegation led by Adeoye Ajade had told the committee in a position paper that companies defaulted, having been written to pay up after the rice policy was reviewed in July last year.

The committee directed that Olams prepare a comprehensive document showing details in clear tabular form for easy correlation.

Another company, which attracted sympathy from the committed due to its limited capacity to compete with the likes of Olam, who bring in finished products at cheaper rates, was Ebony and Tara Agro Industries Limited, who also decried the inequality created by the rice policy, which it said, was incapacitating small local investors.

Business Development Manager of the company, Mr. Andy Ekwelem, told the committee that his company faces an uphill task of selling its products due to decision to import brown rice, which it mills in the country with a view to adding more value through direct and indirect employment of about 650 Nigerians.

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South East

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Enugu NDE to embark on loan recovery

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ational Directorate of Employment, NDE, in Enugu State, yesterday directed its debtors across the state to repay their loans or face prosecution.

Enugu State coordinator of the directorate, Mr. Joseph Iroegbu, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that it would embark on a special drive to recover the debts.

Iroegbu, who declined to disclose the amount involved, said the loans were taken between 2010 and 2014.

According to him, the debtors have altered the loan process as it is supposed to be revolving, explaining that if the outstanding loans were not recovered, other people would not benefit.

Iroegbu said the directorate had been mandated to recover a certain percentage of the fund before commencing another round of disbursement.

“Some of the debtors used fictitious names, which we are trying to find a way of sorting out.

“Some changed their business locations, while others are yet to start the business for which they borrowed the money.

“Henceforth, before we give loans, we would make sure applicants have genuine guarantors that would stand the test of time.

“Most people think the loan is part of the national

cake; there is no national cake anywhere. We are ready to take drastic measures to recover our money,” he said, and appealed to Enugu State government to release funds for training of 9,440 persons for the community-based skills acquisition scheme.

He listed the skills as tiling, interlocking stones work, flower gardening, block-moulding, poultry, fishery, piggery, bee-keeping, snail farming, grass-cutter farming, agro-chemical and farm mechanisation.

Others are environmental beautification, crop production and processing, computer operation, fashion design, hair dressing, events management and aluminum fabrication.

He said government had promised to give the directorate about 30 hectares of land for construction of 500 housing units for the welfare of workers of the directorate.

He called on the incoming government in the state to implement the housing scheme to complement the efforts of workers.

The coordinator assured members of the public that the directorate would continue the training and set up small scale industries in the state.

Iroegbu advised youths and women in the state to acquire skills as a way of tackling unemployment in the country.

New Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Nwamba (left) after taking over from former speaker Eugene Odoh, in Enugu, yesterday.

Crisis rocks Enugu Assembly as gov gets impeachment notice

…faction suspends Speaker Dennis agbO ENUGU

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major crisis hit Enugu State House of Assembly in the wee hours of yesterday as the House split into two factions.

One of the factions made up of a group of 14 members led by Speaker, Eugene Odoh, first sat at 6am, suspended three members and served impeachment notice on Governor Sullivan Chime.

Support Buhari, Ohanaeze stalwart urges Nigerians

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member of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Samuel Osuigwe, yesterday said the transformation of Nigeria requires total support from the citizens for government.

Osuigwe told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, that Nigerians need to close ranks to ensure a stable socio-economic and political climate.

According to him, Buhari’s victory is a victory for all Nigerians and this made it imperative for even the opposition to close ranks with him.

“The Nigerian project must be everybody’s interest and should be placed above selfish interests; it is time to rebuild Nigeria.

“This is not the time to start apportioning blames or engage in mudslinging, but a time to join hands and reposition the country to everybody’s advantage,” he said.

The Ohaneze member explained that Nigeria’s future could only be guaranteed by the collective efforts of all, including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He said it was too early for the opposition to contemplate any kind of campaign of calumny.

He advised the Presidentelect to remain focused, adding that it was wrong for leaders to be vindictive.

He said good leadership means the ability of the one in charge to discharge official duties without prejudice or bias.

Osuigwe emphasised the need for the President-elect to truly ensure that justice and equity were the watchwords of his administration, adding that “as President, every part of Nigeria is your constituency.”

The second group of nine members sat almost immediately after at 7am and suspended the Speaker and six other members of the House.

The Speaker-led group slammed Governor Chime with what they alleged was gross misconduct, and commenced impeachment proceedings against him.

They also accused the governor of forging the N12bn 2012 supplementary budget.

The impeachment notice was signed by 14 members of the House, including the Speaker, while Clerk of the House, Christopher Chukwurah, was directed to serve the notice on the governor immediately.

The three members suspended by the Speaker’s group for alleged antiHouse activities include the Deputy Speaker, Chime Oji, who was recently elected

to represent Enugu North/ South Federal Constituency; Hon. Emeka Ogbuabor and Deputy House Leader, John Kelvin Ukwuta.

The Speaker and 13 other members found their way into the legislative chamber at 6:28am and held sitting after the police had prevented them from gaining entry into the House.

Following complaints by the Speaker, the policemen were ordered to allow them into the House.

The lawmakers had complained that the governor was using some members of the House to disrupt its activities because they refused to approve the N11 billion loan requested by the governor.

The mace was taken away after the sitting of the House.

About 7am, the group of nine members led by Deputy Speaker and six others of the House, including Deputy

Federal roads: Anambra demands N14bn refund Charles Okeke AWKA

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nambra State government yesterday said it has requested the Federal Government to refund over N14 billion it spent on federal roads across the state.

Announcing the development in Awka, the state capital, Commissioner for Works, Chief Calistus

Ozumba, said the Federal Ministry of Works has agreed to reimburse the state government the amount requested.

Ozumba, who made this disclosure while interacting with journalists at the Anambra State Broadcasting Service, ABS, Awka, personality programme code-named ‘Face the Press’, said they had requested for N20 billion as

the cost of mending Federal roads in the state.

He said after inspection by a team from the Federal Ministry of Works, the figure of N14bn was finally approved.

He said government has gone through all other relevant processes and that the request was now awaiting the President’s approval for re-imbursement.

Governor-elect, Hon. Cecilia Ezeilo, walked into the chamber with another mace and conducted another sitting. One other member later joined them.

After a short prayer, Hon. Ukwuta, who was also suspended by the Odoled group, moved a motion that Hon. Johnbull Nwagu, who was suspended by the House, should be recalled, and Hon. Chinedu Nwamba seconded the motion.

They lifted the earlier suspension on Nwagu, who was accused of misconduct and invited him to join the group, bringing their number to nine.

Hon. Ukwuta thereafter moved another motion calling for the suspension of Speaker Odoh and seven other members in his group, including Anichukwu Nwankwo, Okechukwu Nwoke, Paul Ogbe, Nze Michael Onyeze, Chika Eneh, Theresa Egbo and S.K.E. Udo-Okoye. The motion was approved by the nine members.

Principal officers among those suspended were also stripped of their positions and benefits.

Ukwuta further moved for the nomination of other colleagues to fill the vacancies created by the suspension and nominated Chinedu Nwamba, representing Nsukka East constituency, to be sworn in as Speaker of the House.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY Suswam’s govt’ll account for its stewardship –Ortom

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

13

Politics

Ekiti APC: Opeyemi Bamidele as rallying point

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Policing Nigeria after a divisive general election: Arase to the rescue The just-concluded general elections exposed the ethno-religious inclinations of many Nigerians.

OMEIZA AJAYI writes that the acting.

Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase has a lot to do in staving off possible backlash from losers and winners alike in the polls.

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he much anticipated 2015 general elections have come and gone. Thankfully, unlike the 2011 exercise, this year’s elections have not left in its trail, much tear and blood. In fact, many lives are reported to have been lost during the electioneering campaigns than after the elections.

It is given that the decision of the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan to concede defeat to his opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari, without any condition, saved the nation a lot of agony. For, if Jonathan had not taken that bold step, the predictions of many doomsday prophets might have come to pass.

Of course, the result of the elections also showed that many people may have lost faith in the electoral process.

Not a few Nigerians believe that security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police Force, have often been used to subvert the collective will of the people. This was perhaps why, in the first instance, the 2011 general elections had more registered voters as well as more accredited voters who participated in the exercise. In the 2015 exercise, the President-elect, Buhari only garnered just about 15 million votes while the incumbent polled over 12 million votes, the difference being just about 2.5 million votes. This is out of total registered voters of over 68 million and a country of about 170 million citizens.

The implication of the above is that Buhari’s victory is not “qualitative”, looking at the number of registered voters and especially those who did not participate in the process. Such a figure of non-participants is enough to constitute serious challenges for the nation if they want. Most importantly, the over 12 million that voted for President Jonathan are also enough to hold the nation to ransom and create post-election problems for security agencies.

Feelers from the Niger Delta region of the country, Jonathan’s base, also indicate that some militants are still not happy with the outcome of the elections and the decision of the President to concede defeat. Now, whether they will go back to the trenches leaves much to be desired.

Already, there have been increasing attacks on gas-pipelines even before the elections. It is however important to note that as at April 3, while the country’s electricity generation peaked at 4, 500 megawatts, it was reduced to about 2, 921 megawatts last Thursday following an attack on one of the gas pipelines.

Hence, the acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, has an uphill task, policing a nation that still lives in the shadow of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

His job is now made more difficult, considering the fact that the military onslaught on the sect has disorganised its members. There is now, no doubt the fact that many of the sect members are scattered in different towns and cities. And looking for easy money and “quick fixes”, these

Jonathan

Buhari

TOP STORY JOB IS NOW MADE MORE DIFFICULT, CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THE MILITARY ONSLAUGHT ON THE SECT HAS DISORGANISED ITS MEMBERS.

THERE IS NOW, NO DOUBT THE FACT THAT MANY OF THE SECT MEMBERS ARE SCATTERED IN DIFFERENT TOWNS

elements can become willing tools in the hands of some desperate, but sinking politicians.

Arase himself seem not in doubt of the fact that he has an uphill task. Speaking about his appointment recently, he said beyond being symbolic of the confidence reposed in his professional ability, his choice among other equally competent officers at this crucial time in the nation’s history represents a wake-up call to the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, under his command to fashion out new approaches to policing in Nigeria.

Arase held his maiden “conference” with senior police officers from the rank of Commissioners of Police and above, just days after his appointment. The meeting was primarily designed to achieve four major purposes.

First, was to enable professional interaction between the Police Management Team and field officers and create a peer review platform that will strengthen the forces’

crime management ability.

The second motive was to evaluate police performance during the recently concluded general elections, with a view to identifying performance gaps and critical operational challenges that can be addressed in the process of planning for future electoral engagements.

The third purpose of the conference was to evolve plans for a seamless presidential, governorship and state/ National Assembly inauguration ceremonies, while the fourth was to lay out the policy thrust of Arase’s administration and define clear implementation strategies.

Developing an implementable policing plan It is heart-warming to note that the new IGP and his team have already evolved a detailed Strategic Policing Plan, SPP, which will be available all strategic police managers for their strict guidance. This plan is designed to courageously and professionally address critical issues affecting the optimal performance of the Police, while also striving to restore citizens’ trust as a conscious strategy aimed at managing crime and enhancing national security.

With the new policing plan, the current police management team under Arase seems more determined to restore the lost primacy of the NPF as the lead internal security management agency in Nigeria.

Critical policing areas to be addressed by the SPP, according to Arase, would include corruption and intelligence-led policing among others. Anti-corruption remains the core of this new policing plan, and this could perhaps form a veritable tool for the incoming administration to stamp out corruption in the military and other security services.

Corruption It has often been stated that the loss of public respect and confidence in the Police as well as its inability to effectively tackle crimes in the most ethical and professional manner is as a result of endemic corruption within the policing system.

Before now, a “cop” was not a cop. A “cop” was just an acronym: Criminal on Patrol. The new policing plan is CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

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Politics

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Suswam’s govt’ll account for its stew Benue State governor-elect, Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom, is a man of many parts. A prototype organic politician and what the Italian philosopher and political theorist, Antonio Gramsci, would have considered a politician plucked straight from the dregs of the society. Packed with wisdom, intense spirituality and strong empathy for the people, this man of few words, in this special interview with National Mirror’s management team, harps on the urgency of development in Benue State and why he must step on big toes for the sake of accountability.

Excerpts: Congratulate you on your victory at the last gubernatorial elections in Benue State Thank you, but first of all I give glory to the Almighty God, because it is God that counts. John 3: 27 says victory comes from above and Psalm 62:11 says: ‘God has spoken, and twice did I hear that power belongs to the people.’ So when people were playing God and saying that they would anoint anyone and whoever they so desire to be governor of Benue State, I said: ‘No, power belongs to God,’ and God would give power to whoever He wants. I told them that it is God that crowns, and today, God has manifested himself.

Despite the intimidation, despite the militia that they used to harass my supporters during the electioneering campaigns, despite the guns that they used to scare people away, I still emerged victorious. During the electioneering campaigns, we found that a majority of people in all the villages and towns we went across the state, were in support of me and my party, All Progressives Congress, APC, and I believe that if my opponent did not rig, he couldn’t have gotten up to even 100,000 votes, If the true reflection of what happened was to be reflected in the results that came out.

Everywhere we went, it was very clear that the people were with us. It was clear when we went to churches, universities, polytechnics, colleges, the academia, market women, people in the streets and the villages; everybody wanted me, because of my contribution to the economic development of the state and where I am coming from.

Many people in the state can identify with my story. I have always been a grassroots man. My story is that of grass to grace. Out of nothing, God gave me my fortune, and I will never forget where I am coming from. Up till now, I still go to the motor parks to meet some of my colleagues where I garnered my transportation experience in Gboko. I still interact with some of them. So my emergence is a very clear signal that there is a new dawn, not just in Benue State, but in Nigeria. I know that the expectations are so high, but by the grace of God, I will govern with the fear of God. We will deliver on our promises of truthfulness, equity, fairness, transparency, integration, integrity and accountability.

I intend to engender a society where everybody is their brother’s keeper for the betterment of the society. So for me as governor, I have no reason to fail. I am going to put in my best. We shall rule

with the fear of God, we shall reduce corruption to a bearable minimum and our government would ensure the basic things of life and the well being of the people, which are the bases of government, will be provided. I have said that I will be a leader that will live by example.

I will practice what I say and preach.

We are not going to insult, witch-hunt or intimidate anyone, but at the same time we are going to be focused. We are going to ensure that there is accountability, transparency and justice in our governance. And every one working with us for the benefit of the people would have to comply with this. We are grateful to every one of you and the people of Benue State, for giving us this opportunity to serve.

How was growing up like for you?

I was born into a poor man’s family; a family where you hardly had enough to eat. Sometimes I went on zero-zero-zero without a meal a day. But thank God, my father was determined. My mother was determined, in spite of the difficulties, to send me to school. I remember that it was her commitment to ensure that her children did not starve and she did very well in that regard. Even though she was an illiterate, she ensured I went to school, and I think, my upbringing prepared me for the leadership qualities I have today.

It spurs me to try to do more. Each time I return to my people and see them, I try to do something that will better their lives.

For example, I remember that even though I was a very brilliant student, and in my first and second years I did well, but I had to drop out because there was no school fees for me to continue, but each time I remember, I just thank God that He allowed me to pass through those trials to equip me for leadership.

Each time I remember where I am coming from, I imagine how many children would have passed through the same experience, because I know that a thousand and one children are going through the same unpleasant situation as I went through. I think that God deliberately programmed it that I should go through all that, so that I will have some level of passion to be able to do what I am doing now. So it is a very big challenge to me.

So, for example, I have drawn a programme to ensure that we have the culture of excellence in our society; a culture that will eschew sycophancy and mediocrity.

Workers in Benue are suffering because

Ortom

UP TILL NOW, I STILL GO TO THE MOTOR PARKS TO MEET SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES WHERE I GARNERED MY TRANSPORTATION EXPERIENCE IN

GBOKO. I STILL INTERACT WITH SOME OF THEM. SO MY EMERGENCE IS A VERY CLEAR SIGNAL THAT THERE IS A NEW DAWN

their salaries are not paid. What will you do about it?

I am aware of this challenge. It is a very big challenge and it is very unfortunate that the hard working labour force of Benue people have had to suffer so much. The Bible says that every worker deserves his wages, and yet you are not paying workers. If you don’t pay them, what do you expect them to do? You want them to go and steal? How do you want them to continue to work without being paid? I am aware of cases where the husband, the wife and the child would be working for government. So if a government refuses to pay workers, how can such family survive? It’s unfair and

unjust and our government would not follow that line of denying workers their wages. I remember that when I was a local government chairman 23 years ago, when the issue of minimum wage was out, I was the only local government chairman that paid teachers and workers their salaries, and this led to a an award from Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT and several other awards and that were given to me.

Twenty three years after, heads of these unions still came out as my campaign managers and mobilised people to vote for me. It is unfortunate we are where we are today, otherwise, globally,

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

Ogboinbiri community threatens to shut down Agip operations OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

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he people of Ogboinbiri community, Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state are predominantly farmers and fishermen and women, surrounded by the sea and the numerous rivers around the Niger Delta, the inhabitants are also enormously blessed with the black gold (crude oil).

The inhabitants, just like most Niger Delta communities swims in plenty water but with little to drink, swims in gold but ironically bathed in poverty and lack while the oil companies around them exploited and explore their wealth and God given resources without recourse to the devastating effects their activities have on the environment, their life and their future.

So when the community gave a but a five days ultimatum to the Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, saying that beginning from Monday the 4th of May, the community will shut down all operations of the company in the community, Niger Delta Mirror decided to pay a visit to the community.

The journey started form Yenegoa, through road to the University town of Amasoma on Wilbeforce Island and landed at the community about four hours of navigating through creeks and rivers in a speed boat to the Igboinbiri town, to see why this community noted for their peaceful disposition all the years decided to go confrontational.

On arrival at the town around 10 am on Saturday, It was gathered that the community were having an emergency meeting at their playing ground located in the heart of the town, and so we were led to by one of the community youths, to view some of the reasons why they have decided to go confrontational and demand immediate attention both from the oil giant,

Agip and the government.

Niger Delta Mirror findings revealed among other things that one of the major concern of the inhabitants of the community was the abandonment of the shore protection work been undertaking by the NIgeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, which has left untold hardship on the people especially the women.

The work on the shore protection abandoned since three years ago was noticeable but most appalling was that height of the pilling sheets erected by the contractor has made movement difficult while the only jetty in the community is been washed away on a daily basis by the rampaging river.

The only government presence in the community was a jetty project started by the Niger Delta Development Corporation, NDDC, but abandoned midway since over ten years ago.

Speaking after the meeting with members of the community and the representative of the contractor handling the project, the Community Development Committee, CDC, Chairman, Jonathan Appah, the oil wells and the flow stations in the community alone contribute a daily of between 45, 000 to 50, 000 barrels of crude oil and eight million cubic feet of gas to the national grid and yet the people suffers from lack He lamented that the company has failed and refused to implement and carry out projects obligations as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it voluntarily entered with the Ogboinbiri Community since 2009, despite the numerous letters to remind them.

Appah, condemn in strong terms the reckless and wanton failure of the company to implement the terms relating to sand filling and shore protection of the community signed in 2009, knowing that their oil exploration activities was

L-R: Administrative Secretary, INEC, Rivers State, Mr Roy Obijuru; Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dame Gesila Khan and State Accountant, Mr Emmanuel Ebifa, during a news conference on Electoral Material given to Rivers APC in Port Harcourt, Yesterday.

causing their land to sink, thereby threatening to wipe them out from the surface of the earth.

He said the most annoying part was the company’s refusal to settle cases from Ogboinbiri community pending against it in courts and such other cases they were directed by the courts to be settled out of court.

Despite the facts that the company’s flow station is directly opposite the community and engage people to work there, no one single person from the community was employed, either skilled or unskilled, just as they failed to provide skill acquisition and scholarships to its indigenes to cope with the difficult economic hardship foisted upon them by the exploration activities.

While warning and demanding compliance with the MoU signed with the community, he noted that the company has failed to respond to its several letters dated 27/11/14, 20/01/2015 and 12/04/2015.

“Ogboinbiri community is prepared to protect her interest at any level. We

therefore call on the management of NAOC to ensure maintenance of the existing peace,” the CDC chairman added.

Also speaking, a community leader, Chief Nicodemus Edugo, said the shore protection contract was signed in 2009 but Agip delayed the commencement of work till 2012 but only to stop work midway since 2013, causing them untold hardship as the pilling sheets abandoned on the shore prevent them from free movement.

Hear him, “From the previous meeting, they always tell us that the shore protection work must finish before any other projects, and we have an agreement with them that they must do a project in the community every year but with the incomplete project which was abandoned since three years ago, so since 2009 to date there is no project.

So they use this incomplete project which they themselves are delaying to thwart any other projects to the community because we have an agreement with

them that they will give us one project each year, they are using this pilling project to delay other projects.

We are now calling a meeting with the contractor, the community and Agip to find a solution to maintain the existing peace and cordial relationship between us.”

It is very difficult to cross this pilling, especially for the old women who depends of fishing for survival.

We are all farmers and in the process of claiming through this pilling sheets a, some lost their lives in the process.”

The meeting summoned today by the CDC chairman is between the community and the representative of the Ricon construction company, who was here and have made to understand that it was Agip that is delaying the completion of the job.”

Speaking on behalf of the angry women also at the general meeting, Mrs. Patricia Igah, said the pilling sheet on the work on the shore protection which was abodoned midway is

disturbing their movement because it very difficult for them to climb down to our canoes to go for fishing which is our only way of livelihood.

Apart from these, she said they were particularly peeved that some time ago, in 2013 , Agip pass through the community with a rig which spoilt many things including their ponds, fish and crayfish lines, when oil from the rig burst and devastated all other things including the water they drink.

“We call on Agip but they refuse to answer us so we took a lawyer and took them to high court but yet Agip refuse to come to court and since then we have been paying the lawyers since 2013 and we are yet to get any headway.

As we are here today, you know that we survive from the nets we set for fishes and crayfish. We have no other way to survive and we are prepare this time to shut down their operations for we have waited for too long, enough is enough,” she echoed.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Dickson meets NIPSS study team

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Minority and environmental day solidarity rally in honour of President Jonathan’s aide, the late Oronto Douglas, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Agip, oil pipelines surveillance contractor’s legal tussle lingers OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

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he Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has fixed May 5th for hearing into the suit filed by some aggrieved Oil Pipeline Protection Contractors from Obama (Okoroma) Community in Bayelsa State against the management of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) over the aborted N500million security job for the protection of oil pipelines along the creeks within Nembe Local Government area of the state.

In the suit numbered FHC/ PH/CS/293/2014,the Oil contractors alleged that the multinational company, reneged on a contractual agreement entered into on the 24th of May,2014 between them and top management staff of the company for a retainer ship of surveillance services against oil thieves and pipeline vandals on its pipeline within the Obama (Okoroma) operational area in the state.

According to them,the top management of the Agip involved in the signing of the aborted agreement were Mr.Fontana Salvatore(CVR Manager) and Mr.Giovanni Azzarelli(TP manager).

According to the plaintiff,though the Federal Government had declared tha t oil and gas task force be set up to combat oil theft and oil pipe-

line vandalism in Bayelsa state in line with constitutional function of securing lives and properties the action does not entitle the Agip Oil company to renege from its pre-existing obligations to the plaintiff under the anti-crude oil theft surveillance agreement ,after insuring over 70,000 barrel production a day In the writ of summon signed

by Hon.Nyenye Kuro Matthias , on behalf of the aggrieved oil pipeline and surveillance contractors and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, is seeking an order directing the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd(NAOC ) to pay to the plaintiff,the sum of N500million being and representing arrears of monthly remuneration due and accruing to the plaintiff for the services to the 1st defendant from June 2014 till October,2014 under the

terms of the anti-crude Oil theft surveillance agreement.

“Also an order directing that the sum of N3billion damages be awarded against the defendants for a breach of contract and undue interference. An order of injunction restraining the defendants by themselves or by their servants or agents, from further interfering or inter meddling with the lawful commercial transactions or business of the plaintiff or however interfere with the payment of his lawful service entitlement.

It was gathered that several attempts by top security officials of Nigerian security forces to amicably resolve the disputes failed as AGIP told the security forces that they are acting on an order from a top Bayelsa state government official directive not to pay,rather AGIP went fur-

ther to terminate other existing service jobs to them by the plaintiffs (indigenes) of obama community in Bayelsa state in order to intimidate the aggrieved security surveillance contractors to drop the court charges .

A party to the suit confirmed to leadership yesterday that the refusal by the aggrieved indigenes of the Obama (Okoroma)community in Nembe LGA to withdraw the suit against the NOAC was based on principle,”(we can never be intimidated on our rights and a company on our land,we shall see the end )we have reason to doubt the sincerity of the company.We have also observed that with the level they are going,the oil multinational may be planning to sell all oil exploration interest s and leave the Obama area soon.”

ayelsa State Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson has called on all tiers of Government in the country to declare a state of emergency on education, with a view to achieving sustainable national development.

The Governor, who made the call when participants of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Course 37, Kuru, Jos in Plateau State, visited him in Yenagoa, identified lack of political will on the part of successive governments to invest appropriately in the sector, as the bane for true educational advancement in the country.

Governor Dickson, who did not single out any particular administration to blame for the unwholesome development, decried the level of infrastructural setback plaguing most educational institutions, including schools that have produced leaders of the nation at various times.

Making reference to Oloibiri in Ogbia Local Government Area of the State, where crude oil was first struck in commercial quantities, the Governor, who described human capacity development as the most important resource, argued that, true sustainable prosperity will remain a mirage in Nigeria, if Governments continue to place high premium on harnessing natural resources at the expense of education.

He noted that, though, Nigeria is faced with a myriad of problems, including inadequate power supply, the nation will make appreciable progress the moment the much desired attention is paid to human capacity development.

The Governor said, it was in realisation of this fact, that his administration has continued to accord priority attention to the education sector, since its inception, and vowed not to relent in its efforts in moving the sector forward in the State.

Cultists kill vigilante member in Delta THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

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he ranging tension between suspected cultists and men of the vigilante groups in Delta State weekend worsened as rampaging cultists killed a member of the Udu vigilante group.

This is even as they shot another member at

Owhase also in Udu Local Government Area of the state. Following recent incessant cult activities and worsening security challenges, Aladja community has imposed a 12am to 5am curfew in the community to arrest the situation.

It was learnt suspected cultists killed the Vigilante member identified as Irikefe, who is a member

of Orhuwhorun vigilante and collected his gun after he was shot severally on the chest.

Our correspondent gathered that an unspecified suspected cultists has been arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.While the other vigilante member attached to Ohwase was shot on the leg at Newyork

junction and his gun also collected by the rampaging hoodlums.

A community source told our correspondent: “A lot of cult members have been arrested in Aladja before and after that last week attack. The community has placed a 12am to 5am curfew after the recent cultists attack.

“With that decision, peace an normalcy has re-

turned to the community.

It is a decisive action on curbing the menace of cultism with vigilante and youth leaders embarking street patrol daily and it is yielding immediate results.

However, our source added that one suspected cult member has been arrested and handed over to the police by the community for persecution.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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Xenophobic attacks: From victims to predators DESTINY ISIGUZO

T

he story of South Africa is an extra-ordinary one owing to the brutal experience the native blacks faced in the hands of Europeans, who came, conquered and subjected them to one of the most inhuman treatment in human history comparable to the trade across the Atlantic Ocean on African.

South Africa had her own bite and it came in various crude forms - displacement; disempowerment; human rights abuses; restrictions, and the most vicious of violence like rapes and murders, etc. Oswald Mtshali, a South African poet, in a poetic emotional outburst captured this brutality in “Just a Passerby”, a story of how his brother was murdered for a crime which nature could only be held responsible for, a crime that maybe his creator committed for making him black. Mtchali said “I saw them clobber him with Kieries, I heard him scream with pain, I like a victim of slaughter; I smelt fresh blood gush from his nostrils, and flow on the street.”

South Africa got freedom, but it was a blood stained freedom, a freedom that was paid for with incarcerations and deaths. The world stood with South Africa through this hard time, Africa was

her faithful ally and Nigeria was a committed sister in ensuring that the native South Africans were free. We joined them in striving for their freedom; and it cost Africa money, solidarity and other unquantifiable sacrifices made to make the victim, the native South Africans, free.

Just few days ago, in one of the worst attacks that have become a regular occurrence in South Africa, the victims became predators, when South Africans took to the streets and began meted on their African brothers and sisters the very crimes from which they were rescued in the heydays of apartheid. A country that rose from such inhumanity could have made abhorrence of those crimes that marked their enslavement and consequent struggle and freedom a core value. The USA, after securing freedom from Britain through a war that saw many loss of lives and devastation in all ramifications, made freedom her core value, and would do anything to ensure the freedom of all humanity. But South Africa, through these actions, is like telling the whole world, “look, we loved what they did to us and that is why we are doing it to others”.

However genuine their agitations are, the violence that was unleashed migrant Africans these past weeks is condem-

THE ATTACKS REVEALED HOW HUMANS CAN EASILY FORGET HISTORY nable. The attacks revealed how humans can easily forget history. South Africans demonstrated that they are ingrates, and telling the world that crimes are bad when they are being received by them and are palatable when being committed by them. The most ironical aspect of this recent development is the basis of the attacks being ironically the foundation of the apartheid policy black South Africans fought against.

They also added insults to injury in the roles and statements some very key South African personalities played before and during that crisis. The crisis was said to have been instigated by the Zulu king, Godwill Zwelithini and even during the crisis, the monarch made annoying statements that he had the ability to make South Africa burn if he so wished to the applause of his audience; the South African High Commissioner in Lagos said that Nigerians were blowing the lynching and attacks of other Africans out of proportion; and the spokesperson of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela called Nigeria’s

protest by recalling her High Commissioner to South Africa “an exploitation of a painful episode”. Such undiplomatic vituperations signify that South Africa is reserved in her condemnation of the heinous attacks.

The world was shaken as we watch raw human horror unleashed against others simply because they were black foreigners residing in South Africa. We saw the videos of little children attacked, gruesome images of people murdered in barbaric ways like passing sharp iron through one’s buttocks and bringing it out at the person’s back skin. We saw South African do what the whites did to them to their fellow African brothers and sisters, reminding us again of the graphic description of inhumanity in “Just a Passerby” by Oswald Mtchali, where one was clobbered to death. This time, it was the formal victims of apartheid, who surrounded people, tie them like criminals to tyres and set them ablaze for the entertainment of the gathered crowd.

If we are to rewrite “Just a Passerby”, it will be South Africans gathered around a Zimbabwean or Nigerian, clobber the person to death and even had the luxury of time to burn the person. South Africans are no longer victims but predators.

Isiguzo is on the Art Desk of this newspaper

Bayelsa: The next battleground state ALEX O. AKPODIETE ATAWA

R

ecently, I came across an article in Sunday Leadership titled, “Bayelsa 2016: Uncertainty Surrounds Dickson.” The writer seems to be postulating about the chances of incumbent Governor Henry Seriake Dickson winning a second term bid. Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Ondo and Anambra States were the only seven states that did not hold governorship elections on April 11, 2015.

Bayelsa is unique among the seven because it is one of the last states created the late Gen. Sani Abacha. on October 1, 1996. There were great expectations when it was excised from the old River States because it has one of the largest crude oil and natural gas deposits in the federation. Nigeria’s first oil well was struck at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, and petroleum exploration and exploitation is a major activity in the State.

The name, Bayelsa, is an acronym of three former Local Government Areas of Brass Yenagoa,) and Sagbama, the nucleus of state and whose personalities were in the forefront of the state creation movement.

Ethnic groups that make up Bayelsa include Ijaw, Kolokunu, Ekpetiama, Igbriran, Atissa and Biseni with four the major spoken languages of Izon, Nembe, Epie-Atissa, and Ogbia. The Ijaws (Izons) make up the majority. Significant sectors of the population are fishermen because of the water dominated terrain, while the government is the major employer of labour. The skills acquisition

programmes embarked on by successive governments and projects by the lucrative oil companies in the state have not yielded the expected gains. So, economically, the citizens of Bayelsa are badly in need of a political Messiah. Who will rescue the state?

Today, the almost two million Bayelsans are yearning for a government that will usher in a new dispensation and give them the so-called dividends of democracy because many are still living in abject poverty. The state which will celebrate its 19 years of creation in a few months’ time has arguably not much to show for its existence. At 19, a teenager should have finished secondary school and looking forward to university education. However, the average Bayelsan will tell you that the state is yet to graduate from primary school and like the Apostle Paul said to the Christians in Corinth, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” (1 Cor. 3:2). In other words, the state is not where it is supposed to be. “Solid food belongs to those who are of full age.” (Hebrews 5:14).

In 19 years, Bayelsa has been governed by 10 political chief executives made up of four military administrators, four civilian elected governors and two civilian acting governors. Timipre Sylva seems to have undergone more political gymnastics than any other governor.

First, Werinipre Seibarugo became Acting Governor for six weeks after Timipre Sylva’s election was nullified in 2008, while Nestor Binabo was Acting Governor for a month in 2012 after Timipre Sylva’s tenure was terminated by the Su-

THE STATE WHICH WILL CELEBRATE ITS

19 YEARS OF

CREATION IN A FEW MONTHS’ TIME HAS

ARGUABLY NOT MUCH TO SHOW FOR ITS EXISTENCE preme Court. All the elected governors to date have been PDP governors and the state seems to be a solid and strong PDP state. In fact, PDP won 90 percent of the votes in the 2012 governorship election.

Whether the incumbent governor will win the PDP primaries for a shot at a second term remains to be seen as he is allegedly not in the good book of the First lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, especially when it was alleged that his supporters and those of the First lady clashed during the PDP presidential rally in Yenagoa in February this year. This is also coupled with the allegations by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri that Gov. Dickson supposedly led thugs to ransack a Federal High Court to prevent the court from delivering a judgment on his case against the governor’s preferred Senatorial candidate, Foster Ogola.

Seriake Dickson may also be faced with an existing jinx. No Governor to date has ever finished two terms in office since the return to democracy in 1999.

The closest was Diepreye Alameiyeseigha, who was re-elected but impeached two years into his second tenure. He was

replaced by President Goodluck Jonathan, who did not run for reelection because he was picked as running mate to the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. His replacement, Timipre Sylva did not get the PDP ticket for a second term after doing almost five years that was truncated by a Supreme Court decision. The incumbent governor replaced Timipre Sylva, who has now joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). Diepreye Alameiseigha and Sylva are purportedly interested in coming back for a complete second tenure to finish what they started and claim whatever they left behind at Creek Haven in Yenagoa.

In the eight (8) Local Government Areas of Bayelsa (Brass, Ekeremor, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Nembe, Ogbia, Sagbama, Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa), the story is the same. The people are disenfranchised and want a change with visible development, but with a PDP governor come Valentine’s Day 2016.

War drums are beating as over 10 candidates are already preparing their war steps.

In a few months, however, Bayelsa will become a serious political battleground, especially as Jonathan retires to Otuoke.

Rev. (Prof.) Atawa writes from the neighboring state of Delta. Contact him on 08138391661 or profatawa@ gmail.com Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs.

Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

18

Editorial

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

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

The Buhari–AIT antagonism

I

t is good enough that the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari; and the political party under whose ticket he rode to power, the All Progressives Congress (APC), quickly rebutted the claim that Buhari barred the crew of African Independent Television (AIT) from covering his activities. Indeed, even if the ban was ordered in Buhari’s capacity as a President-Elect, to be lifted when he is sworn-in as the nation’s President on May 29, 2015, as was speculated, it still wouldn’t have made much of a difference. It would have served as a vindication of the fear expressed by critics that like a leopard, the President-elect would not change the authoritarian skin he wore during his first coming as a military leader (1983-1985) even now that he is an elected, civilian president.

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, was one of the strongest voices when the controversy of choosing between the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari, raged after the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition APC concluded their national conventions and presented the duo to Nigerians as their candidates ahead of the presidential poll. Soyinka had stated: “There is a huge albatross hanging (on) the necks of the two main candidates… one contender is troubled by the present, the

other by the past…But the environment changes, circumstances change…I look at the possibility of a genuine internal transformation in some individuals. I’ve been disappointed before and we must always be ready to be disappointed again…Nigerians should be prepared to deal with any new betrayal by any ruler with the same passion and commitment…. as they did with the late Sani Abacha…”

It was, therefore, not surprising that Nigerians, with one voice, rose against the faltering steps into the Buhari civilian era, buttressed by the purported barring of AIT from covering Buhari’s activities as was allegedly conveyed by the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, at a public function hosted by his boss in Abuja lately. “AIT has been asked to stay aside based on security and family concerns…In addition, General Buhari has decided that they will have to resolve some issues relating to standard and ethics. We will be talking with them to try and resolve the matter, but for now, the station has been asked to stay aside because, like I said, there are some family and security concerns”, Shehu was quoted as saying.

Few hours later, however, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the in-coming Buhari administration

May 5, 1994 American teenager, Michael P. Fay, was caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism, a punishment that many in the United States deemed and criticised as excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime.

However, a significant number of Americans were also in support of it. Fay’s sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after US officials requested leniency.

NO MATTER HOW BAD THEY MAY STILL BE

FEELING,

BUHARI AND THE APC SHOULD

ALLOW THE LAW AND DUE PROCESS TO HAVE THEIR WAY would not discriminate against any media organization, irrespective of its role during the electioneering leading up to the presidential poll. Mohammed said: “There is a Code of Ethics guiding the practice of journalism in Nigeria; and this demands every journalist to ensure a strict adherence to the highest levels of ethics and professionalism in carrying out their duties. There must be repercussions, within the realms of the law, for media organizations which have wantonly breached the Code of Ethics of the journalism profession and turned themselves to partisans instead of professionals. But such repercussions will not include barring any accredited media organization from covering the activities of the President-elect”. We hold and will continue to appraise the Buhari administration against this APC position in the future.

There is no doubt that many media houses (both print and electronic), including the AIT,

ON THIS DAY May 5, 2007 All 114 passengers and crew members aboard Kenya Airways Flight 507 died when the pilots lost control of the plane and it crashed in Douala, Cameroon. Kenya Airways Flight 507 was a scheduled Abidjan–Douala–Nairobi passenger service operated with a Boeing 737-800; that crashed in the initial stage of its second leg on May 5, 2007, immediately after take-off from the Douala International Airport.

might have infracted the law in both their reportage and the choice of political advertorials they ran while campaigns for the elections lasted. But making the AIT the lone scapegoat of the charade appears a vengeful, precipitate half measure that ignored the root cause of the ailment in preference for treating the symptoms. We reject any suggestion that only the AIT was the culprit of the ethical or partisan shame, without making reference to such regulatory bodies like the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), which shut their eyes to their responsibilities while the melee lasted. Any measure aimed at addressing the observable infractions should be lawful, comprehensive and must involve all relevant stakeholders, who are already in the know of what truly transpired.

Besides, we are also aware that some cases related to what AIT was accused of are still pending in the courts. It is, therefore, prejudicial to punish any perceivable culprit for purported offences pending in competent courts. No matter how bad they may still be feeling, Buhari and the APC should allow the law and due process to have their way. For, the country is now a constitutional democracy.

May 5, 2010 Mass protests erupted in Greece in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek debt crisis. The Eurozone crisis is an ongoing crisis that has been affecting the countries of the Eurozone since early 2009, when a group of 10 central and eastern European banks asked for a bailout. One researcher called it a combined government debt crisis.

Business Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Erosion Menace: FG moves to tackle ravaging impacts on communities 25

Stakeholders clamour for technocrat as aviation minister 31

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

19

PFAs invest N172.4bn in state securities –PenCom

33

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

Aero Contractors L-R; Group Managing Director/CEO, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola and the Chairman, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, at the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the Bank, held at Eko Hotel and Suit, Lagos, Thursday

Emerging technologies take toll on ISPs’ business

The emergence of technological advancements in the country appears to be pushing Internet Service Providers, ISPs, out of business, leaving only a few that could withstand the test of time. Isaiah ERHIAWARIEN reports

I

t is no longer rosy for Internet Service Providers, ISPs, as the deregulation of telecommunications sector, which saw the advancement of technology in the country, is gradually pushing them out of business.

Investigation by the National Mirror reveals that the few surviving ISPs are in still in business due to their foresights, which quickly made to change their business modules.

The larger chunk of customers

that boost their businesses, investigation further reveals are the cyber cafés, patronised mainly by the youths, caught up with internet bugs, resulting into a large number of cyber cafés in all the nooks and crannies of Lagos streets.

Unfortunately, those cyber cafes are also closing shops due to the evolution of mobile technology, affecting their business.

This is besides constant raids by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over cyber crime fraud-

sters, otherwise known as Yahoo boys.

It was also gathered that the first attempt to introduce Internet into the country was through the UNESCO sponsored Regional Informatics Networks for Africa, RINAF, projects in 1995, at one of the several workshops held to propagate the idea of Internet, resulting to the birth of ISPs in Nigeria.

At the event, the Nigeria Internet Group, NIG, was formed as a non-profit, non-governmental

organisation with the primary objective to promote and facilitate access to Internet in the country.

Shortly after, precisely in the early 90s, a large numbers of ISPs began to emerge and notable among them include, Link serve, Cyberspace, Hyperia, Info web, PINET, Skannet and Steineng among others.

Ironically, due to lack of internet exchange point in Nigeria, coupled with the high cost of dolCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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

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

Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50.

Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00.

Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

20

Business

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Emerging technologies take toll on ISPs’ business lars, it is no longer lucrative for the ISPs to operate in the present day reality.

Patronage from customers is dropping along with the planned move to cut down the cost of internet access.

It would be recalled that in 2005, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo directed the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC to ensure that the nation gets its own Internet Exchange Point.

The euphoria of that success did not however last long as it coincided with the introduction of smart phones by the mobile phone markers, the mobile network operators lashing on it to provide internet access to Nigerians.

President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engr. Lanre Ajayi, disclosed that bad polices killed the ISPs in the country.

He said “We are one of the pioneers ISP in Nigeria. But with didn’t grow as expect because of some government policies that did not encourage local entrepreneur.”

One of the early cyber café in Surulere that benefitted from the services of ISPs then was Compucat Systems, which used to have numbers of clients so much that staff in the cyber café run shift to accommodate night surfers.

When National Mirror visited the café, the owner, Emmanuel Okitiakpe, a graduate of Chemistry from the University of Ilorin, who took advantage of business opportunity created by the ISPs to establish the Cyber café said that technology and government polices knock him out of business.

He said he used to offer internet training then for a lot of people, and those that are looking for jobs at embassies in Nigeria where not only knowledge of the computer is required but also that of how to use the internet saying that all that is now gone.

According to him, since the ISPs are no longer in business, the cost of bandwidth has gone beyond their source of capital saying that presently it does not really profit cyber café to patronise the new crop of internet services providers in the likes of Spectranet, Swift and Smile since the presence of mobile data has reduced patronage of cyber café.

Okitiakpe who has converted his business place into a modeling studio and now runs a modeling contest, known as Best Model Nigeria said that the outburst of technological change in the country drove many cyber café out of business besides other policies of government.

Tracing the ordeal of the ISPs, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Solution, a Dimension Data company, Mr. Olusola Teniola said that the drift of the mobile network operators from voice to data upon realizing the huge economy gains in it was a major undoing for the ISPs. He said that the operations have discovered that there is not much gain in the average revenue per user for calls noting that it has of recent dropped significantly.

According to him, the same operating environment that put the old NITEL payphone booth into extinction affected the ISPs adding that once Nigerians had the mobile phones in their hands, the NITEL payphone booth died natural death.

He said that now people can from the

Juwah

Johnson

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

NIGERIAN

ECONOMY ARE NOT BEING FELT

Telecom mast

comfort of their homes not only make calls but also surfer the internet stating that all the telecos have now realized the great economic value that data will add their revenue.

Teniola revealed that very soon, voice may become free considering the huge investment that the mobile operators are devoting to providing internet services to their customers.

He stated that the landing of under-sea optic fibre cable, which before now do not exist have added value to the internet services from the mobile operators thereby putting business at risk for the old ISPs did not see the future of the industry.

For any ISPs to weather the storms of the present reality of the operating environment, that ISPs must change its business module stressing that they must see beyond providing internet access for end-users even at the enterprise level.

He noted that his company, Internet Solution, which is part of a global company, NTT Group that employs about 245,000 personnel across the world and with a whopping $7.8 billion investment on research and development saw the direction of the ISP sector long ago and quickly changed its direction.

He said that Internet Solution went beyond providing internet access to cloud management services, hosting and co-location, security solutions and dedicated leased servers adding funding and management is not a problem to his company due to the caliber of investors that it has.

On how to weather the storm, pioneer ISP operator, Lanre Ajayi said that ISPs need to re-strategise on other business areas within the sector.

He said that PiNET has since added another company, Digiserve, which provides wireless services for organisation, and is present in ten states of the country.

Most of the big names in the industry that have gone underground include Linkserve, Hyperia and Direct ON PC.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

21

Dangote Cement production hits 30m mt in Africa TOLA AKINMUTIMI

P

resident of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has disclsed that the Dangote Cement’s yearly production across Africa now stood in the region of 30 million metric tons.

The disclosure came after the successful inauguration of new plants in Cameroon and Senegal recently,

Speaking at the just concluded Kaduna International Trade Fair, Dangote said his conglomerate planned big for the African economy, saying Africans must look inward and put their human and natural resources to best uses, rather than political conflicts Dangote, who was represented by the Group’s Executive Director, Engineer Mansur Ahmad, said the Group’s cement production had since surpassed Nigeria’s aver-

age total consumption of around 20milion metric tons, adding that Nigeria under-consumes cement product when compared with other African, Asian and European countries.

He said the company had commenced production of the cement in some African countries which include, Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa, adding that by the time it completes its projects in eleven other African countries,

L-R: Finance and Strategy Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc. Mr. Ron Plumridge; Head, Debt Capital Markets, FMDQ OCT Plc. Mr. Kobi Bentsi-Enchill; MD/CEO Guinness Nigeria Plc. John O’Keeffe; and, Executive Director, Corporate and Institutional Clients, Standard Chartered Bank Oluremi Oyindasola Oni at the N10billion Commercial Paper signing ceremony held at Guinness Nigeria Headquarters, recently.

the conglomerate’s total production would have surpassed 50mmt.

He said the Dangote Cement in Nigeria controls about 65 per cent market share; and about 30 per cent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The investment in other African countries according to him is strategic and that they were aimed at supporting governments across the continent by creating thousands of jobs for the people.

Dangote said his involvement in petrochemicals, fertilizers and Petroleum Refining was another bold step at helping to reduce poverty in Africa through promotion of gainful employment and that on completion of all the projects there will be massive employment opportunities.

This is just as he disclosed that the commencement of refinery and other petrochemicals will make Nigeria to become independent arguing the present development where Nigeria has to depend on other countries for refined products despite huge crude resources was unacceptable.

Financial Inclusion: ANMFIN faults banks’ credit criteria for MSMEs

T Stakeholders task FG on nationwide fuel scarcity CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

M

otorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to end the perennial scarcity of the premium motor spirit otherwise known as petrol.

Although more filling stations are now opened for business on Sunday,there queues are still very long forcing motorists to spend several hours on queue before refilling their cars.

As a result of the acute scarcity in the city, the issue of the fuel problem dominated major discussion in public places within the metropolis, with many foreseeing more frustrations if the scarcity continues into the coming weeks.

Some of the motorists who spoke to National Mirror, urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR) and other relevant agencies including oil marketers to work together to end the suffering created by the scarcity.

“The relevant authorities should work hard to end this suffering. I want to tell you that the

continued scarcity of fuel has adverse effect on the economy of this city because nowadays people spend more time looking for fuel than working in their offices”said Musa Adamu.

Also speaking, Chinedu Achianu said the situation has forced him to abandon his car in his office since last week, adding that the stress which the scarcity has created for the many in the capital city was better imagined than experienced.

Another motorist, Olayinka Adebayo, lamented that she spent 13 hours on Tuesday in a queue for the scarcity commodity without success.

“Can you imagine I spent a whole 13 hours under the scorching sun of Abuja on Tuesday only to be told later they have stopped selling. I will have to park my car if I exhaust the fuel in my tank “ she recalled The federal government had hinted that it would commence payment of some of its liabilities, including subsidy to oil marketers in order to clear queues from fuel stations across the country.

Minister of Information, Mrs. Patricia Akwashiki made the disclosure after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting noted

that the outgoing government led

by President Goodluck Jonathan has the capacity of handling fuel problem and must not wait for the incoming Muhammadu Buhari government to fix it.

She said, “I want to assure that we have enough fuel to supply and the problem is not that we do not have fuel on ground, we have a problem with the tanker drivers and it borders on non-payment.

“But from tomorrow, the coordinating minister of the economy is going to start paying of some of the liabilities we have in that sector and it will ease off. But we do have enough fuel on ground to last us for 27 days that I can assure you even if we are consuming four million liters per day.

“But the problem we have is logistics and the problems with the unions and non-payment. So you don’t have to wait for Buhari Administration to fix it, we can fix it and we have been fixing it.”

But all efforts to confirm from the National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Chinedu Okoronkwo, whether government actually commenced payment of claims by marketers proved abortive as he said he was in a meeting.

While commending the organizers of the Trade Fair, the business mogul expressed optimism about Nigeria’s economic rebound, adding that both outgoing and incoming leaders have done Nigerian proud by ensuring that the country remains peaceful for businesses to thrive.

He said the conglomerate is investing heavily in petroleum sector, fertilizer and agriculture to make Nigeria self sufficient in food production.

Council member of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture, KADCCIMA, Hajia Rakiya Musa, who spoke earlier on behalf of KADCCIMA, commended the support of the Dangote Group was providing for to both the chamber and to the Nigerian economy.

She explained that hat Nigeria needed at this crucial moment was more of entrepreneurs like Dangote, lamenting that most Nigerian businessmen are into trading and not entrepreneurship which the economy badly needed.

he Association of Non Bank Micro Finance Institutions of Nigeria (ANMFIN), has voiced its resentment against what it termed the difficult collateral requirements set by banks for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises to meet before they could access credit. Speaking during its recently concluded Annual General Meeting at the weekend in Abuja, National President of the association, Hamid Giwa Afolabi, emphasised the need for more sensitisation on financial inclusion for the Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Afolabi explained that it was in furtherance of the association’s commitment to sensitize people on the financial inclusion plan for MSMES that it decided to embark on elaborate sensitization for those at the grassroots.

According to him, there are lots of challenges regarding the MSME developmental fund, as most members have not being able to access it, due to some bottlenecks of which they are tackling with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The ANMFIN chief said: “The bottleneck is the third party guarantee that you need to get, and the fact is, some of these our members don’t have the type of guarantee CBN is requesting for, which is

treasury bill of fixed deposit.

“What we are doing presently is negotiating with commercial banks, so that our people can submit Certificate of Occupancy on their property, so that they can guarantee them. But, I want to emphatically make it clear that the commercial banks are not keying into it, because they want us to come and access the fund from them, of which we have refused to, because it is been assessed at 60 percent rate”, he said.

The Executive Secretary of the association, Dr. Godbless Safugha, told members and other stakeholders about the strategic plan being put in place at the national and state levels by the association to ensure that MSMEs have access to financing.

Noting that the MSME sub sector remains vibrant, he identified lack of access to finance as well as infrastructure as major constraints to improving its contributions to the economy. “For CBN to say MFIs that are close to the people should come and put 60 percent before they can access that fund, that is unrealistic and that is the reason why most of the MFIs that are supposed to have been assessing the fund are not able to, If they can reduce their condition, I believe the fund will go round”, he said.

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Business News

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Resilient capital markets key to global economies’ growth –IOSCO chief TOLA AKINMUTIMI

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mid growing challenges facing many economies globally, the need for emerging markets to continue to focus on building resilient capital markets has been identified as crucial to withstanding global market stresses in the months ahead.

Giving the charge at the end of the three-day Annual Meeting and Conference, IOSCO’s Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee held in Cairo last week, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Ranjit Ajit Singh, noted that developing resilient markets by the economies would help them in proactively adjusting to the emerging risks posed to long term investments for development.

According to him, the regulators of the capital markets in member-countries would do better by prioritising the development of strong regulatory frameworks for sustainable and long term growth

of the various markets.

Singh said: “Volatility is a given in today’s challenging environment, and it is critical for emerging markets to continue to focus on building resilient capital markets to withstand global market stresses. At the same time, emerging markets should reaffirm their commitment to facilitating the development of strong regulatory frameworks to foster sustainable and long term growth”.

At the three-day event which featured leading global industry players and international organizations, participants discussed current risks and vulnerabilities in global capital markets, and how capital market regulators should address these challenges.

For instance, reinforcing the theme of resilience, the Committee in collaboration with the Toronto Centre also hosted a workshop to strengthen collective regulatory capacity in crisis preparedness and contingency planning, including reviewing relevant crisis management tools.

In addition, the GEM Committee also approved in principle the policy report on SME Financing through Capital Markets, noting that in order to achieve the recommendations in the report, emerging capital markets have a major role to play in bridging the financing gap for SMEs. The report described some of the successful measures implemented in capital markets around the world that supported SME financing requirements, and highlights key challenges faced by SMEs in accessing market based financing.

While also providing recommendations for regulators to assist capital raising for SMEs in emerging markets, the Committee also discussed the priority areas of emerging market regulators and the committee’s future work program following a review conducted across the membership, including the development of deeper markets and enhancement of regulatory capacity to reinforce market resilience.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CIS appoints co-editors for Institute’s Journal TOLA AKINMUTIMI

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s part of its strategic plan for enhanced educational development, The Chartered red Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) has named two frontline scholars, Professor Rufus Olowe of University of Lagos and Professor Taiwo Asaolu of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife as the co-editors of the institute’s new Journal of Securities and Investment.

The university dons are to ensure professional publication of the Journal whose operational philosophy is to make a definite contribution to knowledge, educational development and improvement in practical service utilization.

The notice of request for articles for the journal, approved by the institute’s Registrar and Chief

Lagos to host West African bloggers ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

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L-R: Corporate Communications, Meadow Hall Foundation, Ronke Fasalayo; Head, Kemi Adewale; Group Manager Director, Kehinde Nwani and Head of School, Ola Opesan, during a media parley in Lagos on Saturday.

Agencies body urges Buhari on communication policy review DAVID AUDU

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resident, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN, Mr. Kelechi Nwosu has urged the PresidentElect, General Muhammadu Buhari to review the current national communication architecture as part of his efforts to re-ignite the Nigeria spirit and positively project brand Nigeria.

Nwosu while congratulating the winner of the 2015 presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari and commending President Goodluck Jonathan for his statesmanship for honourably

conceding the elections in a manner that doused tensions across the country and boosted confidence in the future of democracy in Nigeria among global observers, noted that as a neutral but patriotic body, the AAAN had actively promoted a professional agenda for issue based, ethical, smear free campaigning among the political parties.

He said with the election over, it would be ideal for the incoming government to engage the professional support of certified professionals in the onerous task of projecting the immense potentials of the Nigerian brand.

Nwosu further called on Presi-

dent Elect General Buhari to reconfigure the national communication architecture in other to give impetus to a robust economy, promote national re-orientation, inspire innovation, as well as enable entrepreneurship and create choice.

The AAAN President additionally recommended that the new government should also pursue local content, affirmation policy and allow experienced professionals to run government Communication to avoid the lack of public support and buy-in that trailed certain policies introduced during the current tenure as a result of poor communication and engagement.

Executive Officer, Mr. Adedeji Ajadi , indicates that eligible contributors are members and nonmembers of the CIS with strong background in academic and professional research.

Ajadi explained that articles should range within the scope of Securities, Investment, Assets and Portfolio Management, Market Hypothesis, Risk Management, Securities Regulation, Capital Restructuring, Economics of the Capital Market and other related areas.

All articles are expected to undergo rigorous selection by the editors as the articles published in the journal would enhance upward career movement in the universities both in Nigeria and other countries. Olowe is a renowned Professor of Finance at University of Lagos while Asaolu is the Dean, Faculty of Administration and Professor of Accounting at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

loggers in West Africa will be meeting in Lagos next week to fine tune new strategy on how to make fortune from the blogging industry.

The event, which is being hosted by a body of bloggers in the region is tagged the West Africa Bloggers Conference, WBC, and aimed at Bloggers from across the West African countries.

The two day conference, which holds at the Berkeley Hotel Isaac John road Ikeja is designed to offer learning opportunity to young West Africans on advanced blogging techniques, creative and branding strategies, monetisation opportunities and structured business models and successful

digital business principles.

According to a press statement from the organisers, the WBC will prove advantageous for Bloggers in all fields saying that with blogging now fast becoming a lucrative business globally, WABC aims to provide a networking opportunity for the Bloggers to meet and share their knowledge.

Tagged WABC Lagos 2015, the event is free to registered participant. But for space constraints only the first 350 the bloggers to register will be sent the admission code to enter the conference venue.

All other interested bloggers after the first set of 350 registered participants will be encouraged to watch the live streaming and live twitter feeds of the event

China Conglomerate Fosun to merge Ironshore in $1.84bn deal

F

osun International Ltd., the investment arm of China’s biggest closely held conglomerate, is planning a $1.84 billion merger with Ironshore Inc. after buying the shares it doesn’t already own in the Bermudabased insurer.

Fosun’s unit Mettlesome Investment 2 will combine with Ironshore to boost its presence in the insurance business, the Shanghai-based company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Sunday. The company completed the acquisition of a 20 percent stake in Ironshore, it said in February.

Fosun Group is backed by Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang, who calls himself a student of Warren Buffett, and has been on

an acquisition spree ranging from Australian energy companies to New York city office buildings.

The U.S. market is “vibrant” and Fosun has “many deals” under discussion even after asset prices went up “a lot,” Guo said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York last month.

“The group has been endeavoring determined efforts in establishing insurance as its core business and developing insurance as one of the key growth engines,” Fosun International said in its stock exchange filing. “This acquisition will bring synergies for both parties in prevention of currency risks, expansion of assets allocation and cooperation in reinsurance business.”

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Jobs & Career

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

23

Unemployment: Experts harp on vocational, technical trainings to tackle menace Vocational and technical education imparts practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge on people for economic development. As Nigeria continues to grapple with high rate of unemployment, experts say building vocational and technical trainings among employable citizens should not be undermined in national development agenda. MESHACK IDEHEN writes.

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ecently, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) gave advice to the Federal and State Governments on the need for them to change their seeming lacklustre attitude towards vocational and technical education in order to ensure inclusive growth in the nation’s economy.

NACCIMA pointed out that it was high time the government focused on technical and vocational education and training in the quest to grow and develop the economy, explaining also that the wobbling state of the country’s economy over the years consistently brings to the fore, the role of vocational and technical education in boosting industrial growth and eliminating unemployment.

Immediate Past President of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Mr Olusegun Ajanlekoko, told National Mirror that the unemployment situation in the country, coupled with very low industrial capacity which the nation’s economy is experiencing can become things of the past if the government can get its bearing right.

To Ajanlekoko, the government getting its bearing right simply means focusing on the development of technical and vocational education for the country’s youth. He explained what the government needs to do will be to deemphasise paper certification or qualification, and instead, enact policies that will emphasise hands- on skills and competences.

He described technical and vocational education like the type the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is providing as a form of education that is specifically designed to prepare students for industry, agriculture and commerce, among others, usually provided at the senior secondary or lower tertiary level.

According to him, technical education is a planned programme of course and learning experience that begins with exploration of career options, supports basic academic and life skills, and enables achievement of high academic standards, leadership, preparation for industry-defined work, and advanced and continuing education.

Citing the example of economically de-

Onaeko

Ajanlekoko

In other words, It Is an educatIon desIgned to develop occupatIonal skIlls that tackle and elImInate unemployment from Its source veloped nations, he said vocational education and training has already prepared learners in those climes for careers that are based on manual or practical activities, including traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. “In other words, it is an education designed to develop occupational skills that tackle and eliminate unemployment from its source.”

Director General of the ITF, Dr Mrs Juliet Onaeko, told our correspondent that vocational and technical education gives individuals the skills to live, learn and work as a productive citizen in a global society.

She explained that the aims and objectives of vocational and technical education are to provide trained manpower in the applied science, technology and business, particularly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels, provide technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural commercial and economic development and give training and impart the necessary skills to individual who shall be self-reliant economically.

According to the ITF DG, the fund has

been doing its best to grapple with and surmount the problem confronting the nation’s youth through the provision of world class vocational training, despite the challenges associated with the efforts.

He explained that this form of education can also be seen as a form of learning designed, tailored and targeted at preparing individuals for gainful employment as semi-skilled or skilled workers, or technicians or sub-professional in recognised, in new and emerging occupations or to prepare individual for enrolment in advanced technical education programme.

“Vocational and technical education has impacted on socio-political productivity and economic development of most nations. This has made VTE an integral part of national development strategies of such societies”, he pointed out. However, despite its contribution to societal and economic development, Training Manager, Vida Technical and Development Company, Mr. Ezekiel Isabor, said Nigerian leaders have not given this aspect of education the attention it deserves, noting that this could be one of the reasons for the nation’s underde-

tainable long term solutions.

The union stated it was reviewing the crisis which had brought education delivery at all levels to its lowest ebb in the country, stating that persistent problem of lack of respect for collectively bargained agreements remained pervasive in all the sectors of the public service, hence the increasing incidence of indus-

trial unrests.

The Union in a statement jointly signed by its President, Mr. Ladi Iliya, and General Secretary, Mr. Peters Adeyemi, called on the President-elect to tackle the perennial crisis in the educational sector in the country.

It stated: “The crisis which has brought education delivery at all levels to its lowest ebb

NASU tasks Buhari on education sector crisis

Meshack Idehen

T

he Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, (NASU), has appealed tothe President elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), to initiate strategic policies that would unravel the root cause of the crisis and identify sus-

velopment.

Isabor said it had become imperative that Nigerian leaders woke up from their long negligence of vocational and technical education, adding though there are a couple of technical colleges in the country, they are poorly funded with little or no functioning equipment, and have become glorified secondary schools.

According to him, Nigerian youths are facing myriad challenges chief of which is the high level of unemployment and insecurity. The government, he added, does not seem to be paying much attention to the plight of the unemployed in the country, whatwith the low implementation of the vocational and technical education and training initiatives that have been rolled out year after year.

The government and other concerned stakeholders, the training consultant noted, can improve on the number of jobs available in the country and also boost the economy by increasing funding for vocational and technical education like the ITF from where the unemployed could acquire skills and learn trades that can last them for a lifetime.

He added that many youths who dropped out of school at secondary level, and even those who attended higher institutions, lack the basic skills to compete in a weak economy like Nigeria’s where the labour market is very tight.

A chartered accountant, Mr Emeka Ifezulike, pointed out that the provision of vocational and technical education in secondary and post-secondary schools had a long and rewarding history for countries that have successfully applied it.

He said vocational and technical education was designed to offer training to improve individual’s general proficiency, particularly in relation to their present or future occupations; creating jobs and boosting the economy of any nation, Ifezulike also urged Federal and State governments to ensure that not only technical and vocational education was made compulsorily in the educational curriculum in the country, but that measures should be put in place to see that the policy is complied with.

is informed by underfunding, lack of adherence to collectively bargained agreements by government and its agencies, and misuse of allocated funds by heads of institutions without regard to procedural requirements for accountability, transparency and without consultation with important stakeholders and the unions in these institutions.

24

Jobs & Career

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tips for increasing productivity

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roductivity is the combination of intelligent planning and focused efforts. Staying productive at work or at home can be a challenge.

Every time the work day ends, odds are that you are not satisfied with what you have accomplished. Productivity can be continuously improved, but here are some pointers that have really worked.

Seek help / delegate tasks accordinglyEverybody needs help and should never take on large tasks alone. Two of the biggest barriers for getting help are trust and introversion.

In order to get help from others, you need to trust your colleagues in helping you complete work. If you tell your colleague what the deadline is for the project, then they will likely take it very seriously. Make sure to give your colleague all of the resources that he or she needs such as relevant documents or spreadsheets in order to reach the best deliverable.

People are not going to volunteer in helping out so you have to feel comfortable about asking for help. If you are too introverted to ask for help, then you will most likely be doing tasks on your own. You may also end up becoming somebody else’s work-horse because you are too shy to speak up.

Do not get sucked into unnecessary meetings-Time is the most important currency in your life. While it may be tempting to meet with as many people for the benefit of networking, the time you get at your desk is extremely valuable. Knowing what meetings to refuse is very important.

If your manager wants to have a oneon-one meeting, then it is obviously very important. However, attending a meeting about whether to use a Times New Roman or Georgia font at the weekly newsletter design subcommittee get-together may not be worth your time.

Create to-do lists-In your life, there are tasks that are simple and ones that are complex. Go after the easy ones first and then tackle the complicated ones after. To stay on top of tasks, create to-do lists and track them.

If some of the tasks are larger, then break them into multiple smaller tasks. For example, if you need to put together a white

T

he positions for Patient Access Managers in East and West Africa from (www.findjobafrica) opens job vacancies for this week.

The openings are proposed to be based in several West African capitals, and the recruiting organisation said in these roles, that the incoming key jobs focus will be to drive and implement patient access strategy across these respective regions.

The successful candidates will be based in East and West Africa respectively but will be required to travel extensively to key countries across their regions, and the roles will suit individuals who have an understanding of African health systems, international healthcare experience or the workings of health related NGO’s.

The qualifications are education up to degree level or MBA, excellent organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills, Selfdriven, flexible, autonomous, and customer centric individual and action-oriented, sales

paper, you should make it a point to complete 2-3 pages per day rather than trying to put together one large document on the day before it is due.

Putting a timer on these tasks is worth considering so that you do not lose focus on other items on your to-do list. One of the most satisfying aspects of creating a to-do list is crossing off things when they are done.

It gives you a sense of accomplishment and gives you a visualization of progress. When going through an annual review, the tasks that you have crossed off can be a great talking point for what you have accomplished.

Take breaks--If you spend more than 8-10 hours at a desk and without moving around much, then you will notice that you have less energy. Productivity is not measured by the number of hours you sit at a desk. It is measured by how much you get done without sacrificing your health.

One of the major reasons for obesity in the last 20 years is because of decreased levels of daily physical activities. Take a break and go for a daily walk.

Weed out distractions-distractions are not just affecting adults working at companies. The average college student is spending around 3 hours per day on social networks while spending only 2 hours per day studying.

If you find that you are really falling behind on your work, then you should consider uninstalling the Facebook and Twitter app from your smartphone.

Stop watching so much TV-The quality of TV shows is increasing, but it is important to remember that empires don’t get built on couches. Americans spend around 34 hours per week watching TV. It is important to wind down, but you may want to learn to cap yourself. Maybe you only need to watch one TV show per day instead of watching 5 episodes. Just imagine how much productivity can be gained by substituting the hours you spend watching TV on homework instead.

Sitting on the couch in front of the TV has detrimental effects on your health too. When you are using a computer, your hands are constantly busy, but you tend to snack more when sitting in front of the TV since your hands are free. You also have a tendency to lie

Workers working with computer

or sit down constantly in front of the TV. This lack of activity is bad for your health also.

Designate times to handle e-mail-Everyday there is a good amount of time spent writing e-mail replies in a timely manner. If you are constantly checking your e-mail, this

Source: Forbes.com

Oil, gas workers condemn attacks on foreigners in South Africa Meshack Idehen

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etroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has condemned the xenophobic attacks on migrants in South Africa, calling on the South African government to end the attacks on foreigners in the country.

The oil workers union also demanded that the South African Government should ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime that led to the death of many foreigners in South Africa are brought to book.

PENGASSAN in a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Ojugbana, noted that the disturbing report on the xenophobic attacks had aggravated to the level of heinous killings of fellow Africans and foreigners which leaves much to be desired.

Ojugbana asserted there should be no basis to justify any xenophobic act in South Africa which the world is greatly admiring as a model in the handling of multiracial state status.

Job vacancies

focused, with high sense of urgency.

From www.jobberman.com is the vacant post of Head - Membership Care / Client Services to be based in Lagos.

Minimum qualification is a degree and requires experience of 5 - 7 years. The responsibilities for this position are Meeting member’s queries and enquiries as well as designing membership care strategies, overseeing the meetings and other activities of Board of fellows.

The post is also responsible for marketing of qualified members and processing of Fellowship election, coordinates the Fellowship & HCIB Investiture, services the needs of out of work members and Produces membership directory amongst several other duties.

Other requirements are a first degree (B.Sc/HND) in social sciences or any related field, a Postgraduate degree in Social sciences or related field and a professional qualification which will be an added advantage An excellent organisational skill, outstand-

could mean you have too much free time on your hands and need to work on other tasks.

Urgent information tends to be passed through phone calls rather than e-mail.

ing written and verbal communications skills, strong presentation skills, proficiency in the use of Microsoft tools and organisational and time management skills are needed.

From Doha, Qatar (www.qp.com.qa/en/) vacancies for Senior Completion Engineers with the Primary Purpose to Reviews drilling and work over completion programs for all wells of offshore fields to ensure they meet well proposal objectives.

The engineers will also reviews all well integrity investigation plans before their release, plan and specifies completion equipment, materials and services required for each well, prepares long term replacement materials requirement for completion wellhead equipment based on well integrity investigation plans and provides the onsite engineering technical expertise and supervision during well integrity investigation.

Education required is a minimum of a BSc in petroleum engineering, while, experience and skills needed is a 10+ years work experi-

The PENGASSAN stated: “By our divergent background and orientation, the process of interrelating and building consensus is key for harmonisation of conflictual views and standpoints. Conflicts and disputes are sometime inevitable, but must be managed in a manner that lives, properties and interests would not be put in jeopardy.

“The South African Government on its part must ensure that the xenophobic act is expediently and permanently apprehended and never should it happen again. All steps and actions required to pacify and appease the affected Countries and their Nationals must be followed with strong assurances of our joint faith and with due regards for our strong ties and bonds as non-discriminatory black race.

“Strict adherence to the rule of law and due process must be followed and exhausted in dealing with our unresolved differences. Culprits must be brought to book to demonstrate to the world that there is no complicity on the part of South African Government.”

ence as completion engineer in the oil and gas industry with demonstrated completion engineering expertise in carrying out well integrity studies and review in large oil and gas fields.

The incoming must also have proven experience at recommending remedial solutions related with well completion designs for horizontal and conventional wells.

Also from Qatar (www.qp.com.qa/en/) are posts for Assistant Manager, Transmission & Distribution Engineers whose Primary Purpose of the Job are to directs and manage all transmission and distribution technical and engineering activities related to the gas, ethane, ethylene, raw NGL, condensate and crude oil pipelines and compression stations.

The position requires a master’s degree in chemical engineering, alongside a 20 years experience skills in the hydrocarbon process industry with a minimum of 8 years in a senior supervisory engineering capacity.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

25

Real Estate & Environment

Erosion Menace: FG moves to tackle ravaging impacts on communities Some parts of the country have been ravaged by gully erosion over the years, thereby necessitating Federal Government’s interventions to control the menace given its devastating impact on lives and property. Experts say recent efforts by government to frontally tackle the problem in some worst hit communities will not only give succour to the ravaged communities but also support national agenda for environmental protection and sustainable development. OLUFEMI ADEOSUN writes.

L

ong before now and currently, Nigeria has been under severe environmental threats.

From North to the West and down to East, the situation has remained the same— a nation under the siege of environmental risks of monumental proportions.

Environmentalists had prior to now raised the alarm over the ravaging situation, saying unless urgent steps are taken to stem the tide, Nigeria might be submerged

Nigeria to attend global real estate congress 27

due to the growing impacts of gully erosion.

Doubtlessly, the threats posed to lives and property by this natural disaster may have necessitated the recent moves by the Federal Government to kick-start major erosion control programmes in some states.

Depending on the climatic peculiarity, virtually all the states in the country have some environmental challenges to contend with.

For instance, gully sites in some affected states are more than 90 metres in depth and sometimes in weight, which could be as wide as 300 to 500 meters wide. Some of them are said to be up to 5 to 10 kilometres in length.

The imperativeness of frontally addressing the problem of erosion in the badly affected states, as some experts have noted, informed the World Bank support for the government’s efforts to tackle the chal-

Don advocates collaborative action on climate change

28

lenges in different parts of the country, the latest of such moves being the South-east under pilot scheme.

As the people of the South West live under the brink of ocean surge and ravaging flooding; the northerners are battling with desertification while gully erosion is ravaging the South East with the attendant negative implications for the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Living room flooring ideas 29

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Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Erosion Menace: FG moves to tackle ravaging impacts on communities CONTINUED FROM 25 Some of the states in the Southeast, where the erosion control programme is being implemented by the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Project, NEWMAP, include Abia, Anambra, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu and Imo. Gully erosion has given rise to infertile and barren land that may need to be reclaimed. This usually brings untold hardship to the inhabitant, if the land is still inhabitable, but has been severely affected.

Anambra State has lost over 30 percent of her land, and over 40 percent of the total area of land and homes are being threatened by the menace according to the state government.

Also, several properties, whose value cannot be quantified accurately, have been destroyed and others are under treat by this menace, especially houses and other properties located on the floodplain.

About 10 houses have been lost in a single event of gully erosion in Auchi area of Edo state.

Besides, it was reported recently that over 450 buildings are lost in Edo atate of Nigeria as a result of erosion.

On a separate note, Committee on Erosion and Ecological matter recently discovered 15 gully sites in Bida, Niger State of Nigeria.

Apart from untimely evacuation from these gully sites, infrastructural facilities such as pipelines, utility cables, roads and houses also suffer from these hazardous events.

Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurential Mallam, who gave the breakdown of the ongoing projects in the geo-political area of the country, disclosed that the programme is an 8-year strategic investment loan of $508.59 million, consisting of $500million Inter IDA concessional loan blended with GEF and SCCF grants, totalling $8.59million at zero interest and a long-term moratorium.

She said, the project which became effective on September 16, 2013 has received $3.96 million from the Global Environment Facility and $4.63 million from the Special Climate Change Fund, explaining that NEWMAP had taken off in the initial seven states with additional seven states currently being considered.

Speaking in one of the sites in Owerri, Imo State, the National Coordinator of the Project, Mr. Chikelo Nwune, noted that civil works has started in some sites. According to him, “We have started implementation of civil works in 21 sites across the initial 7 South-Eastern States, including four sites in Imo, including Umueshi Gully Erosion Site in Ideato South local government area; Umueze Eziala Obizi Gully Erosion site in Ezinihite Mbaise local government area; .

Umuezelibe Isu Njaba Gully Erosion Site, Njaba local government area; and Ogberuru Iyiuzo road Gully Erosion site in Orlu local government area.

He however stated that the project would also address the Umuturu Ezumazu Urualla Gully Erosion site in Ideato North Local Government Area of the state as soon as the site design is ready and approved for financing.

Mr. Sola Akinsiku of ARIES Concept Nigeria Limited, a NEWMAP Strategic Communication firm, explained that it was

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

eye-opening to see the severity of damage caused by erosion in the area, affirming that the NEWMAP project is breaking new ground by mobilizing funding, technical assistance, and local expertise, including

community engagement to tackle the environmental menace.”

Describing the severity of gully erosion, he also said, “For those that may not be aware, the root causes of gully erosion are complex. The soils in southern Nigeria are highly susceptible to water erosion. Once a gully starts, it expands rapidly and is difficult to tame.

“The causes for gully formation differ by site, but are largely human, including: improper road design and construction, particularly inadequate drainage, poor solid waste management in urban and pre-urban areas that chokes the already inadequate drainage intended to prevent erosion and the destructive and unsustainable land-use practices that remove protective vegetation cover including protective biodiversity and carbon rich areas, or disturbs the fragile soil, such as overgrazing, deforestation, cultivation of marginal lands, and uncontrolled mining for building material, and which are linked to poverty.”

Lamenting the extent of the severe damage being addressed by NEWMAP in Umueshi Eziala Obizi Gully Erosion site in Ezinihitte, Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State, the site Committee Chairman, Chief Gibson Eniuhuma stated that the erosion and gully formation began as far back as the ‘80s, adding that by 1991 the place was measuring about 41 feet deep.

He noted that the incessant plea by the Community to government was unheeded even as he attributed the cause of the gully to the heavy rain drops from the rooftops.

Chief Eniuhuma also commended the Community participatory component of the Project. According to him, “since NEWMAP intervention started, our people were happy to know that out of several areas of gully erosions in Imo state our community was chosen to be looked into. And our people have been cooperating with NEWMAP. “Our people have been very happy that this is happening in our time.” He noted that the Site Committee was seeing to the smooth running of the project. Adding, “If the materials used by the contractor were below the standard stipulated, the Community shall report and insist that the Contractor work according to what is in the site design.”

Also speaking, Bar. S.O Azubuine who is the Obezie (V) of Obizi Autonomous Community, of Ezinihitte, Mbaise local government area, Imo State, commended the effort of the Federal Government for the conception of NEWMAP and for the ongoing intervention in his Community. He, however charged the contractor handling the project and NEWMAP which is the agency implementing the programme to ensure that quality job is done so that the problem would not resurface again.

While commenting on the erosion control programme, an Abuja based environmentalist, Mr. Akon Ideyen expressed the fair that as desirous as the programme may seem, it could be sacrificed at the altar of politics.

He noted, “The efforts being made by the Federal Government to tackle the lingering erosion problem besieging some communities in the south east are highly commendable. Recovering the lost lands and restoring the soils to productive path will no doubt bring succour to the affected communities which largely rely on the lands for agricultural purposes.

“However, Nigeria has never been found wanting in coming up with laudable programmes, the challenge has been in the area of sustainability. Now that we will be having a new government at the federal level, I only hope and pray that this project will not be abandoned like others before it.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Nigeria to attend global real estate congress

MORTGAGE NOTES

SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

N

Fasanya-Osilaja

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

Why I support the NMRC B y the time this column piece goes to print, the Nigerian national elections must have taken place.

We have spent the last few months in a frenzy of preparation for this event, and it is a relief that it is finally happening. I offer my congratulations to the winners of the election, and offer my thanks to those who did not win the elections, for at least stepping forward to offer themselves in the service of their nation. It takes a special person to take on the rigors and stresses on running an election race, and we are a better nation because of you all.

I spent the last three or so weeks writing a (long) letter to the NMRC and offering an in-depth review of the NMRC underwriting standards, as published on their website. I was honestly rather surprised at some of the comments I received on that piece. They ranged all the way from “Great piece, so on point” to “Why would you support another government agency when they are all crooks?” I have therefore decided to respond to some of these questions in today’s piece.

I support the NMRC one hundred percent because I have reviewed their mandate and truly feel that, with the right guidance and hopefully lack of external influences, the NMRC may actually be the catalyst to revolutionize the Nigerian mortgage industry.

The very premise upon which it is founded is the same premise that similar international organizations have been established, that have worked extremely well to standardize and enhance mortgage lending, and therefore home ownership, in their nations.

Put very simply, shelter is, and rightly so, a fundamental human right. Until a person is settled in their own space, they are not really in charge of their destiny. There is a peace that comes with knowing you are in your own home that is absolutely priceless. I have seen

homeownership change so many client’s lives, that I have no choice but to fight passionately for every opportunity that increases its accessibility, especially to first time home buyers.

The advent of NMRC should be seen as a hugely positive event because we have seen what happens in Nigeria when there is almost zero regulation. The previous mortgage experiment in Nigeria failed due to several reasons, but the major one was definitely a lack of cohesion. This was a period in which loans were being made with predatory lending rates, excessive fees and unrealistic terms. It was so clearly ill conceived that its failure came as no surprise.

I was one of the major sceptics when I heard about the NMRC until I really started to review the IDB facility paperwork. There are several new programs and incentives required as part of the terms of the facility, that I am optimistic of a much more desirable future for the mortgage sector so long as the programs are properly implemented.

The NMRC emerges as the umbrella agency for the development and implementation of the said IDB programs and incentives. What I consider to be its greatest strength is the fact that the agency is not the typical government agency or department. This gives it the capacity to act with the speed, agility and versatility required in today’s financial markets. Also, there is a legitimacy the NMRC brings to the industry that can only boost the profile of the Nigerian mortgage sector and provide access to funding on much better terms than we saw in the past.

I also support the need for a regulatory system to weed out the bad apples and ensure that the industry produces seasoned and specialized professionals that enhance its international profile. With a robust education-

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I WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR SCEPTICS WHEN

I HEARD ABOUT THE NMRC UNTIL I REALLY STARTED TO REVIEW THE

IDB FACILITY PAPERWORK all curriculum, especially i l i ll if a licensing requirement is added, we will at least be certain of employing loan officers who are able to process transactions properly. In my opinion, all ancillary industries should also require education and licenses, especially the appraisal industry. The caveat I offer though, is that such education should be actual hands xxxxx on workshops where the participants get proper education and solve real fact pattern issues, not where they just sit in conferences and listen to “abstract ramblings” as I call them.

Finally, the ability of NMRC to buy closed loans as a secondary purchaser of MBS tranches is arguably its most important strength. This provides consistent liquidity and protects the market from scarcity of supply, which is the number one factor for high rates and predatory loan terms to meet demand.

It also ensures that loan retail suppliers originate loans in accordance with formal underwriting standards designed to ensure sanity in the market.

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.

igeria’s chapter of International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI has concluded plans to send delegates to the 66th World Real Estate Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from May 25 to 31, 2015.

FIABCI is a multi-discipline, networking organisation for all professionals associated with real estate transactions.

With its chapters in more than 50 countries, the FIABCI is eager to assist real estate professionals to improve the quality and competitiveness of their activities by sharing knowledge, information and business opportunities. ‘‘Members can travel and meet like-minded professionals of the highest calibre globally’’, the associated noted.

FIABCI also enjoys Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

According to the United Nations World Urbanization report, more than half of the global population currently lives in urban areas and it is projected to reach 70 per cent by 2050, hence urban planning is crucial to ensure the society is in a proper order.\

FIABCI-Nigeria President, Mr. Joe Akhigbe said: “The FIABCI 66th World Real Estate Congress will take a deeper look into the urbanization matter, with many eminent speakers joining us from all around the world to share their experience and expertise in handling urbanization issue in their own countries.”

About 25 delegates from Nigeria will be attending the global event.

With urbanization, the phenomenon of the generation of the heat islands will be very significant.

At the early stage of urbanization, the environment must be well protected and reduction of the carbon footprint taken into consideration to reduce such heat centre.

In this direction FIABCI World President, Robyn Waters had signed an agreement of cooperation with Professor Paul James, director of the Global Compact Cities Programme, a United Nation International Secretariat.

Meanwhile, FIABCI- Nigeria will be hosting Nigeria Building Industry to a Business Forum on April 29 in Lagos.

Environmentalists harp on sustainable earth resources

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takeholders in the environment sector have called on governments and business concerns across the world to embark on sustainable use of earth resources for the betterment of mankind.

This call was made during a one-day programme organized

by SMEFUNDS, Carbon Credit Network in partnership with the World Bank and United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, in commemoration of this year’s Earth Day. The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘’what would you rather do or say to save the Earth’’ Chief Executive Officer, SMEFUNDS Mr. Femi Oye, who lamented the degradation of the earth through unscrupulous human activities, said some of the uncoordinated human activities, which have inflicted serious damage on the mother earth include, indiscriminate felling of trees, high intensity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium NPK application in the agricultural sector.

Apart from destroying land nutrients, he also stated that NPK

has the potential to impact negatively on the human reproductive system, thereby resulting in low sperm count in men.

He therefore implored participants to respond to all these diverse effects on the mother earth, adding that “for us to live in a future we desire, we need to act now.”

Oye also called on all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of planting trees, explaining that it was through that the health of the people and that of the earth could be protected.

In her presentation entitled, “Going Green”, the Chief Executive Officer, Ararat Jodi Consult, Mrs. Irene Adepitan, stated that men are responsible for the alteration in the state of the earth, which is manifesting in rising temperature, insisting that it is also the responsibility of man to bring it to its healthy state.

According to her, restoring the earth to its healthy status is not by choice, but a must, failure of which may spell doom not only for the present generation, but also those coming behind.

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Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

Don advocates collaborative action on climate change SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

A

University don, Professor Richard Beardsworth of Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom, has called for collaborative actions against climate change.

Beardsworth, who gave the advice during climate change summit held in Lagos, said that cooperation of all the countries was required in tackling the problems of the climate change.

While commending the Lagos State Government for its climate change initiatives, Beardsworth said that global warming had become a new reality with its negative effects, warning that unless urgent measures are taken to check the effects, the situation would be worse in the near future.

The Governor OF Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, reiterated the need for improved tech-

nology and policies to achieve rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which according to him, is the main contributor to global warming and climate change With the theme “Seven Years of Climate Change Governance in Lagos State: Celebrating Success Stories, Relieving Challenges and Setting Future Agenda’’, the Governor said that the intimate linkage between global warming and economic vitality, implicated every aspect of global economy, stressing the need for all stakeholders to devote themselves to developing technologies, policies and practices that would mitigate damages as a result of rising green house emission levels.

Fasola noted that over the years, the climate change summit has granted participants the opportunity of sharing experiences and better practices, which has ultimately led to policy initiatives that support

the achievement of sustainable environment in the state.

According to him, seasonal cycles are disrupted as are ecosystems and agriculture water needs and supply as well as food production are all adversely affected.

Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello also said that the state with its flat topography, vast coastline and increasing population made it vulnerable to the challenges of climate change.

Global warming (climate change) also leads to sea-level rise with its attendant consequences, and includes fiercer weather, increased frequency and intensity of storms.

Others are floods, hurricanes, droughts, increased frequency of fires, poverty, malnutrition and series of health and socioeconomic consequences. It has a cumulative effect on natural resources and balance of nature.

In Nigeria, this means that

some stable ecosystems such as the Sahel Savanna may become vulnerable because warming will reinforce existing patterns of water scarcity and increasing the risk of drought in the country.

Nigeria’s aquatic ecosystems, wetlands and other habitats will create overwhelming problems for an already impoverished populace. Climate change refers to an increase in average global temperatures.

Completed Benin-Ondo road

LASAA partners LAWMA on FRANCIS SUBERU

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etermined to develop an eco-friendly means of disposing wastes, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, and Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, have developed proactive system of recycling wastes gener-

ated from political campaign posters.

Managing Director, LASAA, Mr. George Noah, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos at the weekend said, the partnership would aid the agency to clean-up the environment and rid the state of about 1.5 million posters used during the electioneering campaigns.

Underlining the benefits of re-

cy en cli ra gr as oth be

vo LA

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

29

m flooring ideas

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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 understatrstated. Concrete floors can be stained and scored to mimic stone or tile le at a lower cost than either material. They can also be stained to imitate itate leather or treated with other decorative effects, providing a chic and versatile flooring material for contemporary living rooms.

Concrete is porous, ous, however, and must be sealed to protect it from fro om moisture and spills. s.

Define Space with Rugs ugs In this living g room, small- and medium-sizerugs lend definition and visual separation. A rug beneath a table sets off that space ass a work zone, while e a rug placed in the he center of a seating ng arrangement denotes it as a gathering ring place. To securely y anchor a grouping, a rug should be large enough nough for the pieces to rest est entirely on it.

Group calls for adoption of national policy on IDPs

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non-governmental organisation, Yelow Jerrican Foundation has called for the adoption of a national policy on Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) in order to have a coordinated, holistic strategy to address their plight.

The coordinator of the group, Adaora Onyechere, noted that while it was imperative to continue to wage war against insurgents, governments at all level must spare a thought about the welfare of the IDPs. She lamented that despite being signatory to the Kampala Convention since 2012, Nigeria was yet

n campaign posters re-cycling

ycling campaign posters on the nvironment, Noah said, “Recying paper waste conserves natual resources, saves energy, cuts reenhouse gas emissions as well keeping landfill space free from her forms of waste that could not e recycled.

Shedding light on the process inolved in recycling paper wastes, the AWMA said, “The bulk of paper

collected from our landfills or recycling banks are sorted and graded at our Paper Bailing Section at Olushosun dumpsite, in Ojota, Lagos and processed at Jebba Paper Mill.”

The papers, the agency added are added to water and then turned into pulp, screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until suitable for manufacturing new paper products.

It would be recalled that LASAA recently began a clean=up exercise, culminating in the removal of campaign posters used for the recentlyconcluded general elections.

Speaking on the development, the Managing Director, LASAA, Mr. George Noah noted that over one million posters would be removed in Lagos state, adding that “We are also removing 358 illegal billboards of

to implement a strategy which ought to be included in a national draft policy, noting that this has left Nigeria stagnated in living up to all legal instruments for effective implementation of the Kampala Convention and by extension, doing things detrimental to the improved conditions of the IDPs. Onyechere said lack of national policy had resulted in inadequate attention, shortage of accurate and reliable data on IDPs across the country which has led to distorted picture of displacement and assistance needs for the victims.

According to her, the resultant effect was an alarming lack of understanding of the country’s displacement dynamics by national actors and the international community.

She said: “The lackadaisical manner in which the policy on IDPs is treated will only heighten the lack of vision in the way forward and will only continue to ill mannerly institutionalize disaster management and humanitarian aid with temporary to ad-hoc

options due to lack of any structural or organizational/legally binding government policy.

“Importantly raised by CISLAC is at persons who are displaced as a result of government development projects in any part of the country be regarded as IDPs, and should be resettled and compensated adequately irrespective of the provisions of the Land Use Act which us also one of the consistent factors that have led to displacement abinitio.

“For us in Nigeria, it is a case of not been ready and the sincerity of purpose in addressing the living conditions of these displaced people pending the time their communities are rehabilitated”, Onyechere added.

On the way forward, she explained that government, including the state and national Assemblies and all stakeholders, should be proactive on matters relating to the living conditions of the IDPs, adding that a mandate, terms and modes operandi of establishing Evacuation centres in each State will be needed.

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Real Estate & Environment

AfDB appraises Africa’s housing market A frican Development Bank, AfDB has said that with an urbanization rate of 3.4 percent, African cities are experiencing the fastest urban growth rate globally.

Noting that the continent’s rapid urbanization and growing population has sharply increased the demand for affordable housing across the continent, the apex bank in Africa said the increasing demand has not been met by a proportionate increase in supply, resulting in widespread shortages of affordable housing units in Africa and the proliferation of informal settlements across the continent. ‘’The related consequences and challenges are enormous not only in economic and financial terms, but also in terms of human development and social dimensions’’, the bank said.

The Bank’s Research Department investigated key issues and produced a comprehensive analysis of housing market dynamics on the continent.

The Bank organised a seminar on Housing Market Dynamics in Africa to share preliminary findings on the continent’s housing market dynamics.

The Bank’s Manager, Research Department, Issa Faye said housing affordability, particularly for the poor and lower middle-income families, including those with irregular incomes in the informal sector, remains a key challenge to the continent’s housing finance market.

He said, land supply for affordable housing also emerged as a key constraint inhibiting the supply of affordable housing.

It was noted that only about 10 percent of land in Sub-Saharan Africa is formally registered to individuals as private property.

He also stressed the need to ensure that the link is made with the Bank’s ten year strategy and other core strategic priorities of the Bank.

Given that over 200 million Africans live in informal settlements, slum upgrading and af-

fordable housing development must be part of a broader sustainable urban development framework. Rental housing, public-private partnerships, as well as site and service schemes offers an affordable means of housing for low-income families.

The supply of affordable housing in Africa has the potential to contribute to inclusive growth, create thousands of jobs, develop the construction industry, and improve the living conditions of the majority of Africans.

Some proposed measures to narrow the housing deficit included: supporting credit enhancement schemes for both formal and informal sector workers, as well as the Diaspora; strengthening the legal framework and governance issues around land; and providing equity to developers and technical assistance programs to build capacity across the housing delivery value chain, including at local government level.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Consumer confidence in UK housing market grows

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s the house price growth continues to slow in the UK, consumer confidence in the housing market has rebounded, a new research shows.

Also, the house increases have slowed within the same period. It is about 8.1 percent higher than the last three months, compared to 8.5 percent early this year and 10.2 percent within the same period last year.

As the confidence of consumers are in the housing market over the next 12 months, some 33 percent are expecting the average property price to be higher by 5 percent while 25 percent anticipated increases of between 5 percent and 10 percent.

The increase has been due to some combination of factors, including improving economic figures, greater numbers of higher loan to value mortgages, and extremely competitive mortgage rates.

Halifax Mortgages Director, Craig McKinlay said, there has been an increase in the net proportion of consumers, who believe mortgage interest rates will be higher in 12 months.

The main perceived barriers to homeownership are the ability to raise enough deposit for

61 percent while 44 percent have concerns about job security.

A year ago, 60 percent and 51 percent respectively identified these as among the main barriers.

‘The results highlight that an increasing number of consumers believe interest rates will begin to rise in the next 12 months, but at the same time it is falling as a perceived barrier to homeownership,’ McKinlay explained.

‘This is perhaps a result of rising incomes and the current low mortgages rates. The fact that consumers’ ability to raise a deposit remains the greatest perceived barrier to home ownership shows there is more work to be done in terms of letting people know what support is now available,’ he added.

Regionally, house price optimism is strongest in the South East of England, where a net balance of +79 think house prices will be higher in 12 months, compared with only 40% who say this in Wales. While +69 of those living in London expect the average UK house price to be higher in a year’s time, this is lower than the same time last year when it was +75.

Election, higher taxes impact on UK’s property market

H UK property

Miami real estate close to asking price

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iami single-family homes and condominiums have continued to sell close to asking price, reflecting a strong consumer demand.

The number of days on the market for single-family homes sold in March 2015 was 54 days, an increase of 14.9 percent compared to the same period in 2014. The average percent of original list price received was 94.6 percent, down a negligible 0.3 percent from a year earlier.

The median number of days on the market for condominiums sold in March 2015 was 60 days, an increase of 1.7 percent compared

to the same period in 2014. The average percent of original list price received was 93.5 percent, a 0.7 percent decrease. ‘’Nationally, sales of existing single-family homes, town homes, condominiums, and co-ops increased 6.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.19 million in March from 4.89 million in February--the highest annual rate since September 2013 (also 5.19 million), according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

National sales have increased year-over-year for six consecutive months and are now 10.4 percent above a year ago, the highest an-

nual increase since August 2013 (10.7 percent).

State-wide closed sales of existing single-family homes totalled 24,811 last month, up 24.6 percent over March 2014, according to Florida Realtors. State-wide sales of condominiums totalled 11,083 last month, up 13.7 percent compared to March 2014.

The national median existinghome price for all housing types in March was $212,100, which is 7.8 percent above March 2014. This marks the 37th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains and the largest since February 2014 (8.8 percent), according to NAR.

igher taxes and election uncertainty have affected prime London house prices, which fell by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2015, new research shows.

This follows an average 2.6 percent downward price adjustment in the last quarter of 2014 that was triggered by the stamp duty reform announced in December’s Autumn Statement, according to the analysis by real estate firm Savills.

It means that the 12 month rolling average for house price growth in the prime London market has now slipped into negative territory.

‘As we forecast in November, uncertainty regarding the general election and the potential for further taxation of high value property have contributed to a subdued market in the first part of 2015,’ the report explains.

‘The prime central London housing markets, that have been most affected by increased stamp duty charges, are looking fully taxed. This has meant sellers typically have to factor in price adjustments equivalent to the stamp duty increase. Consequently, in central London values

are down 4.3% year on year,’ it adds.

The study shows that the markets of prime south west London have been similarly, but less significantly, affected.

Buyers have become increasingly aware of the high cost of moving, which has tempered demand in the higher value parts of that market. By contrast, the markets of Islington, Wapping and Canary Wharf continue to show positive annual growth, despite a general sentiment-led easing in values in the past six months.

‘In part, this reflects the fact that lower tiers of the prime market have remained the most robust, with the market below £1 million generally benefiting from the stamp duty changes and unaffected by the political focus on taxation,’ Savills says.

‘Interestingly, the softening in the London markets has corresponded with a pick-up in the number of Londoners circling the country market. Prices of homes below the £2 million threshold in the prime regional markets beyond London continue to show year-on-year price growth, and rose by 1.1% in the first quarter of the year.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Aviation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

Stakeholders clamour for technocrat as aviation minister

The Nigerian aviation industry has consistently been supervised by politicians in the past 16 years. Industry analysts believe that the failure by past governments to appoint a professional to give desired knowledge-based leadership to the sector has led to its backwardness of the sector. OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.

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viation analysts have consistently attributed the myriad of challenges facing the industry in Nigeria to failure by governments to appoint a professional as the minister over the years.

Though, sectors like health, finance, education, judiciary and recently agriculture have always been manned by technocrats, the reverse appears to be the case for aviation industry in the country. The sector has continued to be led by politicians and professionals in other fields who only come in to learn the basics of aviation business and policy requirements to grow the sector.

In the spate of 16 years, the sector has had 12 aviation ministers without any technocrat appointed from the sector.

The first of such ministers was late Chief Olusegun Agagu, a geologist by profession who was appointed in 1999 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Barely a year later, a lecturer, Dr. Kema Chikwe was appointed by the same government to head affairs in the ministry. She was in that position till May 2003.

Also, in the same year, a banker, Mallam Isa Yuguda was appointed as Minister of Aviation until June 2005 before he was replaced by another lecturer and a former Minister of Education, Prof. Babalola Borishade who was in the saddle till November 2006. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a lawyer took over from Borishade after the rash of three crashes within a year.

Fani-Kayode was the minister till May 29, 2007 before he was replaced by Mrs. Allison Diezani-Madueke who majors in Oil and Gas sector. Mr. Felix Hyat, a politician took over as a Minister of State for Aviation. He was appointed

by President Umaru Yar’Adua in June 2007, and left office in October 2008 after a cabinet reshuffle.

Mr. Babatunde Omotoba, a civil engineer by profession was appointed on December 17, 2008 to March 17, 2010 by the same government to lead affairs in the technical industry while Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, a pharmacist was appointed a minister on 6 April 2010 to May 29, 2011 by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan after he took over office.

Then, there was Princess Stella Oduah who is a well-known face in the Oil and Gas industry, but was deployed to the Ministry of Aviation on July 4, 2011 and was relieved of her duties as a minister in the same sector on 12 February, 2014 after series of controversies and inconsistencies that trailed her 31 months performance in the sector.

Mr. Sam Ortom, a politician then came in as a Supervising Minister the same month and was replaced by the incumbent minister, Chief Osita Chidoka on July 23, 2014.

All the appointments above with the exception of one or two worsened the country’s aviation industry performance as bad policies were formulated and implemented at the detriment of the sector, especially the indigenous airlines

Muneer Bankole, MD, Med-View Airline

Demuren

A technocrAt doesn’t need to leArn. he will prepAre his progrAmmes before he

Assumes office.

we Are not sAying smArt

guys who Are conversAnt with business

cAn’t be mAde AviAtion minister, but such A person will need time to study…

while qualitative representation in the international community gradually frizzles out.

This has been the case in the past 16 years as politicians and professionals from other fields appointed to supervise affairs in the industry take at least a year to learn on the job and sadly, planes continue to drop from the country’s air space unabated. Until recently, the Nigerian sky had become a dangerous zone for air travellers.

But, stakeholders and professionals believe that the country’s airspace should be safe at all times and therefore should no longer be left in the hands of those who know next to nothing about air safety as was the case in most parts of the past.

It is against the backdrop of the increasing concern for air travels safety in the country that most industry analysts are now appealing to the incoming administration to appoint a technocrat for the sector, arguing that such an appointment would accelerate developments, enthrone professionalism and ensure competence in the system.

Although, most are careful to recommend any of the proven professionals in the sector to government, but some of them who spoke with our correspondent in confidence said the erstwhile Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren should be given a look by the incoming administration if it truly wanted the sector to compete with its counterparts in the globe and increase its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, from its paltry 0.04 per cent to a more appreciable level within two years.

They argued that the track record of Demuren as the Director-General of NCAA put him ahead of others as several developments and innovations were experienced in the agency within his six years period and yet the nation’s airspace and the industry in general received a boost.

A member of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, and an engineer with the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, Engr. Sheri Kyari said that appointment of a technocrat for the sector would do justice to the office of the minister, speedily affect the industry in the area of policy formation, regulation and execution.

Kyari explained that because of his knowledge, such a minister wouldn’t need time to start learning on the job, adding that his developmental programmes for the industry would have been drawn before his name gets to the Senate for confirmation.

Besides, he added that the thorny issues like the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, multiple designations to foreign carriers, expatriates, inadequate training of professionals and unemployment among others would adequately and professionally tackled by such a minister.

He however expressed that several proven professionals in the sector could be appointed as a minister in the sector, but noted that Demuren stand a better chance of accelerating developments in the sector if considered by the incoming administration.

He said, “A technocrat doesn’t need to learn.

He will prepare his programmes before he assumes office. We are not saying smart guys who are conversant with business can’t be made aviation minister, but such a person will need time to study and to be able to bring his business knowledge to the industry.

“I believe a technocrat would also look at employment issue in the industry. There is employment issue beyond our expectations, most especially pilots and engineers.”

Also, the Managing Director of Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole supported the call for the appointment of a technocrat for the sector.

He insisted that a technocrat with the wide knowledge of the industry would rapidly bring development to the country’s aviation sector, articulate his viewpoints and ideas from a technically sound perspective with other industry professionals and won’t be tele-guided by any impostor in the sector.

He maintained that aviation globally was internationally regulated with technical terms and needed an expert on the field for the country to compete.

Bankole decried that since 1999 till date no aviation expert had been considered for appointment in the sector unlike other sectors like health, judiciary and education among others.

“Technocrat as an aviation minister will promote professionalism, competency and doesn’t need to learn on the job. It is high time we had someone with aviation background as a minister,” he said.

Just recently, aviation unions and associations comprising of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, NATCA, National Air Traffic Association of Nigeria, NACAN, Nigeria Professional Pilots, NPP, Aviation Round Table, ART, and the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, spoke in unison on the appointment of a technocrat for the sector.

The convener of the meeting and Chairman of AON, Capt. Nogie Meggison, said stakeholders had resolved that a technocrat should be appointed as a minister for the sector, but quickly added that not those who had misled previous aviation ministers and those without the requisite capacity and track record for the position.

Meggison maintained that appointment of a technocrat as the next aviation minister, would “rescue the industry from its current state, where certain self-centred elements, without pedigree and track record want to continue to hijack the industry.

“A clear situation is where the industry finds itself today, where such people are now in Abuja lobbying to be the next minister of aviation. The appointment of a technocrat will be able see through their selfish motives to enable him or her decipher the grain from the chaff.”

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Aviation

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Med-View partners First Bank on online payment StorieS: oluSegun KoiKi

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ed-View Airline has introduced a new payment option with First Bank of Nigeria Plc where the airline’s customers with Master/Visa cards anywhere in the world can make payments for their tickets online.

The new platform called MasterCard Internet Gateway Service, MIGS, allows customers to book for ticket online at the airline’s website and pay with the card.

The airline in a statement by its Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, stated that the innovative would ensure that the airline brings its service closer to its numerous clients who desired to buy their tickets online within the comfort of their home or offices without stress.

Bankole stated that the new option of payment was in addition to the Interswitch platform designed mostly for customers with naira

L-R: Head of Business Strategy, Greater Washington Logistics Limited, Mr. Adeniyi Awosan, Assistant General Manager, Corporate/ Auxiliary Business, Mr. Bright Aghogban, Managing Director, Mrs. Adenike Brown, Head, New Business, Mrs. Omamegbe Murhoko and Head, Cargo and Agency Business, Mr. Temitope Popoola, at a press conference recently in Lagos.

Master cards and the book-onhold platform where customers could walk into any bank in Nigeria and pay for their reservations made online.

To achieve this, he said customers could make reservation online and choose the option ‘I want to pay with Master / Visa card” when they get to the payment platform.

He added, “This will automati-

cally prompt the Master card and Visa Card logos from where customer can now click the logo of their desired card for payments, enter the required card details and wait for confirmation for payments.

“Once this is achieved, ticket will be automatically sent to the email provided while making reservation.”

tion especially as it relates to attracting foreign investment to the State.

He maintained that NAHCO offered to partner the State Government to develop its potentials in such a way that it would make Sokoto a global force in the areas where it has comparative advantage.

Yahyah pledged NAHCO’s assistance in facilitating foreign investors who would assist the State Government to develop its mineral resources thereby creating employment for the youths of the state.

It is expected that the incoming administration would be interested in exploiting the huge mine deposit in the state.

While appreciating the team from NAHCO, the Speaker said his administration was grateful for NAHCO’s offer and would consult the company to know the requirements that would lead to the accelerated development of the State.

He said, “We shall do our best to benefit from the services you offer.

We shall consult you on the requirements so as to quicken the development of this state.”

Tambuwal pointed out that NAHCO was the first corporate organisation to pay a courtesy visit to him as governor-elect, adding that his government would provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.

He described Sokoto as one of the most peaceful state in Nigeria, which is populated by very friendly people.

He said Sokoto is home to NAHCO and other corporate bodies and they needed no visa to come to the state.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Now that NCAA has lifted ban on Discovery Air

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uesday last week, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, finally lifted the suspension on the operations of Discovery Airlines, almost four months after its Air Operator’s Certificate, AOC, was grounded.

The airline’s AOC was suspended on January 8, 2015 over its failure to comply with safety regulations. The NCAA had said then that the suspension was in pursuit of its oversight responsibilities as stipulated by law.

Expectedly, the airline’s management mumbled and groaned in silence against the decision of the regulatory body and came short of accusing NCAA of partiality against it. In fact, the airline fiercely diplomatically took the battle to the NCAA’s ground.

However, now that NCAA has restored the airline’s AOC and

FAAN, Arik Air and raging debt allegation

T NAHCO, Sokoto govt collaborate on aviation devt

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n a bid to ensure rapid growth in Sokoto State, especially in the area of aviation development, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO, Plc said it would be partnering the incoming administration in the state.

Media statement by the spokesman of the ground handling company, Mr. Tayo Ajakaye stated that the governor-elect of the State and the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal told visiting Board members of the company who paid him a courtesy call in Sokoto recently that his administration would require the expertise of Nahco Aviance in every area critical to economic development.

The Chairman of NAHCO, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah who led the team of Directors had while congratulating the Speaker on his election as the governor–elect of the state, offered the unparalleled expertise of NAHCO to the incoming administra-

One of the ground handlng equipment of NAHCO

its set to return to flight operations in the next few days barring any last minute change, Airside advises the carrier’s management to adhere strictly to industry best standards.

Aviation sector is not like any other industry the promoters of the airline might be coming from. Aviation industry globally is time cautious and internationally regulated; operators are expected to comply with these standards.

The era of toying with the rights of passengers should be a thing of the past with the airline if it has truly learnt its lessons.

Airside hopes other carriers in the sector will learn from the suspension of this airline while it is expected that the industry regulator will use the same hammer when some perceived big and untouchable carriers commit the same offence.

he perennial crisis between the managements of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Arik Air is really a big distraction to the country’s aviation industry.

Just last week, the workers of FAAN paralysed business activities of the airline as all its departures from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, NAA, Abuja were stalled over the carrier’s alleged N1.2bn indebtedness.

Though the airline denied owing the agency and described the purported massive debt as “malicious and fictitious” and challenged the FAAN to come out with facts and figures concerning its supposed debt.

Although, it seems the issue has been temporarily resolved thanks to the quick interven-

tion of the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, but Airside sees this as the silence of the graveyard.

Apart from FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, and some participants in the country’s aviation industry had in the past accused the airline of indebtedness while the airline has consistently denied such claims.

While Airside agrees that aviation industry globally lives on debts, but such debts should not be the ones that would remain unsettled for years or months and should be serviced regularly to prevent the crippling of such organisations.

Airside advises both parties to reconcile their accounts and stop the consistent gloves wearing over debts.

Delta reports $594m pre-tax income for Q1

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elta Air Lines announced its best-ever first quarter performance with adjusted pre-tax income for the first quarter this year totalling $594 million, representing an increase of $150 million over its earnings for the corresponding period of last year.

The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Delta, Richard Anderson, stated in a statement by its media consultant in Nigeria that the airline’s business had been performing well, producing the best March quarter, both operationally and financially.

He emphasized that the strong dollar was creating headwinds with international revenues, adding that it also contributes to the lower fuel prices, which would offset those headwinds with over $2 billion in fuel savings this year.

He added, “We are looking at June quarter operating margins of 16-18 per cent with over $1.5 billion of free cash flow; these record results and cash flows show that the strong dollar is a net positive for Delta.”

Meanwhile, the airline has said that the start of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, summer season has brought a number of new and returning destinations to its schedule.

Not only is Delta launching 28 seasonal services to the United States from destinations including Copenhagen, Istanbul, Prague and Reykjavik, but the airline also further expanding its partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways.

There would be six additional

services from the U.K. comprising Delta’s new London to Newark, London to Philadelphia and Manchester to New York-JFK flights.

Virgin Atlantic also has new daily flights from Manchester to Atlanta, and London to Detroit.

The U.K. airline would also offer extra services over the peak summer months from London to Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus weekly flights from Belfast to Orlando and between Glasgow and Las Vegas.

Overall, the partnership will offer up to 39 return trans-Atlantic flights a day between the U.K. and 15 destinations across North America, including 10 daily flights between New York and London Heathrow, with eight daily departures from New York-JFK and two departures from Newark.

Insurance

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

33

PFAs invest N172.4bn in state Tips for Travel Insurance securities – PenCom P StorieS: MeShack idehen

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he National Pension Commission (PenCom) said a total of N172.4bn has been invested in state securities under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in the 2014 financial period.

According to the commission, total assets under the CPS stood at N4.6tn at the end of 2014, with the commission saying the pension funds could only be invested in the bonds of state governments that were in compliance with the CPS. Director General of PenCom, Mrs Anohu Amazu, told journalists recently that about 24 states had adopted the CPS, while 12 others were at various stages of implementing the scheme and one state yet to commence the process.

She said Lagos State, which was the first to drop the old pension scheme for the CPS, has already commenced the process of amending its Pension Reform Law 2007 following the amendment of the National Pension Reform Act. It would be recalled PenCom introduced some guidelines for the

Pension Fund Administrators for the registration of state and local government employees to enable them to adopt suitable structure for the implementation of the CPS. One of the objectives of the guidelines was to ensure complete coverage of the states within a short time. In the guidelines; the law gave concession to state and local governments to implement the structured approach for the registration of their employees.

These levels of government are expected to select their preferred Pension Fund Administrators and allocate some Ministries, Depart- Amazu ments and Agencies to each, while to him, the operators have remained the employees are free to register conservative with the investment of the funds because the market enviwith any of the selected PFAs. Speaking on the developments, ronment has not been stable.

This situation, Yola said, required Chairman, Pension Funds Operathe operators to be careful with any tors Association of Nigeria, Mr. investment.

He said safety and liMisbahu Yola, said there were cerquidity were two major things the optain safety criteria to be considered erators had to consider before going before the funds could be invested. into any investment.Yola said one He said despite the lull in the fundamental thing about the investeconomy and its visible challenges, ment guidelines for the increasing the pension assets had remained safe and well protected, stressing, pension assets was the introduction had not lost any money. According of a multi-fund.

Continental-Re seeks improved role for insurance in economic devt

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ontinental Reinsurance Plc, Africa’s largest private reinsurer outside of South Africa, has said insurance had an immense role to play in Africa’s growing economy.

According to a statement from the Group Managing Director of the

Oyetunji

company, Dr. Femi Oyetunji, after the second edition of its chief executive summit for African leaders in South Africa held recently under the theme, “Changes and challenges shaping the context of the African insurance landscape in 2015”, the impact of insurance on the growing African economy is immense as it plays important economic and social roles.

Oyetunji, who disclosed that 70 delegates from 20 countries participated in the summit, noted that the African insurance sector was at an early stage of development as indicated by its low penetration rate.

Based on available statistics, he said Africa (including South Africa) has 3.5 per cent penetration; Asia has 5.4 per cent; Europe has 6.8 per cent; while North America has 7.4 per cent,noting the insurance penetra-

tion rate in South Africa was 15.4 per cent; Namibia, 7.7 per cent; Kenya, 3.4 per cent; Morocco, 3.0 per cent and Nigeria, 0.6 per cent.

He added as Africa’s largest private re-insurer outside South Africa, that Continental Reinsurance was committed to advancing the insurance sector on the continent, adding Continental Reinsurance was taking the chief executive officers’ platform to the next level and moving away from its being an annual event to a 24/7 discussion platform so that issues like the outbreak of Ebola in an African country would have been picked up immediately.

“Our conversations should not just be when we meet once a year, rather, we will be looking at sustaining the discussions throughout the year; that is, from one summit to the next, using the social media,” Oyetunji said.

lan for the unplannedNobody wants to imagine themselves in the centre of a international terrorist attack. Being helpless. Far from your home. But in this day and age, anything is possible. So just in case this nightmare does become a reality you should be prepared. What if the power is out? You have no way to access money at an ATM? No way to access your electronic devices?

The solution is to be a little less reliant on these e-conveniences.

Carry extra cash with you. Make a hard copy of emergency contact phone. If you are in a hotel or public place be a little more mindful of the emergency exits.

Plus, if you are vacationing with your family in a certain area for a while you might want to establish an emergency meeting place.

Just in case you get split up during the sudden chaos and confusion. A little travel preparation goes a long way in an emergency.

Travel with others-- Be sure of the identity of visitors before opening the door of your hotel room. Don’t meet strangers at unknown or remote locations.

-Refuse unexpected packages.

-Formulate a plan of action for what you will do if a bomb explodes or there is gunfire nearby.

-Check for loose wires or other suspicious activity around your car. - Be sure your vehicle is in good operating condition in case you need to resort to high-speed or evasive driving. -Drive with car windows closed in crowded streets. Bombs can be thrown through open windows. -If you are ever in a situation where somebody starts shooting, drop to the floor or get down as low as possible. Don’t move until you are sure the danger has passed.

Do not attempt to help rescuers and do not pick up a weapon. If possible, shield yourself behind or under a solid object. If you must move, crawl on your stomach

Travel to high-risk areas- If you must travel in an area where there has been a history of terrorist attacks or kidnapping, make it a habit to: -Discuss with your family what they would do in the event of an emergency. Make sure your affairs are in order before leaving home. -Register with the U.S. embassy or consulate upon arrival. -Remain friendly but be cautious about discussing personal matters, your itinerary or program. -Leave no personal or business papers in your hotel room. -Watch for people following you or “loiterers” observing your comings and goings. -Keep a mental note of safe havens, such as police stations, hotels, hospitals.

Let someone else know what your travel plans are. Keep them informed if you change your plans. - Avoid predictable times and routes of travel and report any suspicious activity to local police, and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. -Select your own taxi cabs at random. Don’t take a vehicle that is not clearly identified as a taxi. Compare the face of the driver with the one posted on his or her license.

Demonstrate silence at demonstrations- Other than terrorism another more peaceful way to get a message across is through protesting. These acts of civil disobedience occur throughout the world. In most cases these demonstrations are peaceful. However, there are times when they can turn violent. If you are on vacation with your family and see a protest rally going on keep away. Try not to get involved. And don’t get roped into an argument about the US. The purpose of a demonstration like this is to gain attention. If a fight breaks out and there is confusion a terrorist could see this as the perfect moment to strike.

Source: www.travelandleisure. com

34

Insurance

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Rate- cutting: Nigerian insurance sector’s growth impediment –Experts To analysts and stakeholders, the Nigerian insurance industry is still confronted by the problem of rate-cutting that goes on almost unchecked among operators. Experts are of the view that insurers are unable to operate at optimal levels due to the challenge, MESHACK IDEHEN writes.

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espite the incessant warnings already handed out to some insurance operators by the National Insurance Commission, (NAICOM), that no insurance cover is provided for policyholders that fails to pay premium on their policies, observers said the insurance sector is still grappling with numerous challenges, including the unending problem of rate cutting.

The decision by NAICOM to abolish rate cutting and credit transactions in the industry, other experts added, is an initiative aimed at bringing to an end the endless credit transactions and premium payment default in the industry, which some experts said was a serious challenge confronting the insurance sector.

In Nigeria however, the problem of rate cutting, the experts noted, has become a threat to the sector due to the cut-throat competition that still exists within the insurance industry.

Hence while commending the sector’s regulators for permanently putting an end to the premium default era which many practitioners have agreed will soon be phased out completely, others said the persistence of rate-cutting has the tendency to make insurers continue to do business at a loss and overtime, and also affect their ability to remain in business.

NAICOM, like it did with the premium default issue, they noted, must also tackle the challenges posed by rate cutting to the insurance industry in Nigeria.

Explaining to our correspondent that rate cutting is a situation whereby an underwriter charges a “ridiculously low premium” on an insurance contract in order to secure it, even if it has to be done at a loss, Insurance Analyst, Mr. Joseph Adepegba, said the market agreement signed by members of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) in previous years to curtail the trend has not worked.

He said the major objective of the agreement which was to ensure that members did not charge inappropriate premium rates in their quest to get businesses may not have worked due to the lukewarm attitude of NIA members towards the agreement.

Adepegba said in the long term, that it was the NIA members that have succeeded in short changing themselves with their inability to keep to the agreement to stem rate cutting, adding the realisation by insurers that it (rate cutting)was damaging the sector certainly comes as a relief to discerning stakeholders.

According to him, “Rate cutting has brought about situations where many insurers are unable to settle claims, due to the lopsidedness that is made manifest in the policy when there is need to pay even genuine claims”.

Also lamenting the attitude of some members of the insurance community and not only NIA members to concur on the market agreement terms, Insurance Risk Expert,

Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel

Adetimehin

insurance operators have continued to groan that most corporate and government accounts are unprofitable to them, even though they have to pay huge claims.

Without realising they are part

of the problem through their inability to eliminate rate cutting from the sector, once and for all Mr. David Abesan, said most insurers, as soon as they leave meetings called to grapple with the scourge of rate cutting, forget what they had signed and resumed business as usual as far as rate-cutting and credit transactions were concerned.

Abesan also predicted that all attempt by insurance stakeholders in the country to put an end to the menace of rate cutting will fail, until NAICOM makes a policy pronouncement on the matter, just like the regulatory agency did with the no cover, no premium

issue.

According to him, “insurance operators have continued to groan that most corporate and government accounts are unprofitable to them, even though they have to pay huge claims. Without realising they are part of the problem through their inability to eliminate rate cutting from the sector, once and for all”.

On his part, Managing Director, Equity Assurance Plc, Mr Ekpe Ukpabio, while commenting on the matter, blamed the menace of rate-cutting on pressure in the indus-

try, because every underwriter, according to him, desire to have a piece of the available business.

Ukpabio agreed though that many insurers are burning their fingers because many practitioners go to the market with rates that are not commercially viable just to get the business.

Also blaming the trend on the willingness of clients, including corporate bodies and agencies of government to give available insurance to underwriters with the lowest rates, Ukpabio noted also that underwriters do not give priority to proper risk assessment because of this rush to secure the business.

According to the Equity Assurance managing director, “As an underwriter, you are left to either take it or back out of the consortium. Some people have backed out because it is not helping the bottom line. But some will say because of the profile of the client, they want to be part of it.”

Be that as it may, other stakeholders in the country’s insurance sector said the issue of rate-cutting was debatable, because, it can make a firm to continue to record underwriting losses when it is not generating enough premiums and needs to pay claims.

Immediate Past President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Dr. Wole Adetimehin, said if there were huge losses, which could destabilise the insurance pool, what the insurers should do was to raise the rates the following season.

He added that claims would help to ascertain if a particular class of insurance was good or not, and if the rate should be reviewed upward or downward, saying also part of the problem was that that local manufacturing industries were not springing up while old ones were dying, while explaining that companies that should be insured were reducing in number by the day and insurers were equally scrambling to get businesses from the few existing ones.

NAICOM set to increase fines to sanitise sector – Daniel Meshack Idehen

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he National Insurance may soon increase its fines, in order to serve as deterrent to perpetual offenders operating within the industry.

The increase in fine, National Mirror gathered, is also meant to sanitise the industry and flush out illegal and non registered operators within the insurance industry in the country.

Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Fola Daniel dropped the hints recently while speaking with journalists, noting NAICOM is strategising on how to effectively deal with insurance operators that are bent on doing

business unprofessionally.

Daniel said the target of the commission is to ensure that it receives fewer complaints from the public against non settlement of claims, saying that is the reason why the commission set up a claimant centre that enables claimants to directly phone in to us.

He explained due to this, that claimants don’t need to the commission, saying all they (claimant) needed to do was to just give details of their claims and within 48 hours, the commission will be able to give them feedback.

The NAICOM boss said the commission last year succeeded in resolving a lot of claims that were subjects of arguments between insurance institutions

and claimants and a good number of them sent written letters of appreciation to the commission.

According to him, the issue of overriding commission is like the Ten Commandments God gave to mankind, in the sense that, no matter how hard one preaches, there are people who will still want to break the laws.

“We are experiencing same in the insurance industry but be assured that we are deterring operators from breaking the rule on overriding commission.

One of the things you hear operators say is that NAICOM is just pilling up penalties on them.

“In one of the meetings I had with them I said, ‘though we

have been slamming you with penalties but it has not stopped you from misbehaving. Since NAICOM became a regulator, it has never fined any insurance company up to the tune of N10 million, but last year, a company paid N62 million as fine.

“As operators are becoming hardened, we are also re-strategising on how to effectively deal with them. So, insurance companies may be complaining of being fined N500, 000 or N200, 000 now, we have promised them that they could get up to N5 million, N10 million or even multiple of that as fines so much that some managing directors could lose their jobs”, the commissioner added.

Money

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

35

Investments in infrastructure key to cashless policy consolidation –Stakeholders In order to consolidate on ongoing cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, bank customers have raised the challenge of inadequate infrastructure to drive the project as deserving increasing commitment from Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, in the country. UDO ONYEKA reports.

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hough there is increasing impact of the cashless policy on all facets of financial transactions in the country, this is not without some technical constraints that as yet have slowed down its pace in penetration generally.

For instance, the growing awareness on the policy has resulted in the increase of online and other non- cash transactions in the country’s payment system.

The cash-less policy, as explained by the CBN is aimed at empowering the previously unbanked populace to open accounts and perform e-transactions across the nation without having to visit their bank branches.

Available statistical data provided by the Nigerian Inter Bank Settlement System ,NIBSS, transactions under its NIBSS Instant Payment, NIP and Nigerian Electronic Fund Transfer ,NEFT, have increased significantly to about N40bn daily as at last year and may have continued to increase.

NIP and NEFT are products used by corporate organisations to make payment for huge transactions electronically, in line with the cashless policy.

Data gathered from NIBSS also shows that as a result of the cashless policy, Point of Sale, PoS and Automated Teller Machines, ATM, usage have continued to record huge volume and value.

Analysts believe that if not the challenges facing the policy it would have made much more progress than it has recorded.

Experts have pointed out infrastructural deficit as major obstacle to this project. They have said there is the need to put in place infrastructure in the form of magnetic card readers and the technology that makes them work.

It was in order to tackle lack of adequate infrastructure and the cost of providing it the Group Managing Director, Computer Warehouse Group, CWG, Dr. Austin Okere; had in an interview advised financial institutions to go into what he called ‘shared resource’. He said that with financial institutions pulling their resources together it would be cost effective to provide certain services.

But a Director in Lagos state Ministry of Education, Mrs. Grace Oladimeji, at a forum in Ikeja, Lagos noted that Persons With Disabilities ,PWDs, are not been taken into consideration in the cashless project.

For instance she said most of the Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, are not positioned in a way a person on a wheelchair could go on his or her own withdraw money.

Also she said there was nothing wrong incorporating braille facility in ATMs so

Fidelity Bank MD, Nnamdi Okonkwo CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson

Mobile Money is not Making Much iMpact and has not been patronised by Many because a lot of people do not understand how it works due to lack of enlightenMent that the blind or visually impaired could make use of the ATMs. According to Mr. Jude Ezenwa, a member of the civil society organisation “the cashless and financial inclusion policy of the CBN would achieve much more if persons with disabilities are catered for in the project.

“In Lagos it is estimated that PWDs are about 10 per cent of the population of the state. So imagine throughout all the 36 states of the federation”, he said.

In order to improve the quality of services of financial institutions in delivering electronic products to customers, it was gathered the Bankers’ Committee last year planned working with the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC and other service providers to ensure that some of the challenges are addressed.

According to the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Federal Government has always encouraged the telecoms on the need to provide the necessary network that would drive cashless the project.

Johnson said an important area where government aimed to drive financial inclusion is through mobile money initiative, whose transactions has been recording steady growth since the issuance of operating licences to companies willing to play in the mobile money space in the country.

Even though many have said that Mobile Money was not making much impact and had not been embraced by many be-

cause a lot of people do not understand how it works due to lack of enlightenment, the minister pointed out that the policy was not doing badly and backing her claim with figures.

According to her “Total value of Mobile Money transactions currently stands at N228m and is expected to increase to N151 billion by 2015, while total volume of non-store shopping increased from N62bn in 2011 to N77.5 billion in 2012. This figure will increase to N658bn by 2015,” she said.

She explained that mobile money, which is being supported by telecommunications infrastructures would play significant role in driving financial service inclusion in Nigeria.

Many analysts agree with the minister that the growth in the telecoms sector is capable of driving the cashless policy.

It was also gathered that the Federal Government had begun reforming the NIPOST to ensure it complements the target of the government to ensure that about 80 per cent of adult Nigerians have access to financial services by 2020.

Johnson had said that one of the measures being undertaken by the government through the ministry was an ongoing effort to reform NIPOST to spearhead financial inclusion in the country.

“We are reforming the NIPOST to transform it into a financial and digital inclusion tool that will reduce the proportion of adult Nigerians excluded from financial services from 46.3 per cent as at 2010 to 20 per cent by 2020,” she said.

She said as part of measure to achieve the target, the ministry was working to develop about 3,000 postal outlets of NIPOST located across the country to transform the outlets into becoming venues for financial and economic inclusion.

Notwithstanding network failure at ATMs many times stakeholders say number of transactions carried out by the banking public on the over 80,000 Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, being used by banks in Nigeria has been on the increase.

Chief Executive Officer of InterSwitch, Mr. Mitchell Elegebe, said, the increasing figures associated with different payment channels were indications that more Nigerians are developing card culture in line with the CBN’s cashless policy aimed at reducing the quantity of physical cash in circulation.

However, analysts have said that much is still needed to be done as the country was witnessing adoption of the cashless economy.

According them to boost e-payment transaction volumes, there was the need to address the challenge of poor awareness on the part of the operators, especially in the informal sector, adding that there were also challenges with inter-operability of networks from the telecommunications operators.

According to industry analysts, the increase in the volume of ATM transactions over OTC transactions was an indication that the economy is recording faster adoption of electronic channels of financial transaction in recent years.

In 2013 the CBN, in pursuit of its cashless policy initiative, had charged commercial banks to deploy additional 75,000 ATMs across the country to their existing ATM points over the next three years.

The CBN had also set a target of 2015 for the deployment of over 400,000 POS.

36

Taxation

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Filing returns based on self assessment regime (i) The Self- Assessment Regime requires the concurrent filing of tax returns and payment of tax due on or before the due date. (ii) A taxpayer must compute his/her tax liabilities, pay the tax/taxes due and file the relevant returns with evidence of payment of the tax/taxes on or before the due date. (iii) The relevant tax authority, FIRS shall accept all tax returns submitted by the taxpayer. The Tax Authority shall carry out necessary checks to ensure that all required information have been appropriately entered into the tax return forms. (iv)Failure by a taxpayer to submit the tax returns forms on or before the due date is a breach of these Regulations and the Taxpayer shall be liable to pay such fines together with interests as may be prescribed in these Regulations or under the relevant provisions of the applicable tax laws.

Forms For Filing Tax Returns For the purpose of filing of tax returns required under the tax laws listed above: (a) In the case of the Personal Income Tax Act and other taxes on individuals, the tax return forms shall be as may be prescribed by the Board of FIRS; (b) In the case of taxes on companies, the tax return forms shall be as may be prescribed by the Board of FIRS; (c) In the case of the tax return forms required under the Value Added Tax Act, the forms shall be as may be prescribed by the Board of FIRS; (d) In the case of all other taxes not covered by paragraphs (a) – (c) of these Regulations, the tax return forms shall be authorized by the relevant tax authorities responsible for the collection of such taxes.

Mode Of Filing Returns (i) A taxpayer must file tax returns under the Self- Assessment Regime in person or engage the services of accredited Agents to file returns on his behalf. (ii) For an Agent to carry out the services required under this Regulation, the Agent must be fully certified by any one of the under listed Bodies: • The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria; • The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; and • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. (iii) For the Agent to render the services under this Regulation, the Agent must have the accompanying seals of any of the Bodies listed in (ii) above.

Signing Of Forms Where Agent Is Engaged By The Taxpayer: Where an Agent has been engaged by a taxpayer for the purpose of filing of tax returns: (i) In the case of filing returns for Personal Income Tax Act, the forms must be signed by the taxpayer in person; (ii) In the filing of returns under the Companies Income Tax Act, the forms must be signed by a Director or the Company Secretary. (iii) In either (i) or (ii), the Agent shall sign alongside any of the signatories mentioned in (i) and (ii) above.

Finance Minister, Okonjo-Iweala

Ag. Executive Chairman FIRS, Samuel Ogungbesan

Listing And Delisting Of Agents By Relevant Tax Authority: The FIRS in the exercise of its responsibilities under these Regulations may: (i) Compile annually a list of agents upon being satisfied that they are knowledgeable in the provisions of the applicable tax law, rules and regulations; and (ii) Remove from such list, in consultation with the relevant professional body, any agent who fails to satisfy the standards referred to in these Regulations.

Time For Filing Returns: 1. For Personal Income Tax Act- The due date for the filing of self- assessment returns under the Personal Income Tax Act shall be on or before the 31st day of March of every year.

2. For Companies Income Tax Act- The tax due for filing self-assessment returns under the Companies Income Tax Act shall be six months from the end of the accounting year; 3. For Petroleum Profits Tax Act- Under the Petroleum Profit Tax Act, a company shall file a return of its estimated tax for an accounting period within two months after the commencement of each accounting period while instalment payment shall commence not later than the third month of the accounting period and the final return shall be filed within five months after the end of the accounting period with evidence of payment of the final instalment.

4. For Value Added Tax Act- Taxable persons and agents of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) shall render a return of activities of the preceding month and remit VAT due on or before the 21st day of the month after the month of transaction with evidence of payment.

Extension Of Time For Making Returns: (1) For the purpose of filing income tax returns, a taxpayer may apply in writing to the Board of the FIRS for an extension of time within which to file returns provided the taxpayer: a. Makes the application before the due date of filing returns; and b. Shows good cause of its inability to comply.

(2) The Board may in writing grant the extension of time for making returns to such time as it may consider appropriate.

Conditions For Granting Extension Of Time For Making Returns: (1) In granting any extension, the Board of the FIRS shall take the following into consideration: a. in the case of an individual taxpayer, on the death of the taxpayer within the period of filing of the returns; b. in the case of a company, on the death of any principal officer of the company, such as the Chairman, Managing Director or Company Secretary, within the period of filing of the returns; and c. Where the company experienced a fire or natural disaster within the period of filing.

(2) The company must provide verifiable evidence of the fire or natural disaster or of the death of the principal officer of the company.

Consequence Of Late Filing Under The Period Of Extension: Where an extension is granted, any late filing outside the period of extension whether accompanied by payment of tax due or not shall be penalized for late filing under these Regulations.

Approval To Extend Time Not To Alter Time For Payment Of Taxes: Any approval granted by the Board of the FIRS under 14 of these Regulations shall not be construed as to alter the time within which payment of taxes shall be made under any applicable tax law provision. The filing of returns for VAT is excluded from this extension.

Installment Payments Of Tax: (1) A taxpayer may make instalment payments of tax due by commencing payment in the relevant year of assessment in a manner that the final instalment payment shall be made not later than the due date provided that: (a) The taxpayer notifies the FIRS of his intention to make instalment payments; and (b) The taxpayer files returns on or before the due date with evidence of payment of the final

Instalment. (c) The FIRS shall not approve more than three instalment payments from the due date. (d) The payment of VAT is excluded from instalment payments.

Payment Of Tax Due Where a tax falls due and is not paid under any enactment by any person from whom it is due, whether or not the payment of such tax is secured by a bond, the tax due shall be paid on demand by the FIRS or by delivering the demand notice in writing to his place of abode or business or through his agent, registered post or approved courier service.

Administrative Assessment For Failure To File Returns: (1) For the purpose of this Regulation the term “Administrative Assessment” means an assessment raised by the Board of FIRS where a taxpayer has failed to file returns and pay taxes due on or before the due date or where there is an understatement of tax in the returns filed.

Administrative Assessment Not To Relieve A Taxpayer From Obligation To File Returns A determination of the tax payable through Administrative Assessment shall not relieve taxpayers from the obligation to file tax returns of their businesses, in the case of a company or full disclosure of income from all sources in the case of an individual.

Administrative Assessment shall include penalties and interests imposed as part of the liability due, effective from the time the returns became due.

Failure To File Returns After Extension Of Time Where a taxpayer, agent or employer fails to file the tax returns for an accounting period after the time extended by the Service, the taxpayer, agent or employer shall be liable to pay prescribed penalties for late filing of returns from the due date of filing.

Determination Of Penalties And Interests The determination of penalties and interests shall be as prescribed under the relevant tax laws, rules and regulations issued by the Service from time to time.

Dispute Resolution Appeal Procedure Where a taxpayer is dissatisfied with any administrative assessment levied on him under the established Self-Assessment Regime, he may seek redress as follows: (a) Lodge an appeal with the appropriate tax office of the Service responsible for the assessment; (b) If dissatisfied with the decision of the appropriate tax office of the Service, he may appeal directly to the Executive Chairman (c) In the event that the assessment complained of remains unresolved, the taxpayer may appeal directly to the Tax Appeal Tribunal; (d) Any further appeal from the Tax Appeal Tribunal may be lodged at the Federal High Court for resolution; and (e) Time within which to appeal or raise objection shall be as prescribed by the relevant tax law.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Capital Market

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

37

10 brokers account for 51% of market shares Johnson okanlawon

I

ndication emerged that 10 stockbroking firms traded 37.2 billion volume of shares, representing 50.7 per cent of the volume traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in the last four months.

According to a report from the Exchange, CSL Stockbrokers Limited top the traders with 8.03 million volume of shares, followed by Stanbic IBTC with 6.45 shares.

Rencap Securities Limited exchanged 6.07 volume of shares, while FBN Capital traded 3.49 shares to came forth.

Others are EFCP Limited with 2.73 million volume of shares, Vetiva Capital with 2.35 million shares, while Standard Alliance Capital and Asset Management exchanged 2..34 million shares.

Chapel Hill Denham Securities Limited, A.R.M. Securities Limited and Cardinalstone Securities Limited traded 2.18 million, 1.83 milion and 1.66 million shares respectively.

However, in terms of value traded, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited top the brokers with N11.1 billion shares, representing 14.5 per cent of

NSE DG, Oscar Onyema

Stanbic IBTC MD, Sola David-Borha

the total transaction, followed by CSL Stockbrokers with N92.9 billion.

Rencap Securities Limited pulled a total of value N92.9 billion transaction, while EFCP Limited traded shares valued at N51.4 billion.

Others are Vetiva Capital Managment Limited, FBN Securities Limited, Cahpel Hill Denham Securities Limited and African Aliance Stockbrokers Limited. A.R.M Securities Limited and Cordros Capital Limited pulled a total value of N15.6 billion and N15.4

Dangote Sugar stock suffers 13% dip in 30 days

T

he performance of Dangote Sugar Refinary in the first quarter of 2015 has started taking toll of its share price, as more investors are selling-off their investments.

Both the top-line and the bottom-line of the company dropped values in the three months ended March 31, 2015, as shareholders have started reacting to the results.

The company’s shares, which opened the month at N7.03 per share, dropped 92 kobo or 13.6 per cent to N6.11 per share, as at April 30, 2015.

Its first quarter profit after tax was dwon 36.8 per cent to N2.37 billion, from N3.757 billion recorded in the same period of 2014, while profit after tax dropped 51.9 per cent to N3.79 billion, from N5.769 billion in 2014.

The company’s revenue also fell to N22.52 billion from N25.884 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014, while cost of sale dipped from N18.697 billion in the same period of 2014 to N17.001 billion in the review period.

According to the result presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, total comprehensive income shed 36.8 per cent to N2.374 billion, from N3.757 billion in the three months of 2014.

Basic earnings per share stood at 79 kobo from 125 kobo reported in 2014, representing a drop of 28.87 per cent but property, plant and equipment appreciated to N49.979 billion from N40.079 billion, while intangible assets rose to N1.364 billion from N567.512 million.

Analysis of the company’s balance sheet showed a total non current assets of N54.145 billion in the three months, from N41.202 billion, while cash and cash equivalents dropped 50.55 per cent to N3.838 billion from N7.437 billion.

Total current assets stood at N42.614 billion from N44.265 billion, while working capital dropped to N11.532 billion from N14.035 billion.

Net assets rose 15.43 per cent to N59.590 billion from N49.137 billion.

The company had last year

biillion respectively.

The Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, Mr. Oladele Sotubo, who expressed satisfaction with the company’s performance during the period, said the company would continue to work with regulators and operators to establish a world-class capital market in Nigeria.

He added that Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers had been executing trades for clients not only in Nigeria, but also

said its numerous investments in strategic processes would lead to increased profitability for its shareholders in the next few months.

The Managing Director, Mr. Graham Clark, expressed the company’s commitment to ensure higher returns for the shareholders in the coming years.

He noted that the company’s acquisition of farm machinery worth $35m from Panafrican Equipment was in line with the backward integration policy of the Federal Government and the National Sugar Development Council.

“This is yet another milestone in the Dangote Sugar journey as we work towards the achievement of our strategic sugar master plan to produce 1.5 million metric tonnes of sugar per annum, locally,” Clark said.

According to him, there would be meaningful collaboration between the board and management of the company to increase its market share and sustain its leadership position.

in other countries across the world, including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and as far away as New York, London, Dubai and Singapore, among many others.

“The firm looks forward to an enhanced performance in 2013 as the capital market is still in a recovery mode, with a significant number of listed equities still reflecting sound fundamentals,” he stated.

Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Mrs. Sola DavidBorha, stated that Stanbic IBTC will continue to spearhead efforts aimed at actualising Nigeria’s developmental aspirations.

She added that the company would leverage Standard Bank Group’s indepth knowledge of emerging markets and understanding of investor behaviour to provide clients with equity offerings customised to meet each client’s unique needs.

She recalled that the recent appointment of Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited as stockbroker to the Federal Government on FGN Bonds as well as market maker by Exchange clearly demonstrated the recognition of the company’s ability to deliver on its mandates.

Fidson boss wins 2014 BusinessDay award

T

he Managing Director, Fidson Healthcare, Dr Fidelis Ayebae has emerged one of the top Chief Executive Officers of listed companies in Nigeria at this year’s edition of BusinessDay Top 25 CEO Awards for 2014 financial year.

The awards ceremony, which was held in Lagos, witnessed a gathering of Chief Executives and top management representatives of listed companies across all sectors.

The Fidson boss had earlier emerged winner of the 2013 edition of the awards, following his company’s performance in the capital market and contributions to the country’s economy.

Fidson enjoys a consistent profit record and value delivery to its shareholders and investors.

Its recent revenue growth and 300 per cent increase in profit after tax in 2014 financial year lend credence to its growth sustainability. It may be recalled that in 2013, the company announced its full year results with a turnover increase from N7.2billion to N9.2billion, representing 29 per cent growth The year on year growth recorded by Fidson Healthcare Plc in the last eight years has won

the company several awards both locally and internationally, including the previous edition of the BusinessDay Top 25 CEO, Top 100 Nigerian Companies and the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA).

The company which prides itself as a leading player in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry, attributes these awards to its passion for excellence, as demonstrated in its myriad of quality brands and value offerings.

Speaking on the award, Ayebae said, “We believe this is an acknowledgment of our commitment to adding value to the lives of Nigerians through the provision of quality healthcare solutions. As a company, we are motivated to up our ante and continue to deliver on these promises, he said.”

The BusinessDay Publisher, Mr Frank Aigbogun said that the 25 CEOs that made the list of winners this year added over N333 billion to shareholders’ funds in spite of the market downturn and realized N107.1billion as profit after tax at the end of 2014 compared to N66.8billion realized in the corresponding period of 2013.

38

Features

Tuesday, May 5 , 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SENDAI 2015: Reducing disaster risk to alleviate poverty The recently concluded conference on poverty and risk reduction in Sendai Japan adopted resolutions that should be of interest to the in-coming democratic government in Nigeria.

In this report, DARE AKOGUN, uses various agency sources to examine risk reduction and the poor in Nigeria.

T

he third U.N. world conference on disaster risk reduction was held from March 14 to 18, 2015, in Sendai , Japan, where Nigeria joined representatives from about 187 UN member states . The venue of the conference was a few kilometers away from Fukushima where the 2011 Tsunami caused extensive damaged to nuclear plants and devastation to the environment. According to experts at the conference the relationship between poverty and disaster risk is clear as poverty creates the vulnerabilities which turn hazards into disasters. In turn, the impact of disaster increases poverty. Most disasters occur in poor countries and the people who suffer more are usually the poor. Poor people live in less well constructed houses than those who are better off. That makes their homes more susceptible to destruction by wind, flood, or earthquake than stronger, more expensive buildings.

The poorest people have fewer options for escape when disaster is forecast – such options cost money which they don’t have.

They have less schooling than richer people and, thus, enjoy fewer employment options after a disaster has undermined or destroyed their livelihood. They may also suffer from ill health and/or malnutrition which compound their vulnerability.

Comparing the impact of disasters on wealthy countries with that on less developed ones, the disparity holds. While Hurricane Sandy in the USA killed 43 people, Cyclone Nargis in Burma killed as many as 138,000. The sizes of those storms were comparable, but they struck countries at very different levels of development.

In the Sendai conference, about 350 side events were held in addition to working sessions and about 10,000 persons attended, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The conference adopted the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,” following the Hyogo framework.

The first major agreement of the Sendai Post-2015 development agenda, is a far reaching new framework for disaster risk reduction with seven targets and four priorities for action with Nigeria’s promise to implement all agreements to the letter.

Nigeria’s delegation was headed by the Honourable Minister, Federal Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentina Mallam along with the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi who represented President Goodluck Jonathan and

Nigerian delegation at the conference.

Director-General, NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi (left), Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam at the conference

delivered the country’s mission statement which stated thus; “Nigeria like many other countries in the world is vulnerable to disasters, including natural and humanly - induced. This informs our readiness to come together with the rest of the world in developing a post 2015 framework, for disaster risk reduction.”

The statement further stated that “Lessons and experiences garnered from our devastating flood disaster of 2012 have prompted us as a government, to put in place disaster risk reduction measures that have significantly improved our coping capacity. Improved levels of preparedness and proactive measures have helped in mitigating the effects of major hydro-metrological events, to date.”

The President’s statement further reveals that “Recently, our great country - Nigeria, has been experiencing a devastating insurgency by Boko Haram extremists

which has led to many deaths and massive destruction of public and private properties. Many of our people have also been displaced from their communities, causing serious humanitarian crises.”

In a sober mood President Jonathan said “Some of our innocent daughters, seeking education to better their lives, were abducted from their school in Chibok by the insurgents, causing international outrage.

School systems as well as health and other critical facilities have been severely damaged. The Government of Nigeria is making every effort and taking every care, to rescue our daughters alive.”

“We have also in partnership with some international agencies and the private sector, put in place a Safe School Initiative Programme to restore educational facilities in the affected communities.”

“In this programme, we are rebuilding schools to offer greater protection to our

NIGERIA LIKE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD IS VULNERABLE TO DISASTERS, INCLUDING NATURAL AND HUMANLY - INDUCED. THIS INFORMS OUR READINESS TO COME TOGETHER WITH THE

REST OF THE WORLD IN DEVELOPING A POST 2015 FRAMEWORK, FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

children.”

On the fate of students in the affected communities in North East, the President informed the participants that “In order to ensure that our children who are affected by the activities of the insurgents continue with their education, 2,400 of them have been transferred, in the interim, from the high risk areas to safer schools in other parts of our country. This was achieved under the Safe Schools Initiative Programme.”

On regional integration and cooperation as disaster does not recognise boundaries, clashes or race, the President stated that “based on our recent experiences and global trends, we firmly believe that conflict prevention, management and resolution, should feature prominently in the Post 2015 Framework. In this regard, we align ourselves with the position of the African Union (AU), and thank, most graciously, the United Nations Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the AU, for the Fifth Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Reduction (AFRP), which held successfully in Abuja from 13-18 May, 2014.”

Nigeria is having a to cope with natural and human-induced disasters especially the 2012 flood disaster and the ongoing insurgency which has caused untold stress on the humanitarian agencies in the country.

The outcome of the 2015 Sendai Conference is clarion calls for Nigeria to further acknowledge and give more support to the emergency management agency in the country to continue imbibing pro-active measures in accordance with global best practice in its activities.

The outcome of the Conference was analyzed by Emily Wilkinson who is a Research Fellow in the Climate and Environment Programme at the Overseas Development Institute thus: “Significantly, the agreement includes a set of seven global targets for reducing disaster risk, paving the way for more concerted efforts to measure progress.”

In Nigeria, the momentum already achieved should continue with enhanced political wills by our leaders at the States and Local Government levels as disaster risk reduction governance is essential for developmental policies.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Features

Tuesday, May 5 , 2015

39

AUN welcomes Colbert, champion of education for the disadvantaged NELLY ATING

O

n May 9th, Ms. Victoria Colbert, internationally known and awardwinning educator, will be visiting Yola, the Adamawa State capital and seat of the American University of Nigeria.

Colbert, a woman who has revolutionized education in the developing world, will be AUN’s Commencement Speaker at its seventh graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 9th.

In announcing the selection of Colbert, AUN President Margee Ensign said: “We are all so happy that an educator as internationally known and distinguished has found the time to visit us. As Africa’s first ‘development university’, we are anxious to hear of her wonderful experiences in the developing world, where her work has brought education and hope to so many millions of children across the globe.”

Primary education is much on the minds of many at AUN, which is currently striving with its local community to feed and educate hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the Boko Haram to the north. Yola is currently home to 400,000 such ‘displaced persons’, many of them children--perhaps as many as 200,000. Many of these children will stay in the Yola area, badly straining already stretched resources. They have been out of school during this crisis.

The American University of Nigeria has been actively engaged in providing for many of these refugees, and as a “development university” is much concerned with the challenge of finding cost-effective and proven ways of helping to provide primary and secondary education in the region.

The AUN community is anxiously awaiting what Ms. Colbert has to say on the topic of primary education, a field in which she has been a pioneer since the 1970’s. Her message at the seventh Commencement, where AUN will graduate another set of problem-solvers, students who have been steeped in the challenges of African development during their four years at AUN, will fall on fertile ground as leaders of the area wrestle with the challenges that so many refugees have posed.

Colbert’s visit, it is hoped, will spur positive policies in the area of education. The techniques that she first developed in poor rural areas of Columbia have since taken root in 20 other developing nations, providing a new model for how to provide good education in impoverished communities with meager resources. The hope is that some of these ideas can be implemented in northeast Nigeria which has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. AUN’s existing learning resource programs for the community and the internally displaced persons will be a good starting point on which to build.

Among the resources the University has built are the literacy programs in community schools such as Student Empowered through Language, Literacy and Arithmetic (STELLAR); Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Unified

A cross-section of graduands in 2014

AUN President, Margee Ensign (left) congratulating one of the 2014 graduands

Tertiary Matriculation Examination preparatory tutorials, and ICT training and sharing of digital resources with neighboring institutions in Nigeria’s northeast.

It is hoped that Ms. Colbert’s extensive experience in this field can further strengthen AUN’s teaching and learning programs and show how they can best benefit Nigeria’s impoverished communities and their underserved children.

President Ensign, a member of the Adamawa State government Committee on Assessment of the Effects of Insurgency, has emphasized the need for food supply, standard hygiene, and most importantly education for the children of the displaced.

“These children have had little formal education. Over the past three years, we have provided more than 12,000 of them with literacy instruction and training in entrepreneurship, information, and communications technology.

“As a development university, we are committed to community development programs that are enabling an environment for peace, women empowerment, and socioeconomic equality. Today we are

embracing a much broader definition of community - both inside and outside our university gates - and the problems that come with that larger community.”

Nigeria has the most children out of school in the world, according to UNESCO 2015 Education for All Global Monitoring Report. With the debilitating grip of Boko Haram, even more children are out of school in the northeast and Adamawa State has a 77 percent illiteracy rate.

Dr. Ensign said that to address the academic gap “mobile education and training centers” are on board to bridge the gap temporarily. The university already has established a literacy program that aims to reach as many as possible. Ensign said that it’s a misperception that Nigerian parents don’t want education for their children; they simply lack access and resources.

The STELLAR program is aimed at strengthening basic academic skills of primary school students in Adamawa State. It evolved from a community service course at AUN in 2012, a course every student in AUN is required to take as a requirement

for graduation. Undergraduates are supervised by faculty members to teach in community schools.

STEM, another literacy program, nurtures academic talents in the ciences, engineering, technology, and mathematics through the effort of AUN students who encourage and help secondary school students in Adamawa State to establish Whiz kid Clubs in their schools while they mentor them.

AUN’s local training has graduated more than 4,000 community youths who are now ICT-capable and many have gained scholarship into free CISCO certification courses.

Some community youth beneficiaries of the AUN free tutoring program, in which AUN students serve as tutors for secondary school students preparing to enter university credited their success in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) computer-based test to the fact that peer-to-peer learning helped them score higher in the matriculation exam.

The AUN Honor Society has raised money to support scholarships to community schools, paying school fees for families whose children could not otherwise attend school.

Thus it is with great interest that the members of the American University of Nigeria community await the arrival of Ms. Colbert, whose “New School” movement has reached millions of young students across the globe. Fostering, like AUN, greater cooperation between schools, their teachers, local parents, and their communities, and emphasizing peerto-peer learning and collaboration, this very successful model has brought hope and education to countless communities in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world.

Ms. Colbert, a recipient of many international awards, including the very first Clinton Global Citizen Award, brings a message of hope to Nigeria, and to its harried northeast, now emerging from the long night of Boko Haram violence. It is possible to radically improve the education of the rural poor with very limited resources. This is a message the people of AUN and of Adamawa State are eager to hear.

40

Global Business

Anemic U.S. factory data points to moderate growth bounce

U

.S. factory activity failed to gain steam in April after slowing for five straight months and demand for automobiles softened, suggesting the economy was struggling to find momentum after growth almost stalled in the first quarter.

Other data on Friday showed construction spending hit a six-month low in March, also indicating that the anticipated acceleration in growth in the second quarter could disappoint.

That could see the Federal Reserve delaying raising interest rates until later this year.

The economy expanded at a 0.2 per cent annual pace in the first three months of the year, slammed by bad weather, a strong dollar and a nowresolved labor dispute at the West Coast ports, as well as lower oil prices, which have undercut domestic energy production.

“The reacceleration in growth will not come fast enough for many, especially those looking for a liftoff by the Fed to happen sooner,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in New York.

The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity was at 51.5 in April, matching the March reading, which had been the lowest since May 2013.

The index had declined since November and economists had expected

it to rise to 52 in April. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector.

While new orders rose last month, a gauge of factory employment contracted for the first time since May 2013 and recorded its lowest reading since September 2009.

Manufacturing has been hit by the dollar’s 12 per cent appreciation against the currencies of the United States’ main trading partners since June.

The buoyant currency has hurt export growth and profits of multinational corporations, including Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N), the world’s largest household products maker, and prompted ColgatePalmolive (CL.N) and healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to cut their profit forecasts for the full year.

Whirlpool Corp (WHR.N), the world’s largest maker of home appliances, lowered its profit forecast and sales outlook for 2015.

Manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the U.S. economy, is also being pressured by the lower oil prices, which have caused oil-field companies to slash spending on exploration and well drilling.

Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) has warned the dollar and weak oil

Obama

prices will hurt profits this year.

U.S. stocks closed higher. The dollar rose against a basket of currencies, while U.S. Treasury debt prices fell.

Separately, auto sales fell to an annualized pace of 16.45 million vehicles last month from a 17.15 million-unit rate in March. However, General Motors Co (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) reported stronger-than-expected U.S. auto sales in April on robust demand for trucks, and crossover and sports utility vehicles.

Demand for autos is likely to pick up in the months ahead. In another report, the University of Michigan said its overall index on consumer sentiment rose to 95.9 this month, the second highest level since 2007, from 93.0 in March.

HSBC’s HQ rethink: Taxes and China relationship hold key to decision

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n 1990, an assessment called Project Rainbow paved the way for HSBC (HSBA.L) to move from Hong Kong to Britain. As Europe’s biggest bank now considers moving back, the same exercise offers clues to its final decision, say industry sources and analysts.

Project Rainbow assessed HSBC’s future base by considering whether it was operationally effective, tax efficient, politically acceptable, consistent with bank regulatory requirements, in the best interests of shareholders and compatible with

Gulliver

any future merger of HSBC and the Midland Group.

After HSBC said its formal review of whether to change headquarters again could take six months of complex discussions, industry observers are looking to previous decision-making criteria to try to forecast its final decision.

How easily Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver can keep his new structure intact is a major consideration, particularly after his work in the last four years to cut costs, improve profitability and simplify operations following a string of scandals partly blamed on a lack of central control.

Gulliver has also re-established Asia as the bank’s heartland, reversing two decades of expansion in Europe and the Americas so that 63 percent of profits in the last two years came from Asia.

Significantly, HSBC has said it needs to be positioned “in the best way to support the markets and customer bases critical to our future success.”

A jump in Britain’s bank levy prompted HSBC to consider moving.

It will pay some $1.5 billion under the levy this year - about 7 percent of expected pretax profits - up from $1.1 billion in 2014. That could rise to more than $2 billion if the opposition Labour Party wins power in Britain’s May 7 general election because Labour has said it will increase the levy by 800 million pounds ($1.21 billion) a year.

UK banks pay the levy - which has been raised eight times since being introduced in 2010 to ensure banks made a “fair contribution” - on all their balance sheet. Overseas banks pay it on their UK assets. If it moved, HSBC would be taxed on about 42 percent of its assets, potentially saving $900 million or more a year.

HSBC paid $7.9 billion in total taxes last year, including $2.4 billion in Britain and $1.3 billion in Hong Kong.

HSBC initially moved to London following its takeover of Midland Bank, at the insistence of the Bank of England. But insiders at the bank said the decision had more to do with soothing investors’ worries about the future of Hong Kong when it was handed back to China in 1997.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

McDonald’s faces ‘show me’ moment with new CEO strategy

M

cDonald’s new Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook is set to unveil his plan on Monday to revive growth as the world’s largest hamburger chain struggles to win back consumers and investors.

He’ll be aiming to persuade people such as Janna Sampson, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments, which bought McDonald’s (MCD.N) shares on the cheap more than a decade ago and eventually held more than 7 million shares as the company spiffed up its restaurants, improved service and expanded its menus with things like fancy coffee, salads and wrap sandwiches.

But Sampson’s enthusiasm waned a couple of years ago as quarterly sales at established restaurants started to flag and then fall. In March 2014, OakBrook sold most of its holdings, figuring that McDonald’s stock price was too high for a company with no clear strategy for turning its fortunes around.

“It had not come down enough given the kinds of sales numbers we were seeing,” said Sampson. The firm favors companies that dominate their industries, as McDonald’s still does.

Easterbrook has described

Easterbrook

himself as an “internal activist” willing to challenge the status quo to remake McDonald’s as a “modern, progressive burger company.”

Most financial analysts who cover McDonald’s are on the sidelines. Twenty have “hold” ratings on the stock, one is at “sell” and seven are at “buy” or higher, according to Thomson Reuters data.

They expect Easterbrook to outline more corporate cost cuts, sales of restaurants to franchisees and steps to simplify its menu. He may also elaborate on plans to experiment with customized sandwiches and new mobile technologies. Among options traders, bullish bets on McDonald’s turnaround plan picked up last week.

50th year at Berkshire, faces tough questions

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uffett and his second-in-command, Charlie Munger, fielded five hours of questions from shareholders, analysts and journalists at Berkshire’s annual meeting, including some that criticized the business practices of firms that Berkshire owns or works with, such as Brazil’s 3G Capital.

The meeting had a more festive air this year, with one of the more than 40,000 people who attended shouting out “Warren and Charlie, we love you” at the start of the main event of what Buffett calls “Woodstock for Capitalists.”

“It’s not Disneyland, it’s Warrenland,” said David Rolfe, chief investment officer of Wedgewood Partners Inc.

Rolfe

Berkshire holds more than 80 companies including the Burlington Northern railroad, Geico car insurance, Benjamin Moore paint, Dairy Queen ice cream, Fruit of the Loom underwear, and See’s candies, and owns more than $115 billion of stocks.

Its breadth and depth, which includes $63.7 billion of cash, has given Berkshire a strong balance sheet that Buffett said will help it thrive should the economy, propped up by low interest rates that many expect to rise soon, heads south.

“We will be very willing to act if economic turbulence of any kind occurs, and will be prepared, and most people won’t be,” he said. He denied that Berkshire needed special regulatory oversight by possibly having become too big to fail.

Buffett gave no hints about who would succeed him. He also alluded in one answer to his writing another of his popular letters to shareholders next February, suggesting no intention to leave soon.

Yet he said he would not want someone whose sole background is in investments to become chief executive. “I would not want to put someone in charge of Berkshire with only investing experience and not any operational experience.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

41

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Civil society groups honour Oronto Douglas JULIUS OSAHON

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igerians from all walks of life including President, Goodluck Jonathan, the Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson, civil society groups, minority right activists, environmentalists all paid glowing tributes to the late Environmentalist and Special Adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Barrister Oronto Natei Douglas, who died on April, 9, 2015.

President Goodluck, who was at the commendation service held at St. Peter’s Deanery, Yenagoa, acknowledged the pivotal role Late Oronto Natei Douglas played in the sustenance of the Niger Delta struggle for resource control and environmental restoration.

According to him, late Oronto Douglas introduced intellectual activism to the Niger Delta struggle for economic inclusiveness, noting that, he was articulate, an academic icon, idealist, proactive, strategic, courageous, humanitarian and never retracts, once committed to a cause he believes in.

Eulogizing the late environmental and human rights advocate, the President described him as a unique personality, who was worth more than silver and gold, stressing that, Oronto Douglas was leaving at a time when his wise and useful counsel were most needed.

He remarked that, Douglas impacted positively in so many ways on the people of Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta and the entire country, within his short, but eventful life on earth and would continue to be remembered by all who knew him.

In his words:”By his contributions, he is worth more that silver and gold and he is leaving at a time he is most needed as he has impacted positively on the people of the State, the Niger Delta and the entire country within the short period of his life on earth.”

While in his own remarks, Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson announced the award of scholarships to the two children of late Oronto Douglas to university level, in appreciation of his selfless contributions to the development of humanity and the Niger Delta environment.

The Governor also directed the immediate employment of all the teachers of the Chief Edwin Clark Preparatory school in Okoroba, founded by the late human rights lawyer as well as support for his foundation and other legal projects initiated by the icon.

“The State government will give every necessary support to the children to have their education to university level, the

government will support all his dreams and what he lived for”, Dickson said.

In his sermon at the service, the Anglican Bishop of the Niger Delta – West, Diocese, the Right Reverend Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, who also officiated at the service, described death as the last enemy of mankind that will be defeated on the last day by Jesus Christ.

He admonished everyone to fear God, in whichever position they find themselves and always eschew evil, as God will only receive the righteous into his kingdom, where there will be no sorrow, pain, hunger or death for those who die in Christ.

Pupils of the Chief Edwin

Clark Preparatory School, Okoroba, founded by late Oronto Douglas, also ministered in songs, with a special renditions, in tribute to the late human rights activist.

The week long activities started on Wednesday as human rights activists held a solidarity March for late environmentalist, human right activist.

The solidarity and memorial which began at Ekeki park, along the Mbiama-Yenagoa road, through Imgbi road to Sani Abach way and terminated at the Sani Abacha hall, Ijaw house, Yenagoa, saw thousand of activist walking all the distance, singing solidarity songs for the late activist.

Many of the personalities who spoke at occasion pay glowing tributes to a man they described as the Major of present day Niger Delta struggle and one of those who began the fight against environmental injustice and the vicious rape of the environment by oil multinationals operating in the Niger Delta area.

In a lecture titled, ‘Oronto Douglas: Reflections on Character and Humanity to Social Change; A Tribute, Peterson Ogon, the founding director of the Ijaw Council for Human Right, describe him as humans and a man who has not failed to leave an imprint and a deep impression of

his positive mindset on any body he had a encounter with.

He said Oronto Douglas was a man who believe in collective action ansd that was why he was one of those who propagated the African proverb which says, “if you want to fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.”

“It is painful however, that Oronto’s dream of self determination for the Niger Delta did not come through at his time. Sadly, the pollution and vicious rape of the environment has deepened.

The gas flare are turning more night to day time. That was far from his dream. He wanted us to end it.

L-R: Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr.Charles Ajuyah, SAN; Commissioner for Health, Hon. Joseph Otumara; Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, and Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Mofe Pirah, during thanksgiving service in commemoration of the 28th coronation anniversary of Olu of Warri, HRM. Ogiame Atuwatse II. in Warri.

Over 600 hypertensive patients receive free treatment in Okpe THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

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o fewer than 600 hypertensive and diabetic patients have received free medical treatment from a United States (US) based Abundant Grace Gospel Assembly church in communities of Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.

Other patients with several health challenges were also freely treated by the church with headquarters in Stockbridge, Georgia.

Nigerian born founding pastor of the Abundant Grace Gospel Assembly and US trained nurse anesthetist who led the church health charity team to the state, Pastor Freeborn Ukpede, said the scheme was particularly designed to reduce the increasing profile of deaths as-

sociated with hypertension and diatbetics among Nigerians.

Pastor Ukpede explained that the church has been able to sustain the free health care for local populace for the past six years, noting that many of those who died of the illnesses were predominantly ignorant of it.

He said: “I have been through various corners of the world participating in health missions, but back home in Delta where I am from and the larger Nigerian society, we realized the need to move against the prevailing death of people between ages 45 and 55 due to the health complications resulting from unchecked hypertension and diabetics.

“The real threat is that majority of people affected do not know they are hypertensive or diabetic until opportunities like this come to test and let them

know. People in this part of the world are apathetic to deliberate checkups, so they wait till the situation is unbearable and before going for treatment and many don’t live to survive the sudden attacks from prolong inaction on long harboured high blood pressure or diabetics.”

While explaining further, the cleric said aside the free diagnoses, prevention and control drugs including eye test and distribution of corrective glasses which the project offered to beneficiaries at an estimated $20,000, the mission is prepared to partner government and wellmeaning individuals in bringing in experts to build capacity among Nigerian health workers at dealing with these health problems.

Also speaking at one of the programme venue in OrereOkpe, Chairman, Okpe Local

Government, Prince Godwin Ejinyere who assisted the mission with logistics and mobilization of the populace, said, “I am satisfied with the gesture from this body and the value it has added in improving health among the Okpe people. Given the much achieved in such a short notice, we will be more prepared and reach as many more people next time.”

Former member representing Okpe Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Efe Afe who also supported the project said, “This is one of the happiest day of my life. Ukpede, as an Eku man with a passion to see improved lives among his people has been doing this for long. This year I appealed that he extends it to Okpe and you see that many of the beneficiaries stand to live longer than they would have if not for this health intervention.”

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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Landlord ejects Federal University, Otuoke students over debt OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

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undreds of male students of the Federal University, situated in President Goodluck Jonathan’s home town, Otuoke, Bayelsa state, who had resumed on Sunday, were shut out from their hostels by the landlord over the school and state government i ‘s nability to pay #24 million for two years rent.

When our correspondent got there yesterday, the 52 bedroom apartment which accommodates more than half of the school male population was bereft of the normal student activities but the porter and the school Dean of Student Affairs , Dr. Marcellina Offoha, was seen packing out some of the belongings out of the hostel as the landlord wait ed to lock the gate.

Speaking with our corespondent, the landlord who brandished a letter from his solicitors, Stream Solicitors, based in Yenagoa, said he was tired of the antics of the state government, who has failed to honour the agreement to pay him annually for the rented apartment.

He said he had made several efforts to get the issue resolved amicably but all his efforts were thwarted by the Bayelsa state government who were the tenant and the school authorities who occupies the apartment.

According to the landlord, “I am evicting the university, they are my tenants, they are owing due to the negligence from the state government, they are owing me for two years, I have given them quit notice and I hope they are quitting.

I have spoken to the state government, I have meetings with the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, I have had meetings with the Permanent Secretary, PS, I have had meetings with the Vice Chancellor, met with the Registrar, but to no avail.

And the reason they gave was that there was no fund from the state government because it was the Bayelsa state government that we have the tenancy agreement with and the state government bequeathed the properties to the Federal university but which ever way, we have an agreement to be paid, which has not been carried out.”

The quit notice signed by R.E. Ndiomu, on behalf of the solicitors, read, “We the landlords of the 52 bedroom apartments at Onuegbum, Otuoke road, Otuoke, gives you notice to quit and deliver possession of the aforementioned property with its appurtenances which you hold as a tenant or on before the expira-

tion of seven days upon the receipts of this notice, for failure of the Bayelsa state government through the office of the Secretary to the state government, Bayelsa state to pay the balance of #24 million as rent accruable.”

We have been patiently waiting for the balance sum since last year but have been frustrated by the lack of commitment which the Bayelsa state government has shown despite several attempts to get the state government to adhere to its promise as we have kept our part of the bargain hence the notice.”

We regret this notice, however failure to adhere to this notice, we shall enter into possession without recourse to you or the Bayelsa state government.”

The letter was copied to the Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke, the Chief Legal Adviser to the university, and the Secretary of the state government, which claim receipt of the letter on the 10th of March, 2015.

Reacting to the ugly development, the Dean of Student Life, Dr. Marcellina Offoha, who was on hand to witness the lock down of the hostel apartment said, the

students was supposed to be coming back to the hostel at the weekend but met the place under lock.

He said the both the students and the school authority are in dilemma but assured that the school authorities, the state government and the landlord will settle the issue amicably in the shortest time possible.

She said, “We have come and we have to begged him, we are on our knees; he is a kind person and he has allow us to take at least something that will basic calm the student where ever they are, while discussion with

the school and the government continue.”

For now the returning students has been provided with an adhoc arrangement at one of the hostels while our correspondent to get reaction from the state government did not yield result.

Repeated calls to the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mackson Iworiso, was nut answered while the text message to his cell phone was not replied, however, Olusoji Ajibola, the Special Assistant on Media, in a telephone chat said he will get back but to no avail.

Host communities of oil and gas (HOSTCOM) protesting at Delta State House of Assembly against the scraping of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) by Delta State government on Tuesday.

Wife, children appeal to Buhari to fish out Oyerinde’s killers SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

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enin City. The wife and children of the late Mr Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State, have appealed to Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to unravel the circumstances that led to the murder of their bread wi Mrs Olufunke Oyerinde and her eldest daughter, Bukola, spoke on Monday at the Edo Hotel in Benin City, where a remembrance event was organized by Oyerinde’s friends and comrades in commemoration of the third year of his death.

The widow particularly castigated the Executive Director of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor,

who she accused of seizing some documents of her late husband’s properties, including one in the GRA of Benin City.

Funke said, “It has not been easy since he died. But the particular thing I am bothered about is that in Nigeria, when a Minister’s son is killed or kidnapped, they quickly fish out the killers.

But three years now, they have not been able to find Olaitan’s killers. Why is Olaitan’s case different?”

On Ugolor, Funke said, “Whoever knows Ugolor should help me to tell him to release my husband’s documents in his possession. I am not saying he is the killer of my husband. But he still has my husband’s documents.

I know what to do if he refuses.

But I don’t want people to say I am making trouble. I have told the Comrade Governor; I have told his fellow comrades; and I

have also told the police. Yet, he has refused.”

“I will like to appeal to all his comrades and all Nigerians to help me to fight this case, just as Olaitan fought for many people. I am using this opportunity to particularly appeal to the incoming government and the Presidentelect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to help us to find the killers of my husband, Olaitan.”

On her part, Bukola said, “I want to thank everybody for helping us. It’s been three years since he died. Those three years have been painful for us as children. I cannot say that we are suffering. But ever since he died, things have not been easy.”

Many of the attendants of the commemorative event, who included Nigeria Labour Congress Deputy President, Comrade Issa Aremu; Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief

Oseni Elamah; and former Edo Attorney-General, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, believed Olaitan’s absence is the missing link in Governor Oshiomhole’s second term.

Oyerinde was dastardly shot on his head, chest and stomach in his home on the 4th of May, 2012 after which Ugolor made frantic effort to save him. Oshiomhole promptly accused the opposition of complicity in the murder, stating that it was intended to derail his re-election bid. Plain-cloth police arrested Ugolor on 27th July and detained him indefinitely. Ugolor went to court and enforced his fundamental rights, resulting in a ruling for his bail on 16th August. But the police still detained and later arraigned him along with nine others for the murder before he obtained a judgment and N5m compensation against police.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

wardship –Ortom the private sector is very involved in driving economies, but unfortunately, the Benue economy is driven by government, without private-sector input.

There are no core commercial ventures.

There is a weak entrepreneurial foundation as a basis for building a strong and virile economy. If we want things to work for Benue and to build its economy, we must work outside the box. States that are making it today in Nigeria, are doing so, as a result of the ideas they have evolved to generate revenue internally. We must find new ways of generating revenue. We must shore up the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state.

We must explore our potentials for revenue generation for the purpose of development. Benue State is endowed with vast hectares of land, strong and young human capital and assorted crops for agricultural purposes and solid minerals. We have different kinds of crops and mineral types and all these things are been exported out of the country, and there is no way you can make profit.

Any state that exports these primary products, is exporting jobs, it is exporting projects, is exporting opportunities; it’s exporting its potentials, and there is no way such a state can make progress or make profit. So, for me as someone with a heavy private-sector background, I intend to industrialise the state, no matter the odds. There are challenges, but those challenges, I intend to turn them into wealth creation, job creation for instance, if you talk about power generation, we can establish an independent power source from coal. By the grace of God, we have a lot of coal deposits in Owukpa, which we can translate to power and this will provide jobs through mining and power generation itself, that would in turn create wealth and industrialise the state so that we can process the abundant agricultural products we have in the state, encourage trading, commercial activities that will create wealth.

With the solid minerals, we will encourage micro and medium-scale enterprises. We will also encourage investments within and outside the state and even from the international community.

Where we don’t have resources, we will seek for the cooperation of investors outside the country. The issue of salaries itself, has let up holes in the system where people who should not be on nominal rolls are and we would tackle all that, and I can assure you that the issue of nonpayment of salaries will not feature in our government.

Item 39 of the Exclusive Legislative List gives the powers to exploit resources to the Federal Government, so how do you intend to manoeuvre?

It’s very simple. When I talk about exploiting resources, my emphasis is on establishing industries. The most important thing is that we will get jobs done.

We will attend to all areas that we have competitive advantage.

We will also shore up the tourism potentials of the state as an alternative source of generating revenue. There

is the Igyue Wildlife Park, the Ikyogen Cattle Ranch and other tourism sites that we intend to revive and develop to global standards, as we unveil our alternative revenue-sourcing plan. Locally, we can get investors. By the grace of God, as former Minister of State for industry, Trade and Investments for three years, I have been able to garner sufficient contacts to leverage on, to bring reasonable investments to my state.

You said there is massive corruption in the system, so how do you intend to tackle corruption, instill accountability and recover funds stolen from the state?

I have already said that I will rule the state with the fear of God, and we will ensure transparency, we will ensure justice, we will ensure accountability. So if you have taken what is not yours, what are you supposed to do? You will refund it. There is no big deal there.

When you were campaigning, I am sure that you made promises to people, will you keep to all those promises?

I have reneged on one and I will not renege on one. I promised the voters that I will rule with the fear of God. That fear of God will translate into core values that will uplift our people. It’s not just about leadership; it’s about the people too. I have said that looking at the situation in Benue State today we will do everything to provide hospitals, roads, basic things that are needed. We will do the right things that can industrialise the state and develop manpower. We shall give priority attention to industries. We will massively encourage small and medium scale industries, so that there will be value addition. Whole target is to ensure massive employment for our people.

We will provide enabling environment for foreign investments and for development.

We will provide industries to process the abundant raw materials that we have in the state. So these are the issues that I have promised my people and I am going to fulfil these promises.

So instead of tripping off for a holiday, I have decided that I will take a trip to China for seven days, and one of the things I will be discussing with the Chinese government, would be how we can generate power for the state, from coal and bring them to help us exploit the mineral resources in the state.

Insecurity has been a major issue in Benue, but you have not said anything about it. How do you intend to address the problem?

As a seasoned administrator and a former local government chairman, what I think is important is to be in touch with the people and constantly monitor situations in all areas. But the major insecurity problem in the state today is the one posed by Fulani cattle herders. So if we must find a solution, we must find out what the problems are, and keep to agreements entered into by parties to conflicts.

So as a conflict manager, it is a matter of identifying what the issues are, and resolving them.

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APC’ll unseat PDP in Kogi –guber aspirant OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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ne of the frontline contenders jostling for governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has expressed optimism that his party currently has one hundred per cent chance of taking over the state from the ruling People Democratic Party, PDP, come next year.

Bello told journalists at the APC national secretariat in Abuja yesterday that Kogi State deserves more than change because of what he called backwardness of the state.

He said: “APC’s has 100 percent chance of winning the next gubernatorial poll. It is going to be a landslide.

Everybody has seen the performance of the present administration and just like everyone yearned for change, Kogi deserves more than change. Surely, it is going to be a landslide.”

While commenting on the recent slash of salaries by the PDP government in the state, Bello said the state has no reason to be poor, adding: “I will tell you that Kogi state has no reason to be a poor state. It has no reason to be where it is now considering the natural and human resources that we have. Remember, it is the only state that is bordering eight states, including FCT. So, there are a lot of avenues to tap resources and be self sustainable. We shouldn’t depend on federation account. And with good manage-

ment of what is even coming from the federation account, if there is transparency and accountability, we have no reason to owe salary, not to talk if slashing it down.”

Also speaking, a senator-elect, Mohammed Salami Ohiare, representing Kogi Central, charged the incoming APC government to fix the abandoned Ajoakuta Steel Company, which according to him will enhance the economy of the country.

Ohiare, who was elected in the Senate between 2003 and 2007, regretted that the project was neglected over the years by previous administrations.

He said: “There is this problem of Ajaokuta Steel Complex which supposed to be the pivotal of economy of this country which has been neglected over time by previous administrations. We need a little funding to make the place operational.”

Speaking on his blueprint at the National Assembly, Ohiare said he will provide quality representation to his constituency, adding: “We will look at all those areas that are lacking; we will make our own adjustment to ensure that the country is balanced.

Besides that the Senate as the highest law making body has a tremendous influence and I want to take advantage of it to influence certain things for my constituency and my constituency needs a lot of thing to be done to uplift the living standard to make sure that they lived within the annals of event in this country.”

Group blasts govs over unpaid salaries EBERE NDUKWU

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entre for Human Rights and Social Justice, CHRSJ, has frowned at state governors who still owe salaries of workers, saying there was no justification for the backlog of unpaid workers’ salaries since the Federal Government has paid the monthly allocation from the federation account to the states up till date.

This is coming at the heel of recent outburst of factional President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, who warned the affected state governors to pay their workers’ outstanding salary before the May 29 handover.

CHRSJ executive chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, who stated this in a press statement, condemned the current factionalisation of the respected NLC at the centre and states, calling for the overhauling of labour in order for it to achieve a formidable union that it used to be.

He said NLC leaders in the country

have derailed from their mandate by always using the platform for selfish aggrandisement as well as searching for worldly materials during their tenure in office, advocating for the attitudinal change of labour leaders so as to regain the lost glory of labour in the land.

Comrade Sulaiman, citing Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola as one of the many workers-unfriendly governors in the country, said the accumulated seven months unpaid workers’ salary in Osun was as a result of Aregbesola’s nonchalant attitude to workers’ plight and hatred for them over the August 9, 2014 governorship election outcome in the state.

He alleged that Aregbesola was unable to pay the state workers due to the mismanagement of federal monthly allocation accrued to the state from the federation account, stressing that Aregbesola’s administration has become “Ebola virus to the people, particularly, her workforce in the state” and enjoined the workers to pray for reliable and visionary leaders for the state in 2018.

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Politics

t has not been the best of moments for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State in the recent times as its performance in elections since last year has not been encouraging.

Even at a time the party had superlative outing in the country, claiming more states from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and winning the Presidency, the best of APC in Ekiti State could not give it an edge over PDP. As a matter of fact, the party in the state needs not shirk in going back to the drawing board to fashion out ways to reclaim its lost popularity and winning ways to get back to power.

This had shortly after the June 21, 2014 gubernatorial election in the state, which APC lost to PDP and in the build-up to the recently-held presidential election, brought APC leadership both at the state and national levels to the doorsteps of House of Representatives member, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, to woo him back into the fold.

The beam on Bamidele is, no doubt, hinged on the need for the party to feature a strong politician who could serve as a rallying point for the party to rebuild it to be able to confront and defeat the candidate that Governor Ayodele Fayose of the PDP would present for the 2018 governorship.

Bamidele, who left the APC alongside his teeming supporters in 2014 for the Labour Party, LP, served for an upward of about 12 years as Special Adviser and Commissioner under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, CAN, in Lagos State before contesting for the Ekiti Central senatorial ticket of the ACN in 2011 but eventually ended up in the House of Representatives.

However, the visits to ensure his return after the woeful outing of the party in the 2014 gubernatorial poll, according to sources in the APC, is in view of his stand as a builder, rallying point and a unifying factor at all times and as well his supporter base.

APC Deputy National Chairman, South, Chief Segun Oni, shed more light on this when he, alongside other national leaders of the party, visited Bamidele at his Iyin Ekiti country home shortly before the 2015 general elections, where he said talks were ongoing with LP chieftain on the need for a future together.

Although Oni did not disclose the outcome of the meeting, he told journalists: “Don’t be surprised that I am here. I am here to pay solidarity visit on the need for us to have a future together. Whatever the decision is, you will hear later.”

As things stand now, apart from the governorship that the PDP in the state has, effective from June 4, all the nine National Assembly seats from the state and the 26 state House of Assembly seats would be occupied by PDP members.

This, however, would not be the first time that APC, then as Alliance for Democracy, AD, one of its progenitors, would lose to the PDP and come back to reckoning.

The Otunba Niyi Adebayo-led AD government in the state lost to PDP in 2003, but the party, as ACN reclaimed that mandate through the 2007 election and 2009 re-run, which the court eventually decided in 2010 bringing about the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration.

Pundits have always, among others, traced the loss of the Fayemi-led APC government in the state to the differences between the governor and Bamidele, which eventually led to the latter’s pull-out of the party with his supporters and the Ekiti Bibiire Coalition to build the LP from the scratch.

Bamidele, who contested the 2014 governorship in the state under the LP platform alongside Fayemi, the then incumbent governor; and now Governor Fayose, was able to demonstrate what he stand for by singlehandedly bringing the LP to the fore, thus making the gubernatorial a three-horse race.

Even after Bamidele’s LP lost the governorship, race like other groups and individuals in the state, PDP, the winning party and its candidate, Fayose recognised the potentials and electoral value of the National Assembly member, hence the efforts to have him move over to the PDP ahead of the general elections and other future polls.

Fayose, then a governor-elect, had told Bamidele: “I

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ekiti APC: Opeyemi Bamidele as rallying point ABIODUN NEJO examines the performance of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State in recent elections and writes the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the June 21, 2014 gubernatorial election seems to be emerging as a rallying point for the party in the Fountain of Knowledge.

Bamidele

BAMIDELE RECENTLY DEMONSTRATED HIS RESOLVE TO BE A RALLYING POINT IN THE STATE WHEN HE SHOWERED CASH GIFTS ON THE

HOUSE OF

ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES OF THE PDP, APC AND LP FOR IREPODUN/IFELODUN CONSTITUENCY IN THE STATE FEW HOURS AFTER THE

APRIL 11 ELECTION

want to thank you for making yourself available for Ekiti people as an agent of change through the June 21, 2014 election. The journey is not too far and you have what it takes to lead our people.”

He described the National Assembly member as a genuine leader, “A reference point of integrity, service and voice of the voiceless in Ekiti any day. By age, experience and exposure, you are indeed a leader of your people. I have a lot of respect for you and that was why I called you for more than 15 times after this election insisting on seeing you.”

However, Bamidele’s attraction to the APC, his erstwhile political party could not be veiled, hence his resolve to pitch tent with the party for the March 28 presidential election to ensure the victory of General

Muhammadu Buhari.

The National Assembly member confirmed he had been under pressure from the leaderships of the two leading political parties which he had held series of meetings with.

He said: “The decision is not about Opeyemi Bamidele. I am still going to our (LP) leaders at the state, local government and ward levels to arrive at a decision. I have held meetings with the leadership of APC. “Likewise, I had met with the leadership of the PDP, even some officials of the Presidency, discussing several issues that bordered on the development of this nation. I had met with even our dear governor, Mr Fayose, as stakeholders in Ekiti project.”

And for the APC, the more important reason Bamidele is sought after is the performance of the party in the presidential election which showed a marked improvement on the votes garnered by the party in the last gubernatorial election, an increase attributed to Bamidele’s support for the election of the APC presidential candidate.

Although the lawmaker has not officially returned to the APC, many members of the party are already rooting for him to rebuild the party, especially as they said the party was in need of total overhaul and search of new leadership.

Bamidele recently demonstrated his resolve to be a rallying point in the state when he showered cash gifts on the House of Assembly candidates of the PDP, APC and LP for Irepodun/Ifelodun constituency in the state few hours after the April 11 election.

That day, the lawmaker and LP chieftain made surprise visits to the residences of the three candidates - Mr Omodara Olamiposi, PDP; Mr Bisi Dada James, LP and Mr Opeyemi Oguntuase Dada, APC, and gave them cash rewards for participation and maturity in the keenly contested race in the constituency.

While the PDP candidate, who won the election was given N500,000, the APC and LP candidates received N250,000 each. The PDP and APC candidates are from Bamidele’s household in Ibedoyin Ouarters, while the LP flagbearer is from Oke Ilawe, all in Iyin Ekiti, the country home of the National Assembly member.

In a statement by his media aide, Ahmed Salami, Bamidele asserted that the decision was taken to cement the tie of brotherliness in Iyin Ekiti and to prove a point that politics should be a game to unify the people and not an avenue for a town to be ripped apart all in the name of power game.

Bamidele said that as a political leader, it behooves on him to show leadership by example for the town to stand united in order to reinforce the level of development in the town.

The federal lawmaker stated that though the PDP candidate won the election, “such political feat would not rewrite the history that the victory is a collective glory for all the indigenes of the town.”

He assured that he would continue to strive hard to serve as a unifying force for all political parties and the youths to neutralise the seeming centrifugal forces being generated by political actors in the last few years which have been taking a toll on the collective interest of the town.

His role in unifying and bringing the APC back to winning ways ahead of the 2018 gubernatorial election will be determined in the days ahead.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

45

Policing Nigeria after a divisive general election: Arase to the rescue CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 perhaps, set to address this.

Field-officers have often been accused of taking bribes to pervert the cause of law enforcement and sway justice.

Unfortunately, the issue of corruption cuts across both the rank and file, but equally most unfortunate is the fact that it takes two to tango. Even where a policeman would naturally want to do his job professionally, some corruptminded members of the public often try to induce such officers monetarily.

Fortunately, the new police administration intends to pursue a two-way approach in addressing the menace of corruption in the Force. The first is to develop frameworks and interventions that will address the root causes of corruption. In this regard, official factors like logistics and welfare challenges that create grounds for corrupt tendencies by police officers will be vigorously addressed.

The second approach, according to the SPP is to pursue a very robust anti-corruption enforcement strategy that will leave no serving police officer and citizens under any illusion about its integrity, and firm commitment to national ethical rebirth and development. The drive will be clear, coordinated, massive, firm and sustained and it will target and tackle issues relating to commercialisation of bail process, the nuisance of road blocks; abuse of police powers, particularly, in relation to pre-trial detention.

Knowing that the bane of most policies in Nigeria is in its enforcement, the acting IGP has said the enforcement process of this policy will engender the rejuvenation, refocusing, empowerment and motivation of the Monitoring Units, X-Squads and Provost Marshal sections of the Force to enhance their competence and to effectively position them to lead the anti-corruption drive.

Accordingly, very soon, the nation will witness a massive and sustained nationwide deployment of the anticorruption action units of the Force for enforcement functions, so said the police boss.

The enforcement initiatives will, according to him, be laced with in-house and national public anti-corruption enlightenment programmes, a whistle-blowing mechanism, and push for enhanced welfare and logistics empowerment as a preventive measure to petty corruption in the Force.

Interestingly, the new anti-corruption crusade of the Force will take full cognizance of the appropriate sections of the nation’s criminal laws and hold both the giver and taker of bribes accountable. Accordingly, much as official corruption will be dealt with in the Force, corrupt-minded members of the public are sternly warned to refrain from corrupting the police system as they will also be brought to the justice they equally deserve.

Human rights-driven policing Most often than not, policemen have been accused of human-rights violation. Citizens’ rights are violated even when there is no slightest sign of provocation.

However, human rights-driven policing as one of the components of the new SPP, is meant to address citizens’ concern for custodial violence, including abuse of power of pre-trial detention, poor and inhabitable custodial facilities, violations of rights of detainees, forced confessions, misuse of firearms, and any other official police action that amounts to degradation of human dignity and deprivation of liberty and right to life in violation of provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Fundamental Human Rights provisions as enshrined in Chapter IV of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

Intelligence-led investigation/operations and community partnership Cases of unresolved murders abound in the country.

The security services have almost always often been reactive rather than proactive. The new plan harps greatly on intelligence-led policing and it is designed to engender massive training of intelligence and crime analysts as a conscious strategy of broadening the Intelligence and

Human capacity development

Acting IGP, Arase

Crime Analysis, ICA, base of the Force. It will also engender the establishment and equipment of ICA laboratories in all state commands.

Application of intelligence-led policing strategy will discourage custodial approach to investigations as the intelligence assets of the Force would have been deployed to gather evidence before a suspect will be considered for arrest. In other words, the police need not take a suspect into custody first before running an investigation on him.

Thus, this will shorten the time between arrest and commencement of prosecution.

Case diversion, fast track trials and restorative justice This plan is to collaborate with experts in the enhancement of police’s capacity to engage alternative dispute resolution options in peace, security and crime management in line with modern and global dictates.

Engagement of cutting-edge technology and best practices in all levels of police functions in Nigeria This strategy will revolutionalise policing in Nigeria by navigating the Nigeria Police from the current analogue and conventional policing approaches to engagement of full policing technology to all crime management and operational activities of the Force.

With this strategy, the incidences of “accidental discharge” would almost totally be eliminated. Policemen would not need to use very lethal weapons or guns in dispersing some small riots or chasing an unarmed criminal.

In launching the NPF into the technology-driven policing world, IGP Arase says emphasis will be on Crime Scene Management, CSM; establishment of state-of-the art National Forensic Support Centre; In-car camera and in-car data base access to support patrol functions; establishment of National Criminal Data Base, NCDB, (Criminal Investigations Record System, CIRS); exploring possibility of securing authorised access to existing data bases - National Identity Card Management data base; Federal Road Safety corps, FRSC Motor Licence data base; among others, that could support police operations; crime mapping; exploration of possibility of engagement of less lethal technologies/weapon system, such as electro-muscular disruption technology (taser or stun guns) by police on routine patrol functions to reduce incidents of fatalities associated with misapplication of lethal weapons by the police.

Galvanising development partners including the United Nations, US, UK, Commonwealth secretariat, and local and international non-governmental organizations, NGOs, to support the identification of the training gaps in the police and provide appropriate interventions.

This will entail the phased renovation and upgrade of facilities at existing police institutions to meet best international standards as well as the review of existing training curricula and standards with a view to aligning them to modern dictates.

In order to facilitate the attainment of the long-term objectives of these strategies, the new police boss has already directed and sufficiently motivated the IGP Monitoring Unit, X-Squad and Force Provost Marshall of the Force to immediately embark on massive anti-corruption enforcement operations.

Consequently, any police officer caught either through whistle-blowing framework or direct operations of the enforcement units of the Force will be appropriately dealt with in line with established disciplinary procedure of the Force and may additionally be prosecuted in the swiftest fashion.

Arase’s style is to enhance visible policing and yet ban all police road blocks, which according to him are public nuisance, points of corruption, and source of police-citizens’ frictions. His directive in this regard is very clear, and Nigerians must be ready to assist the force in this regard by reporting officers who mount such road-blocks.

Hence, Commissioners of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in whose jurisdiction illegal road blocks are detected will be personally or vicariously held liable and strict and swift disciplinary actions will be initiated against such officers.

Being a detective for long, Arase did not waste time in making known his desire to boost the intelligence-gathering capability of the force.

The Nigeria Police Intelligence School, Enugu, which has been closed to academic activities for over a year now, is to immediately reopen and commence training activities for intelligence operatives, analysts and strategic intelligence managers to support the intelligence-led policing vision of the new police leadership with effect from Monday, May 4.

Then, there is the issue of criminal justice system.

Many judges have in the past been threatened by people who have some bad cases in their courts. Consequently, in order to ensure that the maximum security needed to give the magistrates, judges and justices the confidence to dispense criminal justice is attained, the Judges Protection Unit, JPU, of the police has been immediately reconstituted and specially equipped. To him, any nation desirous of justice owes its magistrates, judges and justices the sacred obligation of protection. Consequently, the IGP has ordered that police security details attached to civil commissioners and other unauthorised individuals across the country be reduced or withdrawn as the case may be. The manpower drawn from this exercise will be committed to rejuvenation of the JPU. Indeed, like Arase said at his maiden meeting with his officers, it is now a matter of choice for the serving police officer; a choice between national service, which will be duly rewarded, and corruption, which will be swiftly sanctioned.

For the citizens, it is a choice between supporting their Police to protect them with honour and compromising them to weaken their capacity and dignity.

In the words of the new police boss, whatever is the consideration, Nigeria Police has reached a turning point where it must rediscover itself, restore citizens’ confidence, and prove that it has a cream of patriotic, disciplined and professional officers that can and will ensure the attainment of its mandate.

This requires leadership with character, courage, vision and passion. Arase said he is committed to providing this leadership.

46

Politics

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Rep warns APC over zoning arrangement WOLE OLADIMEJI ABUJA

D

eputy chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Constituency Outreach, Hon. Pally Iriase, yesterday warned All Progressives Congress, APC, not to repeat the mistake made by he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the issue of zoning.

The lawmaker from Edo State advised the party to respect the principle of federal character in zoning the speakership position and other positions in the National Assembly in the 8th Assembly.

Iriase gave the warning yesterday while briefing newsmen of his intention to contest for the speakership of the House.

He said: “Respect for federal character was crucial in ensuring that lawmakers from the SouthSouth geo-political zone were considered for the Speakership position.

“Section 14(3) of the Nigerian constitution provides that the composition of the government or its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity.”

He insisted that the in-

coming government was bound by the constitution to respect federal character in order to guarantee fairness and justice over who emerges Speaker, adding: “Unless no qualifying member is found of the majority party from a particular geo-political zone, you cannot ignore that zone in considering who

should be Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“The President-elect is from North-West and the Vice President-elect is from South-West. Therefore, based on federal character provision of the constitution, neither of these zones should get priority on the queue for National Assembly pre-

siding officers.

“When you consider the implication and factor in the feasible permutations for senate presiding officers, it is clear that the South-South should be given the nod to produce the Speaker for the 8th Assembly by the APC.” Outlining his agenda for the 8th Assembly, Iri-

ase said he was committed to transparency and anti corruption in governance in general and in the House in particular; prudent management and overall good governance in Nigeria; dogged defense and preservation of the respect and integrity of the legislature in Nigeria.

Oyo tribunal warns lawyers, media against indiscipline, sensational reportage KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

C

hairman of National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Oyo State, Justice J.G. Abundaga, yesterday in Ibadan warned lawyers that will advocate for their clients before the panel against any form of indiscipline and waste of time.

The judge while speaking at the inauguration of the tribunal, which has Justices G.C. Nnamani and A.H. Suleiman as members, said discipline would culminate into speedy determination of the petitions before the panel, cautioning senior lawyers against usage of abusive language against junior lawyers before the panel.

He also read riot act to journalists that will cover the sittings of the tribunal to avoid sensational reportage, saying such reports could cause violence.

Advising that the journalists should contact the secretary of the tribunal to clarify any issue that they did not understand, he disclosed that the tribunal has received 36 petitions, comprising two from the senatorial election, 10 from the House of Representatives’ polls and 24 from the elections conducted into Oyo State House of Assembly.

Chief Richard Ogunwole, SAN, who spoke on behalf of other legal

counsels at the tribunal, assured of lawyers’ readiness to cooperate fully with the panel.

He however urged the panel to prevail on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to create unnecessary bottlenecks for lawyers to get necessary documents from it.

He also enjoined the media to be fair to all parties in the petitions and avoid misleading reports.

National Mirror learnt that those who have filed petition before the tribunal include House of Representatives Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, who sought re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against Mr. Segun Ogunwuyi, who was declared winner of the Ogbomoso North/ South/Oriire federal constituency; Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, representing Oyo South in the Senate, who sought reelection on the platform of Accord, also filed a petition against Mr. Adesoji Akanbi of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was declared winner of the poll

by INEC. Accord candidate for the Oyo Central,, Chief Bisi Ilaka, has also filed a petition against the current Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu of the APC, who was returned winner of the election by INEC.

Counsel to Accord Party, Oyo State, Chief Richard Ogunwole (left) and Counsel to Sen. Olufemi Lanlehin, Mr. Boye Leyimu, during the inauguration of Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan, yesterday.

HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

T

he controversial passing into law the bill to create a proposed 10 first class chiefs in Benue State suffered setback as a member of the state House of Assembly, Benjamin Adanyi, yesterday instituted a motion ex-parte before the High Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue state capital against the State governor, Gavriel Suswam and eight others.

The plaintiff is seeking an order restraining the respondents, by themselves or through their agents, from giving effect to the Benue State Council

Lawmaker to court: Stop Suswam from installing new 1st class chiefs of Chiefs and Traditional Councils Law, purported passed by eight members of the state Assembly on April 7.

Adanyi is praying the court among other things, the nullification of any office or taking of any steps towards appointing anybody to the office of the 10 proposed first class chiefs in the state.

Counsel to the applicant, T.D. Pepe, urged to court to grant the interim relief against the respondents pending the hearing of the motion on notice,

which has been filed along with the ex-parte motion.

He argued that machinery is already in place to implement the contents of the law that has not been properly or validly passed, adding that the application is urgent and there is need to grant the reliefs sought in order to maintain the status quo pending the hearing of the motion on notice already filed.

Lead counsel to the applicant, Prof. Tony Ijohor, SAN, told National Mirror that they had to urgently seek preliminary injunc-

tion before Justice Iorhemen Hwande, the state Chief Judge, restraining the governor and eight others from going ahead with installation of first class chiefs in the state.

He observed that it is unethical to bring additional burden on the state, when Suswam has not been able to resolve issues of financial bankruptcy of the state, stressing that even wages of traditional institutions are also being indebted to, talk less of increasing additional emoluments.

APC guber candidate, Emerhor drags Okowa, INEC to tribunal AMOUR UDEMUDE ASABA

D

elta State All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate in the April 11 elections, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor, has dragged the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial candidate and governor-elect, Dr. Emmanuel Okowa and the Independent National Electoral Commission,

INEC, to the elections petitions tribunal over what he called irregularities and snatching of electoral materials among others.

The petition, filed by Emerhor’s counsel, Chief T.J. Okpoko, SAN, called for cancellation of the election and the conduct a rerun of the state gubernatorial election.

Emerhor said the card readers were not used in many areas during the election while results were fab-

ricated and allocated, thereby violating the electoral laws and INEC guidelines.

He said: “Accredited voters for results announced were more than actual card reader records. Violence and ballot box snatching marred the election.”

While urging the tribunal to declare the elections null and void, Emerhor however, sought an order for the conduct of rerun governorship election in

the state.

Emerhor called on his supporters and Deltans to remain resolute, calm and law abiding saying that all hope is not lost as the tribunal would do the needful, adding: “The irregularities recorded in the elections were unimaginable. The judiciary still remains the hope of the common man. I have told my people not to lose sleep over their mandate that was stolen by the PDP.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

47

Industrial, insurance stocks dip index 0.2% STORIES: JOHNSON OKANLAWON

B

enchmark index of equities retreated on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as some investors took profit from the gains recorded last week.

Specifically, the All Share Index lost 0.17 per cent to close at 34,649.38 points, in contrast to the increase of 1.93 per cent recorded on Thursday to close at 34,708.11 points.

Market capitalisation shed N19 billion to close at N11.77 trillion, as against the rise of N214 billion recorded on

Thursday to close at N11.79 trillion.

On the sectorial indices, the NSE 30-Index gained 0.27 per cent to close at 1,592.37 points, while the Banking Index added 0.69 per cent to close at 392.07 points.

The Insurance Index dropped 1.44 per cent to close at 144.18 points, while the Consumer Goods Index gained 0.43 per cent to close at 884.41 points.

The Oil and Gas Index appreciated 0.68 per cent to close at 384.83 points, while the Lotus Islamic Index declined 0.59 per cent to close at 2,262.38 points.

The Industrial Index was

dwon 1.07 per cent to close at 2,161.03 points. The Alternative Securities Market remained unchanged at 1,214.94 points.

Vitafoam Plc led the gainers’ table with 49 kobo or 10.14 per cent to close at N5.32 per share, followed by Red Star Express Plc with 37 kobo or 9.79 per cent to close at N4.15 per share.

FBN Holdings Plc appreciated 68 kobo or 7.71 per cent to close at N9.50 per share, while University Press Limited was up 24 kobo or 4.97 per cent to close at N5.07 per share.

Honeywell Plc added 16 kobo or 4.88 per cent to close at N3.44 per share.

Conversely, Unity Bank Plc shed 37 kobo or 9.51 per cent to close at N3.52 per share, while Mansard Insurance Plc dipped 15 kobo or five per cent to close at N2.85 per share.

Transnational Express Plc shed six kobo or 4.92 per cent to close at N1.16 per share, while Dangote Flour Plc fell 24 kobo or 4.91 per cent to close at N4.65 per share.

Vono Products Plc depreciated five kobo or 4.85 per cent to close at 98 kobo per share.

A total of 324.5 million shares valued at N6.42 billion were traded in 4,845 deals.

Admin expenses slide Nestle’s profit by 51%

N

estle has announced a profit after tax of N2.95 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015, a decline of 50.8 per cent when compared to N6.004 billion recorded in the same period of 2014.

The company’s revenue fell to N27.55 billion for the three months, from N33.42 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014.

According to the result presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, finance costs and administrative expenses rose

significantly to N2.34 billion and N1.88 billion respectively, from N872 million and N1.49 billion recorded in the three months of 2014.

Though there was decline in the company’s cost of sales, taxation and distribution, sales and marketing expenses, the return on investment income was lower in the review period.

Analysis of the company balance sheet showed that its liabilities and borrowings increased in the first quarter.

The company’s property,

plant and equipment stood at N66.4 billion in the first quarter, from N67.5 billion recorded in the same period of 2014, while long term debtors reduced to N1.13 billion, from N1.16 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2014.

The company’s long term borrowing and short term borrowing stood at N22.4 billion and N14.2 billion respectively, from N18.4 billion and N12.7 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014.

Its total assets depreciated to N110.5 billion in the first

quarter, from N106.1 billion in the same period of 2014, while total liabilities increased to N72.7 billion, from N70.12 billion in 2014.

In the 2014 financial year, the company’s turnover rose eight per cent over 2013 figures from N133.0billion to N143.3 billion, while profits fell marginally due to rising cost of input and finance cost.

Profit after tax declined marginally by 0.1 per cent, from N22.25 billion in 2013 to N22.235 billion in 2014.

US stocks rise as healthcare rebounds

T

rading in the United States stocks was up yesterday, as healthcare stocks rose for a second straight session and new orders for US factory goods recorded their biggest increase in eight months in March.

Eight of the 10 Standard and Poor sectors were higher, with the health index gaining 0.8 per cent. The Nasdaq biotech index was up 0.8 per cent.

New orders for US-made goods rose a higher-than-expected 2.1 per cent in March.

Over the past two weeks, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has moved an average of 17.79 points daily, wider than the 12.43 point range in early March. The swings have amplified on mixed economic signals.

The payroll report for April is scheduled for Friday and about 213,000 jobs are expected to have been added in the month, after an add of 126,000 in March.

“The main event this week is the April unemployment numbers and that’s going to be the main driver for the markets,” said Mohannad Aama, managing director at Beam Capital Management in New York.

Aama, however, reckons that the strong gains in the market in the past few weeks may be erased as a strong jobs number could put a June rate hike back into play.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 78.54 points, or 0.44 per cent, at 18,102.6 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 23.99 points, or 0.48 per cent, at 5,029.38.

The S&P 500 was up 9.24 points, or 0.44 per cent, at 2,117.53, and earlier in the session topped its record high closing price.

McDonald’s shares fell 0.5 per cent to $97.29 after the company laid out initial plans for lure back customers and boost sales.

Cisco inched up 0.3 per

cent to $29.23 after the company said Chief Executive John Chambers would step down to become executive chairman and 17-year company veteran Chuck Robbins will become CEO, effective July 26.

AMC Networks gained as much as 5.8 per cent to hit a record high of $80.70 after its profit topped analysts’ expectations as strong demand for its original programming boosted ad sales in its domestic business.

Cognizant rose as much as 10.8 per cent to hit an alltime high of $65.55 after the IT services provider reported a better-than-expected rise in revenue and raised its fullyear forecast.

Spark Therapeutics fell 9.3 per cent to $53.05, while Bluebird Bio slipped 3.8 per cent to $133.64 after a study showed that gene therapy that helped restore sight appeared to wane with time, a sign the

field may not be able to cure ailments with a single course of treatment.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 1,981 to 930, for a 2.13-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 1,807 issues rose and 808 fell for a 2.24-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.

Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

13

Crude oil price

$58.96

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

$1

N197.00 Market indicators All-Share Index 34,649.38 points Market capitalisation 11.77trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

VITAFOAM

4.83

5.32

0.49

10.14

REDSTAREX

3.78

4.15

0.37

9.79

FBNH

9.80

9.50

0.68

7.71

UPL

4.83

5.07

0.24

4.97

HONYFLOUR

3.28

3.44

0.16

4.88

UBN

10.22

10.70

0.48

4.70

OKOMUOIL

27.41

28.52

1.11

4.05

OANDO

18.00

18.70

0.70

3.89

FIDELITYBK

1.86

1.93

0.07

3.76

LIVESTOCK

2.33

2.40

0.07

3.00

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

UNITYBNK

3.89

3.52

-0.37

-9.51

MANSARD

3.00

2.85

-0.15

-5.00

TRANSEXPR

1.22

1.16

-0.06

-4.92

DANGFLOUR

4.89

4.65

-0.24

-4.91

VONO

1.03

0.98

-0.05

-4.85

STERLNBANK

2.29

2.18

-0.11

-4.80

UACN

42.00

40.01

-1.99

-4.74

AGLEVENT

1.70

1.62

-0.08

-4.71

COSTAIN

0.87

0.83

-0.04

-4.60

FIDSON

3.32

3.17

-0.15

-4.52

FGN Bonds

Bid

Description

Offer

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.30

98.84

14.01

98.99

13.88

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.99

101.71

14.09

101.86

14.00

16.00 29-JUN-2019

4.16

106.00

14.03

106.30

13.94

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.75

109.65

14.11

109.95

14.04

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.87

100.64

14.06

100.94

14.00

10.00 23-JUL-2030

15.23 68.07

15.51

68.37

15.44

Closing Market Prices of April 27, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

30-Jul-15

12.09

12.46

WAUA

270

15-Oct-15

12.49

13.25

USD

197

21-Apr-16

13.11

15.03

EURO

214

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

SWISS FRANC

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

202

O/N

9.8333

1M

12.9492

POUNDS STERLING

293

3M

13.9918

SDR

273

6M

15.1594 The Fixings of April 27, 2015

48

Capital Market

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at May 4, 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 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

49

Community Mirror “The PDP mismanagement of the national revenue and elevation of corruption to national religion is responsible for dwindling federal allocation” Governor of Rivers State–Chibuike Amaechi

We paid N2.5m ransom to kidnappers –Mrs Orekoya DARE AKOGUN

M

rs.

Adebisi Orekoya, mother of the recently kidnapped children in Lagos, over the weekend revealed that the family paid a ransom of N2.5 million to the kidnappers to effect the release of the abducted kids.

She disclosed this while recounting her ordeal to

a group of working mothers in Lagos at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Conference and Exhibition Centre, in Alausa.

The event was organised

by Background Check International, BCI, with the theme ‘Averting the rising spate of child kidnapping in Nigeria’, was meant to sensitise and create awareness on child kidnapping in the country.

According to her, “When

they demanded N15million, I told them that we could not afford it and they later reduced it to N13million but we still told them we could not afford it.

“They then gave me an option of paying ransom for only one kid. They asked me to choose the one I love the most and pay the ransom for his release.

“But how could I choose one and leave any behind?

I did not give birth to the three of them in one day.

The police told me to keep begging them so that they can be online and enhance the tracing,” she said.

She further revealed that with their calls, the police were able to trace them to Sasha but couldn’t narrow it down to their particular location.

“When they finally agreed to what we had, they sent a GTbank account number to us and we paid in N2.5million as instructed. We then sent

him a text message that we had paid in the money. He said he would confirm first to know if we flagged the account and then get back to us.

“He later called back by 3p.m. and said he has confirmed payment. He told us to go to Ogijo and pick our kids but when we got there, he said he was already in Sagamu.

“We were at Anthony, when someone called that they saw our kids naked in

front of an uncompleted building.

We asked them to snap them and send their pictures to my Whatsapp (a social media).

“When they sent the picture, it was my kids and we called the police to go pick them up. And they did and that was how we were reunited with our kids, she narrated”.

The CEO of BCI, Mr. Kola Olugbodi, the organiser of the event called on Nigerians to always do a proper check before employing anybody and bringing strangers to their home.

Group forms community policing organisation in Plateau

A

L-R: Vice President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Michael Ajose; President, Comrade Lasisi Ayinde Akinsanya; Treasurer, Comrade Okanlawon Pelaiye, and NULGE Chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government branch, Comrade Tope Lawal, during this year’s Workers’ Day celebration at Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

group of retired police officers in Plateau State has revealed that it had formed a Local Government Community Policing Organisation.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr. Musa Bako, the Protem Secretary of the group, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos. Bako, a former Secretary to Shendam Local Government of the state, said retired police officers, veteran journalists and crime and security affairs reporters met and founded the organisation. ``We founded the Local Government Community Policing Organisation of Nigeria in order to boost the campaign for community policing and to support the Rural Urban Policing Agenda billed for launching on May 29 in the state.

NOPRIN petitions IGP over missing suspect DARE AKOGUN

N

etwork on Police Reform in Nigeria, NO the Acting Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, on the indefinite detention and disappearance of one Afam Nriezedi by the police.

The letter signed by the National Coordinator of the group Okechukwu Nwanguma and a copy made available to our correspondent requests the IGP to order the O/C Special Anti Robbery Squad, Ikeja and the Lagos State Police Command to disclose the whereabouts of the accused.

The petition reads in parts, “We write to you concerning one Afam Nriezedi, a Lagos resident, who was arrested in Lagos on Friday January 17, 2015 by officers from the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos and denied his family members and legal representative access to him.

“The accused person’s family members informed NOPRIN that the SARS operatives first trailed and arrested his two elder sisters, who took them to a hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos where their brother had gone for a surgery the previous day.

“One of the police officers later

told the women that their brother was wanted for being in possession of four AK47 rifles belonging to the police”.

The petition further stated that, “About two weeks after Afam Nriezedi’s arrest, his family members read a report in some newspapers claiming, this time, that the accused is an informant to a kidnap gang which allegedly kidnapped two prominent oil dealers in Lagos.

“This contradicted the initial accusation of the police that the suspect is wanted allegedly being in possession of four AK 47 rifles belonging to the police”.

Nwaguma however noted that a new twist was brought into the case on last Sunday May 3, 2015 alleging that one Prophet David Babalola a self-styled General Overseer of His Presence Redemption Ministry, Ogba called one of the accused person’s sisters, Mrs. Ngozi Nriezedi who worships in his church and informed her that some police officers from Abuja had come to Lagos to pick up a file relating to the case from SARS Ikeja.

“The ‘man of God’ told her that the officers would like to meet with any member of their family.

Mrs. Ngozi Nriezedi went to see

the ‘man of God’ in his Church and he gave her one of his workers who took her to a hotel in Ikeja where she met a man who claimed to be police officer Patrick and who claimed that he was a member of the team from Abuja.

“The said officer asked her to write a statement stating that her brother, Afam Nriezedi, was arrested in a beer parlour with members of his gang and that she should not mention that her family had given any money to Prophet David Babalola to assist them in ‘settling’ Abuja and securing her brother’s release, which she refused,” he alleged.

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Tuesday May 5, 2015

49

Intelligence agencies are working to ensure the public’s safety and the German government will do everything it can to ensure that it can carry out its job.

–German Chancellor, Angela Merkel

Three die during protest against Burundian president PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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hree protesters have been killed in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, the Red Cross said, as demonstrations against President Pierre Nkuruziza’s re-election bid enter a second week.

The BBC’s reporter from the scene that police fired shots, and she saw two of the bodies being taken away.

Police denied killing the protesters, and said 15 of their officers had been wounded in a grenade attack.

The US’s John Kerry urged Mr Nkurunziza to abandon his re-election bid.

“We are deeply concerned about President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision, which flies directly in the face of the constitution of this country,” the US secretary of state told reporters during a visit to Kenya.

The Red Cross says 12 people have been killed since protests

A police officer chasing after a suspected protester

broke out on 26 April after Mr Nkurunziza was nominated by the ruling CNDD-FDD party as its candidate for the June election.

Under Burundi’s constitution, presidents can only be elected to two terms in office, but Mr Nkurunziza’s allies say

his first term does not count as he was appointed by parliament.

The government accuses the protesters of being “insurrectional”, and says Mr Nkurunziza will press ahead with contesting the election.

The protests are the most

serious since Mr Nkurunziza took power at the end of a 12year civil war in 2005.

Our reporter says more than 1,000 people are on the streets of Bujumbura’s Musaga neighbourhood in defiance of a government ban on protests.

Kenya has role in resolving Somalia, South Sudan conflicts –Kerry

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.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Kenya on Monday it had an important role in helping resolve conflicts in South Sudan and Somalia and pledged $45 million in new aid to help it deal with 600,000 refugees.

Speaking after meetings with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition politicians in Nairobi, he said recent attacks by Somali al Shabaab Islamist militants in Kenya were part of the cost of playing that role.

“We believe it is absolutely critical for Africa to be front and centre in the solutions to challenges in Africa,” Kerry told a news conference.

“Kenya will be safer if Somalia is more stable, Kenya will be safer if South Sudan can resolve its problems,” he added Kenya first sent its troops into neighbouring Somalia in 2011 after several attacks on its territory that it blamed on al Shabaab. It later joined the AMISOM peacekeeping force and currently has 3,664 troops in Somalia.

Al Shabaab has since carried out attacks to punish Kenya, including a 2013 raid on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that killed at least 67 people and the massacre of 148 people at a university near the Somali border last month.

The group has also built up

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Al-Shabaab responded by saying the Somali government should be referred to by the same acronym, Ugus.

In this case, Ugus means “the Group that Subjects the Somali People to Humiliation”.

Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated

WORLD BULLETIN

ECOWAS to partner with FEMUA for regional integration The ECOWAS Commission has pledged to strengthen partnership with the organizers of the Urban Music Festival (Festival des Musiques Urbaines d’Anoumba FEMUA), as a way of deepening integration of the region using culture and music.

Speaking at the opening of the just-ended 8th Edition of the Festival at Anoumabo, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, the President of the Commission, H.E. Kadré Désiré OUÉDRAOGO, described music as an instrument of integration and communion without language, religious, racial or geographical barriers.

The ECOWAS chief, who was the Patron of this year’s edition of the Festival held under the theme “Integration and Unification of People,” also laid the foundation stone for a school being built by the musical group Magic System, conveners of the Festival.

He expressed optimism on the acceleration of movement towards complete integration of West Africa, given the Festival’s popularity among and attraction of a growing number of young artists.

President OUÉDRAOGO also used the opportunity to brief guests and artists on the ECOWAS 40th Anniversary Celebration this year.

Since its inception eight years ago, FEMUA has become an annual event bringing together acts from within and outside Africa.

In his welcome address, Salif Traore Alsalfo, Magic System’s lead singer and a UNESCO Ambassador, said FEMUA has grown to become a reference point for music festivals in Africa. It has also become a platform for integration and social cohesion of people, he said, hence the choice of this year’s theme.

Opposition supporters clash with security forces in Guinea L-R: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday

a network in Kenya, which on Monday charged four men with recruiting youths along the coast south of the Somali border to join the movement.

Kerry criticized South Sudan’s government and rebels for failing

to end its civil conflict, saying their actions put the future of the world’s youngest nation at “grave risk”.

He pledged $45 million in fresh assistance for the UN refugee agency to help deal with refugees fleeing Somalia and South Sudan.

Somali government ban al-Shabaab name from media he Somali government has told media houses to stop referring to militant group al-Shabaab by their name.

They instead want the group to be called Ugus, an acronym for the Somali words meaning “the Group that Massacres the Somali People”.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

to al-Qaeda, controls many rural parts of southern Somalia.

The head of Somalia’s Intelligence and Security Services Gen Abdirahman Mohamud Turyare told journalists that al-Shabaab, which means the youth in Arabic, was “a good name”.

“We should not allow this good name to be dirtied. This enemy we are fighting is called Ugus.”

Gen Turyare was speaking at the headquarters of information ministry in front of journalists and information ministry officials.

Youths, defying a government ban on demonstrations, clashed with security forces in Guinea’s coastal capital Conakry, as opposition leaders called for nationwide protests against the timing of elections.

Some erected barricades of logs and burning tires, others threw stones and fired catapults at security forces who were trying to clear them out with tear gas.

Residents in Conakry’s Koloma neighbourhood reported hearing gunfire in the early afternoon as police and gendarmes moved back into areas they had been forced out of.

“Reinforcements apparently arrived. From my house I can see a big truck of security agents parked nearby. I heard several gunshots.

I’m scared,” Koloma resident Nenen Barry told Reuters.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

NNPC to resume oil search in Chad Basin CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

I

nspired by improved security situation in the North-East of the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, says it is set to resume oil search in Chad Basin.

Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Joseph Dawha, disclosed this at the 21st annual general meeting of Integrated Data Services Nigeria Limited, IDSL, a subsidiary of the NNPC carrying out seismic data acquisition in Chad Basin.

Group General Manag-

er, Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, in a statement noted that the event took place at the weekend in Abuja.

Dr. Dawha stated: “Preliminary indications from previous exercise so far are encouraging and we are going to move back there.”

He described the secu-

rity situation in the North East that led to the corporation’s suspension of oil exploration activities in Chad Basin as ‘unfortunate’, while commending security forces on their recent success in the fight against the insurgents.

On the performance of IDSL, the group managing director said in spite of

the challenge of funding as a result of fall in crude oil prices, the company’s performance was encouraging as it recorded 32 per cent revenue growth.

Managing director of the company, Engr. Victor Briggs, said IDSL was expanding its operations beyond the shores of Nigeria to neighbouring West

African countries and other emerging oil-producing countries in Africa.

IDSL was incorporated in 1988. Its services include provision of seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation as well as petroleum and reservoir engineering data evaluation, computer and other ancillary services.

NIC fixes June 10 for suit against NLC

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L-R: Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ben Bako; Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna State, Alhaji Yusuf Idris and National President, Alhaji Mohammed Garba, during the 2015 World Press Freedom Day in Kaduna, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Police assure on release of Niger dep gov’s brother PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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iger State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olusola Emmanuel Amore, has revealed that the command was making frantic effort to rescue the younger brother of the state’s Deputy Governor, Ahmed

Musa Ibeto.

Ayuba Ibeto, younger brother of the deputy governor, was kidnapped last week Friday by some gunmen in Ibeto town, Magama Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the kidnap in Minna, Amore said a special team of policemen had been drafted to Kontagora axis of the state to

work in conjunction with officers and men in the area to save the victim and in the process arrest the kidnappers.

He stated that currently, the victim has been taken outside the state by his abductors, while they stay in touch with the family.

His words: “Police is working round the clock to rescue the victim and

arrest the kidnappers, and have deployed a special team to Kontagora axis of the state to work with officers and men on ground.

“We are using this medium to appeal to members of the public, especially in Niger State to come up with information about strange movements and faces in their communities and report to the police.”

Wamakko wants Nigeria’s education system overhauled

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overnor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State yesterday urged the Federal Government to reposition the nation’s education system to make it efficient, effective and competitive.

Wamakko made the call in Sokoto while receiving participants of Group 3, Course 37 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.

“Such repositioning should be premised on facts and figures and not on sentiments; this should be the guiding principle while

formulating and implementing plausible policies and programmes.

“Consequently, they will be made more sustainable, plausible and workable, and hence, strengthen the nation’s education sector,’’ he said.

The governor said the state government has been dedicating a substantial percentage of its annual budget to the education sector since 2007.

Wamakko also said the state government had abolished school fees, increased scholarship and feeding allowances by 100 per cent

and rehabilitated and expanded primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, among others.

He commended the participants for the study tour, saying it would enable them become abreast of the realities on ground across the country.

“NIPSS has been playing crucial roles in conducting researches in various fields of human endeavor in the country.

“Such researches always come out with commendable recommendations on where Nigeria should go and how it can be there.

“Sokoto State government will continue to cherish and appreciate these efforts and will do everything possible to ensure their success,’’ Wamakko assured.

The team leader, Prof.

Abu Galadima, who is the director of research, NIPSS, had told Wammakko that they were in the state as part of their annual study tours of the country.

The theme of this year’s tour is ‘Repositioning Nigeria’s Educational Systems for Global Competitiveness.’

ustice Peter Lifu of the National Industrial Court, NIC, Abuja, yesterday fixed June 10 for hearing a suit against the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. The claimants, Mr. Emmanuel Yekovie and Mr. Gideon Homano, had taken William Akporeha, Ayuba Wabba and Joseph Ajaero to court over their exclusion from the NLC election in Delta State.

The judge, while adjourning the case, said the motion ex-parte had been overtaken by events because the election had already been conducted.

“Let everybody come, I will listen to all of you, but I do not know the status quo you want maintained because you cannot restrain what has already happened,” he said.

The claimants’ counsel, Mr. Jude Igudia, had earlier filed an ex-parte motion on April 20 to restrain the congress from holding elections in the state.

He said in spite of the motion, the two factions of NLC held elections with two chairmen emerging, excluding the claimants.

According to him, since the motion has been overtaken by events, they will amend the motion on notice and processes to request nullification of the election.

He continued: “We want a declaration that: the defendants have no power or authority under the enabling constitution of the NLC to conduct parallel elections.

“Or conduct any election by whatever name it is called or described and deny the claimants the right to vie for the executive offices of the NLC in Delta State.

“We will also request an order of injunction, restraining the defendants, his agents, privies or servants from denying the claimants the right to vie for position in the different executive offices of the NLC in the state.’’

The defendants counsel, Mr. M.E Edah, said the processes were served after the elections had been held.

The judge adjourned the case till June 10 for hearing and further application in the suit.

Kano ex-commissioner’s trial: Court adjourns case to June 8

H

earing continued in Kano yesterday in the case of former Commissioner of Rural and Community Development, Alhaji Musa Iliyasu, over an alleged electoral offence in the just-concluded governorship election.

The accused, who is also the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano State, is charged along with eight others for alleged criminal conspiracy.

They were also charged with willful destruction of government property by

damaging electoral materials, an offence which contravenes Sections 97, 114, 118 and 120 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Idris Malam, had told the magistrate court sitting at Nomansland in Kano that the case was reported at the State CID on April 11.

Malam said the accused person conspired with eight others and went to the Kauran Mata polling unit in Madobi Local Government Area, where the offence was allegedly committed.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

History will judge me –Katsina gov JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

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Children rescued by Nigerian troops from insurgents in Sambisa forest handed over to the National Emergency Management Agency at Malkohi Camp in Yola on Saturday night. PHOTO: NAN

Plateau workers begin indefinite strike JAMES A BRAHAM JOS

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orkers in Plateau State will today commence an indefinite strike to compel government to meet w their demands, particularly payment of salaries.

Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC,

in the state, Jibrin Bancir, told National Mirror in Jos yesterday that the workers had no option than to embark on strike following an ultimatum given the government, which expired at midnight yesterday, May 4.

He said the workers had done everything they could to make the

government yield to their demands and possibly avert the strike but to no avail.

The workers are demanding outstanding arrears of minimum wage, non-release of promotion of members, consistent non-payment of workers’ salaries, non-implementation of minimum wage for

LG and primary school teachers, the union leader said.

He added that the workers were also demanding payment of their outstanding 2012 leave transport, among others, adding that they would not return to work until the state government meets their demands.

B’Haram insurgents rape women to sustain lineage –Shettima INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

F

ollowing the rescue

by Nigerian troops of over 293 girls and women abducted by Boko Haram, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, yesterday lamented that the impregnation of a sizeable number of the ladies was aimed at producing future insurgents.

The governor therefore, noted the need for a special programme to break the chain anticipated by the terrorists.

He spoke through an aide, Isa Gusau, during a closed-door meeting in Maiduguri at the weekend with government officials.

“Boko Haram deliberately raped women with the intention of getting them pregnant so they would give birth to future insurgents as successors of their violent struggles,” Shettima said, adding that his study of the terrorists showed “there is a general

belief among them that whoever doesn’t share their ideology is an infidel, and as such they can freely acquire the (infidel’s) property and wife to serve as slaves and satisfy the sexual urge of their masters.”

According to him, the sect members believe the children they father are likely to share their ideology and succeed their parents in years to come and as such the circle would be maintained.

“I am happy with the recovery of hundreds of women and children; it is a thing of joy that they have been freed alive.

However, I am also very worried about what the future holds for us if what I gather about these insurgents holds true.

“These people (Boko Haram) have the conviction that any child they father will grow to inherit their ideology whether they live with the children or not. They also believe

that whoever does not hold their ideology is an unbeliever that should be killed and rendered homeless, and whatever belongs to him or her becomes a legitimate booty recovered from enemies.

“This booty includes women that are allocated to ranking leaders of the sect as sex slaves. The sect leaders make very conscious effort to impregnate the women. Some of them, I was told, even pray before mating, offering supplications for God to make the products of what they are about doing become children that would inherit their ideology.

“After getting their captives pregnant, they keep them to allow the pregnancy mature to about four or more months to make abortion difficult or impossible due to the risks involved at that level. They abandon the women afterwards to go and give birth.

“In most cases, the women return home to

conceive.

Sometimes, some of the women deliver in captivity and the children grow to four or five years. This might be the case with these insurgents, who might have been operating in Sambisa camps since 2009.”

utgoing Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, yesterday said history would judge him on whether he succeeded or failed in the eight years of his administration.

Shema stated this during the 9th National Conference of the College of Administration and Management Studies at Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic in the state.

He told a large gathering of academicians that the era of showcasing his achievements was gone, but that God would be the ultimate judge in everything done, be it good or bad.

The governor, who was represented by Balarabe Tsauri, permanent secretary in the state’s Ministry of Education, said he had accepted the outcome of the 2015 election in good faith as such repre-

sented the wish of Nigerians.

He, however, warned that the state may face the challenge of continuity in governance.

According to him, “The big challenge facing Katsina is whether we shall be able to maintain the concept of continuity in the interest of the state.”

He also said the state was facing the challenge of maintaining payment of pensions and gratuities in view of the meager income from the federation account and Internally Generated Revenue.

Earlier, Rector of the polytechnic, Prof Yusuf Haruna, called for improved funding of the state’s education sector to minimise challenges faced in the sector.

Haruna said the education sector had problems of inexperienced teachers, poor school environment, ill-equipped laboratories, among other issues.

Benue judiciary workers suspend 4-month strike

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udiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, Benue State chapter, yesterday suspended its four-month-old strike.

This is contained in a statement signed by its chairman, Comrade Samuel Wuaor, and made available to newsmen in Makurdi.

“The union suspended the strike following an undertaking by Benue State government to comply with the judgment of Fed-

eral High Court, Abuja, regarding the independence and financial autonomy of the judiciary,” it stated.

According to the statement, Benue chapter of the union also sought and obtained the permission of JUSUN national headquarters to suspend the strike.

It therefore, called on all members of staff of the judiciary in Benue to report to their offices with immediate effect.

Kaduna APC transition c’ttee warns impersonators A ZA M SUE KADUNA

K

aduna State All Prog ressives Congress, APC, Transition Committee yesterday warned fraudulent elements to refrain from carrying out deceitful activities in the name of the committee.

The committee in a statement issued by its chairman, Balarabe Lawal, in Kaduna, said anyone found impersonating committee members or carrying out any illegal act in the name of the committee would be handed over to the

police for prosecution.

It “advised all government officials to focus on the imperative of preparing proper handover and briefing notes, rather than entertaining fraudsters.

There are proper channels of communication between the outgoing and incoming administration, and it is only proper that these are respected by officials in all ministries, departments and agencies of the Kaduna State government.

“We are by this notice appealing to all government agencies and the public to dis-

regard such subversive elements and promptly alert the nearest security agencies” to their activities.

The statement added: “Anyone with useful information regarding these impersonators and their collaborators should reach the transition committee secretariat.”

El-Rufai

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

I have said before. There will be a marked difference in my team when the AFCON qualifiers begin –South Africa Coach, Shakes Mashaba

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

53

Sport

Bahamas 2015 fallout: Alli blasts poor male athletes

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Warri Wolves warming up before a recent match

Confed Cup:

Wolves may face Esperance, Raja

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igeria’s only remaining team in continental club competition, Warri Wolves FC, could play any of top North African sides, Esperance Sportive du Tunis, Raja Casablanca of Morocco and Al Ahly of Egypt or sub-Saharan sides, Stade Malien, AC Leopards and Sanga Balende of DR Congo in the third round of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup competition.

Their opponents will emerge at today’s Draw Ceremony at the CAF headquarters in Egypt, with all eight losing sides in the CAF Champions League moving a step down to the CAF Confederation Cup. Wolves, who sent packing FC Etancheite of DR Congo 3-1 on aggregate in the second round, is one of eight teams from the CAF Confederation Cup that will join the losing eight sides

from the CAF Champions League in today’s draw.

None of the eight successful teams from the Confederation Cup, namely Orlando Pirates of South Africa, Club Africain and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia, ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, Hearts of Oak, Zamalek of Egypt, AS Vita of DR Congo and Warri Wolves will be paired against each other.

They will have to face the

eight losing sides from the CAF Champions League, namely AS Kaloum of Guinea, Stade Malien of Bamako, AC Leopards of Congo-Brazzaville, Raja Casablanca of Morocco, CS Sfaxien and Esperance of Tunisia and Al Ahly of Egypt.

The eight successful sides will then proceed to the group phase of the second tier CAF Confederation Cup. First leg matches are scheduled for the

weekend of 15-17 May. There were mixed fortunes for Algeria and Tunisia in the CAF Champions League, with all three Algerian sides pulling through into the group phase, something unprecedented. USM Alger eliminated AS Kaloum Star; holders Entente Setif eliminated Raja Casablanca on penalties and MC Eulma also sent packing CS Sfaxien of Morocco on penalties.

Glo League: ‘Giwa won’t give up top spot’

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iwa FC striker, Charles Okoro, has said his side’s focus at the moment is to consolidate their leadership position at the top.

The Tin City side reclaimed the top spot last Sunday in Jos after a 3-1 win against Bayelsa United in match day 7 clash.

Okoro said his side is not thinking of giving up the top spot but will work extra

hard to rake in more points that will further extend their firm hold at the top.

“This is the second time we’re climbing back to the top spot on the log and I strongly believe we’re there right now to stay.

“Anyone who sees our rise to the top as make-belief had better come to terms with reality as we’re focused on extending the lead.

“We’ve our target for the season well

mapped out and it’s better served as long as we remain at the top of the ladder,” Okoro told supersport.com.

He continued, “We train twice daily to prepare ourselves for every match so our successes so far are just reward for hard work.

“We quite appreciate and understand the challenges ahead and we’re not leaving any stone unturned to meet the chal-

lenges.”

Okoro said Giwa are determined to prove to be the better Elephant in the match day 8 clash at Enyimba in Aba. “The saying that when two Elephants fight the ground will suffer aptly captures the weekend clash at Enyimba in Aba. It’s a battle of two Elephants and we’ll prove ourselves to be the better Elephant.”

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

UEFA Champions League…

Pirlo eyes ‘momentous win’

Today’s Toda d y’s ’ fixtures fi s

Juventus vs R Madrid

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uventus playmaker, An- will end with a Champions drea Pirlo, has admi tted League triumph ,” he said yesthat winning the Ch ampi- terday as Ju ventus rounded off ons League would be so special preparat ion. that it could convince him to call “If we win it, I might move time on his successful spell with abroad be cau se Juventus will be Juventus. my last team in Italy,” he added.

The 35-year-old left AC MiHis vision, perfect pa lan after 10 seasons sses and to join the ability to transfer his inn Old Lady in 2011 wh ate en many calmness to the rest of the team thought his best days were long have been crucial in transformgone. He has proved everybody ing a sid e wh o had finished sevwrong, helping Juven tus to four enth tw ice in a row in the preconsecutive Serie A titl es and or- Pirlo era int o a dominant force. chestrating the side’s return to “W e ha ve de ser vedly reached the European elite. the semi-finals and it will be 50As he prepares to fac e a Real 50 against Madrid,” he further Madrid side coached by his for- said. mer coach at Milan, Ca rlo Ance“We have nothing to lotti, in the Champio lose, esns League pecially if we play with intell semi-finals today, Pir ilo admit- gence an d courage. ted that a triumph in Berlin on “We saw what Atlet June 6, where he lifted ico Mathe World drid did to them last year and we Cup with Italy nine years ago, will try to follow their examp would be the best po le ssible final and do eve n better tomorrow (to for his Juventus adven ture, even day). We know we are not favou though his contract runs until rites bu t we will certainly giv June 2016. e it a try to go past this level to the “I hope this winning cycle final.”

EPL title, reward for risk

–Mourinho

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helsea Manager, Jose Mourinho, says the Premier League title is his reward for the risk he took in returning to Stamford Bridge for a second spell, saying he will now stay for as long as owner Roman Abramovich wants.

“When you go back to where you had success before you risk a bit of your prestige and your history.

I risked it but I can say we won again,” the Portuguese gaffer said yesterday.

Mourinho won two titles in his first stint in charge and claimed his third after coming back to Chelsea at

Benzema

Pirlo

blow for

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eports yesterday indicated that Real Madrid forward, Karim Benzema, has not recovered sufficiently from a knee injury and has been left out of the squad for today’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Juventus.

The France international sustained the injury in last month’s quarter-final first leg at Atletico Madrid and although he only returned to training on Sunday, Coach Carlo Ancelotti had hoped he would be fit.

Javier Hernandez could however start up front in Tu-

Mourinho

the start of last season.

“I could choose another club in another country where it is easier to be champion but I chose the most difficult league in Europe where I was happy before.

“In my country, Portugal, we say don’t go back to where you were happy before because it is a risk.

“But I have taken that risk and I’m so happy because I won another Premier League ten years later in my second spell.

Madrid

Benzema

rin alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who returned from a calf problem as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 La Liga win at Sevilla.

Another option would be for Ancelotti to switch to a 4-4-2 formation, with Hernandez dropping to the bench and Isco coming into the midfield alongside Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos.

Real is seeking a recordextending 11th European crown, while the Italian champion is chasing its third.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

55

Bahamas 2015 fallout:

Alli blasts poor male athletes

MERCY JACOB

D Egwero

Okpekpe 2015: Organisers release medical guidelines AFOLABI GAMBARI

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edical Coordinator of the Okpekpe10 kilometres road race slated for May 16, Dr. Gab Okafor, has unveiled plans for the competition in accordance with the IAAF competitions’ guidelines for road race events.

Okafor, who spoke in Benin City yesterday, disclosed that the main components for the race include pre-participation evaluation and briefing for participating athletes, qualified medical team and medical volunteers that comprised doctors, nurses, EMTs and physiotherapists who would be deployed appropriately.

“Medical personnel would be at fixed location to offer medi-

cal service points like the finish line and aid stations along the route, at medical vehicles (ambulances), while first response teams to give immediate first aid along the course of the race will be available,” the medical chief said, adding, “They will provide major support and aid at the finish line with all the emergency support and medical supplies, provide minor aid station at the water stations to provide first aid and relief for minor injuries.”

Okafor said fully equipped advanced Life Support (ACLS) ambulances would be at the finish line and on the race course, with additional ambulance stationed for handling minor emergence, as well as the use of Heat Stress Index Flags against harsh weather condition.

irector of Competitions in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Yusuf Alli, has criticised the male athletes over their lusterless performance at the IAAF/BTC World relays which ended in Bahamas last weekend.

Ogho-Oghene Egwero led the male athletes’ medals rush for failed to register their presence as the female

T

warang, said in a statement that Ottah’s death had denied the body his experienced and valuable technical contribution to football in Nigeria.

“The younger coaches have attested to Ottah’s rich repertoire of experience and it has manifested in the quality representation of teams in the Federation Cup from Edo State,” Bewarang said.

“His death, coming weeks after that of Bazuaye, has robbed the profession of valuable advice,” the NFCA boss added.

proper planning so that such situation could be avoided in future competitions,” Alli said.

“The men should take a clue from the women that surpassed their own standard.

“If we don’t want to continue in this manner, we must re-strategise to ensure that our male athletes are contestants and not just participants in future competition.”

Meanwhile, members of the Team Nigeria are due to arrive in Lagos tomorrow.

NNL: Why we shifted kick-off date–Inyama PAUL EREWUBA

C

hairman of Nigeria National League (NNL) Emeka Inyama, has said that the board’s decision to postpone the kick-off the lower league from May 2 to 16 is to enable the clubs to complete their registration.

“We were ready for the takeoff of the league until 13 clubs appealed against the registration deadline,” Inyama explained yesterday.

“We’ve equally decided that after the two weeks grace, any

defaulting club will be ignored as the season must go ahead.

“We strongly believe the two-week extension will help the clubs to get everything right to enable them to feature in the upcoming league season.”

The NNL has already decided that the 2014/15 season will be an abridged league as clubs have been divided into four groups of eight teams each with the winners automatically gaining promotion to the NPFL while the bottom teams will be demoted to the Nigeria Nationwide League (NNWL).

Inyama

FCT FA boss bags Fosla job

T

Coaches mourn Ottah

he Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA) has expressed sadness at the death of veteran coach, Tony Ottah.

Ottah, a member of the 1973 Green Eagles team that won Nigeria’s first ever All Africa Games gold medal, reportedly slumped few hours after the burial of another veteran coach, Willy Bazuaye, in Benin City a fortnight ago and did not recover until he passed away on Friday.

NFCA President, Bitrus Be-

team led by Blessing Okagbare and which comprised Regina George, Dominique Duncan and Christy Udoh swept to gold in the 4x200m relay while a new national and African record in addition.

Alli, who won long jump gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, told National Mirror yesterday that the male athletes’ outing was embarrassing.

“I think there is a need for

FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed

he Management of FOSLA Academy Abuja has appointed the Chairman of the FCT Football Association, Alhaji Musa Saeed Talle, into its board.

A letter dated April 24, 2015 and signed by the academy’s Board Secretary, Patrick Ngwaogu, said the appointment was in recognition of Talle’s contribution to grassroots football development in Abuja.

“We are of the opinion that you would bring your experience to bear in ensuring that FOSLA Academy attains its desired height in football

development in Nigeria,” the letter said.

Talle, who has since acknowledged the appointment, commended the Proprietor of the academy and former NFF president, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, for the gesture while promising to contribute positively to the realisation of the academy’s dreams.

FOSLA Academy is the only privately owned football academy in Nigeria where naturally endowed youngsters are given opportunity to combine education and football in tune with the national policy on education.

WORLD RECORD

Longest-running laboratory experiment Fastest marathon dribbling two basketballs

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1105 Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Pitch Drop Experiment has been running since 1927 at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Nigeria in 2050: A futuristic introspection

I

t is the year 2050. Nigeria is the world’s 13th largest economy and China’s Gross Domestic Product, the largest in the world, is almost double that of the USA. Now one of the top 20 economies, Nigeria experienced consistent and rapid growth due to its youthful working population and prudent use of its oil wealth to improve infrastructure and institutions necessary for a diversified economy- Building Africa on Solid BRICS, Ventures Africa magazine, volume 3/2013.

Countries in other continents of the globe have witnessed development and economic prosperity before now, and the time for countries in Africa for transformational experience has actually arrived. President Barack Obama once said that Nigeria was critical to the rest of

Guest Columnist

Olusola Akinyemi

Africa and that if Nigeria did not get it right, Africa would really not make more progress.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has also said “Which continent has six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world?

Asia? No, it’s Africa. Which country is predicted by some to have the highest average GDP growth in the world over the next 40 years? You think Brazil, Russia, India or China. No. Think Africa. Think Nigeria”.

A close look at the path of nations that have made it to economic prosperity will reveal the indispensable role of a clear vision from a dynamic leadership. This leadership in context transcends individuals, but institutionalized leadership such that succeeding generations keep the transformational vision flying. The era of National Development Plan (NDP) from the pre-independence period to its last- the 1981-1985 NDP launched by President Shehu Shagari contributed immensely to the growth of the nation before now. The stories of the good old times that some of the older generation talk about may be easily connected to the effect of the NDPs. The impact of the NDPs on education, infrastructures, industries and national unity among others cannot be overemphasised.

After the end of the NDP era, the Millennium Development Goals have served tremendously as a rescue plan to bridge the gap of development between developed countries and underdeveloped and developing nations, Nigeria inclusive. Unfortunately, the MDGs weren’t designed for any nation’s economic prosperity.

As the 2015 target for realising the MDGs has finally come with objectives not fully realised in the developing countries, the mandate now is

HAVING NOTED THAT NIGERIA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRULY

BECOME ONE OF THE 20 LEADING ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD, THE

PACE OF GROWTH AND COMMITMENT MAY NOT MAKE IT ACHIEVABLE IN

2020

tilting towards post 2015 Development Agenda.

So, a national vision is the first step to a country’s growth. It is necessary to mention that the realisation of a vision may be viewed from two perspectives - one based on natural potentials and the other on commitment to develop capacity to fulfill it. Nigeria has what it takes to achieve whatever vision through its natural potential, while the population is also imbued with the dogged spirit to develop competence for what seems to be out of reach.

Furthermore, I am compelled to share a part of the Pricewaterhouse Coopers World in 2050 report of January 2013 titled, “World in 2050: The BRICS andbeyond:Challenges and Opportunities”.

China is projected to overtake the US as the largest economy by 2017 in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms and by 2027 in market exchange rates. India should become the third ‘global economic giant’ by 2050, a long way ahead of Brazil, which is expected to move up

to 4th place ahead of Japan. Russia could overtake Germany to become the largest European economy before 2020 in PPP terms and around 2035 at market exchange rates. Emerging economies such as Mexico and Indonesia could be larger than the UK and France by 2050, and Turkey larger than Italy.

Outside the G20, Vietnam, Malaysia and Nigeria all have strong long term growth potential, while Poland should comfortably outpace the large Western European economies for the next couple of decades. These were based on projected trends in demographics, capital investment, education levels and technological progress.

Having noted that Nigeria has the potential to truly become one of the 20 leading economies in the world, the pace of growth and commitment may not make it achievable in 2020.

A short or medium term vision should not be misplaced for long term vision; even if progress is made, it would still appear as substantial failure. The vision of Nigeria for 2020 should not be to become one of the 20 leading economies, but rather to have achieved building the required infrastructure, repositioning institutions, employment generation for the teeming youth, standardised education sector, restrategised laws and policies among others needed to make her become one of the 20 leading economies with evidential prosperity among the citizenry. These are the indispensable conditions for realising the national vision.

But before I lead discussion on the key issues germane to Nigeria’s transformational change in 2050, which enumerated above, I consider it quintessential to discuss corruption and its harm to project Nigeria in 2050. Corruption shall be the subject for the next post, which shall also include effective ways to rescue the nation from the scourge.

The incoming General Mohammed Buhari administration will have the most critical role to play over the next four years in setting the country right on its path to realising the vision for Nigeria in 2050.

Akinyemi is President of Lagos-based Joseph Initiative.

Sport Extra

B

ritish boxer, Amir Khan, claims he is next in line to face Floyd Mayweather after the American’s victory over Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Mayweather, who claimed a unanimous verdict over

Boxing: Mayweather Team wants me next–Khan the Filipino to claim his 48th straight victory, moving him just one win short of heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record, said after the fight that he would only get in the ring

once more in September and Khan believes he will be the 38-year-old’s final opponent.

“I think the fight is there,” Khan said yesterday.

“I spoke to Len Ellerbe, his manager, I saw him in

the media room and he came over to say ‘Floyd’s ready when you are’.

“I think Mayweather’s team wants the fight. So, I’m in a position where I can say it’s Mayweather that I want,

because I really believe I have his number.”

The 28-year-old Khan returns to New York on May 29 to take on Chris Algieri, who lost to Pacquaio last November.

Khan

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