Friday, February 22, 2013 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

15 firms sign agreement to take over power companies Union rejects N384bn severance package

ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

Nebo

Vol. 3 N0. 563

Misconduct:

he National Council on Privatisation, NCP, yesterday formally signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement with

2013 budget:

NASS threatens to veto President

P.12

the preferred bidders for the 10 Distribution Companies (Discos) and five Generation Companies CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Mark

Friday, February 22, 2013

N150

NJC suspends judges ...over Osun guber poll, Akingbola’s trial Probes Justice Talba’s ruling on pension fraud

EMMANUEL ONANI, K AYODE KETEFE AND KENNY ODUNUKAN

he National Judicial Council, NJC, has suspended two judges, Justices Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Thomas Naron of the Plateau State High Court, for professional misconduct with immediate effect. The council has also sent CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

N4bn house: Dame Jonathan begs N’Assembly ...says no gang-up can dislodge PDP P.6

L-R: Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola; President Goodluck Jonathan; former President of the United States, Bill Clinton and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the dedication of 5,000,000-square metre Eko Atlantic City in Lagos, yesterday.

Nigerian troops surround kidnappers of French family

Hostages probably separated, says Hollande P.2 Guild of Editors inaugurates electoral committee P.7

2015: HID Awolowo tasks S’West politicians on unity P.8

News

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigerian troops surround kidnappers of French family GEORGE OJI, PAUL ARHEWE AND INUSA NDAHI

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

igerian security forces yesterday surrounded the kidnappers of a French family in Borno State in an operation to rescue the hostages, a military source said. French, Nigerian and Cameroonian officials had earlier denied media reports that the family, who were seized in Cameroon and taken over the border, had been freed. The military source, who did not want his name mentioned, disclosed the troops located the hostages and kidnappers between Dikwa and Ngala in the state. Dikwa is less than 80 km (50 miles) from the border with Cameroon where the three adults and four children were taken hostage on Tuesday. A senior Cameroonian military official declined to comment, saying the matter was too sensitive. Citing a Cameroon Army officer, French media had earlier reported yesterday that the hostages had been found alive in a house in northern Nigeria. “This is a crazy rumour that we cannot confirm. We do not know where it is

coming from,” Cameroon Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary told Reuters on the phone from the capital, Yaounde. “What is certain is that the French tourists who were abducted are no longer on our territory. However, we are in touch with the government of Nigeria to intensify measures to continue the search for them along our common border,” he said. French gendarmes backed by the special forces arrived in northern Cameroon on Wednesday to help locate the family, a governor and French defence ministry official said. Joint Task Force, JTF, spokesman, Col. Sagir Musa, also said the report on France’s BFM Television of the hostages being released was “not true,” while Didier Le Bret, the head of the French foreign ministry’s crisis centre, said the information was “baseless.” The abduction was the first case of foreigners being seized in the mostly Muslim north of Cameroon, a former French colony. But the region - like others in West and North Africa with porous borders - is considered within the operational sphere of Boko Haram and fellow Nigerian

Islamist militants, Ansaru. On Sunday, seven foreigners were snatched from the premises of the Lebanese construction company, Setraco, in Bauchi State, and Ansaru claimed responsibility. Ansaru, which rose to prominence only in recent months, has claimed the abduction in December of a French national who is still missing. Three foreigners were killed in two failed rescue attempts last year after being kidnapped in northern Nigeria and Ansaru, blamed for those kidnaps, warned this could happen again.

The threat to French nationals in the region has grown since France deployed thousands of troops to Mali to oust al Qaedalinked Islamists who controlled the country’s north. The kidnapping in Cameroon brought to 15 the number of French citizens being held in West Africa. The hostages have probably been separated, French President Francois Hollande said yesterday. “It’s best to work discreetly for now to identify the exact place where our citizens are being held most likely in two groups - and work out how we can free them under the best

conditions,” Hollande told newsmen. “Paris fully cooperating with Nigeria and Cameroon,” he added, noting that French troops were nearby as their base was in the Chadian capital N’Djamena, 150 km away. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said that government does not engage in any form of extra judicial killings in its fight against terrorism. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, said this when he received the Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Counter-terrorism Commit-

tee Mr. Mike Smith, who was on a working visit to Nigeria. The minister told the visiting envoy that Nigeria’s security agencies had continued to abide by the rules of engagement with no extra judicial killings. This is contrary to the views of some international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Ashiru stated that the nation’s anti-terrorism campaign was undertaken at several levels based on a multi-track strategy of prevention and enforcement at national and sub-regional levels.

L-R: Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman and Vice-President Namadi Sambo, during the National Economic Council meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

Misconduct: NJC suspends Justices Naron, Archibong CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

a recommendation to President Goodluck Jonathan for the compulsory retirement of the judges. Rising from an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the NJC resolved, among others, said that “consequent upon the aforesaid recommendation and in exercise of its disciplinary powers under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the erring judges should proceed on suspension with immediate effect”. Also, the highest judicial body has constituted a “factfinding committee” saddled with the task of investigating allegations levelled against Justice Abubakar Talba of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in the police pension fraud case. A statement signed by NJC’s Acting Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said that the resolutions came at the end of the emergency meeting presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria,

CJN, and council’s Chairman, Justice Aloma Mukhtar. The statement reads: “The National Judicial Council under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, at its emergency meeting, which was held on February 20, 2013 recommended the compulsory retirement of Justice C. E. Archibong of the Federal High Court Lagos and Justice T.D. Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State. “Justice Archibong was recommended for compulsory retirement to President Goodluck Jonathan, pursuant to the “findings” by the council on the following complaints levelled against him: *That the judge dismissed the grievous charges against an accused without taking his plea; *That he refused to release the certified true copy of his ruling to the lawyers; *That the judge issued a bench warrant on some offi-

cials of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for contempt even when the counsel who was directed by the court to serve them filed an affidavit that he had not been able to serve the contempt application. *That he made unfounded and caustic remarks on professional competence of some Senior Advocates of Nigeria; *That there were glaring procedural irregularities which showed that Justice Archibong did not have a full grasp of the law and procedure of the court; *That he granted the leave sought for in the originating summons that had no written address of the parties and without hearing both parties in the originating summons after he had earlier on overruled the preliminary objection.” On Naron, the statement said there were constant and regular voice calls and exchange of mms and sms (text messages) between the judge and one of the coun-

sels in a case before him. “The communication was for one of the parties to the suit in the Osun State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal,” the NJC said. The statement added that his action was contrary to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers vide Section 292 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. “Justice Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State, was recommended for compulsory retirement to Governor Jonah Jang sequel to the ‘findings’ by the council that there were constant and regular voice calls and exchange of mms and sms (text) messages between Justice Naron and one of the lead counsels for one of the parties to the suit in the Osun State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal contrary to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria vide Section 292(1((b)

of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended,” it said. The council has also set up a ‘fact finding’ committee to investigate the allegations levelled against Justice Abubakar Talba of FCT High Court in the police pension case of EFCC vs. Mr. John Yusuf & Ors. Talba had on January 28 sentenced Assistant Director, Police Pension Board, John Yusuf, to two years’ imprisonment for his role in the theft of N20bn of pension funds with an option to pay a N750,000 fine In his judgement, Talba ordered Yusuf to forfeit N325m and 32 of his properties to the Federal Government. He also ordered Yusuf to remit a fine of N750,000 to the Federal Government treasury, being the total of the N250,000 fine imposed for each of the three countcharge. “The convict has actually assisted the court by confessing to have taken

N3bn as his share from the N20bn leading to this summary trial. “This shows that the convict has a measure of virtue left in him. The court has in this regard found him guilty as charged. “John Yusuf, an Assistant Director with the Police Pension Board, being an accused arraigned in this court over N32.8bn theft of pension funds is hereby sentenced to two years with a fine of N750,000. “The convict’s properties, which the court had earlier ordered forfeited to the Federal Government, shall remain permanently so,” Justice Talba said. The decision generated an uproar, with public opinion favouring a custodial sentence without option of a fine. It will be recalled that Justice Naron headed the first Osun State Governorship/Legislative Election Petitions Tribunal, which CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PAGE

Friday, February 22, 2013

Good Health

RED ALERT!

Regular Vitamin C consumption could be dangerous to health! …eating hot food in plastic plates equally hazardous TOBORE OVUORIE

f you are or know anyone who is in the habit of consuming Vitamin C on a regular basis or eating hot food in plastic plates, then you need to read this as researchers have issued a red alert that such people run a higher risk of developing kidney stones. Kidney stones are stone-like lumps that can develop in one or both of the kidneys. Medically known as nephrolithiasis, experts say dehydration, regular intake of Vitamins such as C and D respectively, eating diets low in fibre, among others, are major causes of this health condition. If not properly treated, kidney stones could cause your body much harm. The above discovery was made af- A kidney and bladder with stones in them ter monitoring a group of men from men who take Vitamin C supplements are twice as likely Vastmanland and Orebro counties respectively in Sweden, to develop kidney stones as men who do not take any difor 11 years. etary supplements. In the study, a total of 23,355 men were identified, who had The Vitamin C content of supplements is commonly no history of kidney stones and who took either no dietary 1,000mg per tablet, a considerably higher dose than that supplements or supplements in the form of Vitamin C. which is obtained through food. During the study period, 436 of the participants develAccording to the study which was published in the scioped kidney stones that required medical attention. entific periodical. JAMA Internal Medicine, the risk of Consequently, the results of the study indicated that developing kidney stones further increased with the frequency of Vitamin C supplement use. But the regular use of multivitamins was not found to be associated with the risk of kidney stones. In a related development, another research suggested that eating hot meals in plastic plates could actually be harmful to health. In the second study, a group of Taiwanese researchers also discovered that hot temperature increased the amount of melamine on crockery (plastic plates), adding that this could increase the risk of kidney stones. Reduce your intake of vitamin c supplement

Eating hot food from this plastic plate is dangerous to your kidneys

According to the researchers, they studied two groups of people who ate piping hot noodle soup, while one ate from melamine bowls (plastic), the other group ate from ceramic bowls. Urine samples were subsequently collected before the meal, and every two hours for 12 hours following the meal. Three weeks later, the volunteers consumed the same kind of soup but the type of bowl they used was reversed. Urine samples were collected again. Although the amount of melamine released into food and beverages from melamine tableware varied by brand, and, as such, the results of the study of one brand may not be generalised to other brands, the researchers, in the study also published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, suggested it was advisable to serve hot food on ceramic crockery, not plastic. However, prior studies have linked chronic, low-dose melamine exposures to an increased risk for kidney stones in both children and adults, the researchers said. Studies of melamine toxicity in animals indicated that ingestion could cause kidney stones, kidney damage and may induce cancer.

YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW

Eating deep-fried food linked to increased risk of prostate cancer

egular consumption of deep-fried foods such as French fries, fried chicken and doughnuts is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, and the effect appears to be slightly stronger with regard to more aggressive forms of the disease, according to a study by investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Corresponding author Janet L. Stanford, Ph.D., and colleagues Marni StottMiller, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow and Marian

Neuhouser, Ph.D., all of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division, have published their findings online in The Prostate. While previous studies have suggested that eating foods made with high-heat cooking methods, such as grilled meats, may increase the risk of prostate cancer, this is the first study to examine the addition of deep frying to the equation. From French fries to doughnuts: Eating more than once a week may raise risk Specifically, Stanford, co-

director of the Hutchinson Center’s Program in Prostate Cancer Research, and colleagues found that men who reported eating French fries, fried chicken, fried fish and/ or doughnuts at least once a week were at an increased risk of prostate cancer as compared to men who said they ate such foods less than once a month.

Compound in grapes, red wine could be key to fighting prostate cancer

esveratrol, a compound found commonly in grape skins and red wine, has been shown to have several beneficial effects on human health, including cardiovascular health and stroke prevention. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has discovered that the compound can make prostate tumor cells more susceptible to radiation treatment, increasing the chances of a full recovery from all types of

prostate cancer, including aggressive tumors. “Other studies have noted that resveratrol made tumor cells more susceptible to chemotherapy, and we wanted to see if it had the same effect for radiation therapy,” said Michael Nicholl, an assistant

professor of surgical oncology in the MU School of Medicine. “We found that when exposed to the compound, the tumor cells were more susceptible to radiation treatment, but that the effect was greater than just treating with both compounds separately.” Prostate tumor cells contain very low levels of two proteins, perforin and granzyme B, which can function together to kill cells. –ScienceDaily

Photo News

Friday, February 22, 2013

L-R: Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Benjamin Dikki; Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, Beks Dagogo-Jack and Chairman, Transcorp Plc, Tony Elumelu, during the signing of the take over agreement with winners of the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and the BPE in Abuja, yesterday.

L-R: Former President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mallam Garba Shehu; members of the committee, Mr. Richard Akinola; Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye and Chairman of the committee, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, at the inauguration of the electoral committee of the NGE in Lagos, yesterday.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi (left) and his Akwa Ibom State, conterpart Chief Godswill Akpabio, at the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum yesterday in Abuja on the recent killing of health workers in Borno, Kano and Yobe States. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

L-R: Standing Committee member, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mrs. Mary Atolagbe; General Secretary, Mr. Isaac Ighure and Deputy-President, Mrs. Aishat Sule, yesterday. PHOTOS: YINKA ADEPARUSI

National News

NEC unfolds modalities for disbursement of SWF ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

he National Economic Council, NEC, yesterday disclosed the modalities for the disbursement of the $1billion Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF, in order to meet the agenda set up for it by the Federal Government even as the fund becomes fully operational at the end of next month. Speaking at a press briefing at the end of the NEC meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, CME, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, told State House correspondents that the operation of the fund would be disbursed following three patterns: Stabilisation Fund, Infrastructure Fund and Future Generation Fund. She said the three investment windows would be explored by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, which is a corporate governance

system put in place to fast track the use of the fund. Okonjo-Iweala, who was at the briefing with her counterpart in the National Planning Ministry, Dr Shamsudeen Usman and the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said that the fund would further address critical areas of development in the country. The Anambra State governor said there would not be any problem with the full operation of the SWF next month while dismissing any existing disagreement between the 36 state governors and the Federal Government, Chief Executive Officer of the NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, explained that the operation of the SWF was on track, stressing that hybrid strategy would be employed to run it by trying to keep down the cost of operation of the organisation through employing a lean staff. Also yesterday, NEC considered the report of the Presidential Committee on the Rehabilitation of Tertiary Education, estab-

• Fund becomes operational next month lished last year. Obi said the committee was further directed to look into the problems confronting primary and secondary education in the country since the two levels of education are the backbone of educational development in the country. “The additional responsibility given to the committee is informed by the

fact that the two levels of education are the backbone of educational development in the country. Council is fully aware of the problems in the education sector, but it has to find ways to mitigate many of these problems aggressively. “It is just to say, let us turn it around - have qualified teachers, instructional

materials and others,” Obi stated. On efforts at tackling corruption in the country, Obi said it was agreed by members of NEC that there should be a session to discuss the issue of corruption and prudent management of resources available to government.” While also speaking on the efforts of government

to tackle corruption, particularly in the oil sector, Okonjo-Iweala said the Federal Government had been able to recover N26 billion from those involved in the oil subsidy fraud. She added that while government was also beaming its searchlight on other areas to check the menace of corruption in the country, the Federal Government would not condone corrupt practices in the system.

Budget 2013: N’Assembly may override Jonathan’s powers TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

he National Assembly may override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on the 2013 Appropriations Bill next week. House of Representatives’ spokesman, Hon. Zakari Muhammed (PDPKwara), at a press briefing yesterday, said the two chambers would give the Presidency one week of grace before moving to de-

clare the budget law without his assent in line with the constitution next week. According to Muhammed; “Right now, the leadership of the National Assembly is interacting with Mr. President on the 2013 budget and by next week, if nothing has been achieved, we are going to apply the constitution that gives us powers to override his veto. “We are not afraid to take that decision; we must explore all means available

before taking a decision. We still have time before we go into that, the National Assembly will act at the appropriate time.” Muhammed said some of the reasons why the President was yet to sign the budget were “the issue of benchmark that has been lingering for some time now; the unresolved issue of the director-general of the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the issue of rollover of the 2012 budget.”

He continued: “What it means is that even the fourth quarter allocation that was done few days ago would definitely be utilised properly because the implication is that if we end the budget by December 31, it means that some money may have to be returned to the treasury and as the case with some MDAs. The monies, because of the rush of getting their records together might even be misapplied.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Friday, February 22, 2013

15 firms sign agreement to take over power companies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

(Gencos) in line with the ongoing privatisation of the power sector. With the signing of the agreement, the stage is now set for the handing over of the Discos and the Gencos to the preferred bidders following the down payment of 25 per cent of the share purchase price within 15 business days after signing and the payment of the outstanding 75 per cent within 90 working days after the signing. The preferred bidders for the Discos as approved by the NCP are Kann Consortium for Abuja Distribution Company at $164m; Vigeo Power Consortium for Benin at $129m; West Power & Gas for Eko at $135m; Interstate Electrics Limited for Enugu at $126m; Integrated Energy for Ibadan at $169m; NEDC/ KEPCO for Ikeja at $131m; Aura Energy Ltd for Jos at $82m; Sahelian Power SPV Ltd for Kano at $137m; 4Power Consortium for Port Harcourt at $124m and Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing for Yola at $59m. For Gencos, the preferred bidders include Amperion for Geregu Plant at $132m; Mainstream for Kainji Plant at $50.76m with commence-

ment fee of $237,870,000; North-South for Shiroro Plant at $23.60m with commencement fee of $111m; Transcorp/Woodwork for Ughelli Plant at $300m and CMEC/Eurafric for Sapele Plant at $201m. The BPE had last year signed a $23m Management Contract Agreement with Manitoba Hydro of Canada for the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria for an initial period of three years. In 2005, the Federal Government commenced the process of reforming the power sector with the enactment of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act, which paved the way for the privatisation of the PHCN successor companies. At the beginning of the privatisation of the Discos and Gencos in 2011, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, received 301 Expression of interests (EOIs) and later shortlisted 207 firms that met the minimum qualification standards set. Interestingly, only 163 firms purchased bid documents. Speaking on the occasion, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who is also the NCP Chairman, described the event as an “important landmark”, saying it

marked several important milestones in the ongoing reform of the electricity supply industry. He expressed delight that the “Gencos would today be signing ancillary agreement with the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc” to pave the way for compensation to providers of services in line with the best practice in the power sector. Sambo, who spoke through the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, assured that the Federal Government would take all necessary steps to ensure that the expectations of Nigerians for improved service delivery were achieved.

The vice-president expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support towards making the agreements bankable through the provision of partial risk guarantee credit support instrument”. The Chairman of Transcorp/Woodwork, Mr. Tony Elumelu, described the signing as very significant for the country in its quest to generate enough electricity for the populace. He said the signing of the agreement was particularly significant for Transcorp, stressing that the company would employ its magic wand in turning around the Ughelli Power Plant to the

benefit of the people. “Today is a very significant day for Nigeria, significant because the issue of Public Private Partnership is in action. For us at Transcorp, it is a very symbolic platform that we have just acquired. “We believe that power is so significant for the economic development of the country, not only economy but also social development of the country. When we get power right, it will lead to the development of Nigeria economy and will touch the society in so many other areas. “And for us, this is what we preach; we must use our

platform to create economic prosperity as well as social wealth. So, it is a good day for Nigeria and good luck to everyone of us and congratulations to government for making this happen,” Elumelu added. Acting BPE DirectorGeneral, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, said the ceremony “underscores President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to move Nigeria from darkness to light, to leave Nigeria a better place than he met it, whatever it costs him. “Today’s signing ceremony is a clear indication that where there is a will, there is always a way.”

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba and Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Olusola Obada, at Navy stakeholders’ meeting on oil and gas sector in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Misconduct: NJC suspends Justices Naron, Archibong CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

dismissed the petition of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, candidate, Rauf Aregbesola, who eventually became the governor through the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan. As the chairman of the three-man panel, Naron had dismissed the report and testimony of a forensic expert, the late Adrian Forty, hence the dismissal of the entire petition in 2007, for lack of merit. At the height of proceedings that were characterised by allegations of large-scale compromise, the controversial judge was accused of being in “unholy” and “secret” communication with Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye (SAN), the lead counsel to the PDP and then Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,. This claim was given vent when a magazine, The News, published detailed call-logs showing the “romance” between Naron and

Kalejaiye. Accordingly, a petition calling for the investigation of Naron was lodged at the NJC. For Archibong, his imminent sack stems from his handling of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecution of Erastus Akingbola’s case, the former Managing Director of defunct Intercontinental Bank. While dismissing a 26-count charge against Akingbola, Archibong had taken five Senior Advocates of Nigeria to the cleaners. The prosecuting team included the immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN). Other senior advocates were Koyinsola Ajayi, Emmanuel Ukala, A.B Mahmoud and Damien Dodo. The judge had stated among others that, “the prosecuting team presently employed, indulged in professional incompetence

to the extreme and have been unmindful of the accused right to have the case against him clearly stated. “This prosecution team or any part of it shall not be given further audience in this court in relation to the charges against the accused, either before this presiding judge or any other judge of the Federal High Court, for the reason I have given in the foregoing. “I discharge the accused accordingly and leave the AGF to consider his options. This enrolled order shall be served to the AGF and the prosecution team.” Meanwhile, the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, has commended the NJC for the removal of Justices Naron and Archibong on ethical grounds. According to the Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, “This is a giant stride by the NJC to rid our bench of the bad eggs. It is a welcome development that the NJC is now waking up

to its responsibilities. “The sack of Justice Naron and his colleague will restore the hope of the masses in the judiciary. “It is, however, worthy of note that these two judges are not the only ones delivering kangaroo judgements; the NJC should beam its searchlight on other judges who have become compromised and flush them out of the bench, if we must win war against electoral and other forms of corruption in the country,” Adeniran added. Reacting to the NJC’s decision, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) said: “We certainly need a cleansing in the judiciary. But this must be thorough because judiciary, as it were, is the last hope of the common man. “The rooting out of the bad eggs must be done against well-defined criteria so that only the judges who actually engaged in unethical practices are removed from the system.

“Again, we must be careful the way we go about it. We should not throw out the baby with the bathwater; so that we don’t create a dangerous situation where honest judges would be afraid to exercise their free and unfettered discretion on the grounds that their decisions may not be popular. “Once it is established that a judge has applied the law judicially and that his decision has not been hampered by external influence, the judge should not be in any fear. The cleansing should be done so carefully that only the bad ones would have something to fear.” Lagos lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, said: “I have no problem with the decision of the NJC if these judges have been found guilty of unethical practices. “I believe they had been given fair hearing before the decision was reached, and so their sack will only

send warning signals to other corrupt judges.” Aturu, who also accused some lawyers of aiding and abetting corruption among the judges, called for continuous cleansing of the system to ensure only the credible people remain on the bench. Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja Branch, Monday Ubani, said the action taken by the NJC. “I believe it is the duty of NJC to give disciplinary measures to all erring judges and make necessary correction where necessary,” Ubani told National Mirror last night. Another lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo said: “The action of the NJC is highly commendable. It shows the determination of the NJC to cleanse the judiciary of bad eggs. The decision is in the right direction that makes all the judges in the country to sit up,” he said.

National News

Friday, February 22, 2013

Jonathan, Clinton, Fashola hail Eko Atlantic City •FG planning mortgage finance corporation –President

DAYO AYEYEMI

resident Goodluck Jonathan, former American President Bill Clinton and Governor Babatunde Fashola have commended the ingenuity of the developers of the multi-billion naira Eko Atlantic City. They spoke in Lagos yesterday at the inauguration of the first phase of the city, built on 5,000,000 square metres of land reclaimed from the sea by Messrs South Enegyx Nigeria Limited. Dignitaries at the event included Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, former governors of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Ndubuisi Kanu, Obafemi

Otudeko, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, former Minister of Works, Alhaji Femi Okunu, and a host of others. Jonathan also disclosed plan by his administration to set up the Nigerian Mortgage Finance Corporation, NMFC, which will be private sector-driven, to create cheap funds for the housing sector. The creation of NMFC with the support of Federal Government, commercial banks and the primary mortgage institutions, the President said, would be a platform to access capital market to raise bond for housing development and mortgage lending. This initiative, he disclosed, was one of the fallouts of the retreat he had with housing and construction stakeholders earlier on

the need for a virile mortgage for the sector. Jonathan expressed support for the ongoing Eko Atlantic City project, describing it as the best civil engineering job in Africa. The President added that the project was a good tiding to the country following Nigeria’s victory in the just concluded African Cup of Nations. He said: “We just won the Nations Cup after 19 years; and after 19 years, we can now enter train from Lagos to Kano. So, the good news has begun. I thank Chaguory group, financial institutions like First Bank, GT Bank, others and Lagos State Government for the initiative.” Also speaking, Clinton lauded the Lagos State Government and the developer

for the commitment shown in building the city and the amazing Great Eko Wall. Clinton said the commitment by the developers would help to brand Nigeria as a 21 century country. The former President pointed out that the new city would create a lot of opportunities for Nigerians. According to him, all over the world, ocean views have always been places of commerce, tourist attractions, study and research. He said: “This is an ingenious engineering skill. I am convinced that in the next five years, people will come here to see the Wall of Lagos.” On his part, Fashola said the reclamation of the land was as a result of undying spirit of man to conquer nature.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Police arraign seven for robbery, terrorism OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

olice have arraigned seven men before a Federal High Court in Abuja, for allegedly carrying out some terrorist activities in Bauchi State. The police accused the men of bombing and robbing the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Alkaleri branch in Bauchi State, on July 8, 2011, carting away about N18 million and another N36 million in a series of bank robberies within the period. Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who explained that the suspects were arraigned on a 13-count charge under the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011, gave the names of the suspects as Usman Sani, Abdulrahman Musa, Mahmud Mohammed, Kabir Mohammed, Umar Danjuma, Ibrahim Musa Abba and Abdullahi Lawan. He said: “The sum of N17,830,136 was said to have been stolen by the suspects from the bank. The suspects were also accused of attacking and bombing the Alkaleri Divisional Police Headquarters. The seven suspects were further alleged to have attacked and robbed Intercontinental Bank and Guarantee Trust Bank, both in Azare of a to-

tal sum of N36,446,750. “The charges indicated that the suspects, at different operations, killed four persons, including three police officers. They were also charged with being in possession of assorted types of dangerous arms and Improvised Explosive Device, IED, materials.” Mba, however, disclosed that the suspects could not take their plea as they had no legal representation before the court, a situation the court considered fundamental to warrant the adjournment of the case to a date in April, to enable the suspects to secure legal representation. “The suspects are expected to take their plea when the court resumes trial on the adjourned date, 10th April, 2013,” Mba added. According to him, the suspects have been remanded in prison custody to enable them secure the services of legal practitioners of their choice, in exercise of their fundamental human rights. He said: “The Force hereby reassures the public that everything within its ability will be done, to ensure that the suspects are diligently and conclusively prosecuted; as this will serve as a deterrent to all criminally minded persons in the country.

$500m Edo Cement plant nearing completion –BUA STANLEY IHEDIGBO

A L-R: National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kema Chikwe; wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan; wife of the Vice-President, Hajiya Amina Sambo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, at the launch of PDP Women in PHOTO: NAN Power calendar in Abuja, yesterday.

N4bn First Ladies’ House: Dame Jonathan begs NASS OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

he First Lady, Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday appealed to the National Assembly to pass the N4 billion budgeted for the African First Ladies Peace Mission House. Speaking at the launch of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, women calendar, Mrs. Jonathan said on completion, the project would generate employment for Nigerian youths. She said when the late

Mrs. Mariam Babangida and Mrs. Miriam Abacha built the Women Centre and the National Hospital, they did not take possession of the buildings when they left government, adding that she would not convert the Peace Mission building to her personal use when her husband’s tenure ended. The First Lady added that the project was initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, adding that other African leaders lobbied for the mission to be located in their coun-

tries, but was given to Nigeria on a platter of gold. She noted that the United Nations and ECOWAS buildings were being maintained by the Federal Capital Territory Administration. Mrs. Jonathan cautioned women to resist being used to kick against the project, as some women recently demonstrated against the project. She added that if the project was for men, the budget would have long been passed. The First Lady also not-

ed that the current gang-up against PDP would not defeat the party at the polls. She said it was only PDP which had implemented the 35 per cent affirmation for women.

Senate President David Mark

$500 cement plant with a three million metric tonnes per annum capacity, being constructed by the BUA Group, is nearing completion, the company said in a statement yesterday. The plant being built for Edo Cement Company, a BUA subsidiary, located at Okpella in Edo State will be ready for commissioning early next year. The Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, according to the statement, disclosed this at the signing of the $35 million contract agreement between his company and Siemens to build a new gas turbine power plant for the cement factory. The contract, which was signed with Siemens at BUA’s London office, was for Siemens to supply three

SGT 500 turbines manufactured by Siemens Industrial Turbo Machinery AB in Finspang, Sweden with a total capacity of about 45 megawatts to supply power to the ultra-modern $500 million Edo Cement Plant. Rabiu expressed satisfaction with the construction giant, Julius Berger’s pace of work at the cement company site. He said: “I am particularly very impressed so far by the civil construction work done by Julius Berger. “Seventy per cent of the cement plant equipment have been shipped and are currently on site and the pace of work by Julius Berger is very comprehensive and impressive. By early 2014, the cement factory will be ready for use.” Rabiu disclosed that the capacity of the plant would significantly contribute to product availability to Nigerian consumers.

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UNILAG, others get governing councils IJEOMA E ZEIKE ABUJA

he Federal Government yesterday inaugurated the Governing Councils of four universities. They are the University of Lagos, (UNILAG); Federal University of Agriculture, Umuduike; University of Benin, Benin and the Obafemi Awolowo, Ile Ife. Speaking at the inauguration held in Abuja, Minister of Education, Pof Ruqquayat Ahmed Rufa’I, urged the council’s members to shun

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Friday, February 22, 2013

anything that could tarnish their reputation. Prof Ruqquayat said the Federal Government is aware of the challenges facing the nation’s tertiary institutions and therefore urged the new governing councils to brace up and put their wealth of experience to bear in the new assignments. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, praised the Federal Government for appointing competent Nigerians as the councils’ members. .

Speaking on behalf the new councils, UNILAG Governing Council Chairman, Prof Jerry Gana, thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity given to them to serve, stating that the councils would do their best while discharging their responsibilities. Those appointed for the University of Lagos are Prof Jerry Gana, Chairman; Dr. Monday Ohoni, member; Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje, member; Dr. Garba Usman Tetenji, member; and Mr Gbenga Adefaye,

General Manager/Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers as member. Chairing the UNIBEN Council is Senator Effiong Dickson Bob with Jamila Fakik, J.K.A Gazama, Chief Samuel Edohoeket and Shettima Mohammed Sale as members. For the University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Prof. Anya O. Anya, is the Chairman, while Chief Chris Iroegbe, Dr. Rasheed Kola Ojikutu, and Mr Akinboro Muyiwa are members. Chairman of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Governing Council is Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba, while members are Moses Otazi; Omoyele Daniel; Hon Tijjani Goni Guzamala and Sunday Ibrahim Ameh.

Convention: Editors inaugurate electoral committee LEONARD OKACHIE

he Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has inaugurated an eightman electoral committee for its forthcoming convention scheduled to hold from February 28 to March 2 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The committee, inaugurated yesterday in Lagos, is headed by veteran journalist Mallam Mohammed Haruna. Members of the electoral committee are Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, Garba Shehu, Richard Akinnola, John Ndukauba, Emma Agu, Augusta Maduegbunam and Lanre Idowu. Inaugurating the committee, Deputy President of the Guild, Hajiya Aisha Sule, said the editors are confident that the committee would

perform creditable because of the calibre of people involved. She said: “Honourable committee members, we know your reputation; we know your antecedents and we are familiar with your achievements in your chosen professions. It was this knowledge that informed your selection to midwife the elections. “We have no doubt that in executing your assignment, you will bring to the fore the experience that you have acquired over the years as reporters, editors, managing editors, lawyers and academics. “However, you are all aware that conducting elections in this country has never been like attending a tea party as contestants oftentimes regard what ought to be regarded as a pleasur-

able exercise as a do-or-die affair. It should not be so.” Hajiya Sule urged the committee to place the interest of the Guild above primordial, religious and regional considerations, adding that the Guild is a cohesive body, composed of thorough-bred journalists, who by sheer dint of hard work, have risen to their enviable positions as editors. He assured the committee members of the Guild’s support to ensure the success of the convention. Meanwhile, eminent Nigerian journalist and author, Mr. Ray Ekpu, has been appointed as the chairman of the convention, while former Managing Director of Daily Times and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, will be the Special Guest of Honour. According to a statement

Subsidy scam: EFCC re-arraigns five oil marketers KENNY ODUNUKAN

ive marketers indicted in the fuel subsidy scam probe were yesterday re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before an Ikeja High Court over eight count charges bordering on forgery and financial fraud to the tune of N4.6 billion Those arraigned are Ifeanyi Anosike, Emeka chukwu, Ngozi Ekeoma, Anosyke Group of Companies Ltd and Dell Energy Ltd The defendants had earlier been arraigned before Jus-

tice Habeeb Abiru on similar count charge before he was elevated to a higher Bench about four months ago Information on the charge sheet revealed that the marketers and their companies conspired to obtain enormous sums of money from the Federal Government, purporting same to be payment for subsidy under the Petrol Support Fund for the importation of Premium Motor Spirit from Europe to Nigeria. They were also accused of conspiracy to obtain by false pretence; forgery and uttering false documents to

the tune of N1.5 billion, being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 15, 000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit.. The anti-graft agency told the court that the defendants at various times forged different bill of laden for Premium Motor Spirit not supplied, all in a bid to claim the subsidy on fuel. When the charge was read to them, they all pleaded not guilty and their counsel applied for a date for hearing of bail application with a request that they be remanded in EFCC custody.

by the General Secretary of the Guild, Isaac Ighure, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, is expected to address about 300 editors at the convention.

Why we introduced Opon Imo to school –Aregbesola

overnor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has explained the rationale behind the introduction of digital tablets to secondary school pupils, saying the concept is his administration’s ingenious way of changing how knowledge is imparted. Opon Imo, an i-Pad-like tablet, is to be distributed to about 150,000 secondary school pupils to as from next month. The governor, before an elated audience of academia at the prestigious Weatherhead Centre for International Studies of the renowned Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, the United States, delivered a lecture titled: “Nigeria: The Development Challenge. It is part of the activities lined up for his one week working visit to the United States. Aregbesola said: “As part of our education reform, starting from next month, we are introducing Opon-

Imo, an IPad-like computer tablet, which is a smart electronic teaching aid, to our secondary school pupils.. “This tablet is pre-loaded with 17 subjects that students offer during West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in the form of lesson notes and textbooks. It also contains six extracurricular subjects in sex education, civic education, Yoruba history, Yoruba traditional religion, computer education and entrepreneurship education.” Explaining the content of the device, he said: “Also to be included in it is 10 years past questions and answers to be provided by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). “The tablet has bridged the gap of carrying books in sacks, their wear and tear and subsequent replacement and also provides ready learning tools.

South West

Friday, February 22, 2013

Ekiti youths stone monarch over recurring deaths ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

ngry youths in Emure Ekiti in Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State, yesterday protested the recurring deaths of youths in the community in the last two weeks. The irate youths, who marched on the palace of the king, the Elemure of Emure, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, hurled stones and sachets of water on the monarch, when he stepped out to address them. The monarch, who was a former police commissioner, was compelled to retreat into his palace as the protesting youths chanted war songs, refusing to be assuaged. Sources said chiefs at the palace scampered for safety, removing their beads from their necks and arms in order

Gov. Fayemi

not to be attacked by the protesters. They were said to be demanding that the monarch vacate the palace over the deaths of no fewer than 12 youths under different circumstances in the community in last two weeks. There was a lull in the community yesterday as shops and markets were closed due to the activities of the rampaging youths.

AKURE

s Ondo State prepares for the inauguration of the second coming of the state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, two former Heads of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and General Abdulsalam Abukarka (rtd), have been confirmed as some of the eminent personalities expected at the ceremony. Mimiko, whose first term expires this weekend, is the only governor in the country serving on the platform of the Labour Party, LP. He was re-elected on the same platform for a new term of four years on October 20, 2012. Speaking on the level of preparation for the inauguration ceremony, state Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said the former Interim Head of Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan and the former VicePresident, Alhaji Abubarkar Atiku, are some of the guests

Election tribunal: ACN witnesses make contradictory statements HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE

here were contradictory responses and reports from witnesses who appeared for the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, before the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal yesterday. Reports said they gave contradictory responses during cross-examination that was different from their statements on oath. One of the witnesses, who alleged in his statements that

2015: HID tasks South-West politicians on unity FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

he matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty and Chairperson of the Yoruba Unity Forum, YUF, Mama HID Awolowo, yesterday warned politicians from the South-West to guide against acts that are capable of causing disunity in their preparation for the year 2015 general elections. Chief Mrs. Awolowo also charged South-West politicians in all political parties to be weary of all forms of deceit in their political realignments. Mama Awolowo gave the warning during her open-

IBB, Abdulsalam, 10 governors for Mimiko’s inauguration HAKEEM GBADAMOSI

Policemen who were drafted to calm the situation could not help the situation as the protesters made bonfire in strategic locations in the community. The Chairman of Emure Local Government Council, Hon. Adewale Febisola, who said the protesters did not visit the council secretariat, told journalists that he addressed the rampaging youths and advised them to maintain the peace.

The council boss assured them that the traditional council would find a spiritual solution to the matter. Spokesperson for the state Police Command, Mr. Victor Babayemi Olu, confirmed the incident. Olu, however, said that his men were on top of the situation, adding that the community is now calm. It will be recalled that the two students who died on Valentine Day in a motorbike accident in Ado Ekiti were from Emure Ekiti. Only on Wednesday, three occupants of a Mazda car from the community died in an accident along Ise-Ikere Road.

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confirmed for the event. Also expected at the event are Governors Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rochas Okorocha, Theodore Orji and Godswill Akpabio of Anambra, Rivers, Imo, Abia and Akwa Ibom States respectively. Others include; Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Shema Gabriel Suswam and Seriaki Dickson of Niger, Katsina, Benue and Bayelsa States. According to Akinmade, Chief Edwin Clark and the former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, are also expected at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Dr Christopher Kolade, will tomorrow chair the inaugural lecture slated for Adegbemile House, Akure, as part of activities marking the inauguration ceremony. Eminent scholar and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, will deliver the inauguration lecture with the theme; “Leadership, Democracy and Development: A paradigm Relations.”

ing remark at the meeting of the Yoruba Unity Forum, YUF, held at the Efunyela Hall in Ikenne, home of the Awolowos yesterday. Her warning was coming against the backdrop of complaints of marginalisation by the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to the South-West geo-political zone. Emphasising that politicians from the geo-political zone should guide against disagreement over their choice for 2015, Mama Awolowo charged the politicians to make a choice that will be beneficial to the race. “Yoruba politicians must not go astray by 2015; the

2011 journey, which we all embarked upon, has clearly disappointed us. We were marginalised when it was time for us all to benefit; we should all learn.” In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, YUF urged President Goodluck Jonathan, to take urgent steps towards reversing the marginalisation of the Yoruba in political appointments in the country. The forum lamented the exclusion of Yoruba indigenes in placements at Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Jonathan’s administration. The communiqué, signed by Mama HID

Awolowo as well as Rt. Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, chairman and deputy-chairman respectively, also stressed the importance of reconciliation among Yoruba leaders. YUF, which emphasised that the Yoruba are progressively being sidelined both in political appointments and placements, further declared that it was particularly disturbed by the recent appointment made by President Jonathan, stressing that such has further aggravated the complaints of the race on marginalisation , as no Yoruba person was considered worthy of any of the appointments.

This Day in African American History February 22: On this day in 1979—Frank E. Peterson Jr. Becomes First Black General in the Marine Corps! Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank Emmanuel Petersen, Jr. was born in Topeka, Kansas, the second of four children to Frank Petersen, Sr., a radio repairman, and Edythe Southard Petersen. He grew up in South Topeka, ten miles away from the Topeka Army Airfield where he watched the aircrafts take off and land as a child. He attended Monroe Elementary School, went on to join the honors program of Boswell Junior High School, and graduated from Topeka High School in 1949. After graduation, Petersen wanted to join the military, but agreeing with his parents’ wishes he attended Washburn University. After a year, he

left college and applied to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He did so well on the exam, that the recruiter made him take the test again. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1950 where he trained to be an electronics technician. While in basic training, he learned about Jesse Brown, the first black Navy pilot who was shot down and killed in North Korea on December 4, 1950. This motivated him to ap-

ply to the Naval Aviation Cadet Corps. He entered the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1951. Petersen and another person were the only African Americans in the program. In October 1952, Petersen completed flight training and was designated as a Naval Aviator. He accepted a commission officer role as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps becoming the first black aviator in Marine Corps history.

the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, used an inflated voters’ register for the conduct of the poll, admitted that they were given the 2011 register during crossexaminations by the counsel to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the Labour Party and INEC. The witnesses also claimed that they did not have in their possession, the voters’ register which they had earlier admitted on oath that was used by INEC to conduct the October, 2012 governorship poll. Timothy Korede, one of the witnesses, who claimed to be the Secretary of ACN in his local government council, claimed in his statement on oath that he was the Returning Officer of his ward, whereas there was no such role in INEC’s manual for the poll. He also gave contradictory evidence against himself when he claimed to have distributed the voters’ register to all his party agents in his ward on Election Day despite the restriction on movement that day. Another witness, Mr. Kuye Fajoye, turned the court to a drama room when he recognised his signature on the statement purportedly written by him on oath at the tribunal’s registry in Akure, but denied being in the town in November 2012, when the statement was written. Fajoye, who claimed to be the agent of his party in his unit, also alleged in his statement that there was no election in one of the polling units in his ward because INEC did not allegedly take voter materials there. When asked during cross examination if he was aware that INEC declared the result of the poll held in the affected unit which his party was contesting in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he said, “how will I know when my party agent was not there.” He continued; “My party agent at that polling unit called me on phone that voting had not started as at 2:30pm and I asked her to remain there until 3:30pm, However, I saw an already thumb-printed ballot in a box from the affected unit when I got to the collation centre by 3:05pm. The party chairman in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state, Nathaniel Fapohunda, said he monitored events on the Election Day with the law enforcement agents to arrest any form of violence.

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South West

Friday, February 22, 2013

Three die in Ekiti auto crash ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

o fewer than three persons were confirmed dead a crash that occurred on Ikere-Ise Ekiti Road on Wednesday. Eye witnesses said three occupants of a Maz-

da car, which was involved in a head on collision with a Toyota pickup van, died on the spot. They said the accident occurred at Afolu Farmstead along the road between the Ise Ekiti-bound pick up van and the Mazda from the opposite direction.

Eye witnesses blamed the accident on over-speeding which resulted in loss of control that culminated in the crash. Ekiti State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Rindom Kumven, told journalists that

Killing: Court awards N300m to widow against Army KAYODE KETEFE

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has awarded N300 million in favour of a widow, Adiza Orjieh, whose husband, (an operator of a bureau de change business) Friday Orijeh, was killed in 2009 by an Operation MESSA soldier. Operation MESSA is an outfit of the Nigerian Army established to do joint patrol with the police to combat crime in Lagos State. Orjieh was shot to death by Aminu Audu, a soldier attached with Operation

MESSA. The judgement was awarded against the Nigerian Army, (which had failed to hand over the killer to the law enforcement authority) and the Chief of Army Staff. The soldier was said to have carried out the act of impunity when a female customer of the bureau de change, named Elizabeth Olubunmi, alleged that an operator with the moneychanging bureau cheated her in a transaction. Taking law into his own hands, Audu, in the company of the lady, stormed the bureau de change and as they could not categorically

30,000 apply for SURE-P in Ekiti •Oyo coordinator alleges sabotage ABIODUN NEJO AND KEMI OLAITAN

ver 30,000 persons have applied to participate in the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) Community Services, Youths and Women Employment Scheme in Ekiti State. Chairman of the State Implementation Committee (SIC), Hon Femi Akinyemi, said the 3,000 that were successful among the applicants would begin work on March 1. Akinyemi said yesterday in a statement in AdoEkiti that another 2,000

would soon be recruited among those that were not successful. He said: “The youths will be engaged in community services like clearing of drainages, sewage disposal, filling of pot-holes on township roads, cleaning of markets, palaces, schools and other public places”. The SURE-P boss said the beneficiaries would be paid N10, 000 monthly. Akinyemi said: “The data capturing the beneficiaries is being done by the banks through which they would be receiving their monthly salaries and emoluments and that is ex-

identify the operator that short-changed her, the soldier shot the deceased. According to the widow (Plaintiff), who also testified in the case, Audu shot the deceased after he had ordered him to refund the amount allegedly shortchanged her and recover his money later from whoever the culprit was. The deceased refused to comply with the strange order, but this angered Audu, who drew his gun and shot him in the head. In his judgement, Justice Idris Muhammed described the killing of Orijeh as a gross violation pected to be concluded next week.” He dismissed a rumour that only members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were recruited. Meanwhile, the SURE-P coordinator in Oyo State, Mr. Dare Adeleke, has alleged that some people planned to sabotage the programme. Adeleke told journalists yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, that some senior government officials are hell bent to frustrate the programme for their parochial interest. He said though he would not mention names, he said those sabotaging the programme included technocrats as well as some members of the National Assembly.

NASU accuses FG of neglecting research institutes KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

he Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) in research institutes across the country has accused the Federal Government of playing lip service to research with its treatment of issues in the sector. The Chairman of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan

chapter of NASU, Alhaja Iyabo Kolapo, spoke during the rally organised by members of the union of the institute over the ongoing strike by NASU members nationwide. She said rather than properly fund the research institutes in the country, the Federal Government has encouraged the formation of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) by senior public service. She said the non-chal-

lant attitude of the Federal Government to research is reflected in its refusal to implement the agreement entered into with the national leadership of the union in August last year by the Ministers of Labour and Productivity, Science and Technology, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, representatives of Minister of Environment and Chairman, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

the incident was not reported to the commission. But the police spokesman, Mr. Victor Babayemi Olu, confirmed the crash, but said policemen had visited the accident scene. Olu said the two vehicles had been removed from the scene.

of the victim’s right to life and dignity of the human person. Justice Muhammed consequently awarded N300 million to the plaintiff as general and exemplary damages for the breach of the victim’s fundamental right to life. The judge also berated Nigerian Army for neither showing remorse nor sending condolence message to the slain man’s family, describing it as a manifestation of utmost callousness. Other people joined as defendants in the suit are Attorney-General of the Federation, the Lagos State Government and the Attorney-General of Lagos State.

Ajimobi promises traders interest-free loan

overnor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has promised traders, who were relocated to all the neighbourhood markets established by the government, interestfree loans to boost their businesses. He gave the promise on Wednesday shortly after completing a facilities tour of some projects being executed by his administration within Ibadan metropolis. The governor, who said the loans would be repaid at the traders’ convenience, thanked the people for their cooperation and support for his government’s urban renewal programmes. Ajimobi said: “I think generally, things are improving. We are very happy and you can see that our people are cooperating; everybody has now realized the need to keep our environment very clean, to make it aesthetically attractive and to ensure that potential investors can come

to Oyo State. “I am generally happy with the compliance of our people; we went to the market; those that we removed from the streets are very happy and we have also promised to assist them financially; we will give them interest-free loans which they can use to trade. “We believe that traders are the bedrock of the economy of the state and we intend to help all our traders but we don’t want people to trade on the streets any longer.’’ He appealed to traders, who were still trading on the streets, to to the neighbourhood markets where necessary facilities have been provided for their convenience. The governor also disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had assisted the state government by allocating funds to build a library at the newly-established Technical University.

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Kidnapping: Capital punishment to the rescue?

•Kim K’s visit raises dust •Celebrities honour nour Edi Lawani •Ultima searches es online for Nigerian rappers ers •Str8 Up, Hip-Hop op alk celebrates lovee the w k l a Iw •SOP features How Tha Suspect

The issue is not about penalties being meted out over crimes committed by the people but the need to provide the right environment for the people. Some of those things causing crime in Nigeria are unemployment, poverty and poor standards of living. –National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Alhaji Tanko Yinusa I am completely against death penalty. I strongly believe that we must not take life because we cannot create life. In as much as I will never support kidnapping, passing a law of death penalty on such crime does not establish any balance. –Founder and President of Hope for Niger-Delta Campaign (HNDC), Comrade Sunny Ofehe I am fully in support of death penalty for kidnappers. Governor Dickson is a lawyer and he appreciates the need to protect people’s lives. Kidnapping has led to the death of many innocent people. We should understand that many people have lost their lives to kidnappers. –Lawyer and politician, Akinrogun Tunde Odanye

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Where are the beggars going? Imagine the streets, main roads and junctions swept clean of beggars! Splendid? That probably is what you will have when the Lagos State government brings to life its plan to rid its domain of beggars. But where are the beggars heading this time? And who will take care of their welfare? Who will miss the beggars when they are gone? Miss? Yes! Some people will miss them. Find out in Saturday Mirror tomorrow.

Beggars in rehab We are in need of several things here. For us to continue to live, we need food and toiletries. Above all, our store is in a very bad condition. Whenever it rains, the rooms would be flooded. Water comes from under and takes over the rooms. Some of our rooms are also leaking. –Alhaji Abdul Hamid, the king of beggars.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

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Imo Tribunal nullifies Oguta constituency election • Orders another re-run I mo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Owerri yesterday nullified the election of Mr. Eugine Dibiagwu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing Oguta constituency in the state House of Assembly. The nullification followed the petition filed by Mr. Walter Izunwanne of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in connection with the

August 8, 2012 re-run election in the constituency. Delivering judgement, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice B. G. Sanga, said the election of the first respondent was null and void. The tribunal ordered another re-run election in all the 11 wards in the constituency within 21

days. The August 8 election was sequel to an order by the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, which ordered a re-run in four of the 11 wards. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had failed to announce the result of the House of Assembly election in Oguta during

the April 2011 general elections due to alleged irregularities. The second respondent, INEC, however, later upheld the results of the election in seven of the 11 wards, declaring the PDP candidate winner in the wards. Sanga said that election did not take place in all the 11 wards of the

state constituency. He also said that the first and second respondents did not challenge the petitioner’s grounds of petition. The petition had argued that the declared winner was not duly elected because of the irregularities surrounding the election. Reacting to the verdict, Mr. F. U. Unyimadu, counsel to Dibiagwu, said he was dumbfound-

ed by the judgement, describing it as a miscarriage of justice. Unyimadu said, however, that his client would appeal the judgement, noting that the Electoral Act provides for a re-run within 90 days not 21 days. In his reaction, the lead counsel to the petitioner, Chief Henry Akunekwu, said the judgment was commendable.

Nigerians must resist mental, spiritual slavery – Soyinka TONY ANICHEBE UYO

L-R: Director of Niger Delta Studies, Niger Delta University, Amasome, Dr. Ibaba Ibaba; Bayelsa State Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr Felix Tuodulor and Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Edmond Allison-Oguro, during the presentation of N10 million cheque for scholarship on Ijaw Language to the director in Yenagoa, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Igboland no longer safe for criminals –Youths NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

gbo youths, under the aegis of Association of Igbo Youths, AIYO, have declared the entire South-East zone an unsafe area for criminals. AIYO said the youths would no longer tolerate vices such as violence, drug abuse, vandalism, prostitution, armed robbery, kidnapping, among others. The founder of the association, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, gave the

warning yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, while inaugurating the Onitsha North Local Government Area chapter of AIYO. He said all those involved in criminal activities, which defiled Igbo land, have been forgiven, but henceforth, they should turn a new leaf to avoid the wrath of the people. Ezeonwuka, who accused the youths of being the brain behind all the criminal acts in the land, however, appealed to

AIYO leaders not to shed blood or torture anyone caught committing crime. He said they should give their members adequate orientation to enable them sieve the chaff from the grain. Ezeonwuka, who described AIYO as the youth arm of the Movement for the Survival of Igbo People, MOSIP, said with the inauguration of the Onitsha North chapter, the journey towards cleansing the entire Igboland had just begun. Earlier in his welcome

address, the Coordinator of the association in Onitsha North and South councils, Comrade Okechukwu Asolo, explained that AIYO, founded on March 15, 2007 and registered under the law, had recorded numerous achievements. Asolo noted that the Onitsha North chapter of the association, which has about 2,000 members, had embarked on re-orientation of youths, fostered peace, love and unity among members through socio-cultural fertilisation.

obel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, said mental and spiritual slavery still existed in Nigeria because some people were determined to enslave others instead of preaching the gospel. Soyinka, who said this yesterday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the public presentation of a book: “He Dared, the story of Okuku Udo Akpabio, the Great Colonial Africa Ruler,’’ written by Offonmbuck Akpabio, urged the people to resist every form of slavery. The event held at the Le’meridien Hotels and Golf Resort. He said: “In this country today, there are some people who are determined to enslave us mentally and spiritually. It is not sufficient for them to preach the gospel and appeal to us through our minds.’’ Soyinka said instead of seeking to convert others into a process of the intellect and conviction, they chose to gun them into submission. The laureate noted that a replay of the original enslavement was what was going on in Mali until

France, Nigeria and other African countries intervened to stop it. He said that to compel a human being to adopt one’s religion was a kind of mental and spiritual enslavement which must be resisted by all. Soyinka, who lauded the heroic role of the Okuku Udo Akpabio, urged Nigerians to read the book and dare whatever the cost to be mentally, spiritually and economically free from any form of oppression or submission. The book, which gives a vivid account of how Okuku Udo Akpabio stood against slavery, was reviewed by former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Odia Ofeimun and was presented by Soyinka.

Soyinka

Obi flags-off N770m Okpu-Adazi - Nnukwu-Okacha road project CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

nambra State Governor Peter Obi yesterday flaggedoff the reconstruction of Okpu-Adazi - NnukwuOkacha Road. The 5.5-kilometre road awarded at a contract sum of N770 million would be

completed before the end of the year. Flagging-off the project, Obi said the contractor had been adequately mobilised and that government would sustain prompt payment to ensure that the project is completed on schedule and according to specifications. He urged the commu-

nity to identify with the project by maintaining regular and effective supervision of work. The governor said the ongoing infrastructural development of the entire state showed that his administration was determined to transform and reposition the state for sustainable development.

Obi, who expressed satisfaction that the state now had the best road network in the country, reminded the people of the need for collective efforts to sustain the tempo of development by electing credible and capable candidates ready to serve them. The Commissioner for Works, Sir Callistus

Ilozumba, said that when completed, the road would help to decongest NwaguAgulu, and open up the entire area. Ilozumba noted that the present administration was committed to executing projects that impact directly on the lives of the people. Speaking at the event,

the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Social Re-orientation, Mrs. Michelle Onugbolu, an indigene of the area, expressed gratitude to Obi for the various projects completed in the area. She expressed the optimism that the road would boost the people’s socioeconomic life.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Kenol Nigeria Limited: Taking giant stride in competitive environment F or twenty-five years, Kenol Nigeria Limited has rendered ground breaking services to its clients and contributes in no small measure to the development of engineering profession both in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Founded in 1988, Kenol Nigeria Limited, an engineering services firm, wholly owned by Nigerians under the supervision of its founder, an erudite engineer, Engineer Olaolu Ogunduyile MNSE; is a multi-discipline organization having engineers, quantity surveyors, accountants, lawyers, administrators and other professionals in its work force. The organization has over the years grown to become a household name, not only in Nigeria but in the entire Africa continent; especially West Africa and South Africa. In countries like Nigeria and Zambia, it has put a touch of splendor to communication (data and voice engineering), electrical engineering and mechanical engineering services. Its ability to survive for twenty-five years in the ever competitive environment it finds itself has helped the company accumulate an invaluable wealth of experience and expertise and as such able to carve a niche for itself in many areas of electrical engineering services. These include: • Electrical installations for domestic, commercial, industrial and institutional developments. • Electrical infrastructure for domestic and industrial estates. • Rural electrification, including transmission and network distribution. • Urban lighting. • Alternative energy supply, especially installation and servicing of solarpowered stand alone street light fittings as well as solar-powered pumps and inverter system. • Plumbing, air conditioning and ventilation installations for domestic, commercial, industrial and institutional use. • Fire security system including, detectors/extinguishers, hose reel, sprinkler, hydrant etc • Communication system including, PABX, CCTV, CATV, Access Control, Public Address Equipment. As enumerated above, the services of the company cut across all spheres of life and sectors. As such, Kenol acquired adequate equipment with qualified and highly skilled manpower, infrastructure and equipment to handle all the aforementioned services. Kenol Nigeria Limited has executed high tech projects for clients from financial institutions, educational institutions, health sector, recreational and entertainment industries, housing estate etc. As company beaming with good image and exceptional integrity, it has

Ogunduyile

maintained good rapport with partners and work in tandem with professional bodies, notable building/civil engineering contractors and developers. In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Kenol Nigeria Limited choose to contribute to the development of engineering profession by training young Nigerians to acquire engineering skills. About five years ago, the company designed a graduate training scheme and is implementing that now for the development of engineering graduates through a structured training programme that provide practical exposure and experience to fresh graduates who do not have such opportunity during the period of their study in school. This scheme is therefore designed to bridge the gap between the theoretical training and practical application for the engineers to enhance a value service delivery and improve the quality of engineering services generally. These graduates are always absorbed into the Kenol family as full staff at the end of their training. The testimonials from the participants and even outsiders have been very encouraging as it is really fulfilling its objective. Also, Kenol cherishes the activities if its parent organization geared toward a formidable Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and shows its involvement in regular support of the various activities organized by the engineering institutions through sponsorship and attendance from time to time. Kenol loves expertise and from time to time organize exhibitions and factory visits to some key engineering equipment manufacturers abroad. It usually invites selected engineers to participate in the visits. This enables quality exposures and sight assessment on the production processes/test certification of its engineering equipment. As the company marks its 25th anniversary today, may it continue to grow from strength to strength and persists in taking giant strides in engineering services and pioneering works in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

South South

Friday, February 22, 2013

Union rejects N384bn exit package for PHCN staff T he National Union of Electricity Employees has rejected the Federal Government’s offer of N384bn exit package for workers of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, had announced the package after the Federal Executive Council Meeting on Wednesday. However, the union’s General Secretary, Mr

Joe Ajaero, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, described the offer as provocative. It said that the technical committee set up by the Federal Government to look into the workers’ exit package issue had not concluded its report. It claimed that the committee had discovered some errors in the data used for the computation of the package.

“So, the union was surprised to hear that the Federal Government had concluded the computation of the exit benefits of members without reference to the technical committee,’’ the statement said. It described the package as inadequate, noting that one third of the workers were excluded and majority of those captured had their entitlements calculated on two levels lower than their grades.

The union urged the Federal Government to allow the technical committee to finish its work. Ajero said the matter on regularisation of casual staff had yet to be concluded and their benefits were supposed to be included too. “The calculation of the exit package was not based on accurate data and, therefore, unacceptable by the union. “The union will resist it through legal means,” he added.

L-R: Group Executive Director, BUA Group, Kebiru Rabiu; Chairman, Abdulsamad Rabiu; Regional Director, Siemens North-West and Africa, Mr. Fallman Samuel and Managing Director/CEO Siemens Ltd. Nigeria, Mr. Michael Lakopa, at the signing of the $35 million agreement at BUA London office for Siemens to build a unique SGT-500 power plant at the BUA’s Okpella Cement factory, in Edo State, recently.

No basic education project will be abandoned –Minister IJEOMA EZEIKE ABUJA

inister of State for Education, Mr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, yesterday assured the nation that no project in the basic education sub-sector will again be abandoned. Addressing journalists after completing the inspection of basic education projects in four local councils of Akwa Ibom State yesterday, the minister noted that before the Jonathan administration commences any project; adequate arrangement would have been put in place for its funding. He said that the basic education sub-sector, like the higher education sub-

sector, was experiencing a total turn-around for the good of Nigerian children. His words: “What we are witnessing today is a total boost of basic education. These projects are aimed at improving access to quality education for the less privileged. “For us, we have made a commitment that no single library, girl-child or almajiri school project will be abandoned. Before the projects were awarded, provision was made for funding.” The minister explained that the Federal Government’s intervention in the basic education sub-sector was borne out of the desire to improve the overall standard of education in the country.

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Army kills two suspected robbers in Edo SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

wo suspected armed robbers were on Wednesday killed by soldiers attached to the 195 Battalion in Agenebode, Edo State, just as three others were arrested during an exchange of gunfire between suspected armed robbers and the army detachment. Confirming the incident to journalists in Benin yesterday, Army Public Relations Officer, 4th Brigade, Benin City, Capt. Rose Managbe, conducted journalists round the corpses of the dead suspects during a parade of the three arrested suspects. The spokeswoman said soldiers from 195 Battalion, a military formation under the 4th Brigade, foiled the operations of the armed robbers after receiving a distress call on their way from Agenebode, in Etsako East Local Government Area. One of those arrested, Mr. Osayande, claimed however to be a driver with God Is Good Motors and denied being a member of any robbery gang. But Osayande contradicted himself when he disclosed that he was known by another name, Innocent Omoye, at his purported place of work. The suspect said he reported last for work more

than a month ago. He claimed; “My motor had an accident in Enugu. The vehicle somersaulted and since then I have not been able to go to work.” Contradicting the suspected robber’s claim, the Army spokeswoman said the suspects were caught during cross-fire with the soldiers, who promptly acted on a distress alert from some of the motorists that were plying the road then and who had abandoned their respective vehicles when the suspects blocked and laid siege to Agenebode Road. Managbe, who explained that members of the gang were more than the five suspects paraded, said; “It is a purely robbery incident. They were accosted by soldiers from 195 Battalion who were coming from Agenebode. On their way, they had received a distress call and went after them. But the suspects opened fire and the soldiers returned the fire during which two fell and three were captured.” She added that the other gang members fled. Another of the suspects, Osamede Eriyo, who had admitted being the owner of a double barrel gun that was found in his possession, said he was licensed to carry the arm. He also denied being a member of the robbery gang.

Fresh Agip oil spills devastate Bayelsa community EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

t least, six fresh oil spills from pipelines belonging to the Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, have devastated the environment of Kalaba community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, destroying aquatic lives and crops in their farmlands.

The inhabitants of the community are traumatised that their only source of drinking water, the Taylor Creek, has been polluted by the spills. Reasons for the spills, which occurred last week, were still sketchy even as officials of the Italian oil firm had visited the sites of the spills without the knowledge of the community’s leadership.

The community appealed to the oil company to mop the spills currently posing health risks to the inhabitants. The community is host to NAOC and Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, operations for over 28 years, but regretted that there was nothing on ground to show for both companies’ exploratory activities.

Efforts to reach the spokesman of NAOC in Port Harcourt were not successful, but a staff of the company alleged sabotage on the fresh spills. In an interview, the paramount ruler of Kalaba, Chief Idoniboye Nwalia, expressed resentment at the spate of spills plaguing the community, saying that he could not give account of the cause of the spills.

Delta deploys new strategy to combat insecurity

he Delta State government yesterday said it has deployed a multi-pronged security strategy aimed at addressing cases of insecurity and other violent crimes in the state. State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan,

disclosed this while declaring open a meeting of federal and states’ security administrators in Asaba, on Thursday. Uduaghan, whose address was read by his Deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama, said the three-point agenda of peace and se-

curity, human capital and infrastructural development, being implemented by his administration, were “informed by the realisation that sustainable development is impossible in an atmosphere of insecurity and chaos.

“We are developing infrastructure and evolving programmes that will engage our youths to make crime unattractive to them. The objective is to reduce crime and youth restiveness to create a conducive environment for development.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Ondo: Tribunal concludes pre-hearing, begins proper trial

14,15

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Grassroots politicking: The Isoko North PDP example

14,15

Good Governance Tour fraudulent, illegal, says ACN SINA FADARE

he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned the ongoing “Good Governance Tour” embarked upon by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, saying it is another monumental fraud that must be stopped with immediate effect. The ACN stated this yesterday in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, noting that all the taxpayers’ money spent on the project should be collected back. The party also commended the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, for rejecting to host the group with the state resources. The party pointed out that such a tour as current-

ly being led by the minister across the country is an illegality in federalism, noting that such is uncalled for. The party said: “Under our federalism, no state is subject to any control from the Federal Government, and no governor is mandated to report to the President. To now have a team assembled by the Federal Government inspecting the projects being carried out by the various states is not only fraudulent and illegal, but amounts to a blatant waste of public funds. It is a carry-over from the days of military rule under which Nigeria was governed as a unitary state.” The party regretted that: “It is a case of double jeopardy for the states, whose projects are made to look like they are being executed by the Federal Government, while at the same

time they (states) are being made to pay for the meaningless tour. “We say, unequivocally, that this tour fits into other fraudulent schemes concocted by this Federal Government to swindle the people, enrich a few and pad its war chest for the 2015 elections, and we are talking here of SUREP as well as the oil subsidy and the pension fund

scam. This jamboree must end today!” The party queried whether the Federal Government that initiated the tour has allocated any funds to it, saying: “If the answer is yes, why are states being asked to cough out millions of naira for it. And if the answer is no, why must states be made to pay for a Federal Government-

initiated tour?” The ACN argued that: “If the Federal Government has any project to showcase anywhere in the country, it is its prerogative to do so without extorting money from the states. And where it has nothing to showcase, it is fraudulent to be showcasing the projects embarked upon by state governments, many of which are not even

under the same party as the Federal Government, hence they have their own mandates based on their party manifestoes.” The party therefore called on the Maku-led team to as a matter of urgency stop wasting the taxpayers’ money which ought to be spent on a lot of productive projects begging for attention in the country.

2015: I’m not against zoning in Akwa Ibom –Akpabio

kwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio, has said that he is not averse to the zoning of governorship position in 2015 among the three senatorial districts of the state as insinuated by some people. Akpabio, who stated this yesterday when the executive members of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio led by Ntisong Ibibio III, Ntisong Essien Ekidem, paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Uyo, said he would only oppose the election of a governorship candidate said to be lacking in vision and capability to continue with the current development tempo of the state. “Let me reiterate that by 2015, we would increase the positive history and make positive things to happen in the state... I am not against the zoning system of governorship position among the senatorial districts, rather we need an Akwa Ibom person that can perform. At the level of our development, let’s

look for a governor who will develop and move the state forward. So, I call for love among our people and for acceptance of the next government, for no society can survive without peace and harmony,” he averred. According to him, “My administration is building a sustainable infrastructure in the state. When we travel outside the state and see good things there, we bring such to the state because our state believes in development.”

L-R: Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director, Christian Oboh; a guest; Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman and the Committee Chairman, James Manager, shortly after inspecting the Oquo-Ibeano road in Akwa Ibom State.

PDP stakeholders call for Tukur’s removal

ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

oncerned Stakeholders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State have called for the immediate removal of the national chairman of the

party, Bamanga Tukur, with immediate effect. After a marathon meeting held in Osogbo, the state capital yesterday, the party chieftains in a communiqué resolved that Tukur’s removal should be now, saying “he has embarked on subtle anti-party

20 parties adopt APGA for 2015 presidency TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

bout 20 political parties under the aegis of the Patriotic Alliance of Nigeria (PAN), an association of opposition political parties, have adopted All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as the platform to contest the 2015 presidential elections. Speaking to journalists in Lagos after a meeting of PAN members, the spokes-

man for the group and national chairman of Action Alliance (AA), Dr. Dele Jadi, said that the group decided to adopt APGA for the 2015 presidency because of its transparency and clear cut political ideology. Members of the PAN includes: Accord Party (AP), Citizen Popular Party (CPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD), United Demo-

cratic Party (UDP), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), among others. Justifying the choice of APGA’s platform, Jadi said: “APGA has a clear cut ideology on issues that will facilitate national development. We are not going into a merger but we will be using APGA to present a single presidential candidate in an alliance that will be supported by PAN member parties.”

activity by wearing the garb of illegitimacy.” In the communiqué signed by their spokesmen, Alhaji Lasisi Bakare, Eng. Bolarinwa Olagbaju, Prince Kamoru Oyelami, Alhaji Ganiyu Lawal and Chief Rasak Oyetunji, they said that: “Since he came on board, the party has been fostering in different forms of crises that contradict logic and have affected in no small way the fortunes of the party.” They stressed also that “through court action, the lid of their pretences was blown open. Surprisingly, Tukur has now unmasked himself as the real masquerade behind Buruju Kashamu’s political untoward attitude aimed at destabilising the party.” They said: “Were it not so, why on earth would Tukur’s personal lawyer

be speaking the same legal jagons like Kashamu’s lawyers, all bent at removing Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the national secretary? “To the chagrin of every one, Tukur now takes recourse to using his personal lawyer for things that directly concern the PDP instead of the party’s national legal adviser who its constitution recognises. “For instance, the stay of execution filed by the National Legal Adviser in the Oyinlola’s case was opposed by Tukur’s lawyer. Can we all smell anything here? More importantly, in legal parlance, something is never built on nothing. If it was the same election that brought Oyinlola into the office that equally produced Tukur, then the latter too should be removed from office.”

Politics

Friday, February 22, 2013

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Ondo: Tribunal concludes pre-hearing, The Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has concluded its pre-hearing session. But only three of the five petitions contesting the victory of the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olusegun Mimiko, could make it to the hearing stage. OJO OYEWAMIDE reports.

he Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has concluded its pre-hearing session, the first phase of its assignment in the state. The tribunal, which had its inaugural sitting on November 22, 2012, this week commenced hearing of the petitions challenging the emergence of Olusegun Mimiko and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last governorship polls as the winner. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had returned Mimiko winner of the election with 260,199 votes ahead of Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 155,961 votes, and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with 143,512 votes. Five political parties, which were not satisfied with the conduct of the election, headed for the tribunal, seeking its nullification. The parties were the ACN, the PDP and the Accord Party (AP). Others were the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Peoples for Democratic Change (PDC). At the beginning of the pre-hearing session, counsels to both the petitioners and the respondents had agreed to consolidate all the petitions. The decision stemmed from the volume of cases before the Tribunal and the lawyers’ consciousness of the limited time granted by the constitution for the determination of the cases. Former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Akin Olujimi (SAN), who led the ACN legal team, said the decision of the Tribunal to consolidate the petitions was supported by all the counsel of the various parties. Olujimi said: “Consolidation is meant to bring all the cases together and that the procedure will shorten the time that will be spent on each of the cases. The law gives only 180 days to answer these petitions. “When you have to go on each petition, you will found that there is no way the Tribunal can cope with the volume of cases that it has to treat. So, the order they have granted will make it easy for us to progress smoothly in the hearing of all the petitions and it is something that all counsels are pleased with.” Owing to the avalanche of applications and the desire of the three-man panel to satisfy all the parties, the pre-hearing session dragged beyond its mandatory period. The session, which was first extended by 14 days, later enjoyed another six days of grace. However, only two of the petitions could go beyond the pre-hearing stage, as the remaining three fell by the wayside. While the petitions of the ACN and the PDP escaped the hammer of the tribunal, those of the CPC, AP and PDC were torn into pieces and thrown into the trash can. The first petition to fall by the way side was that of the PDC. The party and its candidate, Oluwaremi Adetunsi, had showed weariness and changed their minds before the commencement of the legal battle. The party had challenged the outcome of

the election on the basis of an alleged logo mix-up, which it claimed confused its supporters and prevented them from voting for the party. But in a dramatic and intriguing manner, the party withdrew its petition, saying that having studied the replies of the INEC, LP and Mimiko to its petition, it believed there was no legal reason to continue to prosecute the case. Before the petition was struck out, counsel to the PDC, Yinka Orokoto, had withdrawn his legal representation. Not a few were disappointed by the decision of the PDC, especially members of the PDP which was believed to have sponsored Adetunsi’s petition. The withdrawal of the petition generated a number of snide remarks, with many insinuating that Adetunsi had been compromised. The petition of the Accord Party was the shortest, and the party was the least popular among those contesting Mimiko’s victory. But it was the most sensitive and contentious. It generated a lot of public interest because it was seen as the most realistic of all the petitions and capable of causing a reversal of fortune for the LP. While the petition inspired hope in the camp of the opposition, it elicited fear in the ruling LP. That was why, according to observers, the PDP, ACN and LP took interest in it. But the AP petition could not survive the pre-hearing stage, as it was struck out by the tribunal. The AP candidate, Olawale Ojo, was challenging his alleged exclusion from the governorship election having been validly nominated by his party. Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), counsel to Governor Mimiko, argued that Ojo had filed a case at the Federal High Court before the election contesting his omission from the list of candidates, adding that the case had been adjourned and, therefore, could not be heard by the tribunal, as it would amount to an abuse of court process. Also, counsel to the INEC, O. Osaze, argued that Ojo failed to complete the screening for the election, and asked the tribunal to dismiss his case. But Michael Lana, who represented the AP candidate, urged the panel to hear the petition, hinging his argument on the discontinuance of the case filed by Ojo at the Federal High Court. Lana said the suit had been discontinued and the notice of the discontinuance was exhibited in the processes filed before the tribunal. According to him, the processes showed that the notice of continuance was filed on November 8, 2012 at 12:30p.m. while the petition was filed at 2:05p.m. on the same day. He contended that there could not have been an abuse of court process since the suit before the Federal High Court was no longer in existence at the time the petition was filed. But the Justice Aondover Kaka’an-led tribunal ruled that Ojo abused the court process and struck out his petition. In its 87-page ruling on the 33 applications of the

Jega

Akeredolu

THE TRIBUNAL IN ITS WISDOM STRUCK OUT THE NAME OF

PDP AS A PARTY TO THE PETITION. IT

THE

NEVER STRUCK OUT THE PETITION OF OUR CANDIDATE,

OKE

political parties, the three-man panel said: “The suit before the Federal High Court was last called on November 28, 2012 and it was adjourned to January 24, 2013. The record of court as at November 28, 2012

showed, and we quote, ‘matter adjourned to January 24, 2013 for hearing on the motion on notice and the application for joiner’. “It is clear from the record that no motion was moved on the notice for discontinuance filed more than 20 days previously even though counsel who filed the case was in court but he was busy arguing about change of counsel. May be he changed his mind. The suit of the petitioner before the Federal High Court is still pending and it is being prosecuted concurrently with the petition before us. If that is not an abuse of process, we wonder what it is. We hold that this petition is a complete abuse of process.” On whether Ojo was validly nominated by the AP, the tribunal said: “We found no document that he had been validly nomi-

Grassroots politicking: FELIX NWANERI writes on the recent ‘thank you tour’ by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.

ince the return of democratic governance in 1999, grassroots interest and involvement in political transformation has steadily increased and as a result indicates that democracy, as a form of government as well as its institutions, is fast growing in the country. The days are gone when politicians were seen only during campaigns for votes and sooner to disappear until another election time. Wise and genuine politicians, especially those in leadership positions, have therefore cultivated the culture of regular visits to their constituencies to interact with the people to get acquainted with their urgent social and political needs. The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State has not been left behind in this political trend, which demands the highest degree of responsibility and responsiveness.

To demonstrate compliance with this new political development, the party’s elders and executive in the council, recently embarked on a “Thank You Tour” of the 13 wards in the area. The tour was distinct for many reasons. In the first place it affirmed the positive changes in the political climate – the emergence of an opportunity for the electorate to interact with the leaders. The politician, ever since, has been some invisible and “too busy” individual that would not be seen. Not anymore! The visit also afforded the people the opportunity of seeing their leaders physically and the leaders meeting with the elders in the community as well. Again, more than anything else, it was an affirmation of cultural background. For the first time, elected and appointed politicians found time to visit the electorate after elections and when another round of polls are not near yet. So, for Ovuozourie Macaulay, Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG); James Manager, Chairman, Senate Committee on the Niger Delta; Leo Ogor, member representing the Isoko nation in the House of Representatives and Deputy Majority Leader of the House; Tim Owhefere,

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Friday, February 22, 2013

begins proper trial

Oke

nated. We found none among the documents listed and filed with the petition and or reply. In this respect the case of the petitioner has been inflicted with fatal wound with all consequence and only solid evidence can save it.” Sounding the death knell of Ojo’s petition, the tribunal ruled: “Whatever angle one looks at this petition, whether from the point of view of abuse of court, competence of the petition or locus standi, we are bound to dismiss it. The petition is hereby dismissed.” Curious was the role played by the national leadership of the AP in frustrating Ojo’s petition, a development many described as a sad commentary on party solidarity and camaraderie in the current political dispensation in the country.

The National Executive Committee of the party led by its National Chairman, Mohammed Nalado, was at the pre-hearing season to help nip the petition in the bud. The party argued that it presented no candidate for the election and, therefore, had no case against the victory of Mimiko. Not only did the tribunal dismissed CPC’s petition, describing it as a mere academic exercise, it also struck out the petition of the PDP on the ground that it hired a non-party executive member, one Omotule, to sign the party’s petition. The panel admitted the petition of the PDP governor candidate, Oke, but ruled that the party’s name should be removed from all the paragraphs where it was mentioned. Also struck out were some paragraphs in the ACN and Oke’s petitions where criminal allegations were made against persons and institutions including security agents, who were not joined in the petitions. The tribunal ruled that not joining those persons and institutions constituted infraction of their rights. While striking out about 150 paragraphs from the ACN and Oke’s petition, the tribunal described them as “vague, generic, speculative and nebulous.” However, the battle is not yet over for the CPC and AP, despite the dismissal of their petitions. CPC and its candidate, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo, have headed for the Appeal Court to challenge the decision of the Tribunal. In the appeal filed by their lawyer, Segun Ogodo, CPC and Ehinlanwo urged the appellate court to upturn the ruling of the Tribunal which threw away their case, saying it was hinged on a “faulty and untenable” premise. Also not satisfied with the dismissal of his petition, the AP candidate, Ojo, is plan-

FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF ABUSE OF

COURT, COMPETENCE OF THE PETITION OR

LOCUS STANDI, WE ARE BOUND TO DISMISS

IT.

THE PETITION IS

HEREBY DISMISSED ning to approach the Appeal Court for a review of the Tribunal’s judgement. One of Ojo’s lawyers, Titiloye Charles, who gave the hint of the plan, said there were a lot of issues discovered in the ruling which were contestable on appeal. According to him, “we have started compilation of all the issues that we are going to raise at the Appeal Court. We hope that something appropriate will be done at the Appeal Court to redress the issues and the ruling given against Accord Party.” But can what remains of the ACN and Oke’s petitions ensure victory for the parties at the tribunal? After the hearing of the two remaining petitions, will the music change in favour of the opposition parties? Despite the setback it has suffered at the tribunal, the state chapter of PDP remains hopeful. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Wale Ozogoro, the party said: “The tribunal in its wisdom struck out the name of the PDP as a party to the petition. It never struck out the petition of our candidate, Oke. Contrary to the misrepresentation, misinformation, and deliberate misinterpretation of the tribunal’s ruling, the well-articulated and consolidated petition of Oke remains intact, notwithstanding the striking out of some paragraphs. “The Tribunal did not single out only our petition for this, as other parties including the ruling Labour Party also had some of their applications affected. We

The Isoko North PDP example member representing Isoko North in the state House of Assembly; Patrick Ferife, Commissioner for Land and Survey and a host of others, it was a thing of joy to be at the grassroots and their home base. A most significant observation throughout the visit was that the people of Isoko North are fully united for the ruling PDP in the state. All known notable personalities in the area were present and spoke in one voice. They were unanimous that the unity of the PDP in Isoko North transcends personal or individual political interests. According to them the interests of the people must be first served and all thoughts must be focused on how to improve the lot of the people of the area. It was against this backdrop that Efenudu, a former Head of Service and SSG, came out for the two days to team up with other leaders for the visit. Efenudu is the current chairman, Delta South Senatorial District of the party. Also in this class was Goodnews Agbi, a PDP chieftain and former Delta State governorship aspirant, who was present throughout the tour. Macaulay, the SSG, who was clearly back to his familiar turf as a trade unionist and

a man of the people, demonstrated his power of oratory. The message from the Isoko North PDP leaders was clear and crystal: “We have come to say thank you for giving us your votes. The President of the Federal Republic, Goodluck Jonathan sends his greetings. The state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, sends his greetings to you for voting for him in the last elections. “Manager, representing the Delta South is here to say thank you and to meet you one-on-one. Ogor, your own son representing you at the House of Representatives, and by God’s grace, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, is here to meet you and interact with you. Owhefere, representing you in the state House of Assembly is also here to greet you as well. Ferife, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey is equally here to greet all of you.” Other Isoko sons and daughters who are in politics were introduced to the people and the response by the people was immensely amazing - Onana no oro sosuo. Uwoma gaga (this is the first time and it is very good) was on the lips of everybody. There were packages of democratic dividends for each of the wards in the area. These projects were already mapped out for

the communities and contracts for them had been awarded in most cases. They include supply and installation of transformers, fencing and renovation of primary and secondary schools, construction of community roads, provision of water scheme and replacement of wooden electricity polls to concrete ones. And in Owhe-Ologbo, Macaulay announced his personal projects in addition to the ones by the state government. In order to expedite action on the listed

wish to stress that our petition is not only strong and valid, it is active and sustainable on its own strength and legal basis. What the Tribunal gave was not judgement on the case but rulings on the preliminary and peripheral issues. Section 137 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) states expressly that either a political party or its candidate or both are legitimately competent to challenge election result at the election petition tribunal.” Not only PDP is optimistic, the state chapter of the ACN also has the hope that it is not yet over with its case and that its diligent prosecution would yield a favourable result. In a statement by its state Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Agbede, the ACN said its petition was intact at the tribunal and that it would be heard in due course. To accelerate the hearing of the remaining two petitions, counsel to the parties agreed on the number of witnesses and admissible documents to be used. They agreed to use newspapers evidence and INEC electoral materials as documents of facts, and to considerably reduce the number of witnesses. While ACN’s counsel reduced the number of their witnesses to 80, those of Mimiko scaled down their own from 1,700 to 850. The LP reduced its witnesses from 2,023 to 600 and INEC brought the number of its witnesses down from 147 to 130. For Oke’s petition, the counsel agreed to reduce the number of the witnesses from 271 to 130, Mimiko’s from 2,500 t0 1,200, LP’s from 2,024 to 1,000 and INEC from 160 to 130. The period for conclusion of hearing of the petitions has been shared among the parties. As the Tribunal commenced the second phase of its assignment, the people of the state are demanding from the three-man panel fairness and justice. Will the legal eggheads meet the expectations of the public? projects, the SSG advised youths not to disturb contractors handling the projects. He also urged parents to ensure that their children and wards imbibe the virtue of peace, saying that violence does not pay. The 13 wards that were visited were Ellu/Aradhe/Ovrode, Ofagbe, Okpe-Isoko, Oyede and Iyede, I and II. Others were Emevor, Otor-Owhe, Otibio and Owhelogbo and Ozoro I to III. The vist, which had a carnival float of youths, adding colour to it, clearly showed that the Isoko North chapter of the PDP has brazed the trail in showing gratitude to the electorate by meeting with them in their communities.

Political office holders from Isoko North duing the tour.

Editorial

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

STEVE AYORINDE

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SEYI FASUGBA

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GBEMI OLUJOBI

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DOZIE OKEBALAMA

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CALLISTUS OKE

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FRANK OBOH

HEAD, GRAPHICS

Pope Benedict’s exit: A lesson in leadership

n Monday February 11, Pope Benedict XVI, leader of over one billion member Catholic Church worldwide, made a stunning decision to resign the papacy on February 28, citing poor health, old age and the enormous responsibilities which the office required. The resignation is no doubt, a justifiably global storm, not only within the Christendom, but also to the rest of the world. By this decision, he will be the first Pontiff to retire rather than die in office since 1415. The unexpected development is a demonstration of the true meaning of leadership and an uncommon depth of sincerity of any individual in public office; much more, it is an ecclesiastical one in which age is often taken for granted. It surely serves as a lesson for all in leadership positions. It is to be noted that the context of the resignation, which hinged on frail health, is remarkably a matter of pure and living conscience that is in most dire need in our world. The absence of such conscience is to be ascribed for most of the crises afflicting humanity. The announcement declaring his infirmity to continue in office was also very instructive and will go down

in history as one of the most open, transparent and unequivocal declaration of a leader who is sincere to himself, faithful to his cause and fold, and conscious of the limitation of human capacity. It was a clear demonstration of sacrifice of ego and demystification of power and position. At almost 86 years the Pope reiterated that at his age, he could not continue to function in that capacity. As he said, “carrying out the duties of a pope requires both strength of mind and body.” In applauding the Pontiff ’s courageous decision, we hasten to note that it is not only the spiritual and physical dimensions that the Pope was talking about. In all other endeavours of life, leadership demands presence of mind and physical fitness, such that whoever finds himself in that situation, should accept the Pope’s resignation as exemplary. As a strong moral and spiritual voice, the Pontiff requires those attributes of mental and physical fitness to sustain the universal respect which the office demands. Besides, the wider dimension of the resignation is that it may trigger off a wave of reforms in the Catholic Church. Interestingly, the concern for reforms has

THE UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF THE TRUE MEANING OF LEADERSHIP AND AN UNCOMMON DEPTH OF SINCERITY OF ANY INDIVIDUAL IN PUBLIC OFFICE been on since 1965 when the Second Vatican Council produced the historic document, “The Church in the Modern World” (Gaudium et Spes), a document that strives to redirect the attention of the Church to many existential issues that it had otherwise been silent on. Those issues such as threat to the environment, growing poverty in a world of affluence, a plague of drug abuse reflecting deep despair, scientific advancements confronting us with life decisions without ethical principles to guide us, the need to resolve conflicts within nations when the temptation to use violence has the potential of destroying our planet, remain the enduring challenges of our age. The need to revisit the rules of engagement as it pertains to a downward re-

view of the age bracket of the Pope may become imperative. We note that regardless of any age at which any leader assumes office, the conditions of continuing in that office must weigh heavily on his health and performance; therefore, prescribing a specific maximum age limit within which his competence and wellness can be evaluated, might be a good idea. Pope Benedict XVI ascended the papacy in April 2005 and his achievements since then - his views on issues of global significance; comments on terrorism; the pedophile scandal among the clergy; same sex marriages et cetera, will forever endear him to humanity. Heading a largely conservative Church, Pope Benedict embraced the internet culture, seeing it as a great communication super highway to reach millions more people every day. He opened a twitter account, the first pope to do so, choosing the username “Pontifex.” We pray and wait with eagerness for a new successor to ‘Peter’, who must be willing to reach out to growing Catholic communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and get passionately involved in issues that threaten the peace of the world, undermine its moral fabrics and endanger the family institution.

ON THIS DAY February 22, 2009 European Union foreign ministers, ‘suspected’ Israel as behind the assassination of the Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month in Dubai, and strongly condemned the use of forged European passports to carry out the dastardly act. The Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had tried to convince some of the EU foreign ministers that there was ‘no proof’ of Israel’s involvement in the killing.

Letters to the Editor

February 22, 2008 The Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the recognition of Kosovo by the West as a cocked gun ready for firing. Five days earlier on February 17, the former province in Serbia had announced a Unilateral Declaration of Independence at a meeting of the Assembly of Kosovo. It was boycotted by minority Serbians in the province. There was an eruption of violence after the declaration.

February 22, 1974 Samuel Joseph Byck, an unemployed tyre salesman, attempted to hijack a plane from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and have it crashed into the White House in the hope of killing President Richard President Jonathan Nixon. As part of the planning, Byck stole a .22 caliber revolver from a friend to use in the hijacking and also made a bomb out of 2 gallon jugs of gasoline and an igniter.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Lest we immortalise nuisance ESEOGHENE AL-FARUQ OHWOJEHERI

bout 10 years ago, I lost a friend to armed robbers. Obviously the armed robbers were not satisfied with just robbing, they needed to make a point by harming someone in the house. My friend’s mother was their target. As they swung the axe, my friend, who was the scholar of our class in secondary school, protected his mother with his head. He died right there; no national award, no postmortem speech from his state governor, and of course, no celebrity burial for him. He was just another guy, the fact that he ‘received’ a battle axe meant for his mother was irrelevant. This and many more of same happen in a country where comedians shake hands with the President and women, who kiss strange men on camera in the name of acting, take home National Awards; a country where an immoral youth, who made fame singing about his private part, is given special opportunity to interview the President in a desperate campaign strategy because the thinking is that the community is populated by zombies and bimbos, who will vote in a PhD holder on the ‘honour’ of a nuisance whose only relevance to society, apart from his lewd music, is competition in air and space. Thus the question we should be asking is when

will this madness of underserved honour stop? This brings to sharper focus the death last week of Goldie Harvey and the attempt to make it seem like we lost an icon. This is perhaps the worst of all the ‘madnesses’. I do not believe that death, which we will all face, should make you a hero except you died a honourable death. This is why the statement of the Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi describing Goldie as a “great daughter of Ekiti State”, is worrisome. One has to wonder upon what was this greatness achieved. Are people now great for singing meaningless songs with promiscuous suggestions or for taking and publishing suggestive photos of themselves? Since when did we consider it greatness to appeal to the sexual cravings of perverts and run after men on camera in the name of a reality show that is far from reality? In the past, fathers will tell their children “don’t bring shame to this family”, but nowadays shame and shamelessness are celebrated with so much noise you think the Devil himself is in charge of people’s life. Ironically, around the same period this unfortunate death occurred, Governor Theodora Orji of Abia State was commending Mrs. Nwanyieze Prosper for winning the Purity Queen title.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT DEATH, WHICH WE WILL ALL FACE, SHOULD MAKE YOU A HERO EXCEPT YOU DIED A HONOURABLE DEATH She was bestowed the honour for keeping her virginity intact until after her marriage. Surprisingly some Nigerians criticized the governor for this and even ‘accused’ him of giving her a car. But Governor Fayemi described Goldie as a “bright star” who lived a “fulfilled life”. Indeed the world is upside down. The problem with giving honour to people who did dishonourable acts is that people will definitely emulate them. The Dolly Partons of this world made it fashionable for women to expose their cleavage; years on women have lost their husbands to such exposure and homes have collapsed; the Dr. Dres of this world made being a “gangster” fashionable and years later the gangsters are increasing and we even once had one in the White House killing innocent people with drones. And this list goes on and on. For every irresponsible person you honour, you

make irresponsibility the “swag”. Lastly, we must clarify two issues. The first one is with regards to speaking “evil” about the dead while the second one is the “who are you to judge” comedy. First, the dead has already met what heshe put forward hence there is no need to speak of its evil. What we needed do, however, is to either call the living to an example to live by, if the dead is worthy of emulation, or to warn the living to stay away from a wasteful lifestyle like that of the dead who lived life as if death was never going to come . Second, they ask us not to judge and we say to them we do not judge a person who has Faith that he or she will be in the hellfire, we do not judge that the person’s bad is more than his/her good, we do not judge if God will forgive a believer, but we judge that fornication and the promotion of it is evil cannot present evil as good. Some others will say an adult can do what he or she likes and you don’t have to force your lifestyle on others. The question we have for this set of confused people is that this same justification is given to homosexuality; and it will soon be given to incest so that if a grown up man and his grown up daughter say they are in love and want to marry, their kind will say well it’s their life. Al-Faruq Ohwojeheri wrote from Benin City, Edo State

Dualisation of Abuja-Benin Expressway OKHAREDIA IHIMEKPEN

he emergence of President Jonathan Goodluck with his transformation agenda sensitized Nigerians to the need to demand for real dividends of democracy. While other ministers were considering how best to make their stay in office relevant to the needs of the 21st century, Honourable Minister of Works, Arch. Mike Onolememen, went the extra mile and took a unilateral step to push for institutional reforms in the Federal Ministry of Works to promote effective performance. He upgraded the previously backwater quality control unit into full department known as Materials, Geo Techniques and Quality Control Department, in a drive to raise quality bar for road projects. The new- look Ministry of Works is a product of the consensus of the ministry’s mandarins. Interestingly one of the consequences of this drive is evident by bringing into fruition the long expected transformation of AbujaBenin road into a dual carriage way. Once elucidating the significance of good road network in a growing economy in 1980, the then President Shehu Shagari promised to dualise the AbujaBenin road before the expiration of his first term in 1983. When his government was upstaged by a military junta, Major General Mohamadu Buhari, the new leader restated the promise; so were the later General Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administra-

WE ARE LUCKY THAT THE ABUJA-BENIN DUAL CARRIAGE WAY IS NOT ENTWINED IN THE INVIDIOUS CENTRIFUGAL FORCES THAT HAVE STALLED OUR

EAST-WEST

ROAD PROJECT tions after him. Though the idea to dualise the all important road was noble, it did not survive the board room politics of decision makers. While impeccable on paper, in reality it was a case of treating the symptom instead of the disease. There is no doubt that Nigerians are fed up with the status quo of promise and fail. This is where the significance of the N16 billion dualisation road project under the Jonathan administration lies. As a gateway to the nation’s capital city from the West, East, and South its economic, political and social impact on the economy can only be imagined. In October 2011, at the inauguration of the Senate Committee on Works, worried by the deplorable condition of our roads across the country, the leadership of the Upper House of the National Assembly urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on our

roads. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekueremadu explained that Nigerians would be pleased with the President if he embarked on massive repair of roads. He added that good road network has become the key parameter for Nigerians to measure the performance of any government. Eweremadu also said that the dividends of democracy many Nigerians understand today are good roads. “We must focus on roads because if we fail this time, it will be too bad. What Nigerians want to see are good roads”, he said. The senior lawmaker was only reechoing the view of members of the public. Democratic governments gain legitimacy to the extent that their actions reflect the will of the people. Period elections are the test of people’s support for the policies and programmes of governments. Even if democratic societies tend to fall short of this democratic ideal, it is fair to say that it plays significant roles in democracies. The effect of unfulfilled promises on our national development template has been more sharply felt in the road sector than other sectors of the economy. Indeed, rather than result in an improvement in our economic situation, successive approaches have made it stagnate and more susceptible to the economic and social crises we have faced. Thus, we are unable to point at any significant growth rate or satisfactory index of general well-being in the past 20 years. By Jonathan’s current performance, if not in other sectors, Nigerians now have confidence in his

transformation agenda in the road sector. In 2011, when Onolememen was nominated as a minister and appeared before the Senate, his screening speech, which stamped a bold challenge at the floor of the Senate, signaled the birth of one of the most historic, futuristic and mythical epochs in the screening process of the Senate. Ever since, his tenure has been eventful. His track record of productive and strategic implementation of our road transformation policies coupled with his vast experience in policy conceptualization as well as his depth of technical audit of projects may also have consolidated his reputation as a workaholic and good manager of men and resources. The result is evident in our works ministry today. We are lucky that the Abuja-Benin dual carriage way is not entwined in the invidious centrifugal forces that have stalled our East-West road project nor it being a victim of the politics of who is responsible for its neglect. The public expectation is that this project will be completed in a record time. Ihimekpen wrote from Benin, Edo State 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.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

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Controversial one term agreement “

The rains are here again

hen we look back at 2012 in retrospect, we have every cause to be apprehensive about 2013 now that the rains have started pouring. This is particularly because the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has come out with a frightening prediction of how the rainy season of this year would be. According to the agency’s Director General, Dr Anthony Anuforom, Nigerians should expect the same pattern of rainfall of last year in 2013, mentioning Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Zamfara as states to expect above normal rainfall this year. This timely warning would only be meaningful if our leaders use it to take proactive steps. We may have no control over the elements, but we have the innate ability to reason and fashion out appropriate measures that would mediate the predicted calamities. Audu Labaran, Idah, Kogi State

Odi invasion and N37.6bn compensation

rejoice with the people of Odi, Bayelsa State for the judicial victory they scored last Tuesday over the November 1999 invasion of their community by the military. Justice Lambi Akanbi of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt , giving ruling on the N100 billion suit filed by the community, told the Federal Government to pay N37.6 billion as compensation within 21 days. While delivering the judgement, Justice Akanbi condemned in very strong terms what he called the FG’s “brazen violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims to movement, life and to own property and live peacefully in their ancestral home.” The symbolism of the victory is that the rule of law, as a strong pillar of a decent society, must be respected. The action of the Nigerian government in taking a unilateral action to subject Odi to such punitive measure without recourse to the court, made it to be the judge in its own case. Whether the government appeals the judgement is immaterial, what is important to Nigerians is the moral victory scored against those who have the tendency to rule us with impunity. BedieAkangbou,Warri,DeltaState

OPEN SIESTA: A man sleeping under the Jibowu bridge in Lagos.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

How much do we know of Maina saga?

ur leaders seem not to be interested in the principle of full disclosure in governance. May be I should say accountability and transparency. This is why the rumour industry thrives. The Police Pension Funds saga, which claimed the career of John Abubakar Yusuf, an Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, was still simmering when that of Abdulrasheed Maina, chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team erupted. Maina is linked with over N200 billion Customs, Prisons and Immigration pension funds. He has been severally invited by the Senate to come and give account of the funds and he

shunned all such invitations. What a cheek. All this while, the Presidency that gave him the assignment never thought it wise, in the interest of the name President Goodluck Jonathan, to call him to order. Even when the Senate passed a resolution demanding for his sack, what we read in the papers was that the matter had been referred to the Head of Service. What a country. The matter has further been compounded by the unwillingness of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar to execute the warrant of arrest issued against Maina. The latest we are hearing is that the accused must have fled the

country. The question is where did he pass? We have only air, sea and road routes. How did he manage to escape out of the country? Perhaps, he has been spirited out through one of the NADECO routes. The case gets messier by the day. I smell a rat. There are many big guys involved in the saga and they are ready to shield Maina because apprehending him would mean he would spill the beans. There is apparently lack of political will to fight corruption in this country. President Jonathan is not helping the matter through his reluctance to exercise the enormous power he could muster. Elections are around the coun-

try, and the indication is that he has a second term ambition. How will he convince Nigerians he is equal to the task of instituting the process that would renew the country? On the issue of the anti-corruption war, he would not get the vote of Nigerians; on the issue of decisive and assertive leadership many Nigerians do not trust him. He has also not been able to meet our expectations in social infrastructure provisioning. If people say this is the most corrupt administration since May 1999, the proofs may not be hard to find. Comrade Sunday Itarin, Owo, Ondo State

Fashola is wrong on centenary celebration

read on page 6 of the Wednesday edition of your newspaper of the opposition of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos to the planned commemoration of the 100 years of the existence of Nigeria. The major plank of his opposition is that the 1914 amalgamation of the north and south of Nigeria was made without due recourse to Nigerians. As sound as the

Letters to the Editor

logic of his position, it does not take into cognizance the fact that very many relics of the colonial era are still with us and accepted by us unquestioningly. The name Nigeria is one; Lagos is also one. As governor of Lagos State, why has he not made efforts to change the name to Eko? People celebrate events and landmarks for different reasons. One reason why it is

important to mark our centenary of existence is to draw attention to certain inadequacies of the union. It might interest Governor Fashola to know that the fundamental factor for the amalgamation was for the solvent south to subsidise the governance of the north! We are still into that unholy relationship where the wealth of the South is used to support the North.

It is the very reason for the warped federalism that is entrenched. Perhaps, the revelations from the celebration would help in the architectural restructuring of the country into a viable federation. Only people like Governor Fashola can we trust to make the forceful case for change. Eko o ni baje o Callister Okokomaiko, State

Udoh, Lagos

e have an agreement with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to serve only for one year. That was why we supported him.” This has been the North’s power mongering mantra. They sang it during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; they are again singing it to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. It is nauseating. When will the North know that political power is not their exclusive birthright, and when they stop saying they conceded power to the South? It is common knowledge that departing British colonial masters pampered them, did a lot of unsavory things to make them have advantage over the South. How do the North’s power oligarchs believe such undue privileges can still be sustained over 50 years after the Union Jack was lowered and Green-White-Green Independence flag hoisted? If indeed there was an agreement between them and Jonathan over one term tenure, do the events after the April 2011 presidential elections when the country imploded lend credence to this? The political mathematics of access to power in the country favours the North, yet we have not seen much of how they have converted this into advantage through massive infrastructure provisioning in the region. Where this has manifested is in the lowering of national standards to accommodate the backwardness in the region. The way forward for us as a nation is to convoke a national conference of all ethnic nationalities. Alhaji Maitama Sule and Professor Ben Nwabueze and other eminent Nigerians involved in the Nigerian Project, have sound it loud and clear that the country is only buying time by running away from this conference of ethnic nationalities. Nigerians have been meeting since the colonial era to negotiate the terms of the union, there had been walk out, threats of secession and other extreme actions to get favourable concessions; yet Nigeria did not break up. Why would it be now that the different ethnic nationalities have capable hands to be their spokespersons that the fears of disintegration have heightened? Let us meet to discuss the future of this country, our leaders must renegotiate the union. President Jonathan must without delay put together a team that would coordinate the national conference. Pastor Abuja

Thomas

Akpothu,

Send your letters or or mails mailsto toPMB PMB10001, 10001,Ikoyi, Ikoyi,ororour ourEmail: Email:mirrorlagos@yahoo.com mirrorlagos@yahoo.com and info@nationalmirroronline.netor or 08056180209, 07033375481 and info@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275, 07033375481 (SMS (SMS only).Editor The Editor reserves thetoright edit and letters reject letters or photographs. Psuedonyms may be but used, butbe must be clearly marked as such. only). The reserves the right edit to and reject or photographs. Psuedonyms may be used, must clearly marked as such.

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FRIDAY

Flavour

February 22, 2013

12 PAGES OF ARTS, REVIEWS, LIFESTYLE AND BUZZ TO START YOUR WEEKEND

rangement will be the official group that would be representing the entertainers, whom the Centenary Anniversary Committee extended invitations to for active participation. Already, the mobilisation seems to be yielding fruit as lots of notable names in the entertainment industry have gratuitously been enlisting with the alliance which covers entertainment genres like film, music and standup comedy. Presently, the group has people like Tony Okoroji, Efe Omoregbe, 2face Idibia, Alex Eyengho and Ejike Asiegbu amongst others, who are actively championing this cause. When Friday Flavour spoke

with Ejike Asiegbu about the new alliance, he said it was a veritable platform to drive the affairs of the entertainment industry, without alienating any interest or group, which had hitherto brought disunity in the entertainment business. “Yes, I am a member of the alliance, because I firmly believe in the vision and mission of the group. Before now, activities in the industry have generated a lot of confusion because certain people feel alienated, but this is what this group is coming to address. The alliance from the way it is being positioned has everyone involved in the business of entertainment. Apart from people

in the music, film and comedy, we also would admit the media people. The idea is to give everyone the opportunity to come under this large group to let our voices heard. The founder is someone I have had dealings with. I know he has a lot of passion for the industry and he is committed to drive this idea. That is why I am backing him.” On whether this group was formed to effectively align against exploitation especially in the face of the centenary anniversary, he said so many things have happened in the past, where certain artistes would make themselves ‘financial predators lording over the industry’. “I am aware of some

WEEKEND STARTERS Children interact with Evbota

Clockamania exhibits exotic clocks

lockamania, a company specialising in the sales of exotic, artistic, contemporary and antique clocks, will with the sponsorship of the Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Foundation, OYASAF, hold an exhibition of clocks at The Pilipili, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. Designed to complement, add beauty and style to homes, hotels or offices, the clocks are also ideal corporate gift items. Date is tomorrow starting from noon prompt to 8.00 p.m.

Evbota

aterna Venture’s interactive Children Book Reading Session is slated to hold tomorrow between 12.30 p.m. and 2.00

he first edition of Author’s Talk for 2013 will hold tomorrow at Goethe-Institut’s office at City Hall. It is an avenue for young and emerging writers

p.m. Children from ages ranging 6 to 10 years should be at Laterna Ventures, 13 Oko-Awo Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island-Lagos for a session with reader, Pamela Evbota; an author and columnist with the Inspirational Online Magazine, UK.

Ill Bliss

‘Love Jones’ for Vals season

n the spirit of Valentine season, Str8 Up, Hip-hop presents “The Love Jones” edition scheduled to hold tomorrow at Koga Studios, Oregun

Author’s Talk 1 at Goethe-Institut to present and discuss their works to an audience of publishers, journalists, lovers of the arts and interested guests.

It will feature Chuma Nwokolo, Onyinye Muomah, Victor Ehikhamenor, Chinelo Onwualu and Terh Agbedeh. It is moder-

Road, Ikeja-Lagos. It will feature graffiti art display, emcee battle sessions, spoken word performances by Efe Paul Azino and Toni Payne with DJs Humility and OZ on the wheels. There will also be special guest performances by Ill Bliss aka Dat Ibo Boy and Phyno. The “Love Jones Edition” is hosted by veteran femcee, Blaise. ated by Ugoma Adegoke. Zanabu Jallo’s Holy Night will be performed by Crown Troupe of Africa to the delight of those who come to this free event.

P. 34

people who position themselves as the financial predators of the industry, seeing themselves as the face that would represent the industry in whatever is going on. This has to stop, because a well-structured industry is the type that takes everyone into consideration. On the issue of the centenary anniversary, Tony Okoroji and others are better positioned to speak on this. But I am fully in support of the initiative because it would carry everyone along” Although Tony Okoroji was not available for comments on the motive of this group, Friday Flavour gathered also that the alliance would be formally launched in the nation’s capital, Abuja to drum it into the ears of the powers that be, as regards the group to deal with when issues concerning the entertainment industry arise. It would be recalled that the Federal Government had earlier announced that the centenary anniversary celebrations would be driven by the private sector, a situation that has seen key players in the sector co-opted into the agenda.

Denrele’s Day

Centenary Anniversary: Artistes form alliance against exploitation

Okoroji

P. 36

ith the dust raised by the interactive session between the Centenary Anniversary Committee and some representatives of the Nigerian entertainment industry yet to settle, a section of the Nigerian entertainment industry has moved to save what is left of the quarrelsome situation, which has beleaguered the industry for three weeks now. Friday Flavour, learnt that in the past one week, the entertainment industry has been witnessing a fierce mobilisation of members for a new group to be known as the Nigerian Entertainment Alliance, NEA. The Nigerian Entertainment Alliance, is however being positioned to be the industry’s platform to actively participate in activities lined up for the nation’s Centenary celebrations, which was officially kicked off following a launch at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja. The platform, according to the ar-

Eyenho

Escape

NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

Asiegbu

Jumia/Sleek Fashion Fair

igeria’s no. 1 online retailer, Jumia and renowned makeup brand, Sleek present a one-of-a-kind Jumia/Sleek Fashion Fair, which will entail a superb online shopping experience meeting the best in fashion and beauty. The red carpet fashion fair, a combination of a runway show and sales fair, will hold tomorrow at the Sleek studio, 64b, Anifowose Street off Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos from 12.00 noon to 5.00 p.m. Guests will be treated to Ju m i a / S l e e k goody bags with Jumia online shopping vouchers/ redeemable Sleek makeup vouchers, fun, good music and refreshments.

P. 35

Tuface

Mirror Mongers

Ali Baba

Critics

P. 22-23

VOL. 2 No. 563

Artman In The House

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

I came to Nigeria for the scent of a woman –Mthiyane

A resting place for the family filled with Shyllon’s collection of artworks.

Mthiyane

PHOTOS: TERH AGBEDEH & ARTIST

Thokozani Mthiyane is a South African artist who also writes and has been working in Lagos since he came to Nigeria a year ago. He shares his Nigerian experience with Friday Flavour’s TERH AGBEDEH in this interview at his workspace at Bogobiri in Ikoyi. Excerpts. Last year you were part of the Johannesburg/Lagos Week where you exhibited your work at Freedom Park. How did that go? It went okay but it was a struggle in terms of space and also when you collaborate with an artist whose work you don’t know, you have never seen, it results in struggle and difficulty. But I had my own ideas as to how I wanted to do it. I had an installation that is still a work in progress since I’m still working on the concept. Since Lagos Photo Festival was started by the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), there has been awareness over art in public spaces but it appears graffiti is still missing in the menu. Yeah, I don’t know why and that is something that I find strange. There’s not even protest graffiti, which is supposed to exist but is not happening. How is it like with art in the South African public spaces? There’s a lot of graffiti and there’s a lot of public art in South Africa. It’s not something that you put up for a particular event and it’s gone. There are spaces that change all the time. People come and work and they leave; some legal and some illegal. But what you see in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos, I’d say is advertising. Apparently, you have not travelled beyond Lagos. I’ve been to Osogbo, Ilesha and a few other places as well. Does the art you saw in those places resonate and did you visit the Osun Osogbo Groove? No, I didn’t go to the Groove. The public art doesn’t resonate very much except for art in private collec-

MOST PEOPLE SAY THAT THOSE WHO HAVE MONEY IN

NIGERIA DON’T HAVE THE TASTE FOR ART

tions. That is quite weird because before I came here, I thought I’d see a lot of art. What gave you that impression? I thought that because you have hip hop, theatre and other forms of art, but then, why not public art? It’s a question that no one has been able to answer. Maybe it’s because artists in Nigeria make art to sell, they don’t make art just for art sake. Maybe that is the reason. But how come Nigerian artists have not sold for huge amounts except you count a very few works? I think also that for ‘art for art’ sake to have space, it has to have a strong institution like democracy and Nigerian democracy is not even older than South African democracy, if we were to look into that. Therefore, if you don’t have strong institutions that are democratic, people like collectors may not be so keen to come and explore the space. Also, as populous as Nigeria is, most art galleries, I think, are a recent phenomenon otherwise, they are people’s houses converted to galleries. Except for Signature and a place like Bogobiri which do not rely on art sales for sustenance. So, that poses a challenge, I think. And also, most people say that those who have money in Nigeria don’t have the taste for art.

You were in Peru. Do you want to share your experience? It was just a holiday but it was very interesting particularly in Lima for its street art. If you go to a place called Baranco, the art there is interesting even though most of the galleries were closed as Peru is a Catholic country and I went around January. But I saw a lot of street art. There was graffiti, a lot of it but the graffiti is much more different from the usual thing, it’s more like an art piece on the wall, door or on the road. Somebody has taken time to convey something. How would you describe your work; what exactly do you do? I do everything except oil. I do acrylic, ink, charcoal and found objects. It’s mostly abstract. I do portrait as well but I love abstracts more because abstract is not so abstract. It’s more like a person who is not talking but there’s a lot going on inside. It’s more like sign language. That is what I like to do more. But also, since I came here a lot has shifted in the way that I practice, I take more time to conceptualise, design before I execute. Because for me, even though I said we don’t have public art in Nigeria, but there’s a lot going on in the city that resembles or points towards being artistic. All these demolitions and erections of other buildings point towards art and the strongest form of art that I’ve seen here is photography. Is that why you take a Iot of pictures of the city, which you used to put on Facebook but seem to have stopped? I still take pictures it’s just that I don’t put it out. Would you admit that you were not an artist per se until you came here? No, I was. I was exhibiting in South Africa; I exhibited elsewhere like in France and Holland. But what I would say is that I didn’t come here to make art; I came and I saw and I didn’t meet many artists. The only place that I could say was alluring for me was Jazzhole. There was nowhere else for me to go but I was practising art in South Africa. When I came here, I met Chike

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Artman In The House

Friday, February 22, 2013

Working on a piece

Showing students his work at Freedom Park

Nwagbogu and we had a conversation. The first thing I thought is perhaps there is space for me where I can work and it turned out to be at Bogobiri. Have you done a lot of work since you came? Yes, quite a lot. I mean, if you think about the Johannesburg/Lagos Week, in the exhibition I had about 10 pieces that I showed plus the installation. After that, I continued producing more works. Are your portraits of known people? Yeah, they are of known people. Others are stylised, visualised people. I’ve done a portrait of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko; people that are known and who have significance in my own concept of the world. The idea behind that is like when you collect books and read them and then put the face behind the creation of that book. Music for instance, also plays a role in what I do; I do portraits of musicians. I’ve done Dizzy Gillespie just to project what I’m doing. Being here for a year and having mixed with a couple of Nigerian artists, would you say that you now do works chiefly for sale and have you sold a lot? I do art just for myself and also for sale. Yes, I have sold quite significantly but especially here in Bogobiri. My residence in Nigeria in Bogobiri Nimbus Art House has been significant. All the works I showed at the exhibition at Freedom Park, I produced them here at the balcony in Bogobiri. So, it’s been ‘quite happening’ and is yet to happen even more. Was it like that for you in South Africa, did you sell ‘quite significantly’? Yeah, but it’s been a fairly short period being here. It surprises me that people have interest in what I do that I’m flabbergasted. In South Africa, I sold quite a lot, I lived there, grew up there and have been painting for years, so I sold a lot. But, noting that I just arrived here and about five months later, I had a solo exhibition at Freedom Park. Then, I came to work at Bogobiri and every other art piece goes. That is quite phenomenal. Do you think you might make Nigeria a home? I live here now; it’s my home. I don’t know but I’m here and I’m happy.

Two of his portraits. L-R: Wole Soyinka and Nelson Mandela

His works on display at Nimbus Art Gallery

FACT FILE •

•

He played football until he was 22 in 1991.

•

In his teens he was inspired by the Durban-based South African artists, Thami Jali and S’fiso Ka Nkame, whose works he liked to gaze at.

•

As time went on, he said he and his friend started visiting the two artists. From there they went to galleries in Durban city, which was beginning to open to all races.

•

books about art and read. “Some of the things we didn’t understand but with time, as we matured, we started to comprehend. When I quit playing football in my early 20s, I started thinking about doing art”, he said.

Born 44 years ago, Thokozani Mthiyane grew up in the township around Durban in South Africa while apartheid was in force.

Thokozani and his childhood friend also used to buy

What pieces are you working on right now? I’ve been away for a month. So, I’m drawing at the moment on notebooks. At the same time, I’m writing about art in Nigeria. It’s something that is slow cooking. I’m just collecting data and looking at other people’s works to see what they’re doing and then writing. I’m also buying materials because I need to do some work inspired by my travels in Peru. I didn’t just go to Lima; I also went to other places. I went to Nasca and they have what they call Nascalines, which were done by the Incas thousands of years ago. They are drawings on the rocks and on the fields that have survived since that time. I’d like to use the symbols that they have there. I’d like to juxtapose that with my experience in Nigeria and from home, South Africa.

•

He joined the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW), where he was involved in workshops about writing that eventually translated to workshops about visual arts.

•

Around 1996, he stopped doing visual arts and went into street and children theatre until 2000.

•

He was to return to writing and visual arts and started travelling again mostly to Europe.

I’m writing and drawing things that convey my inner sentiments. But how I’m going to do it, I don’t know yet. That will be a body of work that I think will take a couple of months for me to achieve. You have no doubt been inspired by your stay here in Nigeria. Yes, if you look back at the exhibition at Freedom Park, it was more about my stay in Nigeria, the last six months before the exhibition, particularly spaces, language and then the visuals. I concentrated on that and also the essence of water. I was concerned about water hence I had a water installation. At first, what I wanted to do was collect a lot of Bibles and Qurans, but someone said, maybe we can do it with the Bibles, but I’m not so sure about the Quran

because the place could come tumbling down. But I’d still like to do that installation because for me it’s very significant. Why not the other spiritual books as well like the Sanskrit? Because there may be Sanskrit and others but the Quran and the Bible, you’d think that Nigeria was founded on those two books whereas there are other things that make up Nigeria. But those two because they have created grounds for people to be divided or different. I wanted to juxtapose those two books. Then, essentially, Lagos is on the lagoon but there is the politics of water, people have to buy water to drink; what they call ‘pure water’. Which water isn’t pure? Your dreadlocks, is it by choice or this is how it came? Choice. Is there a Rasta philosophy somewhere in there? No, not at all. When you’re youthful, you have those Rasta influences and then you grow and then you learn, some of those things fall apart. But aesthetically, I think it’s appealing. It affects a certain aspect of being an African person independent of Rasta. Apart from visual arts and writing, do you pursue other creative endeavours like music? No. It’s just charcoal, pastel, paint and then writing. Why did you come to Nigeria? I’ll just say that in a sentence; it’s the scent of a woman; and that’s it. It was supposed to be two weeks and now, it’s like a year.

Critics

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Concert

Love like a movie: Fantastic script, dodgy casting The hype generated around Darey Art Alade’s first-ever Valentine show has been sustained several days after the last of guests excitedly left the Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos venue. Despite the Kim Kardashian-debacle and random glitches, Darey gave Nigerians what the creative arts sector has been gasping for- one stop total theatre entertainment! ADENRELE NIYI

arey and his wife, Adeola, under their Soul Muzik label possibly pulled off the most spectacular concert Nigeria has seen in recent memory. Not that history, before now, cannot recollect attempts by contemporary music artistes to give fans and followers memorable shows; but none has come close to the after-glow of Love Like a Movie. In the tail end of last year, a number of musical concerts were staged in the country with a particular one featuring Grammy award winning superstar singer, Chris Brown. This show, however, could have delivered on stagecraft and a vast repertoire of hit songs Brown is acknowledged for, but whether it left guests breathless by the

audacity of the project or sheer hype by brand association is debatable. The specially designed Love Like A Movie had artistic input from 2face Idibia, Waje, Praiz, Banky W, Tolu, Ice Prince, Kaffy, Flavour, Timi Dakolo, KITONB theatre group and the spellbinding Les Farfadais in a theatrical show that lasted a little over three hours. The Expo Centre stage was transformed into a palette for Dare, the artist to paint in rich colours and his featured ‘friends’ helped to interpret the multi-themed concept of the show. The main essence was to celebrate February, the month of love, but Darey, who had never quite held a solo concert for his teeming fans performed some of his ‘love-less’ songs as well. After opening with the theme track, Love like a Movie, he went through a couple of his commercially accepted tracks, namely: Sisi

Darey Art Alade and Kim Kardashian

Eko and Not the girl followed through with a rendition of Lady in Red by Chris Deburgh and Boys II Men’s chart busters; I’ll Make love to you and End of the road (featuring four of Nigeria’s greatest voices Banky W, Timi Dakolo, Praiz and Tolu). In between slightly unnecessary costume changes, Darey also performed Banikidi, Escalade, The way you are and Carry Dey Go (a duet with 2Face). But the spotlight was not limited to the artiste, who is a consummate performer anytime. From a suspended chain and hoop dangling from the Expo Centre ceiling, Les Farfadais displayed breathe-taking acrobatics and air techniques in mesmerising symbolism of Darey’s ballads. Just off stage, an artist working with sand on a projector screen (beamed onstage), re-created beautifully poignant impressions in tandem with Darey’s char-

Children carrying a globe during Darey’s performance of What a wonderful world

acters from the rendered love ballads. The show was so engrossing and detailed about stage props that blinking, you could miss a dramatised element that connected the dots of the story the show was telling. Metaphorically, Love Like a Movie could be relating the story of Darey’s music career and why the appellation ‘King of Africa R’n’B, though a bit heavy a crown to wear, might not be misplaced. The script played out like a fantastic director and screenwriter were in charge, but the characters sometimes missed their lines or showed signs of strain from long hours of preevent rehearsals. On none other than the main character, whose arresting voice quality, did this effect manifest. During his duet with songstress Waje on the classic love song, Endless Love, Darey’s voice cracked on some notes, even as Waje held hers, but then missed her cue in the

Settling the Troubled Dust of Allow me introduce a case of injustice in the field of a bloodless war, the field of writing where the blood that flows comes not from the barrel of the gun, but from the barrel of the pen.

CHIKE OFILI

he real contender, the best of the unsung Nigerian novelists, deliberately neglected in the politics of selection by the Nigerian literati of the academia; the critical megaphone of our citadels of learning that learnt most largely from and promoted most unevenly its own, paying scant attention to non-

academics of the same fold among the lettered. If there was any non-academic creative writer that they most felt threatened and frightened by, it was and still is, Mr. Onuora Nzekwu. On him they imposed the greatest unnatural silence. If other non-academic creative writers like Cyprian Ekwensi, Amos Tutuola, Elechi Amadi and T.M Aluko to mention some of the dimmed lights of Nigerian and African literature complained of little and unfair critical attention, a different strategy was applied on Onuora Nzekwu who most threatened their politics of selection, the strongest contender against their favoured ones whose works very closely competed not just from coming from a common background of culture, but who also mutually shared the potent power of the finest art of the written word in its most lyrical form. In picking other novelists and dropping the real contender, they justified the gap they conceived and established existed between their favoured writer and colleague, and those they chose to compare him against. This is what one of them disrespectfully called the Children of Achebe; after some diagnosed ‘genetic’ similarities; deliberate and unconscious patterning after his choice of artistic vision and manner of conveyance that largely and happily contested favourably for an African space in the global scheme of things. But this contender is not a follower, never did follow the same route even with all they shared in

common – Igbo roots, geographical neighbours, journalism, teaching, imaginative and language competence; and a white mentorship – Ulli Beier for Chinua Achebe, his university teacher; and Michael Crowther for Onoura Nzekwu, his boss and editor at The Nigerian magazine. When our lead writers first wrote, very few got complimentary critical acclaim from White reviewers and critics of the time. While Cyprian Ekwensi got a very harsh criticism that could have dried any fountain pen, T. M Aluko struggled unnervingly hard to even get a preliminary nod of acceptance of his manuscript. The case of Elechi Amadi and how he broke the yoke is not very well known to me. But two Nigerian writers dared to send their works abroad for publishing and got acceptance. Though Cyprian Ekwensi is the first published Nigerian writer who later rose beyond the pride and prejudice of critics, conquering children and city literature like no other, the first to get a celebrated acceptance abroad by a publisher and the critical public was Chinua Achebe in 1958. The other, unsung and therefore unknown, is Chief Onuora Nzekwu, the lead co-author of one of the most popular children’s literature, Eze Goes to school. When Chinua Achebe’s novel of African pride, Things Fall Apart arrived in 1958 after many a tortuous route of having to pass the publishing test till it finally tasted the printer’s ink, it announced the birth of an

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Critics

Friday, February 22, 2013

Sand Artistry

Kaffy performing

second line, mixing up the lyrics of the second verse for the first. Darey’s class and distinctiveness as a trained performer showed through though; he effortlessly covered the slip, which could only have been noticeable to someone familiar with the song or ears which are technically attuned to music transitions. Similarly on his cover of Tracy Chapman’s Baby Can I hold you Tonight, he struggled with his notes. A concert of this artistic size -which incorporated diverse artistic elementscould have also done with some back up singers to support the headlining act. This would surely have taken some pressure off Darey who had to sing for the greater portion of the entire show on a voice far stretched from days of rehearsing. Although these have, in no way, deemed the brightness of Darey’s Valentine concert, Nigerians are quite in-

Les Farfadais performing

Darey’s bandstand

Darey and Waje

KIM TOOK THE LION SHARE OF THE MEDIA ATTENTION, RED CARPET PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION AND BUDGETED MONEY censed about Kim Kardashian’s waka pass appearance in a concert for which she was advertised as co-host with Darey. A barrage of attack has been unleashed on the American-Armenian reality TV star (some of the offensive fire hitting Soul Muzik) on the basis that Nigerians believe guests have been scammed into thinking Kim would have given the audience a form of entertainment or amusement on the night to justify the $500,000 (five hundred thousand dollars) she was reportedly paid. Knowing her antecedent and understanding that Kim is no Rihanna (reigning pop

princess), Basketmouth (Nigerian comedy star) or Kaffy (Nigerian contemporary dance queen), the joke then is on every guest who expected more than a passing appearance from Kim. Her name was sheer publicity gimmick by Now Muzik; ‘sort of a bait’ to draw people out to see the real total theatre production put together for a first class show. Dare was the star of the night really, not Kim. But it is a shame that Kim took the lion share of the media attention, red carpet photography session and budgeted money. Bankrolled by the financially solid First

a most unsung novelist at 85 acclaimed work that also gave his generation the inspiration and energy to dare to write and publish at a time when there were very few literate men and women in the English language, and so no viable market. The final authoritative nod that got the work published was from Professor Donald Michael, the educational adviser of Heinemann who pronounced upon it his 11words that ended the debate on whether to publish it or not: ‘’This is the best novel I have read since the war”. As for Times literary supplement, ‘’the novel genuinely succeeds in presenting tribal life from the inside’’ while ‘’patterns of feeling and attitudes of mind appear clothed in a distinctive imagery written neither up nor down”. This early applause that subsequently led to the founding of the African writers series, thus establishing an African market when Achebe was a broadcaster before the civil war later moved him into the academia, helped greatly to promote his work at home. Onuora Nzekwu on the other hand, also hails from the same Anambra State of great Nigerian sons and daughters; an Onitsha and Igbo, he also shares the same strong sense of cultural and historical documentation of their Igbo worldviews in fact and largely in fiction. Both also got published abroad; in his case, three years after Achebe. Of his first novel, Wand of Noble Wood, 1961 first published in the U.K before Signet Book, USA published it for its own market, the London Sunday Times says of it: ‘’Subtle, sophisticated, and ...funny”. But it is in his subsequent novel, Highlife for Lizards,1965 that Maurice Richardson of New Statesman and Nation pays tribute to his penmanship: “Onuora Nzekwu is a young Nigerian novelist of real promise”, a fact unseen and unsung in Nigeria. Richard continues “His writing has that quiet flowing quality

WHEN OUR LEAD WRITERS FIRST WROTE, VERY FEW GOT COMPLIMENTARY CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM

WHITE

REVIEWERS AND CRITICS OF THE TIME which makes the congenial story-teller who never allows a situation to stand still. At the same time, he is subtle and oblique and often funny, a natural tragic-comedian”. Of the same novel, The Times Literary Supplement says: “He writes about what he knows and has experienced, and has the power to bring it vividly to the reader’s eye”. We can only appreciate these lofty appreciations from abroad if we know what the same foreign press and critics said of their older colleagues, Cyprian Ekwensi about whom they thought was “an example of how not to write a novel”; and Amos Tutuola whom they said wrote “young English”. But unfortunately, Nzekwu had no local publisher to push his books and make a case for him, and so had no local readers and market and also no trumpeters from the media or academia to present him to the world of lettered men and women. Worse still, he had no aptitude for self-promotion even with all his journalistic background; nor was he into social engagements and activism to incline media visibility his way. Not even his novel Blade Among the Boys, the story of growing up into adulthood published 50 years ago this year by

Bank, a senior source of the bank told Critics exclusively that the institution had no involvement whatsoever with engaging Ms. Kardashian for the show or her appearance fee (which sources say is grossly exaggerated). First Bank supported the show, through its First@Arts platform, and has done for other cultural events and festivals, because the bank “was driven by the quest to promote entertainment as a veritable vehicle for cohesion amongst family and friends, adding that a happy family is germane to socio-economic and cultural development of the nation”. Whether people would have trooped out in their numbers –like they did that night- to watch the concert without the lure of seeing the famous Kim Kardashian close-up is a quiz for another concert by Soul Muzik.

Hutchinson, a re-enforcement to his first book published by America’s Signet Book, did it for Nzekwu one year after the first novel; the ill-cast titles might account for this; not even the strategic move of changing his publisher did it either. Not until 1972 did Heinemann, London, republish this pretty piece of writing on religious conflict and clashes of Islam, Christianity and traditional African religion in an individual who goes through them all with the extra complication of the social effect of growing up in the city; the city of Lagos. Happily, however, it gained access into the school study text and some recognition among students, but not into profound public acclaim. Like Blades Among the Boys that he was to submit to the common publisher of his day, to make it its 91st after he seemed to have made a clear defiant choice against it; Nzekwu was to also later submit his first novel, Wand of Noble Wood to Heinemann to make him the publisher’s 85th African writer in its series. A quiet fighter, in 1964, Nzekwu made three strategic moves to come to recovered reckoning. He changed his subject matter, audience and publisher. He moved into writing for children with a better entitled book, Eze Goes to School which was co-authored with his boss, editor and benefactor, Michael Crowther and published by African Universities Press in 1964. And pronto, that did it! The book succeeded beyond his conception and expectation. It did not only give him a name, it became his name. Today, he is better known as Eze Goes to School, than as Onuora Nzekwu. The book’s title has itself become an educational tool, inspiration and manner of speak for every type of return to school; including former Governor “Orji Uzor Kalu goes to school”. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK Chike Ofili, a reviewer and an author, delivered this review at the book launch of Troubled Dust last year in Lagos.

Inside FCT

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Protests over ‘Don’t-drink-and-drive’ policy TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

otorists plying different routes who load at motor parks in the FCT have flayed efforts by government to deal a blow on alcohol merchants at the motor parks in Abuja. A bus driver, Mr. Yusuf Adejoh, who plies the Kaduna/Zaria route, told our reporter that the efforts of government were reasonable, but not implementable. “I agree that drinking at the parks before taking off with passengers can be improper and if the government is not happy about it, then it is fine. But, how can you stop people who want to drink where they work? How can you tell the women who are selling the beer to stop? It’s not possible”, he said. For John Ameobi, an Igbo car driver at the Jabi Park in Abuja, “the policy is not reasonable and I hope it would be suspended”. He said: “The passengers have not been complaining and in any case, whether we drink or not, we still drive normally and deliver our passengers to their various destinations, so what is the problem really? I don’t think there is a problem with whoever wants to drink at the parks”. Luka Miyan, a Kaduna indigene at one of the Area 1

WHETHER WE DRINK OR NOT, WE STILL DRIVE NORMALLY AND DELIVER OUR PASSENGERS TO THEIR VARIOUS DESTINATIONS parks, was blunt in his reaction to the issue. “The government or National Assembly should mind their business of good governance and the provision of basic needs for the people. Drinking in parks is not the issue. The issue is that people are dying of hunger. People are dying on the roads because the roads are bad, not because of drinks in parks”. The issue of alcohol and other drugs has been rampant in parks in FCT and its environs, but the government is yet to order a clamp down on this trade in parks. But the FCT administration and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), have continued to issue statements and sponsor programmes in the media in protest against the menace believed to be one of the causes of incessant accidents on the roads. To buttress this, on Thursday, February 14, the House of Representatives considered a motion on the “Need to Ban the Sale of Alcohol and Drug Related Substances in

Kubwa highway: Beehive of business activities

Worry trails route delineation for green buses AMINAH IBRAHIM

ontroversies continue to trail the implementation of routes delineation for mini and high capacity buses in Abuja metropolis as drivers and commuters are not certain what would become their lot if the policy is fully implemented. Investigations by Inside FCT indicated that although the banned mini buses are still plying the affected roads after another reprieve was offered them following the expiration of the February 7 deadline for them to move out of the routes, most of the drivers and commuters are worried that ‘things may fall apart’ for them very soon. As part of efforts to bring sanity to the transport system in the FCT, Federal Capital Development Administration had on January 14 this year announced the suspension of mini-bus operators in Abuja. The move which neither went down well with commuters nor drivers of the green buses sparked violent protests in all routes with attendant implications of commuters feeling the effects which lasted many days. Worried by the ugly turn of events, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, on January 16, directed that the implementation of the new policy be deferred till February 7, to allow for further enlightenment of stakeholders involved including operators, commuters, FCT residents and the general public. Under the proposed transport policy, the routes that will be affected and serviced by high-capacity buses are Wuse Market; Eagle Square; Asokoro-Aya Nyanya; Area 3 Junction–Tafawa Balewa–Herbert Macaulay way–Berger Junction; Jabi–Gudu Market–Apo quarters–Ahmadu Bello way–Federal Secretariat–Gwarinpa; Aya–Shehu Shagari–Federal Secretariat and Transcorp–NICON junction. The minister insisted that there was no going back on the policy, believing that after proper implementation of the policy, it will be for the benefit of all the residents of the FCT.

and Around Motor Parks”. The motion, sponsored by Hon. Ismail Inah Hussain (PDP Kogi), noted that, “the consumption of alcohol increases the risk of motor accidents for motorists and pedestrians”. He reasoned that “not only does alcohol impair processes critical to safe road use as vision and reaction time, it is also associated with impaired judgement and is often linked to other high-risk road use behaviours such as over speeding or not using seat belts”. He told the House that, “a recent study by the Lagos State Government revealed that 22 percent of drivers in the state tested positive for alcohol and drug-related substances as reported by the Daily Times of September 27, 2012”. According to him, “most of the accidents that occur on Nigerian roads are attributable to the influence of alcohol and hard drugs. This menace is aggravated by the easy access of drivers to these road unfriendly substances”. Though the motion was shelved on the basis of legislative jurisdiction, it urged “the FG to ban the sale of alcoholic drinks and other drug related substances in and around motor parks in the entire country”. But like some of the motor park drivers said, can government stop the menace in Abuja motor parks or even throughout the country?

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

Security patrol in Kubwa market to monitor green buses which may flout the policy

He said that the reason behind the grace period was to give proper orientation to all commuters, operators and various stakeholders before the policy becomes fully operational. Some residents who spoke with Inside FCT said although the policy appeared to be good, but the FCDA should try to inform, educate and give proper orientation that so residents will accept the policy in view of its potential benefits for commuters. Vivian Agwa, a resident of Masaka said; “I don’t think the FCTA has stopped the buses from coming into those restricted area, I heard they want them to continue for a while. It’s not affecting anything for now; I just took a mini bus from Masaka straight to Wuse. If the high capacity buses that will be provided by the FCDA are going to ply the same routes, it will not affect people adversely because the last bus stop for the ‘El Rufai buses’ was Masaka. So, the new buses should also ply those routes to avoid confusion”, she said. Another commuter who simply identified himself as Kingsley said that “For now they haven’t stopped it, but they are still undergoing the process concerning the routes delineation. I think there’s reasonable awareness on radio stations now. Government said they wouldn’t stop the buses until people are fully aware so that people will not undergo difficulties. I think it is welcome development; at least the traffic jam in the FCT will be decongested”. From all indications, residents are patiently waiting since the February 7 deadline is gone and the policy is yet to be implemented. The expectation is that when the policy will be fully implemented, it will trim down commuters’ stress –depending on how efficient the implementation is. But the drivers, who would ultimately lose their routes, are anticipating being the victims of the policy.

he expansion of Kubwa-Zuba Expressway has not only helped to ease the perennial gridlock commuters encountered on the road, it has triggered a chain of business activities along the route. The situation on the road is a pointer to the multiplier effect good infrastructure could have on the nation’s economy. For instance, in less than a year it was opened to traffic, no fewer than five major car dealers have relocated their businesses along the route, including many other construction companies. Apart from that, a night ride on the road would also reveal a chain of petty trading under beaming lights. The upsurge in business activities could also be traced to the strategic positioning on the road as a major arterial route connecting the capital city to its neighbouring states like Kaduna and Niger. Commenting on the development and its implications for the nation’s economy, an Abuja based lawyer and public affairs analyst, Mr. Femi Abegunde said he was not surprised about the transformation of the road in terms of business activities, noting that the provision of infrastructure was vital to economic growth and development. According to him, a thorough analysis of the situation on the road when it was in a state of disrepair and what it is now would capture the place of good infrastructure in the lives of the people. “The provision of infrastructure is very vital to economic growth and development. The transformation going on the road should serve as a good lesson to the country’s policies makers and government”, he said. Apart from business activities that have sprung along the route, Abegunde stated that effects of the new status of the road on time management were equally noteworthy. “Formerly, when the road was narrow, you could spend up to two to three hours to move from Kubwa to town due to traffic gridlock. With the situation of the road now, you can give appointment and make it in good time. This has not only helped in building trust in business, but has saved a lot of time which can be put to better use for the country’s development”, he added.

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Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH Friday, February 22, 2013

Call to Worship

On the authority of Anas bin Malik, the servant of the Messenger of All, the prophet said: “None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” RELATED BY BUKHARI AND MUSLIM

Getting to know Siddiqua Fatima Mosque

iddiqua Fatima Zahra Mosque is a mosque located in the city Dahiya Abdullah Mubarak, near Kuwait International Airport, in Kuwait. The work on the mosque started in February 2008 and was completed in June 2011. The total area is 3,200 square meters, which can hold around 3,500 males with a separate area for 500 females. Four minarets stand 33 meters tall (42 meters from the ground), and there is a tomb 16 meters wide and 22 meters high. The marble was imported from Iran, and the marble was worked on by the Iranian/Indian artisans working 24/7 for 8 months. Near the mosque, there is a library, a community center for males and a separate community center for ladies. The parking lot can hold about 1,000 cars. The building is centrally air conditioned.

Hadith The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, “A man’s spending on his family is a deed of charity.” Bukhari Vol. 5 : No. 343

Siddiqua Fatima Mosque

Quiz Corner debuts

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Are you wrapped or covered? 26

Absolute oneness (2)

ecrets of the realm of spirituality and the deeper and more sublime truths pertaining to the mechanics of the soul have been frequently disclosed from On-High to Prophets, Saints and Mystics. Revealed wisdom thus transferred, has allowed the common man to appreciate such realities as are not conveniently accessible to the curious and inquisitive human mind. The Promised Messiah (as) resolved the philosophical parallax of Duality of Existence through a simple interpretation of the second verse of Surah Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an - “Al hamdu lillaahi rabbil aalameen” (Ch.1:V.2). These words mean “All Praise is due unto Allah the Lord of the

12-year-old given 43 strokes of cane over hijab 29

Every Friday with

Khalifatul

Ahmadiyya Worlds”. The Promised Messiah (as) expounded that this verse clearly enumerates two entities – Rabb, or The Lord, and Aalameen, or the worlds. Hence, while indeed there are two classes of existence - the Creator and the Creation - only one deserves to be worshiped - the Creator. CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

Hajj: FG signs MOU with Saudi Arabia 29

Friday, February 22, 2013

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welve-year--old and a JSS 1 student of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Metta, Lagos, Aisha Alabi was recently subjected to very horrible and inhuman treatment by the School Principal, Mrs. E.C Ukpaka, because she used hijab. The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Lagos State Area Unit in a press release signed by its PRO, Sulaimon Alamutu, therefore called the attention of the state government and the entire peace-loving citizens of

Friday, February 22, 2013

Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH

12year-old given 43 strokes of cane over hijab …MSSN calls for suspension of erring principal

the state to the inhuman, unprofessional and barbaric act of the principal. “Our findings show that Aisha wore the Hijab outside the class in the school compound when she was seen by Mrs. Ukpaka who immediately called an emergency assembly and allegedly ordered her to be beaten. The students at the assembly, we learnt, counted no less than 43 strokes of cane landing on the hapless little girl’s body! This happened

on Tuesday February 5, 2013 around some minutes to 4pm. This is quite unfortunate and unacceptable in a country where the constitution guarantees the citizens right to practice and manifest any religion of their choice without any interference from any quarter.” If all these provisions are clearly guaranteed in the nation’s constitution, we are seriously at a loss as to why Mrs. Ukpaka, who we expect-

ed to know better and act accordingly, would deliberately and with impunity; violate the provisions of the constitution. Aside the fact that the principal brazenly violated the constitution, what if the little girl dies in the process of beating her, what excuse would she give as her reason? This amounts to child abuse!” Mrs Ukpaka’s action demonstrates the deep hatred and disgust that most nonMuslims school principals in

Lagos State have against our law abiding female members. Hers is not the first as others had done similar thing in the past without any disciplinary action against them by the state government. In the light of this, the student body called for the immediate suspension of Mrs. Ukpaka and orders a full investigation into the matter. “Ours is a law abiding organisation and the state government can attest to this fact. It should be noted that the leadership of the MSSN

Lagos State Area Unit had had course in the past to keep its members across the state calm over recurrent abuses and discriminations against our sisters in the face of government’s indifference towards bringing to justice those maltreating them because of Hijab. However, we must state that failure to take disciplinary action against Mrs. Ukpaka this time around would draw the anger of the entire Muslim Students’ population in the state.”

NIREC expresses worries over insecurity

A Senior Editor with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun (3rd left) being given merit award by Sheikh Abdulfatai Oloyede (2nd left), National President, YOUMBAS with members of his family in attendance in Ibadan recently

Hajj: FG signs MOU with Saudi Arabia

AMINA IBRAHIM ABUJA

s part of measures to avert the hitch that characterised Nigeria’s participation in last year Hajj operations in the forthcoming Hajj exercise, the Federal Government, through the National Hajj Commission, yesterday left for Saudi Arabia to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Saudi authority. Chief Press Secretary,

University don, Prof. Bayo Lawal has urged newly honoured members of Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA) not to rest on their oars by being more creative to attain greater success. This is contained in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State by the National Public Relations officer of the Association, Alhaji AbdurRahman Balogun. Lawal gave the advice in a lecture he delivered in Ilorin at the 3rd annual Honours’ Day of UNIFEMGA. In the

National Hajj commission, informed National Mirror in Abuja that the Commission had begun an official meeting with the Saudi authority in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to ensure a smooth Hajj this year. The meeting, he said, was to help address the lingering issues of Muharram which led to the return of over 1,000 female intending pilgrims to Nigeria last year. He stated that the Commission had stressed the

imperative of intending female pilgrims for this year’s Hajj to adhere to requirements of a male guide to avoid deportation. “The Saudi authority’s stand on the issue of Muharram is not negotiable. The intending female pilgrims must be accompanied by either her husband or a male relative or risk being barred from performing the exercise. “The major problem faced last year was the issue of Muharam, which

was resolved before the end of hajj operation. This visit will help the Commission know more about the dos and don’ts for this year’s exercise. It will also help us enlighten participants more before being airlifted. The Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, which every adult Muslim must undertake at least once in a life time if they can afford it and are physically able to do so. It is a dream of every Muslim to perform Hajj at least once in a life time.

“Innovation is key to success”

lecture titled: “Managing Success Through Innovation’’, Lawal said the only way for the awardees to manage their successes was through creativity and being innovative. The professor of statistics, said with the advent of information technology, especially with the use of the internet, the skies should be the limit for the awardees, especially those of them in the academia. “The use of Internet for staff and students and even businessmen, is a must for success.”

He advised UNIFEMGA to develop a viral network of alumni with a database for job creation and for necessary contacts. Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, Secretary to Kwara State Government promised the support of the government to the association. Gold represented by Alhaji Raufu Ayinla, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, hailed the dynamism of UNIFEMGA and urged other Muslim alumni to emulate it.

In his welcome speech, the National President of UNIFEMGA, Prof. Wahab Egbewole said the programme was to recognise and encourage excellence and professionalism of its members. He called on the 22 members who were honoured to continue to uphold excellence, integrity and selflessness. Egbewole, a Professor of Law, and also a recipient of UNIFEMGA award, urged the awardees to see their achievement as a step forward .

he Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC) has expressed worries on the persistent loss of lives and property occasioned by acts of terrorism, religious intolerance, communal strife and pipeline vandalism in the country. This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 2013 first quarterly meeting of the council held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. The communiqué was signed by the trio of Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and Co-chairman of the council, Pastor Ayodele Oritsejafor, President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Co-Chair of the council and Prof Is-haq Oloyede, National Coordinator of NIREC. NIREC stated that since no religion teach-

es violence, the sacredness of human lives must be safeguarded at all times. It noted that the outbreak of political violence was associated with poverty, underdevelopment and mal-distribution of resources, thus calling for equity and justice, which was the basis for peace in any society. NIREC reiterated its appeals to political, religious and traditional leaders at all levels to desist from making offensive and divisive comments capable of heating up the polity. The Council equally appealed to the National Assembly to let the will of the people prevail in the ongoing review of the constitution and make laws that would ensure that no Nigerian was made a “settler” anywhere in the country.

MUSWEN visits Quareeb

op Management team of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) recently paid a courtesy visit to Al-Fatih-ul Quareeb Islamic Society of Nigeria at the conference hall of LCCI builing, Nurudeen Olowopopo Drive, Alausa-Ikeja Lagos. Prof. Dawud Noibi, the Administrative Secretary of MUSWEN, gave some of the objectives of the Organization as the unreserved commitment to the projection and promotion of the oneness of Allah and the other ideals of Islam,

foster unity, cooperation and collaboration among Muslims in the South-Western Nigeria and to strive towards the achievement of consensus on issues that affect Islam and Muslims in Nigeria, serve as a rallying point for Muslim Organizations/institutions and communities in South-Western Nigeria and to establish a collective leadership that is inclusive, credible, responsive and effective for Muslims in that Zone. Quareeb assured the delegation of her unalloyed commitment and support.

Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH Friday, February 22, 2013

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Are you wrapped or covered? F

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or the true believers, words of Allah, the Most-High as written in the glorious Qur’an are sacrosanct. In Qur’an 33:58-59, it is written that; “Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed… Thus, what does hijab mean to a lot of people? The most likely answers will vary from that of a woman wearing a head scarf, a veil or a loose outer garment. Hijab, however, in the sense that it has been used in the Qur’an and Hadith, has a far wider meaning. It is a set of laws governing the interaction between males and females, with rules that must be abided by both. In the minds of most people, Hijab simply means a reference to the entire modest dress of the Muslim woman. To some, it is a type of outer garment which covers from the head to the feet. It is a veil which covers the head which is particularly worn by Muslim women beyond the age of puberty in the presence of non-related adult males. It can further refer to any head, face, or body covering worn by Muslim women or men that conforms to a certain standard of modesty. Most often, it is worn by Muslim women as a symbol of mod-

esty, privacy, and morality. The Qur’an instructs both Muslim men and women to dress in a modest way:”Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest” (surah 24:30) The clearest verse on the requirement of the hijab is Q24:30-31, asking women to draw their veil over their bosoms. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khim r over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. (Quran 24:31). Unfortunately, we see all manners of Hijab nowadays; the cracy, the corporate and the conservative. You see some women deemed to have used “Hijab” but are literarily “naked”. And you start wondering is this what Allah and the Prophet intended when ordering us to use Hijab? It is not about appearance alone but even one’s comportment, utterances and general behavior. You see a lot of our women seriously packed with pants and tight-fitting tops and small veil which practically covers nothing. Proper hijab dictates that the entire body must be covered, although the face and hands may be exposed. Some

LET US ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE SHOULD DRESS TO PLEASE OUR ALMIGHTY

CREATOR

women choose to cover themselves further by means of a face veil and gloves, and this is perfectly fine. The clothing must be long and loosefitting so that the shape of the woman is not outlined in her garments. We should avoid pants unless they are worn underneath the outer garments. Also, garments should not be transparent as to reveal the color of a woman’s skin or to expose the hair or body in any way. Modesty is the main goal. A Muslim woman who wears hijab should also strive to make her actions consistent with her dress with regards to Islamic guidelines for speech, manners and behavior. My dear sisters, are you wrapped or covered? Let us always remember that we should dress to please our almighty Creator as Islam teaches

us to cover our Aurat and not to wrap it. The different styles of dressing among our women folks lives much to desire. May Allah (SWT) makes it easy for us to obey His commandments, Amin.

Expert highlights health benefits of seafoods

one measure or the other. That’s why we have set up this restaurant to provide seafood cuisines for our customers. We care about them and their health,” he added. Situated in the heart of the Victoria Island, Lagos, Coral Blue Seafood Restaurant, the first of its kind in Nigeria, will offer exquisite seafood cuisines. To feature prominently in the cuisines are prawns, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, crayfish, among others. While highlighting further the vision behind setting up the Seafood Restaurant, Enunwa, whose company also owns the popular Kilimanjaro Fast Food brand, noted that a huge gap was noticed in the country’s ready-to eat food sector. “As an innovative food services company, (RA) Sayyidina Abdullah and *His daughter Sayyidawe noticed a gap in the casual dining seg*Sayyidina Imam Hasan Sayyidina Ibrahim, (RA) tina Fatima az-Zahra, (RA) ment of the food business in the country and Sayyidina Imam Hu*Sayyidatina Zainab *Sayyidatina Khadijah --- no restaurant offered a seafood-focused sain, (RA) (RA) (RA) cuisine. Though there are many of them *40 Years Fifty Three *Sayyidatina Ruqayya *Sayyidatina Aisha, that offer it as part of the menu but none Years Old (RA) (RA) took it so seriously to focus exclusively on *Ten Years *Sayyidatina Umm *Sayyidatina Aisha (RA) it. That’s why we set up this new business *1.O’os Kulthum (RA) *Sayyidina Muhammad to fill the yawning gap. We would provide *2.Khaz’raj *Sayyidatina Fatima (SAW): 25 years a fantastic environment where discerning *Battle of Badr (RA) *Sayyidatina Khadijah clients can come alone or with their fami*Battle of Uhad *Hadrat Hamza (RA) (RA): 40 years lies to eat seafood cuisines to their delight. Sayyidatina Khadijah *Sayyidina Qasim, They can take these alongside either local or continental dishes,” he said. Earlier while commissioning the new complex, the popular comedian, Ali Baba, commended the ingenuity of the restaurant promoters, adding that the ready-to-eat landscape in the country won’t be the same again. A cross section of guests and customers who graced the commissioning ceremony expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the menu, adding that adhering to such would distinguish the new restaurant. Sundry Foods Limited, an integrated food services company with presence in major cities across the country, started operations in 2003 and provide great tasting ready-to-eat food and quality services to thousands of people and institutions daily through its chain and netL-R: Morufat Mufutaudeen; Adam Mufutaudeen Sikirullahi Saolabiu; Sikirat Saolabiu; Sumayyah Adejoke Adefaka; Abdul-Salam Abdul-Rasaq; all graduating work of restaurants, bakeries and other students at the Walimatul-Qur’an ceremony of Umdatul-Islamiyat Arabic School, Ijoko, Ogun State, held on February 17, 2013. catering facilities.

Answers to last Quiz

igerians have been advised to increase their intake of seafoods in order to lower their chances of having heart attack. An entrepreneur and food expert, Mr. Ebele Enunwa said seafoods like lobster, crayfish, prawn, crab and shrimp, among others, contain essential ingredients that promote good health and prevent many diseases. Speaking at the commissioning of Coral Blue Seafood Restaurant in Lagos, Enunwa, who is the CEO, Sundry Foods Limited and promoter of the new outfit, said the need to improve the health of Nigerians through the provision of healthy cuisines was the driving force behind the establishment of the restaurant. “We want to encourage the culture of good health by eating right. Seafoods have a lot of health benefits, including reducing chances of suffering heart attack because most of them contain Omega 3. They also contain essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins and fish oils, and are usually low in fat. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to do a proper audit of their food and see what good or otherwise such foods do to them. I am advocating that every meal taken must contain seafood in

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Friday, February 22, 2013

mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily We have created you from dust, then from mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge, then from a thick coagulated blood, then from a little lump of flesh-some unformed that We may make clear to you our power and ability to do what We will… [Q22:5] When man relies on his intellect alone, he cannot find answer to many eschatological matters. The more he tries to rationalize them, the more he is taken away from the reality about them. Being dazzled by his conquest over an infinitesimal aspect of the cosmos, he begins to reason that life starts and ends in this world and that all the views about rising from the grave are fabricated fantasies by the mentally deluded bigots. He is further emboldened, as the eschatological issues cannot be researched into or tested by statistical instruments. Thus, he hurriedly concludes that only what can be scientifically investigated belong to the realm of reality while all others are fantasies. Whereas, the true position of scientific approach is that inability to discover something is not a proof of its nonexistence or impossibility. The atheists, free thinkers, agnostics are victims of whimsical imaginations. Thus, Allah (SWT) calls on such people to reflect over their origin. As for others, who contest resur-

The true picture

rophet Mohammed (SAW) was the last prophet of Almighty Allah who brought the holy Qu’ran for mankind. He has been described in many ways, the summary of which is being an excellent and complete human being. Qur’an 68:4 says; “And indeed, you are of a great moral character.” This piece will highlight some of the attributes of this noble messenger of Allah which Muslims must emulate in order to find peace with the Almighty Allah in this world and the Hereafter. Prophet Mohammed (SAW) had absolute confidence in his Creator and worshipped Him accordingly. He performed the obligatory prayers at the appointed time. Aishah said that he used to pray during the night until his feet would swell. She said, ‘Why do you do this, O Messenger of God, while God has forgiven your past and future sins?’ The Prophet (SAW) replied: “Shall I not be a grateful slave of Allah?”. The Prophet (SAW) was a living example for all to follow. His wife Aishah was asked about his manners, and she said,”His manners were the Qur’an. This means that he abided by its laws & commands and abstained from its prohibitions. It implied that he observed the virtuous deeds mentioned in the holy Qu’ran. It is evident that he did not swear at anyone throughout his life. Equally, he was not rude nor did he curse anyone. The Prophet (SAW) would always do deeds through which he would seek the pleasure of God. He was harmed and abused when he called people to Islam; yet he was patient and endured. He was sincere and honest in all matters, as God had ordered him. Allah, the Exalted, says in Q6:162 – 163 that “Say, Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for God, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded and I am the first (among you) of the Muslims.” He showed good manners and was courteous to all, even to children. The Prophet was the kindest of people, and this was also ap-

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH

Call to Worship

Resurrection of man MAN MAY WALK ON EARTH TODAY, BUT HE WILL SOON BE BURIED UNDER THE EARTH.

rection through utterance and action, they are equally called to their senses. This class of people will not fail to commit all known vices. Some among them do not believe in the possible or probable accountability in the Hereafter. So, they judge everything by its immediate gains. The belief of a group amongst them is that when man dies. He will be reincarnated based on the social-moral status upon which he dies. This is to the extent that, it is believed that some will be reborn or rather be reincarnated as animals or birds. There is also the implied disbelief or doubt in resurrection. This applies to those who doubt some of its aspects like punishment in the grave, hell, paradise and the like. One may also posit that all those with pervasive behaviours that cause untold hardship to others are like those doubting the day of resurrection with its attendant chastisement. Fundamentally, resurrection marks the

parent in his treatment of infants. Whenever a situation occurred which called for reconciliation, he would hurry to resolve it. Also, if he saw an act which opposed a tenet of the religion, he would reprimand it in a suitable manner. There are many examples in his life which prove that he had no concern for the pleasures of this life. Abdullah b. Masood said: “The Messenger of God (SAW) went to sleep on a mat. He stood up and he had marks on his side due to the mat that he had slept on. We said: ‘O Messenger of God, shall we not make a proper bedding for you?’ He said: ‘What do I have to do with this world? I am only like a wayfarer upon a mount that stopped to take shade and rest under a tree, and then leaves it behind and continues on the journey. He was not a king who commanded his followers to carry out his orders. Rather he always carried out his own affairs and helped others in collective duties. Aishah said that “Prophet Mohammed (SAW) helped and assisted his family members with their chores; but when the call to prayer was heard, he would stop everything and leave to attend the prayers”. He was well known for his honesty. Even the non-believers in Mecca who were openly hostile towards him would leave their valuables with him. His honesty and reliability was tested when the non-believers abused him, tortured his companions and drove them out of their homes. He ordered his cousin, Talib to postpone his migration for three days to return to people their valuables. He was the epitome of patience. He was patient, tolerant, just and fair in every aspect of his life and in the application of the religion. His attributes were uncountable of which space will not allow us to discuss all. The most important thing is to emulate his manners so that enemies of Islam can have a change of heart towards the religion of Allah and accept it wholeheartedly. Sheikh Abdul Ganniyy Umar Arikunkewu is the Founder/National Chief Missioner of Jubatu Rohfatu Llahi Islamic Society Of Nigeria (JUBFAT)

final beginning of man’s sojourn towards his final abode. Without it, all the evils perpetrated by men will have gone unpunished. It is a grand preparation for truth to be rewarded, for justice to prevail, and rewards and punishment to be awarded accordingly. It signifies the return and rising of the soul and body to their Creator on the Day of Judgement. While should man be in doubt about his final return to the One Who has made his coming to this world a reality? In deploying man to earth as a vicegerent, Allah (SWT) makes sure he is of the substance of the earth which he is to subsequently inhabit. This earthly origin of man is to denude him of all elements of arrogance. It is simply a matter of ‘soil walking on sand’. Man may walk on earth today, but he will soon be buried under the earth. Now, look at this man, he traverses the earth breaching all ethical foundations but what time he has left, he does not know. Where he is going he does not know and neither is he also aware of how long he will stay on the earth? He eats and drinks what he desires, but he will surely become food and drink for other creatures when he dies and is buried underneath the earth. He moves around and commits sins as he wishes, but will soon become motionless when he dies, and even constitute real obnoxious air pollution if not buried on time. Of

course, thereafter, he becomes decomposed and rotten. All these phenomenal changes, man has no control over. Whether man likes it or not, he has been created from the earth samples. The soul in him belongs to the higher realm. If man obeys and follows the law of Allah, he will sail on a higher plane. Otherwise, he will belong to the lowly of the lowliest. Man by the simple fact that his origin is from the earth has no cause to be walking on it arrogantly. It is not also expected that he will be committing mischief on it as he has been appointed as a viceroy over it. Again, he should call to mind the day he will return to the womb of the earth. It is also ungrateful for man to be defiling the earth with innumerable vices while the earth continuously brings forth his provisions upon which he depends. Man has a limited time to dwell on it and to involve in virtue or vice. It will thereafter be the turn of the earth, after the death of man and his burial, to either expand for him for pleasure or conscript him in pains. Dr. Zafaran is the Director, Vanguards Academy

L-R Sheikh AbdulGaniy Umar Arikunkewu; National Chief Missioner of JUBFAT, Fadilat Sheikh AbdulFatai Hameed Azakawiy; the two Chief Imams of New Oko Oba Central Mosque, FadilatSheikh Muh-Tohir Oloruntoyin and Fadilat Shiekh Muh-Yusuff Olorunofabosi during their Maolud Nabbiyy held recently.

A Consultant to International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Alhaji Liman Galtima, presenting a shoe-making machine to Mr. Ashiru Taofiq Olubodun during the Zakat and Sadaqat distribution organised by Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, recently.

L-R: Alhaja Lateefat Okunnu and Prof Daud Noibi during the MUSWEN’s visit to Quareeb recently

Call to Worship

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH Friday, February 22, 2013

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Essence of parental care

ased on words of God in the Holy Qur’an, parents must take good care of these gifts from God (children) as they may make them to be fortunate on this earth and hereafter. They may also make their parents to be unfortunate too with great punishment from God. Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said in his word that parents are shepherds and shall give account to Almighty God about their children as they cater for them, train and guide them. He even said it clearly that there will be some children that will curse their parents on the Day of Judgment due to their uncaring attitude (Qur’an 33:66-68). Many Nigerians are now suicide bombers, fraudsters, blackmailers. They are not bothered about tarnishing their image or fathers name etc. That is why parents should train their children both religiously and morally. Nowadays, we don’t follow the Yoruba proverb that says (Oruko rere san ju wura ati fadaka lo) meaning a good name is better

than gold and silver; but all these proverbs are not worthy to many anymore. Looking into many families today, most parents encounter serious problems. How many fathers still show love and understanding to their wives and children? And to have a responsible child that can raise the country’s flag tomorrow, fathers and mothers should love each other. A mother should fully support the father; from there a good child must come by God’s grace. The child will be watching the two of them as they behave so that he/she will build on these characters based on what he/she has learnt from them. To practice love within your family is more than just providing food allowances, clothing, paying school fees and many other things like house rents and furniture. The most important is your advice to your family. How many times have you seated your wife and children to teach them about good culture, religion and character? If not, it is part of fatherly responsibility.

Executive members of Ayatullahi Umaht Islamiyat Society of Nigeria

As a father, you need to teach your children right from when they are given birth to. Children learn from home, school and in the house of God. They should behave as children who have good home training. They have to train themselves as responsible ones in every aspect of life. A Yoruba proverb says “Bibire ko se fowo ra” that is nobody could use his or her money to buy good heritage. In Qur’an (Suratul Luq-

man:13-19). Prophet Luqman (as) used to assemble his children and talk to them; how to worship God, teach them God’s word and how to live a good life so that their lives and hereafter will be meaningful. Please try to recite above verses of the Holy Qur’an so that you will understand my explanation. To be continued. I use this opportunity to greet my media secretary, Hajia Ganiyat Adegbilu-Adebayo (aka Iya

Ridwan), General Secretary of Ayatullahi Umaht Islamiyat Society of Nigeria. I also send my greetings to matron of Ayatu, Hajia Safyat Durodoye for her full support to the society and Chairman-General, Amira general with entire members of Ayatullahi Umaht Islamiyat Society of Nigeria. For more counseling, contact: Sheikh Abdul Ganiyu . A. Igiganga on 0802-268-7812

Lagos MULAN meets

he monthly meeting of the MuslIm Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN) Lagos State Branch’s monthly meeting comes up on the 14th of Rabiul Thanni 1434 or 25th February 2013 at the Multipurpose Hall of the Lagos State Secretariat Central Mosque, Alausa, Ikeja-Lagos by 12.00 noon. According to the chairman of the

association, Musoddiq Sanni Esq., agenda of the meeting includes; reading from the glorious Qur’an, MULAN at national and state level, prison report, implementation of Sharia in Lagos State, matters in court and goodwill messages from Honourable Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state.

ACT WISELY NARRATED QAIS: JARIR SAID, “WE WERE WITH THE PROPHET AND HE LOOKED AT THE MOON--FULL-MOON--AND SAID, ‘CERTAINLY YOU WILL SEE YOUR LORD AS YOU SEE THIS MOON AND YOU WILL HAVE NO TROUBLE IN SEEING HIM. SO IF YOU CAN AVOID MISSING (THROUGH SLEEP OR BUSINESS, ETC.) A PRAYER BEFORE THE SUN-RISE (FAJR) AND A PRAYER BEFORE SUNSET (‘ASR), YOU MUST DO SO.’ HE THEN RECITED ALLAH’S STATEMENT: AND CELEBRATE THE PRAISES OF YOUR LORD BEFORE THE RISING OF THE SUN AND BEFORE (ITS) SETTING.” (50.39) ISMA’IL SAID, “OFFER THOSE PRAYERS AND DO NOT MISS THEM.” NARRATED ABU BAKR BIN ABI MUSA: MY FATHER SAID, “ALLAH’S APOSTLE SAID, ‘WHOEVER PRAYS THE TWO COOL PRAYERS (‘ASR AND FAJR) WILL GO TO PARADISE’.”

ave you ever wondered what would have happened if we treated the Quran the way we treat our mobile phone? What if we can carry it with us wherever we go; In our bags and our pockets? What if we looked at the pages several times a day? What if we went back to take it if forgotten? What if we treated as though we cannot live without it? And really, we cannot live without it! What if we give it to our children as gifts? What if we read it while travelling? What if we made it a priority every day? Let our logo be: “Quran is my best friend.” Only 7% will re- send the message using their mobile phones. Be amongst them and send it to the largest possible number of people. Don’t be of the 93% who will not share the message.

Think. Even once about the Day of Judgment. We daily open messages from friends, share/forward jokes and gossips. But how many times do we open the Qur’an and read the messages sent from Allah (SWT) Himself ? If you love your friends and family, share this reminder with them!!! Scientifically proven; Listening to Quran reduces the prevalence of cancerous cells in the human body and even destroys them. The prolongation of prostration strengthens memory, and prevents stroke. Prostration releases positive charges into the body - in a world where EVERYTHING uses electricity and affects us negatively, learn the importance of this. Satan said “I wonder how humans claim to Love Allah and disobey Him, and claim they hate me yet they obey me! May Allah grant success to everyone who reads and sends!

L-R: Head of Media/Communications, Mobil Producing (Nigeria), Mr. Nigel Cookey Gam presenting a gift to Hon. Ibrahim Lawal and Hajia Sekinah Lawal during the couples’ game organised for media practitioners and their spouses by Mobil Producing (Nigeria) recently.

L-R: Eko Supreme Representative, Mr. Rey Lizada, one million Naira winner of So klin/Good Mama Scratch and win promo in Kaduna State, Mrs. Juliana Dekpete and Mr. Vincent Andres at the Eko Supreme So Klin/Good Mama Scratch and win Promo at Sabo Market in Kaduna State recently.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 A very saintly disciple of the Promised Messiah (as) further elaborated this explanation on the basis of an enchanting spiritual experience he once had. Hadhrat Abdus Sattar Buzurg (ra), a Companion of the Promised Messiah (as), was once shown a vision by God in which God appears before him in the form of a teacher standing before a blackboard. God writes the digit “1” on the board and asks Buzurg Sahib (ra) what it is. Buzurg Sahib (ra) replies, “This is One.” God says, “This is Me.” Then God writes the digit “0” on the blackboard and once again asks Buzurg Sahib (ra) what it is. This time, Buzurg Sahib (ra) replies, “This is Zero.” God says “This is everything else beside Me.” In this Divinely revealed vision, or kashf as it is called in Arabic, God puts this across to Hadhrat Abdus Sattar Buzurg (ra), and very exquisitely, that although creation does indeed exist as an entity distinct from the Creator, yet the measure of its existence and significance, in comparison to the Existence and Oneness of the Creator is that of a mere Zero. Hence, not only is God ‘One’, He is ‘Absolutely One’. All beside Him, inspite of existing, in comparison to His own Oneness, virtually amount to being Zero. The Arabic term for idolatry is Shirk.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Yaum al-Jumu’ah, Rabi Al-Thanni 12, 1434AH

Absolute oneness (2) THE STATE OF SHIRK OR IDOLATRY MAY THEREFORE BE NOT ONLY UNDECLARED, BUT ALSO INTANGIBLE

Someone engaged in Shirk or someone in the state of Shirk is known as a Mushrik. The ‘idol’ in question may or may not be visible. Whether the idolater or Mushrik worships a physically perceivable idol or one concealed in his heart, he is in either case, dwelling in the state of shirk or idolatry. The state of shirk or idolatry may therefore be not only undeclared, but also intangible. It is very plausible to have a Muslim, even a seemingly practicing one, existing in a perpetual state of shirk, while being completely unaware of this spiritual state of his. In such a case, the idol in question, would obviously not be an apparent one, but would rather be a non-material one. The idol could well be his ego, his desires, his material lusts, his wealth or his desire to be popular. Any of these entities can absorb the attention of man to a degree that matches worship. That being the case, any of these entities would assume the role of an idol or god. It is

ZAKAT IS 2.5% OF YOUR TOTAL WEALTH KNOWN AS NISAB AFTER HAVING FULFILLED ALL OBLIGATIONS, PAY YOUR ZAKAT

L-R: Guest Lecturer, Alhaji AbdulAzeze Alatoye; National President (Sadr), Majlis Ansarullah, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Alhaji Mikail Odukoya and Missionary-in-Charge, Maulvi Abdul Khalique Nayyar, during the 14th Annual National Workshop of Ahmadiyya in Lagos recently.

L-R:Guest Lecturer, Alhaji Abdul Fatai Apoyin; Naib Amirs, Special Duties, Alhaji Ahmed Al Hassan; Alhaji Mikail Odukoya and Naib Amir, Special Duties, Alhaji Ahmed Al Hassan.

with reference to this form of idolatry or shirk that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) says, “Save yourselves from shirkus-saraa’ir”. The Arabic term shirk-ussaraa’ir literally means hidden idolatry. What is being implied is that true insight into God’s absolute oneness cannot be attained without cleansing one’s heart, mind and soul of all forms of idols - apparent and hidden. Focused attention at its highest peak and love in its exceedingly intense form is ‘worship’ indeed. Objects that attract such attention and love, thus earn the status of idols, even if they are not in the physical form of idols. The Qur’an speaks of two such inconspicuous idols - idols that remain hidden in the deepest recesses of the human mind. Firstly, we read in the Qur’an: “Hast thou seen him who takes his own desire for his god?” (Ch.25:V.44). Thus the Qur’an categorises man’s intense desire as an idol - a hidden idol that is capable of completely capturing human attention. Our desires can be absorbing enough to be classified as idols, while we may not even be aware of the fact that the attention we are awarding them can be as intense as worship. Secondly, we also read in the Qur’an: “And you love material wealth with an exceeding love” (Ch.89:V.21). Thus does

Call to Worship

the Qur’an rate material wealth, whether in the form of belongings or in the shape of aspirations, as idols. The rationale behind this categorisation is the simple fact that love, in its extreme and exceeding form, is virtually the same as worship. By the same logic, Heaven and Hell too, can become idols. If the motivation behind good deeds is the desire for Heaven or the deterrence against wrongdoing is the fear of Hell, then Heaven and Hell too, are idols. The Promised Messiah (as) imparts to us true insight in this matter, through his profound words of enlightenment. The Promised Messiah (as) says, “Our God is our Paradise.” (Kishti-e Nuh), p. 30). According to the Qur’an, all revealed religions were revealed by the same God - One and Only God. The Qur’an also enlightens us that there is not a single nation on Earth that has not been visited by a Divine Apostle. We read: “Verily, We have sent thee with the Truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and as a Warner; and there is no people unto whom a Warner has not been sent.” (Ch.35:V.25). One is naturally intrigued by the question - if all revealed religions were revealed by the same One God, how did polytheism or idolatry happen to become the doctrine in some of these religions? A study of the journey into these religions made from monotheism to varying shades of idolatry may be useful.

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L-R: General Secretary, Alhaji Dauda Raji; Principal Jamia School, Maulana Zikrulla Ayuba; Naib Amirs, North, Dr. Yekeen Habeeb and South East,Dr. Abdul Ganiyyi Enahoro.

Cross section of the participants at the workshop.

PHOTOS: BAYOOR EWUOSO

Friday, February 22, 2013

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Arty News

Friday, February 22, 2013

COSON Week explodes with The Nigerian music machine A

n important part of the events of the much-advertised COSON Week 2013 which from May 19 to 25 will be the publication of the Nigerian music machine, a 300-page full gloss magazine. The publication will contain never before seen photographs and text, tracking the highpoints of key aspects of the effervescent Nigerian music industry, the people, institutions and brands driving the industry. Thousands will get to read the magazine during the week and after. During the COSON Week press conference held in Lagos on February 5, a dummy of the maga-

zine was unveiled and Nigerian veteran rap act, Ruggedman, said in a video presentation that; “The Nigerian music machine will be food for the eyes, a collectors’ item that will be read for many years. Every article is being written by a writer who knows his onions. The Nigerian music machine will provide records, information and entertainment not available anywhere else. It will be the authoritative reference material on the industry”. The fascinating cover design, depicts a machine-like or robotic presentation of a performer that appears to be 2Face Idibia. Among the several features of

the magazine is the foldable cover and centre pages that allow the possibility of four-page and three-page spreads because of the special design. Speaking on the magazine, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said; “In line with the standard we have set for everything associated with the COSON Week, the magazine will be without equal. We are not cutting any corners”. The week will involve a series of programmes, involving every facet of the entertainment industry in the nation, to celebrate the blossoming music industry in Nigeria.

Young author excites at book launch in Warri TERH AGBEDEH

Current 007 star Daniel Craig

Adele

2013 Oscars: Bond stars’ reunion denied ADENRELE NIYI

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

he 85th Academy Awards holding this Sunday will include a tribute to the James Bond movie franchise, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, the telecast’s producers announced recently. “We are very happy to include a special sequence on our show saluting the Bond films on their 50th birthday”, said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “Starting with Dr. No back in 1962, the 007 movies have become the longest-running motion picture franchise in history and a beloved global phenomenon”. However, the producers have dismissed reports that all six James Bond actors are being brought together for the ceremony even as the anniversary will be celebrated at the Oscars with a special on-stage performance. But, Zadan has been quoted by foreign news media as saying: “It’s something else, some-

thing very unique and very exciting, but no, we’re not getting the Bonds together”. It had been suggested that Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, all the living actors who have played 007 will be appearing at the ceremony during the segment which will celebrate 50 years of the franchise. But Pierce recently hinted he may not be part of the Bond tribute. Asked about the reunion while in Malibu, California, U.S, Brosnan laughed and said: “Well, they’ll be missing one”. British award-winning singer, Adele, has already been confirmed to perform her Oscar-nominated theme from Skyfall on the night. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

lory Osandatuwa, a 12-year-old, JSS II student of Preston International School, Akure, Ondo State, elicited strong commendations recently at the launch of her debut novel, Jacky The Hardworking Spider in her hometown of Warri, Delta State The event, which held at Great Hall, Chevron Recreation Centre, on Saturday, February 16, attracted the cream of the society in Warri and environs including Mrs. Roli Uduaghan, wife of the Delta State governor; Hon. Mofe Edema, a former Chairman of Warri South L.G.A.; Elder (Engr.) Theo Odigie (JP) and Dr. Mark Erumi, Chaplain of Warri Kingdom, among others. Dr. Tony Akpokene, Managing Director of Flomat Books Ltd., reviewed the book, while express-

Glory reads from her book at the launch

ing optimism that the budding author would grow into the stature of great Nigerian authors like Chimamanda Adichie and Chinua Achebe. Akpokene commended her parents Mr. and Mrs. Jolomi Osandatuwa for the effort in discovering her talent and urged other parents to do same. A literary scholar, author and promoter of children’s literature, Pastor Ulisanmi Edukugho, said Glory’s work is one of the many exciting collection of literature by children in Warri that holds great promise. According to him, Glory was particularly lucky to have parents who spotted this talent and decided to nurture and develop it. At the end of each chapter, there is a section on morals and a set of comprehension questions drawn for readers. It also contains a mini glossary of words and a ‘Do-You-Know?’ section that explains concepts that may be new to other young minds.

’Denrele’s Day Adenrele Niyi Denrele’s Day is a collection of witty & sincere articles inspired by a zany imagination

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Friday, February 22, 2013

End of a ‘Goldie’ era

CLAPPERBOARD with

or those who hold sacrosanct the African culture of ‘respect to the dead’, pardon the pun on deceased Goldie’s name nevertheless, it is intended. Even before her abrupt, premature and upsetting demise on Valentine’s Day, Ms. Goldie epitomised the dramatic personality of an epoch-making, cutting-edge Nigerian artiste. She did not fit into any of the stereotypes we were accustomed to in previously known music artistes –that is discounting the farcical attempts at wacky music art from a 60-something–year old grandpa who I shall not gratify with a name mention. A few had come close to Goldie’s eccentric mould, singers like late Tyna Onwudiwe aka African Oyinbo, who basked in relative music relevance in the 90s when herhit tracks“Black on Black” and “Turn your lights down low”, her cover of Bob Marley’s classic, were released off her 1992 debut album, African Oyinbo. Tyna bore her Africanism with pride but was also partly influenced by African American hip-hop culture and this cross-pollination of creative ideas reflected in her fashion style, music and outlook.Characteristic to the artistic trade, uniqueness is one of the sure-fire methods to carve a niche in the industry and it worked more so in Ms.Onwudiwe’s case going by her psychedelic music videos and costuming in ‘unconventional’ African fabric designs, punk hairdos and heavy jewellery. After her passing in 2001, other younger artistes, one of whom I can easily recollect like Azeezat, showed up on the radar but probably did not elicit the sort of bleep Goldie got repeatedly with each appearance on the music scene. Not taking anything away from the careers of the aforementioned music artistes but Goldie redefined how we received Afro-pop and cultural identity which each artiste can bring to their art if the are audacious enough to experiment. Goldie was full frontal with her provocativeness- testing her art with sado-masochism: Shiny leather gear, chains, whips, mile high platform shoes and gothic makeup. On the one hand, she knew how to don her ‘angelic’, coy poses for the camera in not very saintly bare skin and the very next minute is the sexy and ‘dark’ temptress in unabashed undress for the camera. Goldie probably had more promotional photo ops than she had music hits but who cared..?! I didn’t mainly because her work in the music industry veered between commercial/mainstream and underground/avant-garde, just like the Macy Grays and Indie Aries of this world; you had to understand the unique perspective from which they see the world to appreciate their music. The few times she did release a song, quickly promoted with a music video, we saw the creativity, detail and hard work that went into her art. She was a girl we couldn’t take our gaze off for her quirkiness. Something exciting was always in the offing where Goldie was mentioned and quite honestly, before her tragic

Eddie Ugbomah www.edifosafilm.com

Who gains from African Voices?

I The ‘angel’

The ‘temptress’

death, I waited with bated breath for the debut of the reality show about her life with BFF (best friends forever) ‘Denrele Edun. Alas, that is not to be anymore! The one guilt I can’t shake off though is the hard stance I took about her ‘shenanigans’ in the Big Brother Africa house. During her stay in the House, I took to this column giving Goldie a dressing down after she suffered an emotional breakdown because her Kenyan ‘lover’ Prezzo called off their blossoming relationship. My main concern was with the way she lost her composure –crying uncontrollably and going into a 24-hour depression in front of the watching African continent. Her situation warranted another housemate asking Big Brother to put her on a suicide watch… In my view, as a home grow Naija girl, suicide was not an option over love gone sour. Yes, it was okay to cry, be emotionally hurt and mope around for a while but committing suicide..!? No way! Anyway, Prezzo seemed to realise the ‘error of his ways’, made up with his ‘lover’ and Goldie high, bubbly spirits resurged instantly. That was our Goldie… the girl who gave love strongly and expected to receive it in like manner. This same passion she expressed in her career, pushing herself to do more than the conventional and chasing her dreams even to far away Los Angeles where she had attended the 2013 Grammy Awards. My thoughts is that she knew there was a medical condition, she tried her best to manage it but she also did not lay low and give in to the threat of dying young…I admire her courage to live like there was no tomorrow because really for Goldie, the clock wound down prematurely on Valentine’s Day. What a way to go out by a woman passionately loved by two men- her husband, Andrew Harvey and her beau, Prezzo. Adieu the golden-haired one!

pity the country where we still allow foreign concerns to exploit our stupidity. What does Nigeria gain from millions Nigerian companies spend sponsoring programmes on CNN, Aljazeera, BBC and SKY which do programmes about Africa and majority of these programmes are very derogatory about Africa especially Nigeria. They love to read news about every little misfortune we have. When I asked my banker why they allow this abuse, he said they do not vet the programme nor are they told the content. An association which is the custodian of the history of motion picture ran out of cash and I tried to borrow N300,000 for them, but this red coloured bank said they couldn’t give me the loan. Now, the problem we have is that we are expecting14 cheques as donations, where do we pay in these cheques? Is it the same ‘post offices’ that call themselves banks in Nigeria? I have helped to raise the loan and the event will go on as planned. The cheques will have to be diverted to another bank that can guarantee this type of small urgent loans. Nigerian entertainment industry doesn’t gain anything from these banks. I say Nigerian banks are not better off than some well organised post offices abroad. I wrote about the Nollywood hustlers who have now turned on OBJ to use his influence to reach some people so that they can collect cash to buy new jeeps for me. Some of these Nollywood hustlers don’t even know how the names come about. They watch African Magic ruin Nollywood’s existence because they are so established and have many films that it will take a bill or legislation to get rid of the exploitation. During the military days of OBJ, when we cried to him that the Indians and the Lebanese didn’t allow us exist in our country, they banned all foreigners from having anything to do with film. The ShehuShagari/Babangida governments established the film corporation, set up the film board that built the laboratory and dubbing theatre in Jos. It is Nigerians who made sure the Laboratory never functioned and who is the loser now?, it is Nigerians. None of the Nigerian local stations can afford to go digital so they all hook up to DSTV and are so shameless to advertise that they are on DSTV a South African-managed cable station. Maybe all those in the industry are either blind, afraid to talk or I must be seeing or hearing things differently. Anyway, I know we are not ready

ONLY FOOLS WILL TRY TO IGNORE ME AND THE ELDERS OF THIS INDUSTRY AND THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT for tourism in Nigeria because we always do the talk and don’t take action. Just imagine the agony and pains Nollywood is going through now. Some are stealing letterhead paper to get and sell visas for non-members; some borrow money to pay rent and can’t refund it. Imagine all the great promises from Zik Zulu Okafor when he was campaigning for the Presidency of Association of Movie Producers. Now AMP doesn’t have an office, all the computers plus other furniture Obazele bought when he was president have been thrown out. These are the same people running around for help and busy insulting the chairman of their BOT. Here are people who should unite, face the banks and telecommunication companies for sponsorship to make good films, but now they are busy bickering and ignoring pioneers of the industries they are enjoying today. I said it that only fools will try to ignore me and the elders of this industry and think they can get away with it. Some people with love for entertainment have joined me to establish the Movie, Music and Broadcasters Hall of Fame with the black/white and colour portraits. These portraits will be launched and exhibited in Abuja this April. Nollywood is so cheap now that they collect peanuts from government and have no bargaining power to negotiate- they are hungry, poor and frustrated. Its better late than never, all the woods should come under one umbrella than have these their tribal cliques make them answerable to the national body. Some political film makers call it MAPRICON which is not bad but the compound illiterates called marketers that help to bankrupt the industry won’t be involved. We should all force our common enemy to listen, since Bank of Industry and NEXIM Bank don’t want to play ball, we should find other means to raise money. We will ask for a bill to support our fight for existence in our country. By the way Mr. Zik Zulu we are watching and waiting for your dreams and promises.

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Tiwa Savage getting cold feet?

Tiwa

lier plans to marry her manager. MM gathered that the fact fuelling this insinuation is the copious absence of Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz together in most of the events that held during the Valentine’s season. At the shows hosted by Darey Art Alade and Banky W, Tiwa was there but without Tee Billz.

Keyamo’s Delta Force United

fter causing heartache to politicians like Dimeji Bankole, Bode George and lately Farouk Lawan (who was detained at Kuje Prison for seven days before being granted bail), social critic and lawyer, Festus Keyamo is set to haunt the Governor of his home state, Delta, who may have concluded plans on whom to hand over the reins of government to. Festus has just launched a movement, Delta Force United (some say it sounds like a militant group) with which he hopes to change the lot of the citizens of the state. In this regard, he is calling on, “Deltans, residents of Delta State, Deltans in Di-

Gifts and mega gifts

fter several denials, singer Tiwa Savage agreed she was going to marry her manager, Tunji Balogun aka Tee Billz, confirming rumours that the two had been dating secretly. But like Mercy Johnson, her compatriot in the movie business, a few days after it became obvious that a wedding was in the offing for the music artiste, a woman came on the social media circles to allege that Tiwa had actually snatched her man. She backed up her claims with photos of her, Tee Billz and a baby in a happy mood as well as another photo of the baby resting on Tee Billz’s chest. Expectedly, this has sparked off speculations that Tiwa may be reconsidering her ear-

Mirror Mongers

Friday, February 22, 2013

aspora and friends of Delta State” to join him to actualise his plans of discovering a new leadership for Delta State and return Delta State to the people through mass mobilisation and mass participation in the political process. Although, Festus has not disclosed yet what this new leadership he is proposing would look like, MM gathered that insulations are rife that he may be preparing himself for the position of Governor of Delta State buoyed by the success Adams Oshiomhole got in his own bid. But this is coming on the heels of agitation by the Delta North senatorial zone to produce the next governor under the Anioma Agenda.

ONE-SECOND Q&A

ast week, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, opened up for the first time about her ordeal in a German hospital where she was put through series of surgical operations in an encounter she described as ‘near death’ and also likened herself to Lazarus in the Holy Bible. While questions are still being asked over why the illness was hidden, MM gathered that another buzz making the rounds about the survival party is the exotic nature of gifts handed out at the event. While the number of people who attended the party was put at conservatively 4000, the buzz is that some guests left with BlackBerry phones, while others got blenders and bread toasters. But they are also quick to point out that the gifts were donated by friends of the First Lady, who came to felicitate with her after her agonies.

Wazobia boss, Amin Moussalli

Dog eats dog at Taraba: 100 days to Wazobia FM be thankful about?

t has been 100 days since Garba Umar was confirmed the acting Governor of Taraba State, following the unfortunate plane crash which has left Dambaba Suntai bed-ridden in a German hospital. At the wake of confusion over how the state would be administered, the Taraba State House of Assembly, avoiding ‘the doctrine of necessity syndrome’ which characterised late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s tenure, quickly moved to confirm Garba Umar as the acting governor. But the advertorials which came out of the state on Tuesday to mark Garba Umar’s 100 days in office are leaving some bitter pills in many mouths after all. The advertorials read: 100 days to be thankful about in Taraba! So who is being thankful for another person’s misfortune? When the cat is away, Umar the mice will play.

n journalism circles, there is an ‘esprit de corps’ attitude that ‘dog does not eat dog’, which elicits a sense of confidence amongst practitioners of the profession. But for popular radio station, Wazobia FM, this popular parlance may not hold any water indeed. This is judging from what is currently going on at the Kano branch of the station, where three top staffers resigned their appointments a few days ago over fears that their management was about sacrificing them on the altar of their friendship with the government of Kano State. They include the head of the station, Mallam Sanusi Bello Kankarofi, as well as Yakubu Musa of Dan Guiguya fame and Abubakar Sulaiman Gama. Globe Broadcasting Communications, which owns the station, has accepted their resignations and quickly appointed a former press secretary, Alhaji Sani Usman, to head the station. The journalists decided to resign because apart from allegedly receiving threats to their lives, the head office suspended their programmes, especially Sandan Girma and was making plans to sack them.

KANTI BELLO

The polity has been heated since Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State declared that President Goodluck Jonathan signed a pact not to run for a second term in office. Former Senate Majority Chief Whip, Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello, adds to the debate. Did President Goodluck Jonathan sign an agreement not to run for a second term?

Bello

e had the meeting at the PDP headquarters. There and then President Jonathan was trying to garner support. The president, governors, some lawmakers, party chieftains and I were there. I supported IBB because I felt he was a better candidate, but when he lost, I was duty bound as a party-man to support Jonathan. But then, before supporting him, I wanted to take something to my people who were agitating for a northern president. That is the fact because after the death of Umar Yar’Adua, our people felt that the presidency should remain in the north to compensate for the death of Umaru. I asked the president, “can we have his words that in 2015, he will not run?” To be fair to Jonathan, he did not answer the question. But I can remember some people went ahead and issued a communiqué that President Jonathan was going to do only one term. But the president did not say so. They issued the communiqué as if they had discussed with him, deceiving our people.

Escape

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Travel News

100:100:100: Artistic project to celebrate the Centenary STORIES: ADENRELE NIYI WITH AGENCY REPORTS

or the first time in the history of the Nation and in commemoration of the Centenary anniversary of Nigeria, 100 different artistes and musicians will be performing and exhibiting in 100 different locations, for a 100 different days all over the federation for Nigeria at 100 in an artistic/cultural project tagged: ‘100:100:100’. The initiative of leading indigenous event and entertainment consultancy Inspiro Productions (organisers of the hugely successful Tale of Two Africa Cities: Lagos-Johannesburg people to people initiative between Nigeria and South Africa), in collaboration with other leading entertainment brands and major stakeholders in the sector. This unique and epoch-making programme will be part of celebrating the 100 years of the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates into the Nation called Nigeria in 1914. In a statement issued by the ‘100:100:100’ project director, Ayoola Sadare, he said, “Inspite of all the chal-

lenges facing us as a nation, we believe that Nigeria should remain one. Nigeria is a beautiful country that can and must work. We see beyond the present challenges facing us; we see the resilient character and fighting spirit which are positives of this great 100 million plus strong country and believe that our size and diversity are our strengths rather than weaknesses and must be reinforced. “Our large population and multi-ethnic flavour presents a large human resource pool from which we have ample representation for almost every human endeavour. This is a solid advantage for us as a nation and was again recently exhibited with Nigeria winning the Orange African Cup of Nations, AFCON, 2013 edition against all odds. Nigeria’s Centenary is worth reflecting on, celebrating and thanking Almighty God for rather than a continual focus on the negatives”, Sadare said. Furthermore, Sadare stated that the entertainment and creative industries are veritable tools for national re-orientation. He opined that the industry which has put up strong showings in recent times is an emerging force to be reckoned with.

“At a time when Nigerian musicians, actors, literary and art practitioners are making impact both locally and internationally, an event like our Centenary cannot be taken lightly. The same way other nations sell their nation through their music, movies, arts and culture, the responsibility is on us as Nigerians as we step into our next century to develop strategies to harness this and chart a definite course with it”. The ‘100:100:100’ artistic project would not only include musical and artistic performances, but also capacity building sessions like workshops, master-classes, colloquiums, conferences and exhibitions that will include participants from both Nigeria and abroad. Also, current artistes, living legends and upcoming talents will be accommodated. Wide consultations are ongoing both in and out of the country to ensure a successful hosting of the project. Inspiro Productions has in the past successfully organised the Lagos International Jazz Festival, MUSON Jazz festivals, LABULE Creative Community shows and The Nigerian Jazz Project, NAIJAZZ, amongst many others.

Visa sponsors BT Africa Expo in Nigeria

Stakeholders get a feel of Prince of Anthony hotel

isa, global electronic payments company, has announced its partnership with Future Group and its Nigeriabased partners Tradeblazers Limited, to sponsor the BT Africa West Africa Expo and Conference in Nigeria. In its third year, and in association with Future Group’s Business Traveller Africa magazine, the conference will be held at the Federal Palace Hotel & Casino in Lagos from March 20 to 21. Through this partnership, Visa aims to consolidate its position in the travel industry throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Ade Ashaye, Country Manager for Visa in West Africa, said: “Visa plays an active role in travel and tourism and its research in the tourism industry provides key insights into the trends. We believe that continued engagement in the industry is important and are therefore delighted to partner with one of Africa’s premier business travel publications to host this event. The Expo and Conference brings together the industry heavyweights with the sole aim of unlocking Africa’s trade and tourism potential”. The BT Africa West Africa Expo & Conference serves as a mouthpiece in the business travel arena and is a platform on which leading industry delegates can engage and discuss, among other topics, business travel in and out of West Africa, and other travel-related issues. The event also serves as an opportunity to expose delegates to the relevant products in the travel sector, as well as encourage networking among those attending. Expected attendees, delegates and panellists include representatives of airlines, air charter companies, hotels and hotel groups, financial institutions, travel management companies and car rental brands. “This corporate travel indaba serves as a great opportunity for all those with a vested interest in West African business travel to come together under one roof ”, said Dylan Rogers, Editor of Business Traveller Africa magazine. “The benefits of attending include extensive networking opportunities, the sharing of knowledge and exposure to a range of business travel-related products”.

TERH AGBEDEH

K Saxophonist Dave Koz at the 2012 edition of CTIJF

2013 Jazz Fest: World class entertainment, huge empowerment

he 2013 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, CTIJF, will be a hub of both empowerment and world class entertainment spread over eight days. Ten different initiatives now make up the Sustainable Training and Development, T&D, programme of the festival, the 14th of its kind and a local and international music highlight. “This festival is now far more than just two days of music. We hold a variety of events and programmes that expand the love of music amongst the broader communities of Cape Town and develop musical talent and other skills in the South African music-entertainment industry”, said Rashid Lombard, Festival Director and CEO of leading event company espAfrika. As well as the Department of Arts and Culture, the SABC and the City of Cape Town, this year, the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, NLDTF and the South Atlantic Arts and Culture Trust

has come on board as a principal funder of the T&D arm of the festival. “The SABC is proud to be the cosponsor of the festival’s T&D programme, aimed at a new generation of musicians, arts journalists and photographers. In order for measureable progress to take place from the T&D initiative, the focus should not be based upon short term results only – developmental work requires longer time frames to deliver meaningful and lasting impact”, says Kaizer Kganyago, spokesperson of the SABC. The Sustainable Training and Development Programme for the 14th CTIJF includes the following: Arts Journalism programme; Arts and Culture Focus Schools (live music performance); Berklee College of Music auditions; Gigs for kids; free People Concert at the Green Market Square; Photographic Workshop; Music Business Workshop; Jazz Master Classes; Fusion Master Class and CTIJF Golf Day.

ey stakeholders of Anthony Village, Lagos, were treated to a pleasant surprise on Saturday, February 16, when they were introduced to Prince of Anthony, a hotel of the 1960 group of hotels. The event had in attendance dignitaries such as: Hon. Busayo Adebayo, Iyalaje General, Kosofe LGA, Alhaja B.B. Balogun, former S.A. to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Niyi Idowu, the Chief Imam of Anthony Village, the Councillor of Anthony Village, Kosofe LGA, Hon. Ogunsanwo Bayo, and a host of others. The largely interactive forum was part of the activities lined up for the grand opening of the new ultra-modern hotel aimed to create and maintain a mutual and beneficial relationship, between the stakeholders of Anthony Village and the hotel. The Chairman of the hotel, Mr. Akin Adeoya in his welcome remarks, noted that Prince of Anthony was in the community to bless and not to curse it, as there is a quota for the provision of employment for Anthony Village residents while measures for beefing up security, in the area, have been put in place. The attendees were taken on a guided tour of the hotel. They saw, first- hand, the facilities the hotel has to offer its customers, notably: the deluxe rooms and apartments, meeting rooms, conference hall, sports bar, VIP lounge, massage parlour and restaurant. They were very impressed with what they saw and expressed their gratitude to the chairman, for establishing such an upscale hotel in the heart of Anthony Village. The forum ended on a high note, with an interactive session, during which those present at the forum, asked questions on issues they needed clarifications on. The management team of the hotel provided answers to these questions and went further to allay any fear the residents may have, on this new and positive development in their community.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday February 22, 2013

Mirror Drive

Nigeria recorded 4,600 road crashes in 2012 –FRSC boss STORIES: OLUSEGUN KOIKI

he Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka earlier in the week disclosed that road crashes in Nigeria in 2012 was just 4,600, a far cry from the statistics of 2011. Also, Mr. Chidoka explained that the Corps, since establishment in 1988, has initiated an unprecedented advocacy on seatbelt usage, improved staff strength from 250 to 18,000 at present and also a vanguard on the creation of the largest volunteer group of 15,000 special marshals in Africa to increase the momentum for road safety management in Nigeria. Chidoka stated these at a presentation in Abuja to mark FRSC’s 25th anniversary. He recalled that the economic boom in the mid 70s

resulted in an upsurge in number of vehicles in Nigeria and coincided with a period when road safety was a global issue, which made the establishment of the agency a necessity. The Corps’ boss added that the establishment of FRSC in 1988 has provided significant mileage for road traffic administration and safety management in Nigeria. He added that numerous measures by the Federal and States Governments in previous years, in addition to initiatives by various private organisations to address the menace of road crashes until the then Federal government resolved to bring the Oyo state model of road safety to national limelight through the establishment of the corps at a time when the annual figure on road crashes was 25,000. He explained that since establishment, the corps had installed 374 V-sats to ensure seamless intercon-

Osita Chidoka, FRSC boss

nectivity in its administrative and operational functions spearheaded the infusion of road safety into schools’ curriculum in 2012. Also, he said the agency impacted tremendously in traffic engineering through road safety audits and reduced response time to road crashes through a 24- hour Call Centre, which created a unique interface between the corps and the Nigerian motoring public.

Hyundai records rise in sales revenue

yundai Motor Company recently announced its 2012 full-year earnings results. In spite of the challenging business environment with fluctuating exchange rates, the auto company said it managed to sustain its upward momentum. For the year 2012, sales revenue rose 8.6 per cent to 84.47 trn won (currency of South Korea) –automotive: 71.31 trillion/finance and other: 13.16 trillion– from a year earlier, helped by increased sales volume and improved product-mix. An online statement signed by Mr. Nair Santhosh, spokesman of Stallion Motors Limited, the major dealer of Hyundai vehicles in the country, stated that operating profit rose 5.1 per cent to 8.44 trn won, while net profit increased 11.7 per cent to 9.06 trn won (including non-controlling interest), fuelled by robust performance at the company’s overseas plants and subsidiaries. Santhosh said Hyundai sold 4,410,357 units globally (Korea: 667,496/overseas: 3,742,861) in 2012, an 8.6 per cent increase from a year earlier. While its sales in Korea fell 2.2 per cent to 667,496 units from the previous year, its overseas sales rose 10.8 per cent to 3,742,861 units (exports: 1,243,763 / overseas plants: 2,499,098). In particular, sales jumped more than 10 per cent in Europe to 444,000 units, bucking the market’s trend of shrinking demand.

In the fourth quarter alone, he said sales revenue increased 10.7 per cent to 22.72trn won (automotive: 18.75 trillion/finance and other: 3.97 trillion) with global sales of 1,226,847 units.

However, operating profit decreased 11.7 per cent to 1.83trn won from a year earlier, mainly due to currency fluctuations unfavourable to Hyundai. To overcome sluggish demand in the

Korean domestic market, Hyundai aggressively expanded exports from Korea, while boosting sales in its overseas markets through its local production and sales network. Hyundai also enhanced its profitability through improved productmix and efficient marketing based on qualitative growth. Hyundai forecasts that the global auto market, including some emerging markets, will face slowing demand amid fiercer competition and tougher government policies. He said, “Nevertheless, Hyundai aims to sell 4.66 million vehicles globally in 2013 (Korea: 668,000/overseas: 3,992,000), a 5.7 per cent increase from last year. Hyundai plans to achieve this by strengthening its fundamentals by promoting qualitative growth and securing future competitiveness, rather than quantitative growth”.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

How to check ball joints of a car

he ball joints of a car allow the front wheels to move up and down to soak up road bumps and to pivot for steering. Think of the ball-and-socket joint in your shoulder or hip and you will have some idea how the ball joint works for your car’s steering and suspension. Over time, a car’s ball joints may wear down. If a ball joint starts to loosen, you will hear clunking sounds from the front as the joint rattles in the socket. If it tightens up, the steering will bind so you can have a stiff spot as you turn the steering wheel. In this edition, Maintenance Tips will outline ways to check ball joints for excessive wear before a driver experiences severe steering or suspension problems.

The first step is for a driver to look for a wear indicator. While the vehicle is still on the ground, look underneath the car, on the bottom of the steering knuckle attached to the wheel. The most common indicator is grease fitting that doubles as a wear indicator. That fitting or boss, will stick out of the bottom of the joint’s housing by about half an inch (1.25 centimetres). As it wears the boss will recede into the housing. As long as the boss protrudes out, the joint should be fine. Once the boss is flush with the housing or has receded even further, you will need to replace the ball joint. If your front suspension uses McPherson struts, look for that wear indicator, usually a grease fitting. Grasp the fitting and try to wiggle it. If the fitting moves around inside the housing you will need to replace the ball joint. To be continued next week

Cocktail

Friday, February 22, 2013

FOR YOUR SUCCESS

WITH DR. DEJI FOLUTILE

Today's Tonic (101)

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. –Walt Disney *** It’s A Dreamers’ World! A popular wisdom teacher once wrote, “The proof of desire is pursuit.” How true! Whatever dream we are not willing to pursue is not a true dream. The world is full of beautiful and usable things today because certain people rigorously pursued their dreams. Many great things are yet to appear in the physical because true dreamers are wanting. Will you be one? And why not? You are a spark of the divine. You are a piece of the Master. You are created in the exact image of God. Wow! You have whatever it takes to manifest the treasures loaded into you by your Creator! Dream without action is not a dream. Whatever you believe in and does not move you into action is living a false life. Hear me friends: Pick up that dream again and go for it. You can do it. And you will succeed! TEL 08104942999 E-MAIL deji.folutile@gmail.com Follow me @TwitterOWOTIDE

Hospital staff ff gets shoeshine tips totalling $200,000

shoeshine man has given a Pittsburgh children’s hospital a total of more than $200,000 in tips he’s collected over the last 30 years. Albert Lexie says he’s been shining shoes for $5 at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh since the early 1980s. He says most customers tip him $1 and some give him an

extra $2. He says a doctor gave him a $50 bill for Christmas. WTAE-TV says Lexie gives all his tip money to the hospital’s sick children. Dr. Joseph Carcillo says Lexie has donated more than a third of his lifetime salary to the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund, which helps parents who can’t afford to pay their sick children’s medical costs.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oddities

Mike the fearless brown bear shot by Swiss gamekeepers A brown bear dubbed Mike by its fans has been shot and killed by gamekeepers in a mountainous border region in south-eastern Switzerland after several run-ins with locals, Swiss officials said on Wednesday. How to deal with the bear, known as M13 by authorities, had sparked controversy between gamekeepers and environmentalists far outside the Graubuenden canton, which borders on Italy and Austria and where the animal was most often spotted. Swiss gamekeepers said Mike, given the name by creators of a Twitter account set up to track him and spread his fame, had increasingly pushed into populated areas and shown no fear of people, presenting a major safety risk. “The bear’s behaviour couldn’t be changed,”

wildlife wardens in the canton -- home to famous winter holiday resorts like St Moritz, Klosters and Davos -- said in a statement. Mike’s adventures, such as breaking into beehives belonging to a school in the town of Poschiavo, were closely monitored after he was fitted with a tracking device last June. Sightings - including when he was hit by a train on the local Rhaetian Railway, a major tourist draw - became a staple in

Swiss tabloids, and Mike’s popularity grew when the Twitter account was set up. Last year, the bear unwittingly led Austrian police to a murder victim when he started a fire by knocking a tree onto a power line. But Swiss federal and local authorities decided he had to be put down after he broke into a Graubuenden home last November. In recent days, he had approached humans again after waking up from hibernation, game officials

said. The Swiss-based World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) condemned the shooting, saying wardens should have instead intensified efforts to frighten the animal away from populated areas. Several brown bears, including two called M12 and M14 who had been identified as Mike’s brothers, have also been known to roam between Switzerland, Austria and Italy. M14 died last year when he was hit by a car.

The brown bear dubbed Mike by its fans in the eastern Swiss Val Mustair valley, June last year. PHOTO: REUTERS

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business & Finance This payment is only for PHCN staff, and in determining who should benefit, labour and government conducted a biometric exercise. The number of people benefiting is clearly defined by this agreement.

Let us put in place enough resources that will allow value addition so that post harvest wastages can be minimised Former consultant to UNESCO, DFID, Professor Sola Aliu

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN, RUBEN ABATI

FG begins implementation of no premium, no cover policy AYO OLESIN

from the observed noncompliance by Ministries, Departments and Agencies and other critical stakeholders in the insurance industry, the ability of insurance companies to meet their various claims obligations under contracts of insurance to eligible beneficiaries has been grossly undermined.

He pointed out that industry record showed that “the total premium debts owed the insurance companies by MDAs as at January 2012 in N24bn in spite of yearly budgetary provisions for insurance.” In directing full compliance with the provisions of the Act, the minister warned that “any MDA or organisation

found culpable would be sanctioned accordingly.” MDAs and other stakeholder were also enjoined in the circular to render returns on premium collection and remittances to the National Insurance Commission as enshrined in the guidelines. “In addition, it is worthwhile to note that henceforth any contract

of insurance entered into without full premium in advance shall be legally unenforceable,” the circular said. Ngama said that the enforcement of the provision of the Insurance Act was expected to strengthen the ability of insurers to meet claims obligations s as and when due.

he Federal Government said yesterday that any ministry, department or agency that failed to pay insurance premium in line with the provisions of the Insurance Act would face appropriate sanctions under new industry guidelines released by the Ministry of Finance. In a circular with dated February 12, 2013 with ref no F.15441/S.11/ III/312 signed by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, and sent to the heads of all key government parastatals, the Federal Government directed strict compliance with the no premium, no cover rules as enshrined in Section 50 of the Insurance Act 2003 as part of efforts to sanitise the insurance sector and consolidate the gains of ongoing reforms in the insurance sector. L-R : Registrar/ CEO Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Alhaji. Bello Kankarofi; Head, Marketing, DUFIL Prima Foods Plc, In the circular the Mr. Manpreet Singh, and Public Relations/ Events Manager, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, during a courtesy visit to APCON office at Iganmu Lagos, yesterday. minister said: “Arising

Rising piracy in Nigerian waters raises business risks -Analysts

spike in piracy off Nigeria’s oil-rich coast has shown gangs are willing to venture further afield and use more violent tactics, increasing the risk of doing business in Africa’s largest energy producer, Reuters

ADVERT HOTLINES: For advert bookings and information, please contact the following:

LAGOS: 01-8446073, 08094331171, 08023133084, 08034019884 ABUJA: 08033020395, 08036321014

said in a report yesterday. Pirates demanded a N200 million ransom for the release of six foreigners kidnapped on Sunday, the latest in at least five attacks in Nigerian waters this month. Exxon Mobil and Shell officials said this week that security was a major factor in Nigeria, and it was one of the most expensive oil-producing

countries to operate in. “The recent upsurge in maritime kidnaps off the Niger Delta ... has not been witnessed since 2010,” said Tom Patterson, maritime risk analyst at Control Risks. “It is easy to underestimate the debilitating effect such a situation can have, even on larger corporations,” Patterson added.

NERC inaugurates 25 man team for consumer complaints resolution

Oil and shipping companies have to hire crisis management teams, pay huge insurance premiums and face the prospect of ransom payments, as well as brace themselves for damage to their reputations. At the same time, pirates are becoming more ambitious, Reuters said.. Three crew members were kidnapped on Feb-

ruary 7 from the Britishflagged cargo ship, Esther C, around 80 miles offshore, the furthest pirates have reached in the Gulf of Guinea. Gunmen killed a Filipino crew member when they attacked a chemical tanker three days earlier, in the first confirmed case in Nigerian waters of crew being killed on a vessel that deployed a private armed team, maritime risk experts AKE said.

Skepticism trails new Port Information System contract

Arik Air Lag-Abj:07.15, 09.15, 10.20, 13.05, 15.20, 16.20, 16.50,18.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun). Abj-Lag: 07:15, 09.40,10.20, 12.15, 15.15, 16.15,17:10, (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun); 12.15, 15.15, 16.15 (Sun)Lag-PH: 07:15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.10, 17.15 (Mon-Fri) 07.30, 11.40, 15.50 (Sat) 11.50, 3.50, 17.05 Sun) Abj-PH: 07.15, 11.20, 15.30 (Mon-Fri) 07.15, 16.00 (Sat) 13.10, 16.00 Sun) PH-Abj: 08.45, 12.50, 17.00 (Mon-Fri) 08.45, 17.30 (Sat) 14.40, 17.30 (Sun) AbvBeni:08.00, 12.10 (Mon-Fri/ Sat)08.56, 12.10(Sun)

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) LagBenin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (MonFri/Sat/Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat)

IRS Lagos-Abuja 7.30 8.30 7.45 8.45 09.30 10.30 10.30 11.30 12.30 13.30 14.30 15.30 16.30 17.30 Lagos-Kano 08.00 09.15 10.30 11.45 14.30 15.40 18.15 19.30 Los-Maid&Yola (Mon-Thur) 09.30 11.30 Fri- Sun 10.30 12.30 Kano-Lagos 07.30 08.45 14.00 15.15 17.30 18.45 Kano-Abj 10.45 11.30 Abj-Lagos 09.00 10.30 11.00 12.00 12.00 13.00

Business News

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NERC inaugurates 25-man team on consumer complaints CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

n a bid to ensure effective customer service delivery, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), yesterday inaugurated a 25-man customer complaints forum to handle issues of complaints arising from various distribution companies across the country. Comprising five members from five zonal offices of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), including Ibadan, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja, the forum is designed to function like an appellate court where customers whose matters could not handle at the various DISCos customer complaints units seek redress. Speaking at the occasion, Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, stated that the idea for the formation of the forum was to ensure adequate protection of the customers. He said there would be a forum administration office in NERC headquarters, whose secretary

L-R: Chief Medical Director, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Professor Micheal Ibadin; Director, Consumer Banking Group, UBA Plc, Mr. Owoeye Ilesanmi and Regional Bank Head, Midwest, UBA Plc, Mrs. Joan Abola, at the commissioning of a Kindergarten Playroom Centre donated by UBA Plc and Moneygram International to the children’s ward of UBTH, in Benin on Wednesday.

would be seconded from the apex electriciy regulatory body, adding that each forum is supposed to give reports of all its proceedings and decisions made to NERC monthly basis for reviews and effective monitoring. According to NERC, the forum

Nigeria yet to derive benefits of cloud computing –NITDA KUNLE AZEEZ

igeria is yet to derive full benefits of cloud computing services due to a number of challenges confronting the nation’s Information and Communication Technology industry. This was disclosed yesterday by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Angaye at the launch of cloud services by Business Connexion Nigeria. Speaking at the ‘Impact of True Cloud Computing Services on the Nigerian Economy’, Angaye said though the cloud concept holds the future for sustainable socioeconomic development, “Nigeria, like other developing countries, is still facing challenges in full

adoption of cloud computing paradigm due specifically to the inefficient infrastructure, cost of access to ICT products and services.” Cloud computing is the storing, processing and use of data on remotely located computers accessed over the internet. This means that users can command almost unlimited computing power on demand, that they do not have to make major capital investments to fulfil their needs and that they can get to their data from anywherewith an internet connection. According to Angaye, cloud computing has become ubiquitous paradigm in recent time with the advances in ICT which has brought about unique challenges and opportunities leading to fundamental changes in the way that information is generated, shared

will serve in form of an appeal court to look into matters that could not be resolved at customer complaints units (CCU) of the various distribution companies. He said the article 3 of the customer complaints handling: standards

and procedures, mandates every DISCO to establish CCUs within its premises which shall be receiving and resolving customer complaints. Where such matters failed to be satisfactorily resolved by the CCUs, it could be then taken to the forum

and distributed. He said the benefits of cloud services from technology perspective are enormous. “Organisations, including public administrations, can use cloud services to successfully replace internally-run data centres and ICT departments. “In addition, cloud services offer very large economies of scale meaning that go-it-alone efforts at national level are unlikely to deliver optional cost efficiencies,” he said. Angaye, who noted that the unprecedented increase of data flow and processing of information over the Internet has a significant environmental impact through energy and water consumptions and greenhouse gas emission, said cloud computing can mitigate these problems because of efficient use of hardware as well as by building data centres to use low-energy servers and green energy.

CAC, NEPC, others get new boards

‘FG’s agric transformation will not succeed without technology’ MESHACK IDEHEN

he Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government will not succeed without the application of modern technology used for enhanced agriculture activities, including the provision of phones for farmers. In that regards, an indigenous technology firm, Novus Agro Limited, said it is seeking ways to help Nigerian farmers boost their income by increasing their sales through access to markets using the mobile phone

technology. Addressing journalists in Lagos on Thursday, an Executive of Novus Agro Limited, Mrs. Obiajuru Igborgbor, said the company was trying to bridge the information gap in the agricultural sector using technology through the mobile phone. She explained that prices are usually monitored and passed along the value chain from the farmers to the processors, exporters and consumers who then have access to them, and that the company, which has been in existence for the past three years, also provides this

further attempts at resolution. “The forum, which is akin to the appellate court, is to handle complaints emanating from the DISCO. Any dissatisfied customer who still feels that they have not gotten the desired attention, or are dissatisfied with the outcome as addressed by the DISCO, can then appeal to the forum, being the next level of redress in the system” he explained. He said members of the were drawn from institutions that have stakes in the Nigerian electricity supply industry, including Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN), Chambers of Commerce, Society of Engineers, Council for Consumer Protection, NGOs, among others. “The central idea behind the forum is that in as much as NERC focuses in increasing capacity, ensuring efficiency and market that is structured to continuously bring efficiency in terms adequacy, and reliability of power, the ultimate beneficiary and then the ultimate focus is of our interventions is the customer.”

information via the internet and not just through mobile phones. According to her, subscribers do get SMS alerts depending on the interval they choose which could be daily, weekly or monthly alerting them on the current prices of commodities, and that the company believes that price information is vital for virtually everybody, from the housewife that wants to know the cost of food items before leaving home for the market to the exporter who wants to know where he can buy the cheapest.

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

he Federal Government yesterday inaugurated boards of four parastatals under the Ministry of Trade and Investment. The four agencies include, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA). While the 10-member board of CAC is led by Mr. Funsho Lawal as Chairman, Barr. Chris Asoluka chairs OGFZA’s 14-member board and Alhaji Abubakar becomes the chairman of the 10-member board of SON. The only agency with a woman chairman is NEPC and it is to be chaired by Mrs. Grace Clark. However, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who inaugurated the boards in Abuja, warned members not to meddle with the day-to-day running of the agencies under their watch. The minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, stated that while the Federal Government acknowledged the important role of board members in formulating good policies that would drive the operations of the parastatals, they were not to interfere in the day-to-day running of their respective parastatals. He said, “Boards of Parastat-

als are responsible for setting out broad economic, financial, operational administrative guidelines and targets for their various agencies. They are concerned with policy issues, monitoring of institutional projects/programmes and ensuring that the parastatal’s mandates are realised. “You are therefore enjoined to adhere strictly to the provisions of the enabling Acts of your agencies as well as financial regulations and guidelines on administrative procedures. “While congratulating you on your well deserved appointment, may I emphasise that your appointment is on a part-time basis. As such, you are not expected to interfere or participate in the day-to-day running of your respective agencies.” In a move which seems a break away from the past, the minister noted that no chairman or board member was entitled to an official vehicle on a permanent basis. He added, “I must stress at this juncture, that no Chairman or board member is entitled to an official vehicle on permanent basis. Same goes for office or residential accommodation. “In addition, you are enjoined to comply with the provisions of extant circulars governing your tenure/appointment, especially circular No. SWC/S/04/S.310/105, dated 10th June, 2010 issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which specified your allowances and frequency of meetings.”

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Business News

Friday, February 22, 2013

CBN policies impoverish workers, says ASSBIFI MESHACK IDEHEN

or initiating and implementing policies that have continued to impoverish workers in the banking industry, the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), an affiliate to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said in the last one year, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s “unstable policies has put financial sector workers under severe threat of job insecurity”. According to the association, “the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, will continue to remain in the bad book of labour for a long time, due to various actions he has taken against workers in the sector since he became CBN governor”. Listing some of the action taken by the CBN, the General Secretary of ASSIBIFI, Mr. Obukese Orere, said three

Banks; BankPHB, Spring Bank and AfriBank were nationalised under AMCON within the year. According to Orere, “In 2012, small banks were politically made to take over big banks: – Oceanic Bank taken over by EcoBank, Intercontinental Bank taken over by Access Bank. The above actions as a fall out of the CBN direct policy on the sector seriously affected not only the economy but the workers in these banks who were laid off prematurely and without adequate compensation. The smaller Banks that took over the bigger ones have not been able to cope with the job load as the software and others are not compatible. “An example is EcoBank that has not been able to accommodate the depositors of Oceanic Bank till now. The failure of CBN misguided attempts to impoverished Nigerians by the proposed introduction of N5,000 notes and coins, is another mad policy. “Cash-less or cash-lite policy

was another of the policy summersault for 2012 by the CBN. It said the policy initially was for Lagos only and the sum allowable for co-operate bodies and individuals have been changed. This is due to financial policy instability. It showed that Nigeria has grown beyond trial by error policies. As at December 2012, the workers in AfriBank were still protesting the nonpayment of their entitlements on the streets of Lagos after months of disengagement on CBN policy. “The constitutional autonomy of the CBN is healthy but the individual governor’s abuse of that autonomy must be looked into by the National Assembly. “On the constitutional provision, all three tiers of government – Federal, state and local share huge sums every quarter. One may be forced to ask what each of these tiers has done with their share in the interest of the poor.

Eurobond yields fall on T-bill demand JOHNSON OKANLAWON WITH AGENCY REPORT

igeria’s Eurobond yields fell to the lowest in more than a week after investors placed orders for more than four times the amount of Treasury bills offered at an auction. Yield on the $500 million of debt due January 2021 declined seven basis points to 4.358 per cent, the lowest on a closing basis since Feb. 13, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The naira gained less than 0.1 per cent to N157.25 a dollar. The Central Bank of Nigeria sold N135.7bn ($862 million) of bills on Wednesday, including N25.65bn of 91-day bills at a yield of 9.416 per cent, the lowest since September 2011. Bids amounted to N529.9bn. The nation’s inflation rate fell to nine per cent in January from 12

NAMA ready to implement new condition of service OLUSEGUN KOIKI

arely 24 hours after the unions in the Nigeria aviation industry threatened to down tools from today on the implementation of new condition of service, the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), said that it is ready to commence the payment of the new condition of service to its workers. A statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the agency, Mr. Supo Atobatele and made available to journalists assured that the management would implement the new condition of service contrary to the

position of the union leaders on Wednesday. Atobatele in the statement attributed the delay in implementing the new salary structure to some critical omissions in the document approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, which were of serious concern to the union leaders who implored the NAMA management to alert the commission for necessary correction. The statement reads in part, “Having studied the approved salary structure, we observe that grade levels 01-14 are at variance with what was negotiated as it fell short of figures of each of the grade levels. “In comparison with the salary structure of the Federal Airports

Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the approved salary structure of NAMA fell short to that of FAAN, which was approved in 2011. The differentials therefore undermine the salary parity between FAAN and NAMA.” He said the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPTRE), one of the unions noted in a letter to the management. In a response to this request, Atobatele noted that the management officially notified the Wages Commission “to take a second look at our request in respect of the proposed salary table ,so that the concerns being raised are properly addressed and put to rest.”

per cent in December, the statistics bureau said February 18. “Favourable outlook of the economy has been reflected in rising local and offshore interest in various debt securities of the country,” Mr. Kunle Ezun, an analyst at Ecobank Transnational Incorporation, said. The Nigeria’s foreign-currency reserves have advanced 6 percent this year to $46.9bn, the highest since at least 2010, according to February 19 data compiled by the CBN. The yield on the country’s 16.39 per cent domestic bonds due January 2022 fell one basis point to 10.40 per cent, according to Wednesday’s data compiled on the Financial Markets Dealers Association website. The CBN also sold N30bn of 182-day bills at 9.917 per cent and N80bn of 364-day securities at 10.54 per cent.

No more manual registration of products, says SON STANLEY IHEDIGBO

L-R: Director Human Capital & Infrastructure, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Dave Imoko; Former Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Enugu State, Barrister Ifeanyi Nwoga and Assistant Director Compliance & Monitoring Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Efosa Idehen at a workshop on the Freedom of Information Act 2011 for NCC staff in Calabar recently.

tandard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), yesterday disclosed that it would no longer accept manual registration of products with the introduction of the e-product. Speaking at the launching of the e-product registration, in Lagos, the Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, said that his office will henceforth not entertain any form of manual registration of product from any individual or companies. According to him, the e-products registration programme is a process that allows individual or companies to register their products online, that is, without necessarily having to travel all the distance, or incurring all the

other inconveniences involved in physically reaching our offices. He said “It is all in our bid as a major regulatory agency with statutory powers, to ensure that we do our job. It is in our bid to safeguard lives, and protect businesses”. According to the SON DG, even in the average corporate environment, electronically- driven platforms have become commonplace, embraced by all for its obvious advantages, including ease and convenience of doing business. “As a standards body, we cannot close our eyes to important realities in the business sphere, we cannot ignore necessary changes in the fields we regulate and still aspire to get to achieve our set targets.

Nigerian steel pipes best for construction projects, says firm MESHACK IDEHEN

he Managing Director of Nigeria Gas and Steel Limited (NGSL), Mr. Hasib Moukarim, said Nigerian engineers, architects and steel structural engineers have gradually adopted welded steel pipes due to its cost saving benefits and other advantages in construction projects in the country. Moukarim said this in Lagos on Thursday, while giving assurance that the steel pipes produced by the company can compete and best with any produced elsewhere in the world. According to him, many contractors in the past one year, who

had executed various contracts, including projects for airport terminals, warehouses, churches, petrol stations, schools, shopping complex, bus-stops and bill boards have used the heavy duty steel welded pipes manufactured locally by NGSL to fabricate the roofing and structural engineering aspects of the contracts. He said that gradually, the local steel structural contractors and fabricators have recognised the superior quality of pipes produced by NGSL, saying that they have realised all the products of thick steel pipes of different sizes such as 5”, 6”, and 8” pipes made from 4mm to 10mm steel and different shapes as round, square and rectangular.

Maritime

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Skepticism trails new Port Information System contract The recent approval for a multi-million dollar Integrated Port Community Information System (IPCIS), by the Federal Ministry of Transport reminds most stakeholders of the illfated International Telegraph and Telecommunication (ITT) project that would have literally put phones on every street in Nigeria. FRANCIS EZEM reports.

hen the Nigerian Ports Authority mooted the idea of Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) in 2009, most stakeholders saw it as yet another avenue to fleece unsuspecting importing community. The authority then with the aid of its powerful propaganda machinery convinced Nigerians, especially port services users that the scheme would not attract an additional payment and subsequently it smuggled in as one of the fees paid on imported cargo at the seaports in the country. It took the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend the CTN August last year. Several months after the suspension, freight forwarders alleged that importers are still made to pay the CTN levy. There is no doubt that Nigeria operates the most expensive port system in the world. This also accounts for the high rate of diversion of Nigeria-borne cargo to neighbouring West African seaports. Statistics also show that though over 70 percent of the entire imports into West Africa end up in Nigeria, less than 20 percent of this cargo volume comes through her reformed seaports due to some of these charges. It was probably against this background that most maritime stakeholders could not hide their skepticism over the proposed Integrated Port Community Information System (IPCIS). Managing Director of the authority, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, who spoke at a one-day sensitisation seminar for maritime stakeholders in Lagos recently in respect of the new information system, disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Transport has approved the system, which contract has also been awarded to GDS Inc., a United States –based firm. The IPCIS, according to the NPA-boss is a Public Private Partnership project designed to achieve maritime system domain awareness. “Apart from checking access control to the ports, the new system would enhance operational efficiency at the nations various seaports ”, Abdullahi said. The managing director, who disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Transport, its supervising ministry has already approved the project, insisted that it would make things easier at the ports both for the regulators, port service providers and users and every other stakeholder in the port community. “Both in terms of turn around time of vessels and cargo dwell time, the new system when fully operational would trans-

Abdullahi

Minister of Transport, Idris Umar

THE IMPACT OF THE SYSTEM INCREASED SINGAPORE ’S TRADE NET, AS WELL AS REVENUE GENERATION BY FACILITATING THE SINGLE WINDOW PROCESS, LOWER COST AND ALSO ENHANCED

CUSTOMS CARGO CLEARANCE BY REMOVING DELAYS WITHIN THE SYSTEM form the way the port business is carried out ”, he further insisted. According to him, the overall benefit of the new system, which would also restructure the authority both in terms of management and operations, would in the long run facilitate efficiency and thus boosting revenue. But the nagging question in the minds of most port users is that under the new port structure, the authority is not involved in cargo operation, which has been taken over by the various concessionaires or terminal operators. Another issue is, since the process of cargo handling and release lies with the Concessionaires and the Nigeria Customs Service, how would a port community information system being put in place by NPA improve cargo dwell time and turn around time of ships? Executive Director of GDS, Mr. Michael Smith, which won the contract had, while making a presentation on the new information system, said his company has been involved in more complex management system, noting that its huge experience would be brought to bear on the project. Citing the example of Singapore, which operates one of the most efficient port systems in the world, he had attributed the growth of the nation ’s cargo traffic over the years to introduction of the same information solution being proposed for Nigeria. “The impact of the system increased Singapore ’s Trade Net, as well as revenue generation by facilitating the single window process, lower cost and also enhanced customs cargo clearance by

removing delays within the system ”, he further noted. While also citing the example of India, where the system has been deployed, he disclosed that the country has a total of 13 major seaports and 25 minor ones, adding that the system has drastically reduced delays associated with cargo delivery in addition to boosting revenue. Smith claimed that when the IPCIS was deployed to Indian ports, it reduced cargo dwell time which hovered between two and seven days to less than one minute while container release cost, which was $6 increased initially to $13 and later crashed to $2.10 cents even as the number of documents reduce from four to two and later to one electronic document. While going down the memory lane, he noted that in 2006, the US Government assisted the Ministry of Transport and NPA and that in June 2011, some staff of the company spent time talking to port stakeholders after which the company came up with a review of the port system. “This was borne out the company ’s discovery through interaction with relevant stakeholders that the ports lack Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS), no single window or one stop shop facility as well as an Information Technology system that would manage human capital ”, Smith further said He, therefore, assured that the project, which would be divided into three phases, targeting three or four ports in the first phase will bring about centralised port management system, build a trade facilitation centre and by so doing enhance national security. It was also gathered that the first phase

would focus on trade facilitation and integration of the pilot four ports while the second phase will see the completion of the integration process while the third phase would involve the development of port historical footprint. In addition, the company said it will install vessel tracking system before the end of June this year at the Lagos Ports Complex and Tin Can Island Ports, both in Apapa, Lagos. It also projects to install other VTMS backbone in other seaports before the end of April 2014, which it believes would enhance safety, security measures for the ports and also serve as navigational aids, which would include vessel identifiers, positions and pictures of every vessel coming into Nigeria. But stakeholders could not hide their skepticism for the project. For instance, General Manager of Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, one of the concessionaires, Captain Basir, who spoke at the seminar, had also warned that Nigeria ’s territorial waters have become porous, thus leading to increasing cases of piracy and sea robbery. He argued that any system to be introduced by NPA should worth it. He said: “The security challenge on Nigeria ’s waters has assumed such a worrisome dimension as many people now bug into the Automated Information of vessels, through which they eavesdrop into all the discussions of the captain and the entire crew, thus making them vulnerable to attacks. “NPA and its US partner should therefore ensure that all necessary loopholes were blocked so that the contract does not expose Nigeria ’s maritime domain security network unnecessary to the outside world ”, he further warned. President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Mr. Increase Uche, who represented freight forwarders, wondered whether the new system would not conflict with the Single Window project being worked out by Customs. Said he: “From what I have heard about this new information system, it might likely conflict with the Single Window project of Customs, which is designed to facilitate trade and also boost import duty revenue ” He warned that the nation ’s port industry cannot afford any conflict between the two key government agencies like NPA and Customs, as the effect might be devastating. On the claims by the authority that the new information solution would enhance efficiency and boost revenue, the NAGAFF-scribe observed that it might conflict with the port concession agreement between the authority and the various concessionaires. In addition to these fears, stakeholders wonder what form of public-private partnership the contract would take. For instance, would the American firm install its systems and impose additional charges on operators to recoup their investment. It is therefore, expedient for NPA and its supervisory ministry to address these nagging issues.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

STORIES: FRANCIS EZEM

arring any last minute change of mind, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency is concluding plans to undertake the repairs of about 20 double hall tanker vessels belonging to the Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria. The scheme is in line with the intervention scheme of the apex maritime agency to enhance indigenous participation in the Coastal and Inland trade, which seems to have also been made exclusive preserve for foreign ships. The 20 vessels, which belong to members of the Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN), when fully repaired, would be deployed to carry refined petroleum products under the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) regime. Director General of the agency, Mr. Patrick Akpoolokemi, who spoke shortly after a meeting with the NIMASA-ISAN Joint Technical Committee on Indigenous Capacity Development, said the agency would spend a whopping N1bn on the repair of the selected vessels. The technical committee is made up of representatives of ISAN, those of NIMASA as well as some officials of the United States-based International Reg-

Maritime

Friday, February 22, 2013

NIMASA to invest N1bn in repairs of indigenous vessel

Container ship on the high sea.

istry of Shipping (IRS), which has also been contracted to carryout a condition survey on the ships to ascertain their state of health. Akpobolokemi, who was represented by executive director of the agency in charge of Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Obi Callistus said: ”This money is not part of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, it is in line with NIMASA ’s plan to build the required

indigenous tonnage to be able to participate in the coastal trade ”. He also disclosed that after the condition survey, the agency will be in a better position to determine the extent of repairs that would be carried on each vessel after which they would be taken to a ship yard either in Nigeria here or within the West Coast to carryout he repairs. It was also gathered that while the various ship owners would

Fraud: Shippers ’ Council halts charcoal export to Europe

he Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Federal Government ’s agency charged with the responsibility of protecting shippers has warned Nigerian charcoal exporters, especially to Europe to beware of international fraudsters who make mouth-watering offers to exporters The council in line with its duty of protecting the interest of shippers had floated the Cargo Defence Fund (CDF) initiative, which helps the shippers to pursue claims and also get redress for injustices done to them in the course of their transactions. Some indigenous charcoal exporters had recently burnt their fingers in an attempt to export to Germany, having fallen into the hands of fraudsters, who took their goods and never paid Secretary of the CDF, Ms. Azuka Ogo, who gave the warning in Lagos, said the charcoal merchants should suspend charcoal export to European buyers as a result of what she described as a “killers trend ” which has characterised the business both locally and internationally. According to her, Nigerian charcoal exporters are losing money daily shipping hard wood charcoal products to European

Ogo

buyers who do not pay at the end of the day. “As at the end of 2011 we had a total of 27 cases of non-payment from various buyers from Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany and others. As at this February 2013, the cases have gone up to 41 despite an alert we ran in 2012 warning charcoal exporters who export to these buyers to desist, ” Ogo said. “What is the essence of engaging in a business and after spending your hard earned money you will not get paid at the end of the day?, ” she queried. It was gathered that a total of 447,576,000 euros and N3.4 million about N100.1 million has been lost by various exporters from Nige-

ria to these European buyers. She said the fund has discovered that while most of these companies are not able or are unwilling to pay for the goods they have received from the Nigerian exporters, most of them are busy arranging for new businesses with unsuspecting fresh Nigerian exporters. “It is very worrisome! After the exporters complained to us, we began to reach out to these buyers through diplomatic means only to discover that while some of the buyers are inaccessible, or unwilling to pay, or unable to pay, they are soliciting new export deals with local exporters now with new business identities ”, she disclosed. It was also gathered that one of the major reasons these exporters fell into the hands of unstable buyers was because they exported on what is called ‘Open account ’ in the financial circle. This is a payment option whereby an exporter can expect to be paid after he has exported and send shipment documents to the buyer. The CDF-boss warned that once the buyers lay hands on the shipment documents they renege since the ownership of goods has been transferred to them thereby leaving the exporter totally handicapped.

be allowed to make inputs as to which shipyards would be suitable for the repairs, the agency would solely determine where they will be taken to for their repairs. The Cabotage-boss had disclosed that the decision to ask the ship owners to make inputs in terms of the ship yards was informed by the belief that the agency does not have monopoly of knowledge but will have the final say on where the ships

would be repaired. He hinted that though the agency would bear the entire cost of the repairs, the ship owners would in the course of trading be made to repay the cost of the repairs to the agency. Callistus who briefed participants at the meeting had disclosed that the purpose of the meeting was to meet with the owners of the short listed vessels but warned that owners of single haul vessels would not be included in the scheme. “The reason for this is because NIMASA is about to phase out single haul vessels in preference for double hauls ”, he said. “This current arrangement is not designed to go the way of the defunct Ship Acquisition and Ship Building Fund. We need to get things properly done so the government will be encouraged to do more ”, he asserted Meanwhile, representative of IRS, which is to carryout the survey, Mr. M.O.Oladele, had while briefing the gathering, expressed fears over the worsening security situation in the country, especially in the Niger Delta region. He noted that it would take the company a maximum of two months to locate the vessels, some of which he said might be in the troubled region while others might be out of the ports.

Why we rewarded staff with long service award -Sifax

ifax Group Nigeria Limited, a fully indigenously owned terminal operator said its decision to reward five members of staff was in line with the company ’s policy of promoting discipline, decency and diligence in all aspects of its operations. The company had recently held a long service award ceremony in honour of some members of staff, some being pioneer staff of the company for their diligence, resilience and commitment especially during the trying period of the company ’s growth process. The awardees, who were presented with giant refrigerators include head of the billing department, Mrs. Evelyn Elue, who rose through the ranks, one of the operations manager, Mr Olanrewaju Agbabiaka, an office assistant, Mrs. Gladys Onuoha; a dispatch rider, Mr. Solomon Fatoyinbo and a driver, Mr. Tajudeen Yisua; Executive vice chairman of the group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, who spoke at the event, said the long service award designed to provide an opportunity for the company to celebrate commitment, excellence, painstaking efforts of the staffers, who have served for 10 years and above. According to Afolabi, who was represented by Dr. Fola Rogers-

Saliu, Consulate General of the Republic of Djibouti, the long service award was also a way of showing appreciation to the workers and to encourage others to emulate their spirit of excellence. “We commended the awardees for their dedication to work, challenged other staff to put in their best for the overall growth of the group and I can assure you, such contributions will always be recognized and rewarded. It was also gathered that the company, which is basically a Roll-On-Roll-Off terminal operators was particularly grateful to some of the workers, who were retrenched in 2002 following the blanket ban placed on the importation of cars of five years and above. This policy, which was reversed about two years later took its toll on the operation of the company, thus compelling it to retrench some staff without compensation but later recalled them when its economy improved The Group ’s executive director in charge of administration, Dr.Phil Ofulue, who also commended the staffers, noted that the event was designed to reward the outstanding performance of the five awardees.

Capital Market

Int ’l Breweries nets N2.06bn, as equities slide 0.6% on prot taking JOHNSON OKANLAWON

nternational Breweries Plc has declared a net profit of N2.06bn for the financial year ended December 31, 2012, from N147.3m recorded in the same period of 2011. The company ’s revenue stood at N13.3bn, an increase of 33.9 per cent when compared to N9.01bn recorded in 2011, while its cost of sales rose by 0.5 per cent, from N6.79bn recorded in 2011 to N6.82bn in 2012. According to the result presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, gross profit increased by 106 per cent to N6.45bn, from N3.12bn in 2011, while

profit before tax stood at N2.84bn, from N190.3m in 2011. Analysis of the company ’s balance sheet showed net assets of N12.3bn in the review period, from N4.19bn in 2011, while working capital dropped from N7.12bn in 2011 to N3.73bn in 2012. Total current liabilities rose by 12.6 per cent to N11.5bn, from N10.2bn recorded in 2011, while inventory stood at N2.06bn, from N1.64bn in 2011. Borrowings increased to N313m, from N39.6m in 2011. Meanwhile, trading in equities closed on bearish note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as speculative investors took

profit from the previous gains. The All Share Index dropped by 0.59 per cent to close at 33,506.60 points, as against the increase of 1.12 per cent recorded the preceding day to close at 33,708.18 points. Market capitalisation lost N6bn to close at N10.7trn, in contrast to the rise of N12bn recorded the preceding day to close at N10.8trn. DN Meyer Plc led the gainers table with 19 kobo or 9.69 per cent to close at N2.15 per share, followed by PZ Cussons Plc with N3.00 or 8.11 per cent to close at N40.00 per share. Custodian Insurance

Plc gained 11 kobo or 5.61 per cent to close at N2.07 per share, while Portland Paints Plc appreciated by 25 kobo or five per cent to close at N5.25 per share. BOC Gas Plc increased by 36 kobo or 4.99 per cent to close at N7.57 per share. On the flip side, Transcorp Plc dipped by 18 kobo or 10 per cent to close at N1.62 per share, while Prestige Insurance Plc declined by 10 kobo or 9.35 per cent to close at 97 kobo per share. Presco Plc shed N1.70 or 6.56 per cent to close at N24.20 per share, while Nestle Plc depreciated by N51.00 or 5.20 per cent to close at N930.00 per share. Okomu Oil Plc fell by N2.90 or five per cent to close at N55.10 per share. A total of 517.1 million shares valued at N5.27bn were exchanged in 6,183 deals.

he Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mr. Atedo Peterside, has said that Nigeria ’s quest for economic growth and development has attained important milestones in the last 12 months, with the power sector, capital market, ports, agriculture and foreign direct investments recording significant improvements. Peterside who spoke at the 2013 Standard Bank West Africa Investors ’ Conference in Lagos, remarked that the country ’s economy has reached a threshold, a critical phase during

which the country will accelerate the realisation of its vast economic potentials and deliver growth on a sustainable basis. According to Peterside who is also the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatization, the country ’s economic fundamentals are getting stronger every day. This, he said, is pivotal in helping investors to leverage the attractive investment opportunities that exist in the country and to derive optimal value from such investments. “We all know that a tipping point only becomes unmistakably clear after the fact when one has

joined the ranks of those who are left to ponder how they could possibly have missed out, ” Peterside stated He explained that the preferred bidders for 10 out of the 11 distribution companies and four out of the five generation companies slated for privatization have been selected. “We also have a contract in place for the private sector management of Nigeria ’s transmission network by a world class operator (Manitoba Hydro International of Canada), ” he added. On the Nigerian capital market, he noted that there has been a doubling of the daily trading band,

while the introduction of market-making initiative has helped to boost liquidity in the equities market. The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said that more Exchange Traded Funds will be launched before the end of the year, in addition to other derivatives to be rolled out in 2014 and 2015. He described the opportunities in the market and Nigerian economy as very huge, promising to get the Exchange to align with the government ’s privatization programme and power sector reform as this will enable more companies list on The Exchange.

Shares, euro extend rout as Europe recovery hopes dim

orries about Europe ’s economic health sent shares, commodities and the single currency lower yesterday, extending losses caused by growing uncertainty over the United States Federal Reserve ’s future monetary policy. The combination of factors put the MSCI world equity index on course for its biggest daily loss of year, sent oil sliding towards $114 a barrel, and saw the dollar hit a three-month high against a basket of major currencies. US stock index futures pointed to a lower start on Wall Street when it reopens, with the Standard

and Poor 500 index poised to follow its biggest daily fall in three months on Wednesday with more losses. The latest bout of selling was triggered by surprisingly weak euro zone Purchasing Managers Index data for February which dashed hopes of an early recovery for the recessionhit region. Economists had expected the PMIs, a leading indicator of economic activity based on surveys of businesses, to add to other tentative signs of a recovery. But instead they pointed to a sizeable first-quarter contraction of up to 0.3 per cent.

“The expectation was the trend of improvement for the euro zone as a whole would continue and it hasn ’t, so that is a disappointment, ” said BNP Paribas economist Ken Wattret. The euro tumbled to a fresh six-week low below $1.32 on the news, having already suffered at the hands of a resurgent greenback following the signals from the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday that it was considering an end to monetary stimulus. Signs that Fed policymakers were becoming increasingly reluctant to continue aggressive monetary easing, revealed in the minutes of the last pol-

Source: NSE

Source: Afrinvest S

Market indicators All-Share Index 10,721.9 points

Peterside lists gains of Nigeria ’s economic reforms JOHNSON OKANLAWON

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, February 22, 2013

icy meeting, had sparked a worldwide selloff in riskier asset markets. Europe ’s Eurofirst 300 index shed 1.2 per cent, close to its biggest daily loss of the year so far, while London ’s FTSE 100, Paris ’s CAC-40 .FCHI and Frankfurt ’s DAX were as much as 1.8 per cent lower. Emerging stocks were at their lowest levels since December as signs of a monetary tightening in China added to the growth and Fed policy concerns; traders speculated on a shift in monetary policy after China ’s central bank conducted a record high liquidity draining operation from the banking system.

Market capitalisation 33.5 trillion

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

DNMEYER

1.96

2.15

0.19

9.69

37.00

40.00

3.00

8.11

CUSTODYINS

1.96

2.07

0.11

5.61

PORTPAINT

5.00

5.25

0.25

5.00

BOCGAS

7.21

7.57

0.36

4.99

NNFM

20.25

21.26

1.01

4.99

NCR

16.75

17.58

0.83

4.96

IPWA

0.81

0.85

0.04

4.94

LIVESTOCK

2.23

2.34

0.11

4.93

UBCAP

1.44

1.51

0.07

4.86

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

TRANSCORP

1.80

1.62

0.18

-10.00

PRESTIGE

1.07

0.97

0.10

-9.35

PRESCO

25.90

24.20

1.70

-6.56

NESTLE

981.00

930.00

51.00

-5.20

OKOMUOIL

58.00

55.10

2.90

-5.00

STANBIC

13.90

13.21

0.69

-4.96

BERGER

11.31

10.75

0.56

-4.95

13.55

12.88

0.67

-4.94

ETRANZACT

3.65

3.47

0.18

-4.93

LEARNAFRCA

2.25

2.14

0.11

-4.89

Primary Market Auction TENOR

AMOUNT (N ’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Days

30,647.21

12.40

21-Feb-13

182-Days

20,000.00

15.08

21-Feb-13

364-Days

85,000.00

15.55

21-Feb-13

Open Market Operations TENOR

AMOUNT (N ’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

358-Days

15,764.00

15.55

21-Feb-13

332-Days

33,948.62

15.37

21-Feb-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$120m

N/A

$120m

20-Feb-13

$180m

N/A

$180m

18-Feb-13

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Friday, February 22, 2013

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at February 21, 2013 1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

1st Tier Securities 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)

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

Bomb blasts kill 64 in Syria, India

“It is of course a matter of concern that we have seen and continue to see declining defence budgets all over the alliance. My appeal to governments is, firstly, hold the line, stop the cuts”

–NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Gunmen kill seven in Kenyan mosque PAUL ARHEWE,

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

even people have been shot dead in an attack on a mosque in a village in northeastern Kenya near the border with Somalia, officials have said. Villagers told the BBC that 10 gunmen opened fire as people were leaving the mosque after early morning prayers. Five men were killed and then two women who heard shots and came to investigate were also shot dead. The attack comes less than two weeks before elections in a region where security is a problem. Residents of Malaley 1 village told the BBC nothing was stolen and the gunmen, armed with AK47 rifles, then fled. Garissa county commissioner Maalim Mohammed told the AFP news agency that two people were also wounded in the shooting. “Heavily armed men stormed a mosque and shot at people indiscriminately,” he said.

Car explosion in north Mali kills two

resident in the north Malian town of Kidal says a car exploded inside a garage, killing the driver and a security guard. Mossa Ansary said the explosion on Thursday took place about 800 meters (875 yards) from a French military base. It was unclear if it was a suicide car bombing. French and Chadian forces are patrolling the city of Kidal, though it remains unclear if the northern administrative capital is secure. Meanwhile, Malian troops are battling Islamist fighters near the town hall in Gao, the main city in northern Mali, an army spokesman has told the BBC. The fighting has left the town’s main courthouse in flames, according to reports. It is not the first time a group of militants have infiltrated Gao since French troops recaptured it last month. There are also reports of a car bomb near a French military camp in Kidal, the most northerly town in Mali. France intervened last month to help the Malian army oust Islamist militants who seized the north of Mali last year.

“The two women had responded to the screams from the mosque when they were shot.” The village is about 45km (28 miles) north-east of Dadaab refugee camp, which houses some 500,000 people who have fled years of conflict and drought in Somalia. In the past year, the region has also been prone to attacks blamed

on al-Qaeda-aligned Islamist militants in Somalia. The Somali al-Shabaab group vowed to take revenge when Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October 2011 to help the UNbacked government seize territory from the militants. Banditry is also a problem in the arid and sparsely popu-

lated area. BBC says tensions are also running high because of the upcoming polls - the first general election since the disputed election of December 2007. More than 1,000 people died in the violence following that vote and 300,000 people fled their homes.

Muslims from across the East African region participating in a procession to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammad in eastern Kenya, recently. PHOTO: REUTERS

US is committed to relationship with Somalia –USAID chief

ignalling the latest step forward in rapidly strengthening U.S.-Somalia relations, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development spent five hours in Mogadishu yesterday, the highest ranking U.S. administration official to visit Somalia’s capital in years. The U.S. is embracing the new government in Mogadishu, a formerly war-torn city that has seen about 18 months of relative peace after African Union troops ousted al-Qaida-linked militants. Last month the U.S. formally recognized Somalia’s government for the first time in two decades, during a visit to Washington by

Somalia’s president. It was less than two years ago that Rajiv Shah, the administrator of USAID, visited a Kenyan refugee camp filled with more than 400,000 Somalis during the middle of a devastating famine, a tragedy the U.N.-backed Somali government was ill-equipped to handle. Shah said Thursday he still carries the vivid memory of seeing babies near death. By contrast, Shah said his visit Thursday to Mogadishu signalled the desire of the U.S. government to partner with Somalia’s new government “to create a fundamentally different and more hopeful future for the Somali people.”

L-R: Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the USAID administrator Rajiv Shah, at a joint press conference at Mogadishu airport, Somalia. PHOTO: AP

He said Somalia was once mired in conflict, famine and terrorism, but that its story line is now one of resilience, recovery and hope. “America is prepared and committed to stand with the people of Somalia and their new, now-recognized and legitimate government as it tries to build both peace and prosperity, and the task of building peace and prosperity in an environment that has been plagued with extreme ideology and threat, famine and drought,” Shah told The Associated Press in an interview in neighbouring Kenya. Shah, who holds the political rank of a deputy secretary, announced $20 million in new U.S. aid funds to help Somalia support health and education programs. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he was grateful for the assistance. His visit comes 48 hours after a visit by Keith Ellison, a member of Congress from Minnesota. Neither Shah nor Ellis travelled beyond Mogadishu’s airport complex, the most secure area of a city that until recently was known as one of the world’s most dangerous.

WORLD BULLETIN

Top South African detective takes over Pistorius case

South Africa’s top detective is to take over the Oscar Pistorius inquiry amid attempted murder accusations against current lead officer Hilton Botha. Mr Botha was removed pending the result of an investigation into seven counts of attempted murder. National police chief Mangwashi Phiyega announced the change after a third day of testimony at Mr Pistorius’s bail hearing. Mr Pistorius, 26, denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29. Ms Steenkamp died after being shot three times at Mr Pistorius’ home on 14 February. Commissioner Mangwashi Phiyega said the South African Police Service (SAPS) had received feedback from state prosecutors about Mr Botha only on Wednesday. The news Hilton Botha is facing reinstated charges of attempted murder has stunned everyone. The immediate question is what impact, if any, the news may have on the prosecution argument that Mr Pistorius should not be allowed bail pending trial. The timing of the reinstatement of the charges is still unclear and the National Prosecuting Authority says they are in no way connected to the athlete’s murder case. It is curious, though, that the information about Det Botha was not provided to the Pistorius defence team or, apparently, to the prosecution. Some might argue that Det Botha, who wilted under strenuous cross-examination by the defence, eventually conceding that he had not yet seen any evidence to contradict the athlete’s version of events, has already done enough damage to the prosecution’s call for Mr Pistorius to be denied bail and that the new revelations may not affect the magistrate’s decision significantly.

NSIA holds annual public lecture

The annual public lecture of the Nigerian Society of International Affairs (NSIA) will hold on Monday, 25th February 2013 at the main auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos. Ttitled “ A Hegemon in a Peripheral Region: The future of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, the lecture will be delivered by Emeritus Professor, Akinjide Osuntokun, a former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany. According to a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Prof. Ayo Olukotun, the lecture which will be chaired by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwachukwu, is organised in keeping with the mandate of the Society to raise the public awareness on Nigeria’s Diplomacy and International Relations.

World News

WORLD BULLETIN

Iran plans to build oil refinery in Pakistan An Iranian semi-official news agency says Iran is planning to build an oil refinery in Pakistan. The plan is part of Iran’s effort to decrease international pressure on its oil industry, which has been target of international sanctions over the country’s disputed nuclear program. Thursday’s report by Fars quotes Asim Hussain, an adviser to the Pakistani prime minister, as saying that the refinery in the Pakistani port of Gwadar will be able to refine 400,000 barrels a day. The report says Iran will sell products from the refinery to Pakistan in return of food, especially wheat, meat and rice. The deal to build the refinery came after a meeting between Iran’s oil minister Rostam Ghasemi and the Pakistani adviser.

Three British men convicted in terrorist bomb plot A jury convicted three young British men — including an unemployed pharmacy graduate nicknamed Chubbs — yesterday of being ringleaders of an al-Qaida-inspired plot to explode knapsack bombs in crowded parts of Birmingham, England’s second-largest city. The men had pleaded not guilty, but were recorded discussing plans for attacks that one said would be “another 9/11.” A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in London found 27-yearold Ashik Ali; Irfan Khalid, also 27; and 31-year-old Irfan Naseer — nicknamed Big Irfan, or Chubbs — guilty of multiple counts of preparing for terrorism. Judge Richard Henriques told the men they face life in prison when sentences are imposed in April or May. “It’s clear that you were planning a terrorist outrage in Birmingham,” the judge said. The jury agreed with prosecutors that the trio were the senior members of a homegrown terror cell inspired by the anti-Western sermons of U.S.-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in Yemen in a U.S. drone strike in September 2011.

Judge grants access to secret Gitmo camp

The judge presiding over the Sept. 11 war crimes tribunal is allowing defence lawyers their first chance to see the secret section of the Guantanamo Bay prison where the accused are held. Army Col. James Pohl granted the defence teams less access to Camp 7 than requested. Lawyers for the five prisoners facing a military tribunal for their roles in the Sept. 11 attacks wanted to spend 48 hours inside the camp. They also wanted multiple visits. Pohl ruled that three members of each team can visit once, for no more than 12 continuous hours. He barred them from interviewing guards. Attorney James Connell called Wednesday’s ruling a good start. Camp 7 is so shrouded in secrecy that even its location on the U.S. base in Cuba is classified.

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bomb blasts kill 64 in Syria, India

car bomb killed 53 people and wounded 200 in central Damascus yesterday when it blew up on a busy highway close to ruling Baath Party offices and the Russian Embassy, Syrian television said. Also, twin bomb blasts killed 11 and injured 50 people in India yesterday. The bombs were placed on bicycles and they exploded in a crowded marketplace in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. TV footage showed charred and bloodied bodies strewn across the street after the Damascus blast, which state media said was the result of a suicide bombing by “terrorists” battling President Bashar al-Assad. Central Damascus has been relatively insulated from almost two years of unrest and civil war in which around 70,000 people have been killed across the country, but the bloodshed has shattered suburbs around the capital. Rebels who control districts to the south and east of Damascus have attacked Assad’s power base for nearly a month and struck with devastating bombs over the last year. The al Qaeda-linked rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, which claimed responsibility for several of those bombs, says it carried out 17 attacks around Damascus in the first half of February, including at least seven bombings.

Emergency workers at the scene of huge explosion that shook central Damascus, Syria, yesterday.

Activists said most of the victims of yesterday’s attack in the city’s Mazraa district were civilians, including children, possibly from a school behind the Baath building. In India, all major cities in the country were placed on high alert, television channels said, adding that as many as 15 people may have been killed in the explosions. Hyderabad is a major IT center in India, only second to Bangalore. Microsoft and Google have major centers in the city. “Both blasts took place within a radius of 150 meters,” federal Home (Interior) Minister Sushil

Shinde told reporters, adding the explosives were placed on bicycles parked in the crowded marketplace. “Eight people died at one place, three at the other.” The explosions come less than two weeks after India hanged a Kashmiri man for a militant attack on the country’s parliament in 2001 that had sparked violent clashes. Witnesses told Reuters they heard at least two explosions in the Dilsukh Nagar area of Hyderabad just after dusk but there could have been more. TV showed debris and body parts strewn on the street in the

Vatican feuds, fiefdoms, betrayals await next pope

vidence on ground and recent happenings have indicated the next pontiff to succeed Pope Benedict XVI have a huge task in urgently overhauling the powerful Vatican bureaucracy called the Curia. The pope’s own butler stole sensitive internal letters to the pontiff and passed them off to a journalist, who then published them in a blockbuster book. The butler did it, he admitted himself, to expose the “evil and corruption” in the Vatican’s frescoed halls that he believed was hidden from Benedict by those who were supposed to serve him. And if that original sin weren’t enough, the content of the leaks

confirmed that the next pope has a very messy house to clean up. The letters and memos exposed petty wrangling, corruption and cronyism at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The dirt ranged from the awarding of Vatican contracts to a plot, purportedly orchestrated by senior Vatican officials, to out a prominent Catholic newspaper editor as gay. Ordinary Catholics might not think that dysfunction in the Apostolic Palace has any effect on their lives, but it does: The Curia makes decisions on everything from church closings to marriage annulments to the disciplining of paedophile priests. Papal politics plays into the prayers the faithful

Pope Benedict XVI, at center, presiding a meeting with outgoing Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, left foreground in red, and the new Vatican’s No. 2 official Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, right foreground in red, PHOTO: AP during a meeting at the Vatican.

say at Mass since missal translations are decided by committee in Rome. Donations the faithful make each year for the pope are held by a Vatican bank whose lack of financial transparency fuelled bitter internal debate. And so after 35 years under two “scholar” popes who paid scant attention to the internal governance of the Catholic Church, a chorus is growing that the next pontiff must have a solid track record managing a complicated bureaucracy. Cardinals who will vote in next month’s conclave are openly talking about the need for reform, particularly given the dysfunction exposed by the scandal. “It has to be attended to,” said Chicago Cardinal Francis George. With typical understatement, he called the leaks scandal “a novel event for us.” Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German who retired in 2010 as the head of the Vatican’s ecumenical office, said the Curia must adapt itself to the 21st century. “There needs to be more coordination between the offices, more collegiality and communication,” he told Corriere della Sera. “Often the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.”

PHOTO: AP

area, a crowded neighborhood of cinema halls, shops, restaurants and a fruit and vegetable market. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called it a “dastardly attack”. “I appeal to the public to remain calm and maintain peace,” he said in a Twitter message. Opposition activists reported further explosions elsewhere in the city after the explosion which struck shortly before 11 a.m. (0900 GMT). One resident in the heart of the capital heard three or four projectiles whistling through the sky, followed by explosions.

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli troops

undreds of Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli security forces yesterday, hurling rocks and burning tires at a West Bank demonstration to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Palestinians have staged protests across the West Bank all week in solidarity with the 4,500 prisoners held by Israel. Four of the prisoners are staging a hunger strike and the worsening condition of one, Samer Issawi, sparked the latest round of unrest between the protesters and Israeli troops. His hunger strike has drawn international attention and concerns from notables such as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Issawi is incarcerated for violating the terms of his release from a previous prison term. On Thursday, an Israeli court sentenced him for eight months from the day of his arrest on July 7, meaning he could be freed as early as next month. But Palestinians officials said it wasn’t a done deal because Issawi also faces separate charges in a military court and there were no indications that he planned to end his hunger strike.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Friday, February 22, 2013

Nigeria not ripe for state police –Suswam

Esiri: Bouncers screen mourners at Lagos home OLUFEMI AJASA

HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

igeria’s democratic journey is still fragile to accommodate state police, Benue State Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, has said. Claiming that the agitators of the state police system do not mean well for Nigeria, the governor said that it portends danger for the country. “Nigeria is not ripe for such structure,” he said. Governor Suswam spoke yesterday while declaring open a two-day conference of the National Executive meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Makurdi, the state capital. He said that some governors would abuse the state police if established, saying: “I don’t think we are responsible enough for state police; this is because as a governor, I know it will give governors too much power”. Suswam, however, called for a review of the nation’s revenue sharing formula to strengthen states with security challenges, stressing that governors in those states had peculiar difficulties that required special funding. The governor, who faulted the Federal Government for prescribing a national wage scale, said the decision did not consider the financial peculiarities of the 36 states of the federation. He said it was not the responsibility of the Federal Government to fix the minimum wage for the country’s workforce.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ishaku Makama; Chief of Staff, Alhaji Yahaya Aminu and Governor Mukhtar Yero, at the launch of distribution of relief materials to flood victims in Kaduna, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Again, three killed in Maiduguri explosion INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

arely 24 hours after some suspected terrorists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted at a Joint Task Force (JTF) patrol vehicle at the popular Post Office Roundabout in Maiduguri in which one of the bombers and a woman and her child were killed, another EID still targeted at the JTF patrol vehicle in

Customs area of the city exploded yesterday. National Mirror learnt that the terrorists threw the IED at a JTF patrol vehicle in which the occupants were critically injured. The patrol vehicle was also damaged due to the devastating effect of the blast. The incident, which took place at about 2:pm, led to sporadic exchange of gunfire between the terrorists

and the JTF operatives. The situation led to the killing of three civilians. Many shops, buildings and a filling station were also razed down by fire in the process, even as residents fled for their safety. A hospital source at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) said that some JTF operatives were brought in to the Accident and Emergency Unit because they were

critically injured in the blast, adding that the hospital personnel are currently doing their best to save their lives from the injuries they sustained. The source added that three dead bodies killed by stray bullets were also brought to the hospital mortuary. The JTF spokesman, LtCol. Sagir Musa, did not respond to the text message sent to him to comment of the incident.

Police arrest six for stealing 225 cows in Niger PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

o fewer than six suspected armed robbers have been arrested by the Niger State Police Command for allegedly stealing 225 cows. It was learnt that the six rustlers, including two women, specialised in stealing cows in dif-

ferent Fulani camps in Kaduna State before luck ran against them last month. They were arrested by the police following a tip off that led to the arrest of their king pin, Tukur Maikudi, and five other members of the gang. Confirming the incident in Minna, the Niger State Commissioner of Police, Mrs. D. Insirim,

said Tukur Maikudi, the gang’s leader, was arrested by the policemen attached to New Bussa Division on January17, this year. Other members of the gang are Habiba Kayele, 26; Aisha Yakubu,14; Abdullahi, 35; Ibrahim Abdullahi, 19 and Ahmadu Ibrahim, 25. The police boss said that the cows were stolen

following an attack on the owners by the suspects at Mando village, Kurigi and Igabi Fulani camps in Kaduna State. She said the six suspects are currently with the Niger State Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), saying: “Effort is being made to transfer the case to the Kaduna State Police Command for prosecution.”

We are yet to be served NIC ruling –UNILORIN ASUU WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

he University of Ilorin branch of the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities (ASUU) has dissociated itself from the case decided by the National Industrial Court (NIC) last week. The court had granted a mandatory injunction

setting aside an earlier election of an executive of the union, pending the determination of a motion on notice in the matter. Secretary of a faction of the union, Dr. O.K Salawu, said in a statement that based on the court injunction, the union had written the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). But the other faction of

the union, led by Prof. Abdulwahab Egbewole, said that it was not served the court ruling. Egbewole and his secretary, Dr. Patrick Balogun, said: “The UNILORIN ASUU is not a party to the case before the National Industrial Court and was not heard in the matter and therefore should not be involved in it. “The UNILORIN ASUU

has not been served with a copy of any order of court setting aside the election of Prof. Abdulwahab Egbewole-led executive.” An emergency meeting of the Egbewole faction held yesterday, however, passed a vote of confidence on its executive. Members of the Egbewole-led executive said that they dissociated themselves from “the re-

cent ruling by the National Industrial Court that restrained our executive from performing its constitutional duties as the union of the university”. The union said: “The ASUU UNILORIN chapter is not a party to the case before the National Industrial Court and was not heard in the matter and therefore should not be involved in the matter”.

ctivities at late Justus Esiri’s home located on Azeez Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, portrayed tight security, when National Mirror visited the residence yesterday. Apparently peeved by the need to streamline activities and prevent hoodlums from likely taking advantage of the situation, sympathisers, who gathered at the residence, a onestorey building painted in white with a black gate, maintained silence about the plans by the immediate family to accord the dead film veteran a befitting burial. In fact, well-built bouncers were everywhere within the vicinity, making sure there was orderliness. National Mirror also observed that the condolence register was being strictly guarded against people who leaf through before signing. The situation may, however, not be unconnected with the late actor’s position, not only in the entertainment industry but also in the area. A source said that the mere fact that the actor was the chairman of the landlords’ association in the area may have elicited the kind of security that the area witnessed. “This area has never had it like this before. He was a very influential man in this area. That is why nobody is leaving anything to chance, because the family would not want anyone to mess things up here. Aside his position in the entertainment industry, his son is also well-known in the music industry, and there is the likelihood that a lot of entertainers would be coming. So it is obvious that they do not want hoodlums to take advantage of the mourners who would be coming from the entertainment sector. It is just a precautionary measure,” the source said.

North

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Police arrest 10 robbery suspects in Kwara WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

olice in Ilorin, Kwara State yesterday paraded six armed robbery suspects who specialised in using granulated pepper to operate on the highways and three others who use the same method within the metropolis. They also use other corrosive substances to operate, according to the police. Another robbery suspect was arrested while his gang members escaped. The state Commissioner of Police, Chinwike Asadu,

told journalists that arms and ammunition including two AK47 rifles with Nos. KP342247 and 22618, two automatic pump action guns with Nos. 21-78INE and DT5B10, 37 live cartridges, 35 7.62MM AK47 ammunition, and two AK47 magazines, were recovered from the suspects. He said: “Three of the robbery suspects specialised in motorcycle theft. They steal motorcycles in Kwara State and sell them in neighbouring states. “The hoodlums always pretend to be innocent passengers to hire motorcycles and put pepper or other

corrosive substances in the eyes of the riders and take the motorcycles away from them.” The commissioner also said that his men intercepted a green Golf car with registration number Abuja BB 665 BWR with four male occupants, driving against traffic from Ilorin towards

Ogbomoso road in a suspicious manner at 1 a.m. last Monday. “The patrol team managed to force the car to a halt for search after initial resistance from the driver who sped off on sighting the police. “However, on sensing danger, the four occupants

immediately abandoned the car and took to their heels. “They were also pursued by the policemen and consequently one of them was arrested while three others escaped into the nearby bush,” he added. Asadu said the suspect was later identified as Abdulahi Umaru.

He said: “One of the recovered pump action guns loaded with six rounds of live cartridges was found near the passenger front seat in the car while the two also loaded AK47 rifles and one pump action gun were found inside a sack neatly concealed under the back seat of the car.”

CPC loses bid to stop Gombe LG polls DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

ustice Abdulhamid Mohammed Yakub of the Gombe State High Sourt has thrown out the application filed by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, seeking an order to stop tomorrow’s local government elections for lacking merit. Delivering the judgement yesterday, Yakub said the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission, GOSIEC, could go ahead and conduct tomorrow’s elections as earlier planned since the application filed by the CPC came later than the time allowed by law. He said such injunction

should have come three weeks before the elections but CPC only filed its application on February 8. Reacting to the judgement, counsel to CPC, Mr. Adamu Kuna, said the plaintiffs were bound by the ruling although it was against the interest of his client. Kuna said they were not going to appeal because their main concern for now was the substantive application on the amount charged by GOSIEC for nomination by candidates seeking to contest. He said: “We are here to challenge the legality of the law of charging fees and the court of law has the right to nullify any law that is contrary to the polity.”

Seek God’s face over insecurity, cleric urges Nigerians EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

hristians have been advised to use the Lenten period to seek God’s intervention to surmount the country’s security challenges and other socio-economic problems. The Spiritual Father and Chairman, the Holy Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, CSMC, Worldwide, His Grace, Most Rev. Samuel A. Abidoye, gave the advice in his goodwill message to Christians in the Lenten period. Abidoye, who also bemoaned the high level corruption, insecurity,

unemployment and infrastructural decay in the country, asked the three tiers of government to take practical steps to address the challenges of corruption and bad leadership. The cleric urged Christians to take advantage of the period to draw nearer to God and seek His mercy and forgiveness. He appealed to Christians to “fast, pray and abstain from heavy meals and other bad habits, as well as give alms and assist the needy in the society.” Abidoye said the Lenten season “is characterised by penance, sober reflection and fasting which prepare us for Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Farmers and nomads at a meeting on peaceful relationship and community surveillance at Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Fire destroys flood relief materials in Benue HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

ire yesterday razed a block of classrooms containing relief materials worth several millions of naira at LGEA Primary School Wurukum, in Makurdi, Benue State. The relief materials were the leftover of the assorted items donated to victims of flood disaster in 2012 part of which were kept to be distributed later to the victims who, incidentally, have vacated the camp. The burnt relief materials included grains like maize, millet, mats, blankets as well as rice and cloths. The state Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani, who paid an unscheduled visit to the scene, described the incident as unfortunate and directed the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Mr. Godwin Donko, to submit a report of an assessment of damage to the state government. Lawani reiterated the resolve of the government to work round the clock to ensure that the perpetra-

tors of the destructive acts were brought to face the music. The Head Mistress of the school, Mrs. Laadi Mgbeha, told journalists that the inferno was believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Reacting to the incident, the Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Mr. Adikpo Agbatse, described it as unfortunate, adding that efforts would be made to bring the suspected arsonists to book.

He said: “What we are doing is to ensure that whoever is involved in this case of arson would not be spared because this is a grievous act of inhumanity and no one would forgive the perpetrators of this sinful action.”

Borno targets job creation through Fadama III INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

orno State Government said it had concluded arrangement to create thousands of jobs for youths through the implementation of the Fadama III programme and the ongoing food security intervention scheme. The Alternate Chairman of Fadama III programme and Permanent Secretary, Borno State Agricultural Development Programme (BOSADP), Alhaji Sani Maidugu, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital, yesterday. Maidugu said the administration of Governor Kashim Shettima had given priority to the agricultural sector through the payment of all outstanding counterparts funding to the World

Bank development initiatives. He pointed out that the initial three Food Security sites in Baga, northern Borno; Biu, southern Borno and Mafa, Borno central had been upgraded in addition to the creation of seven new sites in Nganzai, Magumeri, Jere, Maiduguri metropolis, Chibok and Shani council areas of the state. The alternate chairman said the state government last year released millions of naira, given as interestfree loans to farmers under the “food security assistance funds.” The gesture, according to him, has not only encouraged the farmers, but also boosted their economic fortunes as well as created more jobs in the state. Maidugu said he was impressed with the level of

Shettima

production in all the sites visited, and therefore commended the site managers, extension officers, enumerators, community development agents, among others, who had made efforts to uplift projects at the grassroots. He added that the Fadama project had become a veritable instrument for income generation, entrepreneurship promotion and poverty reduction in rural communities across the state.

Friday, February 22, 2012

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Community Mirror “I am happy with the formation of the mega party by the opposition parties in the country, because I am concerned with the growth of democracy.” NIGER STATE GOVERNOR, MUAZU BABANGIDA ALIYU

Residents protest abandonment of Ijora/Badia roads OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

esidents of Ijora-Badia in Apapa/Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) yesterday trooped out to protest the Lagos Metropolitan Governance and Development Project (LMGDP) refusal to release fund for the World Bank road construction projects on Adetola, Daramola and Ojora streets in the area. Led by chairmen of the three community development asso-

ciations of the affected streets, Oguntayo North, Abete and Afolabi Alasia CDAs, the residents lamented the untold hardships they have been subjected to following abandonment of the road projects by the contractor, Seg-Mahsen Nigeria Limited due to claim that it is being owed over N500 million by the LMDGP. The protesting residents were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘LMGDP complete our roads – rain is coming,’ ‘LMGDP, pay Seg-Mahsen to complete our roads’, among others.

Speaking on behalf of other chairmen of the three affected CDAs, the chairperson of Abete CDA, Alhaja Roliat Adebisi Bello, said: “We have been worried for a long time. They told us more than 20 years ago, that this area has become of concern to the World Bank as it has turned a slum, but unfortunately, nothing has since been done. But in October 2011, we were happy the contracts for the roads and drainages were awarded to Seg-Mahsen Nigeria Limited, and following the company’s ante-

cedent, in construction works in other areas of this community, we were very happy. But to our surprise, construction work stopped in November last year, and after thorough investigation, we found out that the company was being owed more than N500 million. “We wrote letter to Governor, Babatunde Fashola, the Commissioner for Works and Chairman of Apapa/Iganmu LCDA last Thursday, and we are yet to get any response. All landlords in this area are

Residents of Ijora-Badia protesting the bad roads in the area

Police pay compensation to dead officers’ relatives FRANCIS SUBERU

ach of the 20 relatives of police officers killed on duty from 2011 to 2012 at the Zone II Police Headquarters, Onikan Lagos, have been paid N500, 000 as compensation. At the presentation of claims settlement by the AIG in charge of Zone II, comprising Ogun and Lagos states commands, Mamman Tsafe, relatives of the dead victims were admonished to put the money to judicious use. The beneficiaries include: Ay-

isat Aderemi, Alimat Aderemi Ukoha Ifeoma Queeneth, Grace Osede, Alfa James, Onmoiji Aheelenu, Esther Samuel, Victor Anthony, John Thomas, Michael Gideon, Shuibu Emmauel, Shuibu Rose, CPL Oladipupo Kazeem, Olu Abimbola, Olu Bridget, Abolade Dolapo, Abolade Iyabo, Ndidi Happiness and Ndidi Gift. In his opening remark, The AIG said what happened to the gallant officers calls for sober reflection, saying no one prays for tragedies to happen to any loved one. “What happened has happened; there is nothing we can

do to reverse the situation. But, I want to assure relatives of the victims that we are with you. We know you have lost someone dear, but the Police Force feels the loss even more than you do. The AIG said the Nigeria Police Force is with you and ready to help you move on with your lives. In the past, presentation of cheques is done at Abuja, but the AIG felt it should be decentralised for convenience for victims’ relatives to get their benefits. This will be the first one to be held at the zonal level”. One of the beneficiaries, John

Thomas, whose brother was killed in 2011 at Mushin Area of Lagos, expressed happiness at the gesture, but said the entitlement claims process should be simplified. He said: “We submitted 16 documents each and that is cumbersome. There was no financial demand at all, but the processing is a bit tortuous. I am not the only member of the family; the deceased still has a mum and younger ones who are still schooling. So it is not as if I am the bona fide owner of the money. The whole family will de-

retirees and they built their houses with gratuities, but surpringly, they allowed part demolition of their properties, even without compensation, but what do we have now? Nothing to show for the sacrifices they made. All we are saying is that the rains are here and LMGDP should pay the contractor, so it can return to site and complete the projects.” The residents said whenever it rains, the entire area becomes submerged. Community Mirror observed many of the residents crowding in half demolished houses, some of which were flooded, while the three affected streets are now in danger of being taken over by flood. Definitely, the area is a tragedy waiting to happen but could be averted if the government intervenes immediately. Community Mirror investigation revealed that contract for the roads, which was to be completed in a year, was awarded on October 31, 2011, for N1.2 billion. As at time of the protest, the contractor had completed 70 per cent of the contract, but according to available information, the contractor had been paid only 25 per cent of the contract sum. Efforts to reach the LMDPG were unsuccessful, as calls to the office went unanswered. The residents also accused the consultant to the project, Advanced Engineering/WNL Limited, of truncating the project. They alleged that LMGDP’s failure to release funds to the contractor was due to the biased report of the consultant, even as they wondered how the contractor could continue with the work when it has not been paid.

cide on what to do with the money. We appreciate the NPF for the compensation and hope to put it to judicious use. Another beneficiary; Ukoha Ifeoma ,said she would invest the money to be able to cater for her children. According to her; “My children are still young and schooling. The money would be invested to take care of them. I had given birth to two children before my husband died and I have not remarried. What is paramount is the welfare of my children and their education”.

Transition

Friday, February 22, 2013

Justus Esiri

Susan Harvey A.K.A “Goldie’

eteran actor, Justus Esiri died on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 after a brief illness. He was aged 71. He attended Urohobo College and later left for Germany to study engineering where he developed interest in theatre and acting. Thus he began his acting career on stage in Germany. He also worked for Voice of Nigeria VON, German Service as a translator. He was performing on stage in Germany when a delegation from Nigeria invited him to perform in FESTAC 1977. Since he left Germany for the programme, he never went back to Europe as he became a regular face 0n the nation’s national television and home videos. His fame was launched widely for his role in the ever popular African TV series, the Village Headmaster where he played the role of a “Headmaster”. Shortly after he returned home to contribute his quotas to FESTAC 1977, he met and married his wife, Omiete who hails from Kalabari land, Rivers State. She bore him six children three of who are married with children. In one his interviews published online, he expressed dissatisfaction that despite his role in FESTAC 77 and his

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acting prowess on national televisions, he was never nominated or given any national award. Justus Esiri’s death comes two months after Enebeli Elebuwa died in an indian hospital and 18 months after legendary actor Sam Loko Efe also took his bow. He is survived by wife, children and grandchildren.

usan Oluwabimpe Harvey popularly known as “Goldie” died on February 14, 2013, after a very brief illness. She was aged 31. Goldie was the first of four children of her parents. She was educated at the Green Springs Montessori Primary School Lagos and St. John’s College, Palm Grove, Lagos. Right from her childhood, she showed strong flair for the arts and everything creative. She found music through the prism of divas like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton and at early stage in life; she started learning the style and nuances of pop stars. Her journey to stardom began when she was introduced to Mani of Cool FM in 2005. Shortly after meeting Mani, she was introduced to a renowned producer, OJB Jezreel who later pro-

duced her first single, ‘Komole’. This was followed by three other singles including; ‘Spin Me’, ‘Nothing has Changed’ and ‘Shift’ which later formed part of her album. Goldie was signed on to Nigeria’s foremost music label, Kennis Music in 2010 and a few months later, she released her debut album, Gold. In her life time, Goldie

was an ambassador of Project Alert, a not for profit organisation aimed at advocating zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and young girls. Goldie won a total of 10 awards in her short musical career. She was also inducted as a Federal Celebrity Special Marshal alongside other notable Nigerian celebrities.

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I still can’t believe the story I am hearing about Oscar Pistorius. I want to be told it’s not true

Troubled knee threatens Nadal’s return

- JAMAICAN ATHLETE, USAIN BOLT

Friendly: Obuh juggles Flying Eagles

ECOWAS sports ministers meet in Abuja ...Abdullahi gets achievers’ award

JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

EVEREST O NYEWUCHI

inisters of Sports of the ECOWAS sub-region are billed to converge on Abuja next Tuesday, February 26, to deliberate and take a common stance on issues bothering on Sports administration in Africa. This is contained in a letter signed by Alhaji Abba Yola, Special Assistant to the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC). According to him, “It became expedient for Nigeria to host the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) as the current Chair of the African Union Council of Ministers of Sports (AU-CAMS)”. Issues to be discussed at the Abuja meeting include the decision and resolutions taken at the AU-CAMS4 that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October, 2011. Prominent among these is the resolutions which seek the dissolution or otherwise of the SCSA. The gathering will also deliberate on hosting of CIGEPS Regional meeting slated to hold in Nigeria in March, 2013; MINEP V meeting in Germany; ECOWAS position on the winding up of SCSA; ECOWAS Games and ECOWAS countries’ performance at the last Olympics. Eight countries from SCSA Sports Development Zones 2 & 3 namely: The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau and Liberia as well as six sports technocrats have so far indicated interest to participate in the meeting. Meanwhile, in recognition of his unique leadership qualities, the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, is to be awarded the prestigious African Sports Minister of the Year 2013 Award. The honour which is organised by African Achievers Award is geared towards recognising excellent individuals that have distinguished themselves in their contributions to the growth and development of Africa. In a letter of nomination to the Minister, the organisers noted that the NSC has witnessed unprecedented development and structural renaissance since Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi assumed office as Minister. Other prominent Africans who have received the award include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rt. Hon. Joyce Banda (President of Malawi), Hon. Thokhozani Khupe, (Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe), Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, (Governor of Lagos State). The award ceremony will hold at the Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya tomorrow at 5pm.

Emmanuel Emenike (9) and his team mates celebrating one of the goals scored by Emenike at the 2013 AFCON finals in South Africa.

Be like Keshi, Kenya charges coach

enya’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Ababu Namwamba, has hailed Coach Stephen Keshi for guiding Nigeria to victory in the 2013 AFCON finals in South Africa. Namwamba said he was rooting for African tacticians. Keshi, 51, a former Super Eagles defender and captain, is one of only two people - the other being Egypt’s Mahmoud ElGohary - to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both player and coach. Speaking on Wednesday at the unveiling of Adel Amrouche as the head coach of the Kenya senior national team, Harambee Stars, Namwamba said African coaches and players had what it takes to guide their teams to victory in global competitions and challenged Amrouche to emulate Keshi’s example. Amrouche, who is a Belgian national, is of Algerian origin. He takes over from Frenchman Henri Michel, who quit the post in December 2012 after disagreeing with Football Kenya Federation (FKF) over the country’s participation in a regional event. His deputy, James Nandwa, a Kenyan, stepped in, taking the Harambee Stars to the final of the annual regional event where Kenya finished second after slipping 1-2 to hosts Uganda. The minister lauded Nandwa for Kenya’s 3-0 victory over Libya in a recent international friendly in Tunis, Tunisia. Noting that for Kenya, beating North Af-

rican teams on home soil has always been a daunting task. He said Kenya and Africa in general had the materials for producing good players and coaches and also gave the FKF the government’s go-ahead to bid for the 2015 CAF Africa U-17 tournament and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. “This is the strong voice of the Government, if it is what you were waiting for. The Government is fully behind you,’’ he told FKF President, Sam Nyamweya.

lying Eagles’ coach, John Obuh, yesterday, said that he would restructure his team as it prepares to lock horns again with the Junior Pharaoh of Egypt today in Cairo. Obuh said this in a statement signed by the Team’s Media Officer, Sam Audu, stating that changes would be made for the rematch with Egypt The gaffer noted that the Eagles had on Wednesday defeated their hosts 3-1 in the first game in their buildup for next month’s AYC in Algeria. According to him, “I now have some solid information on at least three of the strikers who played on Wednesday. Overall, they kept much to my instructions, their marking was good and that forced the other team to try and use the long ball. Their stamina and attitude was equally good. “But I expect a bigger fight from Egypt. Probably, we will get this in our next game.” The rematch will kick off at 7 p.m. Nigerian time at the Degla Stadium. The statement added that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had already sent out its technical department officer, Rafiu Yusuf, to have a close look at Gabon, one of the country’s opponents in the forthcoming tournament.

‘I’ve not given up on Emenike’ EVEREST ONYEWUCHI

uper Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, says he has not given up on the possibility of his top striker, Emmanuel Emenike, featuring in the March 23 World Cup qualifier against the Harambee Stars of Kenya in Calabar. Reacting yesterday, to latest reports that the striker will be out for eight weeks, following an injury he copped in the AFCON 4-1 semifinal win over Mali, Keshi said the reports may have been exaggerated and he will be waiting for final words from medics from both the national team and the Spartak Moscow of Russia.

“Emenike is a very important component of our national team set up and we have to be concerned if he is in form, injured or otherwise and that is why we are a bit concerned about reports that he will not be available for the game against Kenya. “We can never give up about such an important player and we wish him the quickest of recoveries no matter what the medical team anywhere is saying,” Keshi declared. The Super Eagles boss praised the consistency of the top striker, saying that even when he has several other options for Emenike, he’s also hoping that the player recovers on time to be part of the Kenya duel.

Sport Tit bits...

Omeruo Chelsea is ready to add Kenneth Omeruo to the squad for the 2013/14 season. The Blues defender has spent this season on-loan at ADO Den Haag and helped Nigeria win the Africa Cup of Nations last month. Chelsea and ADO will meet next month to discuss Omeruo’s situation, with Blues sources indicating they will start the new season with the 19 year-old part of the senior squad.

Vermaelen Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen insists he will not abandon the Emirates soon. The Gunners star was asked after defeat to Bayern Munich whether he was reconsidering his future at the club. “As a player of Arsenal, I’ll always do my best. I’m working with the team and focusing on improving results,” Vermaelen said.

Ozil

Turkish club Galatasaray is willing to make a bank-busting offer to Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil. After successful deals for Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, Galatasaray hopes to tempt Ozil back to the country of his parents. Reports yesterday said the Turkish side is willing to make the midfielder one of the best paid players on the planet to tempt him away from Madrid.

Cazorla

Arsenal midfielder, Santi Cazorla, is delighted with his role in Arsene Wenger’s system. The Spain international is happy playing as a “second striker”. “I play as a second striker,” the 28-year-old Cazorla said yesterday. “In that position, I often get on the ball, but also I have the freedom I need to make the most of the space. In all honesty, this works perfectly for me,” he added.

Desailly AC Milan legend, Marcel Desailly, was thrilled for the players after their shock Champions League win against Barcelona on Wednesday. Desailly was particularly pleased for Massimo Ambrosini, who he knew when he was still at the club. “Congratulations to Allegri, Boateng and Muntari and I saw very disciplined Ambrosini, who was with me when he was 17, he played an incredible game as captain,” Desailly said.

Friday, February 22, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Aboutrika, others lift Ahly A

frican club champion Al Ahly of Egypt has raked in about $2.5 million from short loan deals of their top stars led by midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika. Ahly Communications Directorm, Gamal Gabr, told MTNFootball.com in Cairo yesterday that the club received a million dollars for a six-month loan deal for Aboutrika to UAE club Baniyas, in addition to a total of 1 million British Pounds Sterling for two short-term deals involving striker Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ and Ahmed Fathi to English championship side Hill City. “We received a million US dollars for Aboutrika’s loan transfer and we got 500,000 Pounds each for the loan deals for Gedo and Fathi,” Gabr said. Cash from these deals will go a long way to easing the financial burden on the Cairo Red devils after the Egypt Premier League was suspended for several months after the deadly attacks in Port Said early last year that left Ahly 72 fans dead. Aboutrika’s deal commenced on February 1 while Gedo, 28, has already begun repaying the investment by Hull as he has so far scored three goals in four matches for the promotion-chasing club.

Aboutrika

Police Games: Lagos Command, Zone 4 upbeat HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

he Lagos State Police Command swimmers say they will clinch at least eight of the 12 gold medals on offer at the Nigeria Police Force Games in Port Harcourt. The Games earlier planned for February 24 to March 3 will now hold between March 1 and March 10. In separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday at their training inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, they said that they were ready for the competition. They said that lack of facilities and training kits as well as grants would not deter them from wining at the 10th edition of the bi-annual competition. Cpl. Yellow Yeiyah, the team’s captain, said they had trained hard and were in high spirits to excel at the Games. Yeiyah said the postponement of the competition would help them to improve on their training.

“We are in good form and high spirit and will win nothing less than eight gold medals out of the 12 at stake at the competition,” he said. Also, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) incharge of Zone 4 in Makurdi, Mr. Michael Zuokumor, has charged the 163 athletes under the zone to win gold medals at the Police Games. Addressing participants yesterday at the Zonal Command Headquarters in Makurdi, Zoukumor said the essence of the competition is to ensure that the athletes are physically fit as well as mentally alert with a view to promoting cohesion in the force. He said that the zone comprising Plateau, Nassarawa and Benue states had done well in past sporting activities and urged them to redouble their efforts towards ensuring that more gold medals are won in Port Harcourt. Earlier, captain of the team, Sunday Adah, had pledged on behalf of his colleagues, that they would do the zone proud at the Games.

Managing Director of Kandaval Communications, Mr. Tony Obot (r), Principal of Isheri Junior Grammar School, Mrs. Mojisola Aluko, student and teachers of the school during the presentation of the cup at the school, recently

T/tennis: Isheri schools in Kandaval final AFOLABI GAMBARI

rganisers are set for the final of the 2nd Kandaval Cup Table Tennis Tournament billed for Isheri Junior Grammar School, Agidingbi, Lagos today. Isheri Junior Grammar School and Isheri Senior School will play in the singles and mixed doubles final events for boys and girls that will attract dignitaries that include educationists and government officials. The annual event aimed at unearthing talent is secondary schools around Lagos, is sponsored by Kandaval Communications Limited, a Lagos-based sports programme production outfit. Managing Director of the company, Mr. Tony Obot, told National Mirror yesterday that the organizers had engaged top national table tennis coaches to help discover talents from the competition with a view to getting them to the various national camps in the country.

“We remain committed to this cause and we will not waiver,” Obot said, even as the sponsor has donated table tennis boards, bats, balls and other accessories to the participating schools. Principal of Isheri Junior Grammar School, Mrs. Mojisola Aluko, who took delivery of some of the items during the sponsor’s recent visit to the school, commended the gesture while calling on other corporate firms to table Nigerian table tennis to the next level. Meanwhile, former national coach, Babatunde Obisanya, who will top the participating coaches at the tournament, has enjoined the schools to compete favourably with a view to reciprocating the sponsor’s effort. “This initiative deserves commendation because it is trying to return the sport to reckoning after the glorious years that produced the likes of Segun Toriola, Bose Kaffo and Funke Oshonaike,” Obisanya said.

Kalou brothers donate dialysis centre

ormer Chelsea striker, Salomon Kalou and his footballer sibling, Bonaventure Kalou, have donated a centre for dialysis to the Ivorian population, the authorities said on Wednesday. Built in the country’s second largest city, Bouake, the charity project cost the Kalous 300,000 million francs (R 5.3m, $600,000) and has been certified by the ministry of health.

The centre is equipped with 16 dialysis machines, 14 generators and more than 20 computers meant for doctors, nurses and administrators, the Kalou Brothers Foundation said. The initiative comes at a time when there is a rise in kidney troubles across the West African nation, with available infrastructure deteriorating by the day. The centre will be able to dialyses at least 10 people per day, according the personnel.

Ndlovu gets homicide charge

ormer Zimbabwe captain, Peter Ndlovu, yesterday appeared in a Bulawayo court on a culpable homicide charge over a December 16 accident which killed his brother, Adam, and a female friend. The 39-year-old was remanded out of custody to March 20 on free bail by magistrate Archibald Dingani. Prosecutors said Ndlovu’s Harare-based lawyer Advocate Harrison Nkomo had written to them advising that he would not be attending Wednesday’s hearing, and that they

intended to enter a ‘not guilty’ plea for the former Coventry City winger. Namatai Ngwasha, who will lead the state case against Ndlovu, said the U-23 national football team coach will be formerly charged and asked to enter a plea at the next hearing. Prosecutors say an accident scene investigation has shown that Ndlovu was driving way faster than the 120km speed limit before losing control of his BMW X5 at a curve while approaching the Victoria Falls Airport.

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Sport

Friday, February 22, 2013

Troubled knee threatens Nadal’s return

paniard Rafael Nadal is back, although he is still some way to go to reach the level he was at when he won his last slam–the 2012 French Open. But the signs are at least encouraging, even if it is difficult to read from his first two comeback tournaments in South America if he is up to it. The world number five Nadal reached the final in Chile, losing to 73rd-ranked Horacio Zeballos in a tough fight over two hours and 47 minutes, and on Sunday, returning to the scene of triumph in 2005 that kick-started his extraordinary dominance on clay, he won the Brazil Open in straight sets in São Paulo against David Nalbandian, who had one of his weird off-days, by all accounts. Now he heads to Acapulco for a third workout on the sport he loves. Victory there would be a comfort and reassurance– but doubts linger about the knees that gave up on him at Wimbledon last year, when he was rudely dumped out of the tournament by 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol. Nadal sounds unsure about trusting his body, which has taken such a pounding over the years–he complained the past few days about the number of hard court tournaments, and he was not altogether pleased with the clay in Brazil. Those are negatives in an otherwise pleasing return. More will be known when he is engaged in the serious business of winning another grand slam, the only tests that matter, and when he goes back to Roland Garros he will not only turn 27 but he will find the opposition in a completely different state to the way he left it seven months ago. Nadal knows he has a lot of catching up to do against the established frontrunners, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray; he might also have to deal with the rising threat of Milos Raonic and, to a lesser extent, Grigor Dimitrov, but also the steadily resurgent Juan Martín del Potro. If he were to enter a tournament alongside those players today, even on clay, not many would back him with confidence to be left standing at the end. That is the scale of his task. “When the knee is feeling better,” he said after winning in Brazil, “I feel like that I can do more of the things that I used to do my entire life. If the pain is bearable like it was today, then it’s fine.” All players in this muscular era live with pain; some have more of it than others and there can be no doubt Nadal’s injuries are career-threatening. He has a lot of work to do, and much of it will be in public. After seven months of rehab, now is the time to put that work to the test. It will be the most difficult period of his distinguished career because if he breaks down again, he will surely doubt if it is worth carrying on. There is simply not enough time on the circuit to adequately rest medical problems such as those he has had to live with–except by withdrawing altogether and slipping down the rankings. And there is only so far a player can fall before life becomes more difficult in the draw.

But this is his life, one he chose knowing the demands on his body would be greater than other players would endure. His has been a high-energy career, full of thrills and no little pain. The prospect of early retirement must be a frightening one for him, but he can do no more than ask himself all the difficult questions at the highest level. He has been the most physical of all the leading players over the past decade, a roaring ball of muscle and fire, the very antithesis of Federer, who glides towards his 32nd birthday like a Rolls-Royce. Nadal, a spluttering sports car, can just about see his old rival around the next bend. “We are going to see how the knee responds and then take stock,” Nadal said yesterday. “I don’t have any problem playing against better rivals because I accept that I can lose. Losing is not a problem for me. I just need time to continue improving and return to a more competitive level.” The player demonstrates in his assessment of where his tennis is at the moment that he is more detached from the process than his many admirers. He has had bad knees since 2007, when he decided to gamble on wearing a built-up shoe to counteract chronic pains in his feet. He was told then he was risking trouble down the line and this is payback time for that decision. Nadal is ranked behind the top three and his compatriot David Ferrer. If he can break back into the top four without further damage to his knees, and if his spirit remains high, he is capable of great things again. But, as he would acknowledge, it is way too early to make that call. Culled from ESPN.com

Federer leans on adequate rest

Roger Federer

orld number two, Roger Federer, is no longer a spring chicken at the age of 31 and that makes it all the more necessary that he gets adequate rest to prepare for some of the bigger tournaments in 2013. So far this year, Federer has played in two tournaments, but has yet to notch his first singles victory of the season. His first attempt was at the Australian Open where he made it all the way to the semifinals against Andy Murray. Unfortunately for Fed-Ex, that match resulted in a loss and a disappointing finish to the first major of the year. Federer’s second try at a singles title came this month in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. Again, Federer came up short, this time in the quarterfinals versus Julien Benneteau in what was an unexpected result to say the least. Federer’s 2013 is not off to a great start. Things will only get tougher from here as Rafael Nadal returns to the elite stable of tennis players-joining Federer, Murray and Novak Djokovic. With such stiff competition ahead in some of the bigger tourneys of the season, Federer must get as much rest as possible in order to match the intense energy of his

younger opponents. While Federer has yet to emerge victorious this year, his deep runs in his first two tournaments could take a toll if not monitored carefully. Federer is exerting a lot of energy chasing the tennis ball around the court and that could lead to wear and tear on his aging body. It appears the Hall of Famer also realizes just how important rest is at this stage of his career, according to the Associated Press. Not having Federer participate in more events will no doubt be seen as a negative to some fans and the sport as a whole considering Fed-Ex is a huge draw wherever he goes and can bring attention to some of the lesser events during the year. But, with that being said, tennis fans would rather have a well-rested Federer making deep runs in grand slam tournaments than a tired 31-year-old who is getting eliminated sooner rather than later because he’s playing too much. The 2013 French Open is still three months away, but don’t expect Federer to play in a ton of events in between. If he hopes to make it to the final and unseat the defending champion Nadal, Federer will need all the energy he can get. • Culled from ESPN.com

Cricket: Taibu’s exit, big loss to Zimbabwe –Coach

Nadal

imbabwe senior cricket team batting coach Grant Flower has paid glowing tribute to former national side wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu describing him as “a true gentleman’’ whose influential role in the domestic game will be missed. Taibu made a shock announcement in April that he was quitting the game to pursue a religious career in Christian Ministry. His decision to leave the national game remains one of the lowest points for Zimbabwe in 2012 as he left at a time when both the national team and the domestic franchise cricket thought they would reap the benefits of his 11 years international experience. Yesterday national team bating coach Grant Flower, who also played alongside Taibu for Zimbabwe added his voice on the diminutive wicketkeeper’s decision to quit the game. In interview aired on Star FM, Flower who is also the coach of franchise outfit Midwest Rhinos said it was unfortunate

that Taibu had decided to leave the game when it needed his experience but reckoned that the enigmatic former batsmen would not change his heart and bounce back to the game. At 29 Taibu was at the ripe age to play another leading role in Zimbabwe’s bid to revive their Test cricket. Taibu was also the first black captain of the national team and Flower said he was hopeful that many young cricketers would continue to derive inspiration from the former skipper’s exploits. “He is a great guy, a really good cricketer, he is a role model. He’s always been a perfect gentleman and obviously he’s played some really good cricket for Zimbabwe suits a pity he is not gonna be around anymore. “He’s made his choices, he has reasons and we are not going to hold him back,’’ Flower said. Flower however, said Taibu would leave a trail of fond memories for those who worked with him or saw him play.

WORLD RECORD

Greatest cash prize for a TCG Vol. 03 No. 563

The World of Warcraft TCG World Championship, held at the San Diego Convention Center between 30 November and 2 December 2007, saw Guillaume Matignon (France) beat over 400 of the world’s best WoW warriors to claim the top prize of $100,000 – the largest single purse for a trading card game and the biggest tournament payout in TCG history.

N150

Friday, February 22, 2013

Improving our media-military relationship

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. He who molds public opinion goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute. - President Abraham Lincoln

he media - military relationship in Nigeria, in most cases, has been insalubrious and often contemptuous. The basic explanation is that the history, natures and cultures of the two institutions are, however, fundamentally adversative. The media, by its very nature, is skeptical, intrusive, freewheeling and entrepreneurial. It responds to the basic tenets of its very existence to expose the actions of the governments, including the military to public scrutiny. This is more so because the military’s

Guest Columnist

involvement into politics and governance in Nigeria made it more susceptible to press inquiry. The military, however, is hierarchical, regimental with great inner pride and loyalties. It is non democratic, but action oriented, audacious, intolerant and impatient to outside interference – all these are tendentious, and must be so if it is to be effective in exercising its constitutional responsibilities! Many things the military legitimately does make little sense to civilians, who may have slight knowledge of military matters. Military operations are usually conceived, planned and executed in secrecy. Actions or inactions are on the need to know basis even at the unit level of the military. Consequently, any attempt to expose its activities by or to unauthorized persons is considered in the military as “subversive”. As a result, there are always divergence of interests and friction between the media and the military. Thus, this writer is concerned about public perception of the military visa vis understanding the friction, minimizing it and significantly improving media – military relationship in Nigeria. Hence, there is need to study media reportage of military activities overtime and its impact on the relationship between the two institutions. For example, recently, the media was agog with unsubstantiated stories that the Joint Task Force in Borno State was involved in extrajudicial killings, arrest and detention of innocent civilians and suspected Boko Haram Terrorists. Any of those singular acts can change the fundamental contour of media – military relations. It was also a typical example

MANY THINGS THE MILITARY LEGITIMATELY DOES MAKE LITTLE SENSE TO CIVILIANS of unethical journalism, as it is a common knowledge the world over that war plans must be jealously guarded. An army for example, may decide to strategically expose its capability, but obviously not its operational orders or war plans. On the other hand, military’s involvement in the governance of the nation and its draconian decrees intended control the press can also not be ignored in any serious attempt at understanding the friction between media and military in Nigeria. For instance, the military through various decrees, proscribed few newspaper houses, harassed, victimized and in some cases jailed some journalists, expectedly to check, restrict or silence the press. For the purpose of this write up, two examples of such obnoxious decrees are worth mentioning: Decree No 4 of 1984 (Public Officers Protection against False Accusation). It was under this section that Messrs Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, both of The Guardian were charged for reporting and publishing that some of Nigeria’s foreign missions were to be closed, Major General IBM Haruna was to replace Major General Hananiya as new envoy to the United Kingdom and that eight senior military officers

Lt Colonel Sagir is the spokesman of the Maiduguri-based Joint Military Task Force

Sport Extra

w ritish star, Lewis Hamilton, yesterday generated a ripple of interest with his fastest lap in testing but the Mercedes’ new recruit was more concerned by tyre wear at the Circuit de Catalunya. Hamilton ended the day fourth fastest on the

Sagir Musa

had been tipped as ambassadors. There was also the Newspapers Proscription and Prohibition from Circulation Decree No 48 of 1993, the decree that was used to proscribe National Concord, The Punch and the Nigerian Observer Newspapers. Historically, the media in Nigeria was an instrument for colonial liberation, the weapon used by nationalists to expose colonial injustices, fight for freedom, equal rights activism and subsequently political independence. On the other hand, the military particularly the army, was allegedly used by colonial bedbugs against the people as an instrument of oppression and repression. There is also a feeling that at independence, the army was used to further serve and defend the interest of colonial power and later to serve the interest of military regimes or domineering political parties. Another reason for the disdainful media – military relationship is based on the inherent nature of the media and military. Military, like most bureaucracies usually do its activities (operations) in secrecy. The press, however, responds to the requirements of its very existence to bring government, including the military to public scrutiny. Even in normal situation, the press has a responsibility to question government actions. This is more so because the press sometimes shapes policy, as well as influence strategy and outcome of battles. For example, in his May 2004 well publicized article entitled “Kill Faster”, Ralph Peters, a New York Post columnist and Fox News first class strategic analyst, exposed the fatal power of the media thus: “The U.S. Marines in Fallujah weren’t beaten by terrorists and insurgents. They were beaten by al-jazeera….The media are often referred to off – handedly as a strategic factor, but we still don’t fully appreciate their fatal power… And use it to our maximum advantage”. (emphasis mine). To be continued

F1: Hamilton wary of tyre wear timesheets with a lap of 1:22.726 seconds. That effort was nearly nine tenths slower than the fastest of all, set by his successor at McLaren Sergio Perez, but

the Mexican was on the soft compound tyre. If Pirelli’s pre-season estimate is anything to go by, the difference between the two compounds is worth

about a second per lap-a margin that suggests the Mercedes might be a genuinely competitive proposition after all. “All the tyres generally

have degradation, and so looking after them is not that easy,” the 2008 World Champion said. “We’re not focusing on anyone else, we’re just working on our programme, to try and make a step forward, with the degradation and car set-up,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton

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