Wednesday, January 9, 2013 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Don’t base fuel price on int’l market dictates

FRONT PAGE COMMENT

Fuel subsidy: One year after strike, protests

bout this time last year, the nation was grounded, following a nationwide strike and civil society protests that trailed the hike by the President Goodluck Jonathan government on January 1, 2012, of the

Vol. 3 N0. 531

pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol). The price was initially moved from N65 to N141 per litre. Pronto, organized labour and Occupy Nigeria, a protest movement formed on Monday, January 2, 2012, pre-

cisely a day after the announcement of the price increase, led protests across the country that sent both public and private businesses – government establishments, banking, CONTINUED ON PAGE 18>>

–David-West

Special report on Occupy Nigeria protests P.14,16,35,42

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

N150

Obasanjo to Jonathan:

Change your tactics against Boko Haram Our defence system rotten, says ex-IG Jimeta

OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to change his tactics against Boko Haram Islamist sect, and adopt a dual-track approach rather than cracking down on the group. Obasanjo in an interview with CNN said that more could still be done to reach out to the group CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Alleged N1.1bn fraud:

Delta blacklists Union, Diamond banks

P.31

Uduaghan

DAYS TO GO Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (middle); Managing Director, CCECC, Mr. Shihong Bing (second right); Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (right); Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mrs. Florence Oguntuase (second left) and others, during the inspection of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (Blue Line) project at Orile Iganmu, yesterday.

First timers dominate Eagles’ squad P.27

NASS didn’t approve $1.5bn loan for NNPC –Senate

ACN alleges plot to silence Buhari, Tinubu

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Okonjo-Iweala: Why fuel subsidy payment was delayed

Dele Giwa’s mother, Elekiya, dies at 87

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Tinubu

Cynthia: NAFDAC restricts distribution of ‘killer drug’ P.7,13

Education

Every year, the education sector is bedevilled with litany of woes. From the basic to the tertiary level, the story is always that of declining standard, poor funding, deteriorating infrastructure, recurring malpractice and mass failure in public exams, corruption, dearth of manpower, inconsistent policies, among others. As the New Year begins with high expectations, TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE writes on some crucial issues that will shape the nation’s education system and how the section will fare.

Wednesday January 9, 2013

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Issues that will shape

UTME

y March, this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board JAMB. As usual, over one billion candidates seeking admission into various academic tertiary institutions from college of education to the university level in the country are expected to write the exam. About1. 54 million people sat for the exam last year. This year edition, however, will take different dimension. For the first time, JAMB will kick-start the introduction of the much-talked about Computer Based Testing (CBT) for candidates taking the exam. Although, CBT is not new in the education sector in the country as many universities and other tertiary institutions have been using it in the past five years, it is the first time it is being introduced for a public examination in the country. Awareness campaigns have been carried out on the effective use of the system. The board has told the public severally that the level of computer literacy required from a candidate is just the ability to use the mouse to click the correct answer or enter the right multiple choice alphabet option with the a keyboard and click submit, when through with the exam. The duration of the CBT is also going to be the same as the paper-based exam. JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, had said at a launch of the system in last November in Abuja that the new method had the backing of the Federal Government and it would be adopted nationwide. The Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, on her own, had also underscored its effectiveness, especially in checkmating exam malpractice and claimed that the method was in line with global best practices. Because of the large number of candidates expected to sit for the exam, it would require that centres are moved out of public and private secondary schools, most of which do not have the requisite Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities for the online mode. But Ojerinde said the board had registered centres with ICT facilities where candidates that choose the CBT option would be posted to take the examination in all states of the federation. No doubt, this will be a major development that will change the nation’s admission system. It is one development that will dominate discussions in the sector for some time in the year. Just how prepared is JAMB and how well Nigerians will embrace it remains to be seen.

Implementation of ASUU/FG new agreement Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) entered 2012 with industrial action, which was called off in February after two months. The action, as usual, for that period paralysed the academic activities in public universities. The strike was in protest of the Federal Government’s refusal to honour the agreement it reached with the union two years earlier to address the decay in the university system. Some of these problems include: poor infrastructure, brain-drain, poor remuneration and welfare package, poor funding, upward review of retirement age of teachers in professorial cadre, granting of autonomy and academic freedom and so on. Eventually, the two parties reached a compromise over the issue. It was agreed that government would inject about N400 billion into the university system between last year and this year, starting with a tranche of

Students queuing for water at Kogi State University, Anyigba. The Need Assessments report is expected to address this.

JAMB WILL KICK-START THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MUCHTALKED ABOUT COMPUTER BASED TESTING (CBT) FOR CANDIDATES TAKING THE EXAM

N100 billion. The Federal Government further promised to provide financial assistance to state universities and fund the entire system. The government also approved the upward review of retirement age of academics on the professorial cadre from 65 to 70 years, among others. No doubt, 2013 will be a decisive year on the implementation of this agreement. The year will go down as one without an ASUU strike if the government adheres to the terms of the agreement and continues with the implementation as already started in 2012. A detour however, may result in a break down of the fragile peace in the sector and the usual interruption of academic calendar.

NUC It may not be business as usual during accreditation this year, as universities are now required to input staff, student, equipment and research details into a database created online by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The database, called the National Universities Commission Database (NUCDB) was launched by Prof. Rufa’i at the University of Calabar last September. Accreditation teams from the NUC will be using the information this year to prepare for visits to institutions whose programmes are due for assessment. Through the NUCDB, policy makers, university administrators, students, parents and others will be able to access information about students’ enrolment, programmes, accreditation status, researches, academics, and facilities in public and private universities in the country. In addition to generating accreditation reports for the teams; the portal can be used for certificate verification. It would check over enrolment; multiple employment of lecturers and provide platform for comparison. About 67 universities were selected to pilot the project among which over 38 have entered their staff and students’ records into the portal. This could turn out to be a success story to be recorded in the year, especially if all universities are able to

Ruqayyatu: Education Minister

comply with this paperless phase of NUC regulation. An institution like University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) for instance, should be able to get back on stream and avoid the students protests that disrupted its academic calendar last year.

Varsities Needs Assessment‘s report The report submitted last November by the Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities, focused on the poor state of facilities, inadequate number of academics, bloated non-academic workforce and mismanagement in public-owned universities. The 10-man committee headed by the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, with the immediate past President of Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Prof. Nwachukwu Anwuzie, as member recommended reforms that, if adopted, by the Federal Government this year, would have farreaching implications on the operation of public universities in the country. Some of these recommendations included the upward review of annual budgetary allocation from proprietors to each of the universities with strict supervision of its spending to forestall misappropriation and wastage. For instance,

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Education

Wednesday January 9, 2013

education sector in 2013

teaching staff in Nigerian universities into the staff of Federal or State Ministry of Education (as the case may be with full control over their employment. To drive national development, committee also recommended that universities should not only be producing skilful and qualitative graduates that would not only lead in innovation, creativity, and discoveries, but those that would also compete favourably with their counterparts globally. This objective can be achieved, according to the committee, if universities train and produce all -rounded graduates and technical experts in Information and Communication Technology, high-tech engineering, medical sciences, agricultural sciences, and natural sciences, among others. The recommendations, if carried out judiciouslyat least from this year, would rejuvenate the Nigerian university system and reposition it for International competitiveness and national development.

Educating 9.5 million Almajiris Ojerinde: Registrar, JAMB

Okojie: NUC, Executive Secretary

Resolute in achieving Education for All (EFA) by 2015, the Federal Government on April last year, launched the Almajiri model school in Sokoto State, which has been replicated in other 18 northern states and some states down south with the aim of broadening the horizon of over 9.5 million Almajiris on spiritual and moral values. The government has constructed scores of model schools in some states. More are expected to be establsished in other states and it is expected that the programme will take off fully this year. It is another success story expected in the year.

Mass failure and exam malpractice in SSSCE

Okpala: NECO’s registrar

the committee recommended that overall administrative costs, including the cost of any out-sourced functions (e.g. Cleaning & security), should not exceed 18 to 20 per cent and that managers, who failed to access and properly utilise their universities’ allocation of TETFund subventions for research, staff development and scholarships, conference attendance, publications, and so on, should be sanctioned. The committee also recommended that for effective administration, no university should be allowed to remain without a governing council with members appointed purely on merit and to stay in office only as provided by the law and that, vice-chancellors should be transparent, accountable and result-oriented in their dealings. In addition, it was also recommended that all non-establishment positions created by some vice chancellors (like PAs, SAs, FCs, BGs, and so on) be banned in the university system with the council of each university to ensure compliance. It was also recommended that all abandoned projects should be completed (or continued with) before new ones are started by incoming Vice Chancellors. It was also recommended that all refectories, sporting arenas, convocation squares and so on that are converted into ‘lecture halls’ should be reverted back to their original intended purpose. And that a university student that is supposed to be trained in decent lecture rooms and laboratories should not be put in a kitchen or an open-air sport arena or be peeping through the window in the name of lectures while large lecture theatres should be discouraged. Every university should also be encouraged to adopt the interactive pedagogy which requires students to be taught in small groups.

Uguridu: WAEC boss

THE YEAR WILL GO DOWN AS ONE WITHOUT AN ASUU STRIKE IF THE GOVERNMENT ADHERES TO THE TERMS OF THE AGREE-

MENT AND CONTINUES WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION AS ALREADY STARTED IN 2012

For instance, sitting capacity of each lecture theatre should be between 50 and 300 and between 50 and 150 for a standard classroom. On these, the committee recommended for government to allocate enough resources to fund the construction, where necessary, of new lecture theatres, lecture rooms, laboratories, workshops, among others, and the establishment of six national laboratories that should be fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for cutting-edge scientific research in the country. Similarly, the committee recommended that government should empower and re-strengthen the National Universities Commission, a university regulatory body, to enforce all accreditation criteria and ensure objectivity and patriotism in the conduct of its activities. For instance, any university that falsified records, hired equipment or mercenary staff just for accreditation purpose should be closed down for a minimum of five years. While government and other funding agencies should support teaching, learning and research and the university managers should pursue the mission, vision and core values of their institutions, the committee equally recommended that government should study the feasibility and viability of converting all non-

In the recent past, mass failure has trailed students’ performance in public exams such as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) conducted by both West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO). I n the last May/June WAEC exams, for instance, only 38.81 per cent, representing 649,156 out of 1,695,878 candidates, who sat for the exam, obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English language and Mathematics. Of the 1,695,878 candidates, 6.70 per cent (112,000) were withheld for various reports of alleged involvements in examination malpractice. Similarly, only 37.97 per cent of the candidates across the country, who sat for the Nov/December exam of the organisation, representing candidates, who obtained credit and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, a minimum academic qualification for admission into tertiary academic institutions in the country. By this outing, it means 62. 10 per cent of the candidates failed the exam. The results were not any better in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Out of a total 1,503,931 candidates, who sat for the exam in the year, only 3 scored 300 and above out of the total 400 marks obtainable; 901 scored between 270-299; 71,339 candidates scored between 250-269; 601,151 scored between 200-249; 374,920 candidates scored between 170-199; while 336,330 scored below 170. 27,266 results were withheld in 52 centres in eight states for exam malpractice, while number of invalid results was 5,161. It is expected that the performance would improve significantly this year considering the reasonable intervention of various state governments in secondary school education.

Security on campuses The killings of over 26 students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State on October 2nd last year and another four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government area of Rivers State three days after, would ever remain in the minds of many. No doubt, it is expected that that security will be beefed up in most campuses across the country to prevent recurrence of such tragic incidents in 2013.

PhotoNews

Wednesday January 9, 2013

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Bronz and Onyix Limited, Mrs. Moji Makanjuola; Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina; Country Representative, United Nations Women, Dr Grace Ongile and National Programme Coordinator, UN Women, Mrs. Kemi Ndieli, during a one day UN Women engagement with Media in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

L-R: (front row) Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka; former Inspector General, Alhaji Gambo Jimeta; Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd); Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar; Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro and other participants at the National Summit on Security Challenges in Nigeria, held in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

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L-R: Former Senator, Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; former Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili; Managing Director, CMC Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya and Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, during the lecture, Managing Nigeria’s Image: Whose Responsibility?, in honour of Badejo-Okusanya on his 50th birthday in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: OLUFEMI AJASA

L-R: Executive Director, Mediaworth Limited, Mr. Yinka Folami; Chief Executive, Business School Netherlands, Nigeria, Mr. Lere Baale and Operations Manager, Mrs. Morenike Adeyeye, during a facility tour of the school in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

National News

Court fails to deliver judgement in disputed NASS seats EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

or the third time, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday, failed to deliver its judgement in a suit filed by a faction of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in Katsina state. The aggrieved parties are challenging the withdrawal of their certificates of return by the Independent National electoral Commission, INEC. However, their collective hope and that of their supporters for a final determination of their suit was dashed yesterday, as words emanated from the presiding judge, Gladys Olotu that, a new date for judgement will be communicated to parties in the matter. Senators Abdu Umar Yandoma and Ahmad Sani Stores, who until the Supreme Court verdict sacking them, represented Katsina North and Katsina Central Senatorial Districts, as well as Murtala Isa, Muntari

Dandutse, Musa Salisu, Aminu Ashiru, Umar Adamu Katsayal, Muhammad Tukur, Tasi’u Doguro, and Abdu Dankama, who were members of the House of Representatives had dragged INEC to court over their fate. Also listed as defendants are Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasua, CPC and the lawmakers that replaced them. The Plaintiffs had, through their counsel, Yahaya Mahmoud, SAN, urged the court to nullify the certificates of return issued by INEC to Senators Abubakar Sadiq Yar’adua, Senator Abubakar Hadi Sirika and eight other members of the House of Representatives, who are listed as 5th to 14th Defendants in the suit. They seek an order of court for the aforementioned lawmakers to vacate their seats in the

National Assembly. They also pray the court for: “A declaration that by virtue of section 75(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, INEC lacks the power to issue certificates of return to the 5th - 14th Defendants in relation to the Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts

over which the Plaintiffs had earlier on been issued with valid certificates of return, when neither the Court of Appeal nor the Supreme Court had nullified the certificates of return issued to the Plaintiffs. “A declaration that the sealed certificates of re-

turn issued to the Plaintiffs upon their winning election into the National Assembly to represent their various Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts of Katsina State are still valid and that the Plaintiffs are entitled to immediately repossess

their seats in the National assembly to represent their respective Federal Constituencies and Senatorial District without hindrance from the 2nd (Senate President), 3rd (Speaker) or 4th (Clerk of the National Assembly) Defendants or any other person”.

First storey building in Nigeria in urgent need of renovation-Investigation

he first storey building in Nigeria, which was built in 1845 in Badagry, Lagos State is in urgent need of renovation. Investigation carried out by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry reveals that the storey building is deteriorating and is in urgent need of repairs. When the NAN correspondent in Badagry visited the storey building, the upper floor which is made of wood had holes in them and were shaking. The staircase leading to the upper floor is rickety

and one must be careful while climbing the steps in order to ensure that the staircase does not collapse or fall. The Bible store at the upper floor cannot be reached because the floor which is made of wood has been eaten by termites thereby making the wood fragile. The building which is a major tourist site also has no electricity supply thereby making it stuffy and uninhabitable. An inside source revealed that the storey building had turned to a place where bats come to

sleep. “The storey building lacks maintenance. It’s so bad that the building harbours bats. “The part of the building where bats stays smells and these drives away tourist at times because the smell is very awful and dangerous to human health,” the source revealed. Venerable Dickson Ilegbusi, who is a priest at the Cathedral Church of Thomas, Badagry and also doubles as the curator to the first Storey Building noted that he was aware of the problems. He promised that renovation

would be carried out as soon as possible. He said that the reason why renovation was being delayed was because the church did not want to temper with its originality. “The Bishop is aware of these and renovation would be carried out as soon as possible. “The reason why we have been delaying the renovation is because we do not want to tamper with its originality. “Fumigation would be carried out soon in order to drive away the bats that reside in the building,” he said.

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News

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

NASS didn’t approve $1.5bn loan for NNPC –Senate GEORGE OJI, TOLA AKINMUTIMI UDEME AKPAN

AND

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

he Senate said yesterday that it did not give any approval for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to take a $1.5bn loan to pay off

creditors. An agency report had on Tuesday said that NNPC obtained a $1.5bn syndicated loan from a consortium of banks led by Standard Chartered Bank to settle debts to international fuel traders. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Aba-

ribe, while responding to media inquiry on the issue, explained that the constitution did not allow any government agency to borrow any money without the authorisation of the National Assembly. He said: “Under the law, no government agency can borrow money without the approval of the National As-

sembly. “We have to know if that was done first, but then the question to ask under the circumstance is: what happened to the N161bn supplementary appropriation that was approved by the National Assembly for government to take care of the shortfall in the fuel subsidy budget, particularly to

L-R: Director, Monitoring and Research Division, UN-Habitat in Kenya, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka; former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro; and Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Social Economic Research, Prof. Olufemi Taiwo, at a seminar organised by NISER in Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

ensure steady supply of petroleum products during the Yuletide.” Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, also said there was no record to show that approval was given to NNPC to borrow the money. “As at this afternoon, there’s no record of the loan deal before us. We are still trying to confirm the loan from NNPC. “The committee read about the loan deal on the pages of newspapers like other Nigerians and we have had concerned Nigerians calling to ask whether the National Assembly approved the loan. We have no record of such before us,” Abe said. However, sources at the NNPC said yesterday that the loan was purely a “commercial decision” taken by the corporation to pay off accumulated debts for petrol already supplied by foreign importers and to save Nigeria’s credit rating in the international markets. The source said: “The management of the NNPC

took the last-minute decision to salvage our credit rating as the Ministry of Finance has not been forthcoming for months with payments to our major international suppliers like Glencore, Trafigura, Vitol and others who have been facing the painful prospect of writing off millions of dollars owed them as bad debts. “If this had happened, our ability to access foreign loans as a country would have been impossible and, believe me, credit rating agencies, which upgraded us recently, would have downgraded or even blacklisted us as serial defaulters. “It was our only option and it was purely a commercial decision and I don’t think we require the National Assembly’s approval to go ahead with it. “It was purely a management decision to ensure steady supply of petrol and to save our face amongst our foreign partners.” The source added that the debt would be in NNPC’s books and not the Federal CONTINUED ON PAGE 6>>

Change your tactics against Boko Haram CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to find out what led it to carry out acts of violence. “To deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is finding out how to reach out to them. “When you try to reach out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have to use the stick,” the ex-president said. Obasanjo noted that President Jonathan was “just using the stick” in his efforts. “He’s doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be forgotten.” The Islamist militants, suspected of having links to al Qaeda, have carried out deadly attacks on mosques, churches, military and police installations, businesses and individuals over the past three years. Obasanjo said he had tried to reach out to Boko Haram about one-and-ahalf years ago through a lawyer who was acting as the group’s proxy, and had asked if they had external backing.

He said the lawyer told him that the group was receiving support from other Nigerians who had resources overseas or “other organisations from abroad.” “If they had 25 per cent support a year and a half ago, today that support has doubled,” the former president said. However, analysts had suggested that reaching out to Boko Haram might be increasingly difficult because the group had split into different factions, some with a domestic focus and others with a more pan-jihadi approach. Obasanjo explained that resolving the issue was important to Nigeria’s progress. “Boko Haram undermines security, and anything that undermines security undermines development, undermines education, undermines health, undermines agriculture and food and nutrition security,” he said. The international group, Human Rights Watch, says Boko Haram has killed more than 2,800

people. In a report published late last year, Amnesty International had also condemned the increasingly brutal attacks carried out by Boko Haram since 2009, but said Nigeria’s security forces “have perpetrated serious human rights violations” in response. However, despite the ongoing challenges facing the country, Obasanjo said he did not foresee the country splitting into North and South. “We in Nigeria now know that it would cost us much more to break up than it will cost us to come together,” he said. Meanwhile, President Jonathan yesterday called for more public support for his administration, especially on security issues, stressing that the situation should not be left to the government alone to handle. He, however, expressed optimism that with the kind of political will presently being demonstrated by his administration, the war on terrorism would soon be over.

“I am optimistic that the political will being demonstrated by this administration will yield the desired result in the fight against terrorism, improve crime investigation and enhance public order policing,” President Jonathan said. Declaring a two-day national summit on security challenges in Nigeria, organised by the Nigerian Police in conjunction with Vanguard newspapers, the President stated that Nigerians must halt the growing trend on insecurity in the country. Represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), the President explained that since nations did not happen by historical accident but were rather built by visionary people, Nigerians would do well to take the issue of insecurity very seriously. According to him, “The time has come for us as a nation to seriously rise up and address the security challenges confronting the nation. “In this respect, the gov-

ernment, security agencies, stakeholders and other citizens have to work together.” While stating that emphasis would now be placed on retraining and improvement of the sophistication of weaponry and equipment available to security agencies, President Jonathan said higher standards would henceforth be maintained in recruitment and promotion of police personnel in particular. The President added that the Federal Government would continue to support efforts aimed at improving on the fortunes of the police while urging the media to tread with caution in its reportage of crime. He said: “The Federal Government will continue to support every effort that is being made to professionalise the force and in the provision of welfare. “The role of the media in overcoming our security challenges is pivotal as various elements of the media are directly responsible for much of the

information disseminated to the public.” President Jonathan said as part of efforts at repositioning the force for greater service delivery, he decided to approve the conversion of the Police Academy, Wudil, in Kano State, to a degree-awarding institution similar to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. He said other measures being undertaken would ensure the reorganisation of the force and enhance its image. “Only recently, the Federal Government set up a Presidential Committee to reorganise the Nigeria Police Force, having observed some deficiencies in both capacity building and professionalism. “A lot of emphasis is now being placed on training and re-training, improvement of the sophistication of weaponry and equipment, improved welfare of officers and men and improvement of the image of the police as perceived by the populace,” he added. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6>>

News

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Conjoined twins die at National Hospital MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

set of conjoined twins born at the Mararaba Medical Centre, Nasarawa State, and were transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, for surgical operation have died. Spokesman of the hospital, Tayo Haastrup, who spoke with reporters yesterday, however, did not disclose the cause of the death of the twins, who were said to have been separated at the hospital. The girls were said to have

shared one navel and intestines. They were transferred to the National Hospital last Thursday. Superintendent of the Mararaba Medical Centre, Dr. Angela Smart, said the twins were transferred to the National Hospital when it was discovered that they were conjoined. “While we were taking the delivery, we discovered that the mother could not deliver on her own, so we took her to the theatre and that was when we discovered that the babies were joined,” she said.

Change your tactics against Boko Haram CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Chairman of the occasion and former National Security Adviser, Muhammadu Gambo Jimeta, condemned the present state of the country’s security system, describing it as rotten. Jimeta, also a former Inspector-General of Police, lamented that with the present state of Nigeria’s security services, it would not be a difficult task for another country to overrun Nigeria within minutes. “We cannot boast of a credible defence system. Internally, we are rotten. You cannot sleep with your two eyes closed. When we talk of modern defence systems, I do not know how many minutes it will take other countries to overrun Nigeria. So, we must build a modern defence system,” he said. The security chief chided some past administrations in the country for

laying the foundation for the current challenges being faced by the nation. Jimeta said: “What we have in Nigeria is a self-inflicted situation by previous governments, leaders and other stakeholders who could not really understand that if one Nigerian had a feeling of insecurity and could not go about his normal business; it takes that much of a person to weaken the security of this nation. “Our situation is selfinflicted. You cannot have a state and fail to provide for the institutions of the state that are supposed to provide for the well-being of the citizens. “When governments begin to go into other ventures that can be carried out by private people, then the main focus of governance which is the security and well-being of the people is compromised.”

Fire guts 25 sawmills in Lagos FRANCIS SUBERU

n evening fire yesterday destroyed 25 sawmills and many houses at Market Street, Ebute-Meta, Lagos. The fire, which started about 6:pm, was said to have been caused by an electric surge in one of the sawmills. The sawmills made with woods assisted the fire to spread rapidly, destroying the entire community. Fire Officer Fatai Olawale, who led other fire

fighters to the scene said the harmattan was responsible for the havoc. He said: “Controlling fire of this nature is usually very demanding and dangerous because the materials are fire consumables. If you are not tactful, while directing the tongues of the fire, it will spread to other areas.” One of the affected sawmillers, Adeyanju Ajose said, properties lost to the fire were over N200m, saying that more than five generators and over 50 circular machines were burnt.

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RMAFC to spend N1.3bn on new revenue formula

he Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, will spend N1.3bn to prepare the new revenue allocation formula for the three tiers of government this year. The amount is contained in the details of the 2013 budget passed by the National Assembly last month, and awaiting presidential assent. Details of the capital expenditure spending plans of the agency showed that the preparation of the new revenue formula would gulp 78.8 per cent of its total capital budget of N1.65bn.

News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the existing revenue formula, which came into force in 2002, has been modified twice. Under the current revenue sharing formula, the Federal Government gets 52.68 per cent, while states and local governments receive 26.72 per cent and 20.60 per cent respectively. State governors have been agitating for “a new, equitable and just revenue formula” that will give them more allocations and the agitation was intensified in the first quarter of 2011 when a new Minimum Wage Act took effect.

NAN also recalls that the Northern Governors Forum, NGF, has repeatedly said that states in the northern part of the country were economically marginalised under the current sharing formula. In July 2012, RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Elias Mbam, had told NAN that the commission would conduct public hearings in the country’s six geo-political zones on the new revenue allocation formula. He said the hearing would provide an opportunity for Nigerians to make input on the new allocation for the three tiers of government.

However, due to funding constraints in the 2012 budget, the commission could not embark on the sensitisation campaigns. Officials of the commission, who did not want their name mentioned, had expressed the hope that adequate funds would be provided for the exercise this year. They hinged their optimism on the November 7, 2012 resolution of the House of Representatives that compelled the commission to advise President Goodluck Jonathan to submit the new revenue formula to the National Assembly.

L-R: (front row) Enugu State Secretary to Government, Mr. Amechi Okolo; Acting Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi; outgoing GOC 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Olayinka Oshinowo, other Army officers and some members of Enugu State Executive Council during the GOC’S farewell visit to the acting governor in Enugu, yesterday.

NASS didn’t approve $1.5bn loan for NNPC –Senate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Government’s. International news agency, Reuters, which broke the news of the deal, said it was struck towards the end of last year. The NNPC was said to have pledged 15, 000 barrels of crude per day as collateral with an agreement to pay the loan back in five-and-ahalf years. The NNPC is believed to owe foreign commodity traders over $4bn for petroleum products supplied over the years. Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday explained why there is delay in fuel subsidy payment to oil marketers whose claims had been verified for settlement. Briefing journalists on

the issue which had fuelled speculation in some section of the media that the fuel subsidy fund had been exhausted in Abuja, the minister explained that an additional N161.6bn from the approved supplementary budget had been released through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for subsidy payments since December 31, 2012. Okonjo-Iweala said the clarification became imperative in view of media reports which alleged that the ministry was stalling payment to genuine oil marketers. According to the Minister, the payments are presently going through the CBN’s processes which include the conversion of the dollar equivalent from the Excess Crude Account and will be concluded

soon. The minister confirmed that payments totalling N94bn had already been verified for 23 marketers who will be paid in the next few days. She restated Federal Government’s committed to paying all companies who deserve to get subsidy payments in line with the mandate given by the Presidency on the fuel subsidy payments. The minister said: “The payments are presently going through the CBN’s processes which include the conversion of the dollar equivalent from the foreign Excess Crude Account to the domestic Excess Crude Account and that will be concluded soon.” The minister clarified that the process “doesn’t normally take long. If there

is already money in the domestic excess crude account to honour it they get it immediately. Sometimes you have to shift money from one account to the other. “If the money is in the dollar account of the excess crude and we have to shift it to the domestic that means that it has to be converted into naira by the CBN. “We have to authenticate the amount and this process normally takes five days and a week between the CBN and Ministry of Finance to accomplish. The Central Bank is very strict by trying to have all the documentation. “The process is on, the money has been released and is being converted into Naira by the central bank and I don’t think there is any issue with this” the Minister added.

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National News

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Tukur absent, as NWC reinstates Adamawa PDP exco OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

he crisis rocking the Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, appeared yesterday to have created a deep crack in the National Working Committee, NWC. Ten of the 12 members of the NWC reversed the committee’s decision sacking the Alhaji Mijinyawa Kugamaled Adamawa State executive. This was after the party had issued several statements, addressed conferences and set up a nine-man caretaker committee headed by Ambassador Umar Damagun from Yobe State. Damagun had also been inaugurated and asked to take charge of affairs of

the state chapter of the party “pending further directives”. However, the decision of the NWC on the state yesterday was taken without the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who is from Adamawa State and who is seen as one of the parties in the fray. Yesterday, Tukur was not anywhere near the venue of the NWC meeting. It was gathered that the NWC had been sharply divided over Tukur’s style of leadership and in particular over his stand on the Adamawa State crisis. Yesterday’s decision, it was learnt, was taken to dare Tukur. Addressing journalists after an emergency PDP NWC meeting, the PDP Na-

tional Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said: “Today, the 8th day of January 2013, the members of the NWC acting under Article 29(3), and with 10 members present out of the 12, held an emergency NWC on this burning subject. “The emergency NWC decided to announce that the NWC in its 325th meeting of Wednesday 12th December 2012 had rescinded the dissolution of the PDP Adamawa State executive. “Secondly, the NWC had earlier dissolved the Adamawa State executive under Article 29(2)(b) wherein we acted on behalf of Article 31(2)(e) powers of the NEC. But it is instructive to note that the ward and local government executives of Adamawa State were never

dissolved. “In fact, at its 314th meeting of 29th August 2012 the NWC had upheld the March 2012 ward and local government executives except for one council which was later ratified. “Thirdly, the NWC is therefore surprised, shocked and embarrassed to read in the newspapers of the purported ward, local government and state congresses said to be ongoing in Adamawa State. “For the records, the National Working Committee hereby dissociates the party leadership from the purported congresses, which were neither authorised by the NWC nor monitored and/or supervised by the National Secretariat. “In the history of the

Deputy Managing Director, UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, flanked by officials of UBA Academy and matriculating Executive Trainees, during the 5th Matriculation ceremony of the academy in Lagos, on Monday.

Cynthia: NAFDAC restricts distribution of ‘killer drug’ MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

he National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has restricted the distribution of Flunitrazepam, a drug allegedly used to drug the late Miss Cynthia Osukogu by her Facebook friends last year. The NAFDAC DirectorGeneral, Dr. Paul Orhii, gave the directive yesterday at a briefing in Abuja. Flunitrazepam is a benzodiazepine which is one of the most frequently prescribed classes of medications in the world of which Rohypnol is one

of the registered brands. It is indicated in the short-term treatment of sleep disorder (insomnia). Orhii said the directive was based on the approval of the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyewuchi Chukwu, and safety review of submissions by the National Drug Safety Advisory Committee, NDSAC. He said: “The measures are being implemented in addition to the status of Flunitrazepam as a prescription only medicine. “In the United States of America, Flunitrazepam is strictly controlled. In Nigeria, until the recent incident which

claimed the life of Miss Osukogu, there had not been any report in the database. “On the receipt of the reports, NAFDAC convened a meeting of the NDSAC for advice on the way forward and the best way to limit the abuse. “We also met with Marketing Authorisation Holders who submitted Risk Management Plan to address the safety issues. Now, the distribution of Flunitrazepam will have to be limited and restricted to determined outlets and dispensed only on the prescription of doctors. “Mandatory Quarterly Reports on the distribution and use of the medi-

cine has to be submitted by Marketing Authorisation Holders to NAFDAC.” Cynthia, 25, who was a post-graduate student of the Nasarawa State University and daughter of a retired Major-General, was allegedly killed by her Facebook friends after she was drugged and raped at a Hotel in Festac Town in Lagos, last July. Orhii also said that Flunitrazepam was registered in Nigeria by Roche Nigeria Limited as a 1mg tablet with the brand name, Rohypnol, adding that “the other brand registered is Swinol by Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited”.

PDP only the National Secretariat of the PDP conducts state congresses. “Based upon the above therefore the NWC hereby declares the purported congresses null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

“Consequently, we hereby declare that the only state executive committee constitutionally recognised by this party is the Kaugama executive lawfully elected in March 2012 and endorsed by the National Convention.”

UN Under-Secretary-General arrives Nigeria today IJEOMA EZEIKE ABUJA

he United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral and Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, will today arrive Nigeria to commence a one-week campaign on the urgent need for increasing women’s participation as the foundation for nation building and economic development. The former Chilean president will visit projects advancing women’s economic empowerment and rights. She is also expected to meet with high ranking government officials and hold discussions with civil society leaders, private sector, among others. Bachelet is expected to call for robust and effective policies that can ensure women’s full participation in the economy and in political decision-making across the board, from the urban to the rural areas. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Develop-

ment, Hajiya Zainab Maina, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a one-day UN Women Engagement with media in Nigeria, said the under-secretary’s coming would also make the United Nations agencies to come out and support gender programmes in the country. She said: “The Director of UN Women’s coming will not only benefit the women but the children as well as the disabled.” Maina expressed the hope that the visit would equally strengthen the Nigerian UN Women office financially. She said: “Right now, UN Women in Nigeria is not as strong as they should be but with this visit, we want the UN Women headquarters to be strengthened more financially to enable it carry out more gender programmes in Nigeria.” The Country Representative of UN Women in Nigeria, Dr. Grace Ongile, in her remark, noted that gender and women were a very important factor in every development process.

Subscribers seek stiffer penalties for GSM operators

elephone subscribers yesterday in Abuja called for stiffer penalties against GSM operators for providing poor quality of services in the country. The subscribers made their feelings known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. A cross-section of the subscribers noted that the poor services rendered by the operators had worsened despite the recent ban on promos by the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC. A businessman, Mr. Silas Daniel, described the services of some of the GSM operators during the Yuletide as ‘’terrible’’. Daniel noted that some of the operators had inundated the subscribers with

unsolicited text messages during the Yuletide at different rates. He said: “They will bombard you with series of text messages and a lot of promos that sometimes get you confused. “They will tell you there is a free call to this call at ‘so-so’ time and you might bump into the wrong hours. “You will think that you are making a free call but before you know it, your credit will go. “NCC should be able to put up strict and stringent measures to be able to punish offenders because they are taking Nigerians for a ride; these things are not done elsewhere even in South Africa and other parts of the world. These are not done, they are not acceptable.’’

News

Wednesday January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Blue lite rail to take off June –Fashola MURITALA AYINLA

agos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday said the first section of the multibillion naira lite rail project would be completed in June this year just as he said that the state government and Okota property

owners have agreed to settle out of court. Briefing journalists after flagging-off the track-laying exercise of the blue lite rail at Alaba Suru of Orile Iganmu axis, the governor said the level of work on the National Theatre and Alaba-Mile 2 rail stations is

in advanced state. His words: “This is what we do with the loan collected by the state government. We don’t use our loan to pay salaries and other recurrent expenditure, all we do with our loan is to provide capital projects that would serve the benefit of the residents.

“When the project is completed, the state would be at par with other major cities of the world.” He explained that the first section of the road which begun from National Theatre, Orile-Iganmu to Mile 2 Bus Stop, AmuwoOdofin Local Government,

would be fully completed with the tracks laid. “While construction works continue on the rail project from Orile-Iganmu to Marina, the expansion work on the road from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko will also be intensified.” While urging Lagosians

Lagos redeploys perm secs MURITALA AYINLA

agos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has approved the deployment of some permanent secretaries in the state public service. According to a statement issued yesterday by the Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, the affected permanent secretaries are Arc. Taiwo Adetunde Adedeji from the Ministry of Housing to the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development; Mr. Nurudeen Ojora-Adejiyan from Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to the Local Government Service Commission; Mr. Lateef Dada Abari from the Public Service Office to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Others are Mrs. Eniola Yonwuren from the Civil Service Commission to the Teachers Establishments and Pensions Office (TEPO) and Mrs. Regina Iyabode Obasa from the Local Government Establishment, Training and Pensions to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The statement added that the 16 newly appointed permanent secretaries have been assigned portfolios. They are Dr. John Olusegun Oshinyimika, Office of Youth and Social Development; Dr. Abiola Olawunmi Awonuga, Office of Sports and Mrs. Onikepo Olufunmilayo Animashaun, Ministry of Science and Technology.

Fashola

to embrace this modern transportation system, the governor said the rail project is the modern transport system he desires for the state in the nearest future saying; “My dream transportation system has begun to manifest in the state.” The governor also unveiled plans to build a housing estate in Iganmu under the Lagos Homes Scheme. Fashola said challenges such as litigation, payment of compensation and the need to relocate some of the infrastructural facilities are responsible for the supposed delay in the execution of some of the projects.

Drug trafficking: Court sentences 52-year-old to jail K AYODE KETEFE

L-R: Vice-President Namadi Sambo; President Goodluck Jonathan; National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, at the Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE.

Police arrest soldier, eight others for kidnapping KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

yo State police command yesterday said nine suspects, including a soldier simply identified as Bada, have been arrested in connection with the alleged abduction of an Indian engineer working with one of the GSM service providers. Also, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, said the two embattled former leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a.Tokyo) and Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a. Auxiliary), should surrender themselves to the police

on or before this weekend. Mbu, who stated this while addressing journalists at the police headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, said the soldier, who is of the rank of a private, was arrested with three others while about collecting ransom from relatives of the kidnapped Indian engineer identified as Kumal. He said five other suspects were arrested yesterday morning by men of the state police command handling the investigation of the alleged kidnap case. The police boss said some police detectives from the Lagos State police command had last week came to his office in company of two Indians working with one of the

GSM service providers to inform him of their plans to pay the ransom demanded by the suspected kidnappers of their engineer colleague at a hideout in Ibadan. He said he immediately ordered the reinforcement of detectives from the state police command to accompany the two Indian engineers and the detectives from Lagos to the kidnappers’ hideout. Mbu said the soldier was arrested with three other suspects by the armed policemen that combed the area while about collecting the ransom from the two Indian engineers and that the soldier, together with others were later moved to Lagos

by the detectives. He maintained that men of his command in continuation of their investigations on the kidnapped Indian engineer yesterday morning succeeded in tracking down five other suspects in connection with the abduction. Speaking on the embattled NURTW leaders, Mbu vowed to fish out Akinsola and Lamidi, should they failed to report to his command by the end of this week “to answer questions.” He insisted that the duo were declared wanted by the police since last year and were yet to report to the command saying, “Tokyo and Auxiliary should surrender themselves to the police now.”

Dana air crash: Expert’s absence stalls coroner’s inquest KENNY ODUNUKAN

he absence of a consultant pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, before Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, of Ikeja Magistrate’s Court yesterday stalled the resumption of the coroner’s inquest into the June 3, 2012 Dana plane crash. It will be recalled that a total of 153 manifests

and some residents of Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State, where the plane crash occurred, were killed in the crash. The inquest was due to resume yesterday following the dismissal of a suit filed against the proceedings by a group, Civil Aviation Round Table. The suit was dismissed by Justice Okon Abang, of a Federal High Court in Lagos for lacking in merit.

Obafunwa, who is the Chief Medical Examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja had testified on July 25, 2012 on the cause of the death of the victims. He was expected to be cross-examined on his testimony and submit the autopsy reports to the court. Following his absence, the Lagos State Coroner, Magistrate Komolafe

said the proceedings could not go on. Also to be cross-examined was Capt. Oscar Wilson, Director of Flight Operations, Dana Airlines who had also given evidence before the inquest. He therefore adjourned the inquest till January 18, 2013 to enable summons to be served on witnesses and parties expected to testify before the court.

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday sentenced a 52-year-old man, Christopher Ugbeni, to one year imprisonment, moments after he pleaded guilty to a charge of illicit drug dealing. Ugbeni had been arrested by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on December 7, 2011, for illegally dealing on narcotic substance. The offence was said to contravene section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004. His conviction and sentencing yesterday came after his plea of guilty to a one-count charge of trading in about 100 grams of cannabis sativa. Justice Okeke said; “The accused having pleaded guilty to the charge before this honorable court, is hereby convicted as charged. “The accused is hereby sentenced to one year imprisonment and the sentence is to commence from December 7, 2011, when he was arrested and detained,” Okeke ruled. The prosecutor Mr. Orji Kalu, told the court that the accused was reported to be a major dealer in cannabis, a narcotic similar to cocaine, which he sold to various buyers at the Oniru market in Lagos. Kalu said that following a tip off, the accused was apprehended and detained by NDLEA officers.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

WALE FOLARIN OSOGBO

etermined to ensure a good road network in Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, said his administration has paid N5.5 billion to major contractors handling the 218 kilometres of roads in all the local government areas of the state. While presenting the cheques to the contractors, the governor described the massive road construction projects going on in the state as part of the government’s effort to see that the state gets out of an appalling economic condition. He also said a similar amount would be released to the contractors when the projects are 40 percent completed, adding that the state government was working doggedly but silently to construct good roads in the state. Aregbesola, who vowed that within the shortest possible time, the state would

boast of one of the best road networks in the country, also noted that quality road network marks the level of development of a country. According to the governor, the condition of a country’s roads is a major indicator of its development or under-development, adding that bad roads network, apart from causing auto crashes, has serious negative health implication, which make people loath travelling on bad roads because of the possible challenge to their health after such trips. His words: “Good roads on the other hand will enhance economic activities, bring down the cost of goods and services and reduce wear and tear on vehicles. Our assault on bad roads is massive. At the state level, work is ongoing and is at varying stages of completion. “This is a demonstration of our resolve.

Describing as false the allegation by opposition parties that his government was arbitrary in awarding the contracts, the governor said that the contractors handling the projects were selected

n appeal lodged by the former Governor of Ekiti State and National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Segun Oni, seeking to set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal that removed him from office, suffered a major setback yesterday as the Supreme Court adjourned till March 4. The adjournment was consequent upon the inability of counsel to Oni (appellant), Chief JoeKyari Gadzama (SAN) to serve court processes on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Oni is urging the apex court to upturn the decision of the appellate court that ousted him from office and declared Mr. Kayode Fayemi as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State. He is challenging his removal from office on the ground that the suspended President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice

Ayo Isa Salami, who presided over the panel that sacked him from office, had a close relationship with the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Hardly had counsel for both parties announced their appearance, when the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, who led other six justices of the apex court observed that there was nothing in the court’s records to show that INEC was served with hearing notice. Efforts by Gadzama, who replaced Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), to convince the justices that the electoral commission had put up a nominal appearance at the lower court were unsuccessful, as the CJN held otherwise. According to Justice Mukhtar; “Whether INEC was a nominal or active party at the court below, they are a party to the suit and must be served, since they will be affected by the judgement of the court.”

on merit from the pool of those that had scaled through pre-qualification test and had handled projects for the government satisfactorily. “We must let you know that it is still the local gov-

ernments’ project. Our intervention is only in quality control and financial engineering, but the works are still under the superintendence of the local governments’ directors of works”, he said.

The governor enjoined the contractors to abide by the best practice available and do quality jobs, warning that government will not hesitate to review its relationship with those who do not prove their mettle.

L-R: Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Executive Secretary Atakumosa West Local Government, Mr. Disu Oyedele; contractor, Tage Resources Limited, Engr. Ali Awada; Director of Works, Engr. Folowosele Abayomi and Head of Administrations, Mr. Kunle Falode, during the symbolic presentation of cheques to contractors on the construction/rehabilitation of roads throughout local governments in Osogbo, yesterday.

• As Supreme Court orders service on INEC

ABUJA

Aregbesola pays N5.5bn on 218km road projects

Guber dispute: Oni’s appeal against Fayemi suffers setback EMMANUEL ONANI

South West

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

To this end, the appellant’s counsel sought an adjournment to enable service to be made on INEC. This was even as he noted the importance of service, for purposes of fair hearing. One is contending that bias constitutes a reasonable ground for setting aside a judgment saying, “bias or likelihood of it makes a decision a nullity and is therefore a sufficient ground for the lower court to set aside its own judgment.” In a preliminary objection, however, Fayemi’s counsel, John Olusola Baiyashea, SAN, submitted that the apex court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal. His words: “This honourable court has no jurisdiction to entertain this appeal, being an appeal emanating from the decision of the court below in governorship election petition of Ekiti State arising from the governorship election of 2007 to which Section 246 (3) of the 1999 Constitution is applicable.”

Soldiers beat journalist in Ibadan KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

reporter with the Tribune newspapers, Mr. Laolu Harold, was yesterday beaten by soldiers attached to the Oyo State government demolition task force team in Ibadan. National Mirror gathered that Harold while on his way to work saw the state task force team demolishing some shops around Alegongo area of Akobo and tried to take some photographs of the exercise, when the incident happened. It was gathered that two of the soldiers in the team spotted him opposite the venue of the demolition exercise and pounced on him and flogged him severally. The reporter, while narrating his ordeal from his bed at the University Col-

lege Hospital (UCH), where he was to undergo chest and spine X-ray as a result of the injury inflicted on him said; “As I was just coming out of the street, I heard the siren of the military escort attached to the task force blaring and the soldiers jumped down from their various vehicles and started destroying the shops. Some of the shops were not even directly beside the road. “I was not too close to them. I just stood at a vantage position opposite where the demolition was being done and was trying to take some shots of the exercise. Two of the soldiers spotted me and ran towards me. “They slapped me severally, dragged me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me into one of their vans. They asked me to lie on the floor and one of them went for

a three-prong whip with which they beat me. “As if that was not enough, they dragged me out of the van and asked me to roll on the floor. While one of them kept beating me, the others was slapping me. At that time, they had impounded my digital camera. “I sustained bruises, especially on my head. I don’t know why they were interested in beating me on the head. If I had not been defending my head, my face would have completely been distorted. Even up till the time they dragged me and instructed that I roll on the ground, they were still beating me.” He added that he was yelled at and asked “to run like a mad man” when he was left off the hook by the soldiers.

You’ve a case to answer, court tells Daniel FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

n Ogun State High Court III sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, yesterday ruled that former governor of the state, Gbenga Daniel, has a case to answer before it in the 38-count charge leveled against him by the Economic and Finan-

cial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Daniel is currently standing trial on a 38-count charge that bothered on stealing, false declaration of assets as well as fraudulent conversion of government land, among others, before the high court. He had on October 15, 2012, approached the court seeking to quash counts

1 to 13 of the 38 charges brought against him by the EFCC. When the case eventually came up for hearing on December 14, Daniel’s lawyers told the court that the state government was vilifying the former governor through the setting up of a commission of enquiry to probe land administration under his administration.

South West

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Show commitment to Nigeria’s transformation, don urges FG KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

university teacher, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, has advised the Federal Government to show greater commitment to the country’s transformation rather than aiming to rank among the top 20 richest and leading countries in the world. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, who is the director, Monitoring and Research Division, United Nations-Habitat, said this yesterday in a lecture titled; “The praxis and perils of the oil economy: A proposal for equitable development in Nigeria,” at the monthly lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, NISER, Ibadan. He said: “Every political arrangement and all manners of electoral system have been shaped around oil discovery. If you don’t detach the emphasis on oil,

it would determine everything we do, including our pace of development. “Except in countries where oil is sufficiently available and the left over is sufficient to keep the citizens silent, there will always be crisis and developmental challenges. “In this country, there is a diagnosis of helplessness and prognosis of optimism. We have to find a new trajectory for development. Government should provide the right environment for advancement.” According to him, the political elite have been partly responsible for the myriads of problems confronting the country. “We have huge level of unemployment and inequality. In Germany, youth employment is around four per cent because of the structure which ensures training system for the youth. “Even at this time when there is economic reces-

sion, you can work and go to school at the same time in Germany,” he disclosed. The don said political elite in the country enjoyed certain privileges and access to decision making at the expense of the masses. He said: “The bureaucracy, political elite, and the private vested interest are factors affecting the nation. “In Nigeria when people get to power they take the money and emoluments attached to the offices as their

own. “It is nothing new to Nigerians that people regard state allocation as their own money and believe that it should be plundered.” Assuring that there was hope on the horizon, Oyelaran-Oyeyinka made reference to the experience in China where no fewer than 100 million people were bailed out of poverty through industrialisation and exportation. The immediate past

Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, who was the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, said time was not on the side of the country with its main reliance on oil. He warned that “if Nigeria will not relapse into a failed state,” the time to act was now. The Director-General, NISER, Prof. Olufemi Taiwo, recalling that the country’s oil boom emerged in the early 1970s,

said: “Experts harped on the need for technological advancement and industrialisation but not much was done in this area. “The recommendation was entrenched in the second development plan, but, unfortunately the Gowon administration invested only in infrastructure until 1988 when the Ibrahim Babangida administration developed a blueprint which was not implemented.”

Group applauds Ajimobi’s investment in security, development

pressure group, Oyo Development Initiative, ODI, has commended Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State for the peace and tranquillity that reigned in the state during Christmas and New Year celebrations. The group, in a statement issued by its Coordinator, Dr. Adesola Okanlawon, also lauded the governor for the facelift which his administration is giving Ibadan, the state capital and other major towns and cities across the state. Okanlawon noted that throughout the Yuletide, there were no cases of violence, brigandage, armed robbery and other crimes that usually characterised the season in the state. He said: “We want to sincerely commend Governor Abiola Ajimobi for setting up Operation Burst to check crime and criminal activities in Oyo State. We equally thank him for equipping the security outfit and for motivating the personnel. No wonder they are so efficient in the discharge of their duties. “Were it not for the governor’s foresight, Oyo State would probably have been taken over by hoodlums as

it used to be in the past. “It is a good thing that the people of Oyo State are now sleeping with their two eyes closed, without any fear of being attacked or molested by criminals.’’ The group also described as a thing of joy the improvement in the environmental condition of Ibadan, the state capital, by the government through regular environmental sanitation, efficient refuse disposal and beautification of major roads across the city. This, it said, had changed the face of Ibadan which used to carry the stigma of being the dirtiest city in the country. ODI acknowledged the neighbourhood markets currently being constructed by the government to accommodate the traders affected by the removal of illegal structures within the Ibadan metropolis.

Ajimobi

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (right) and Chairman, Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, during a courtesy visit by the Management of Daar Communications Plc to the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta... yesterday.

Ekiti PDP probes allegations against suspended scribe ABIODUN NEJO AND HAKEEM GBADAMOSI

he Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it would probe allegations of anti-party activities against its suspended Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko. The state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, told journalists on phone yesterday that the Disciplinary Committee of the party would sit on the matter on Saturday.

Aluko was on Monday suspended for one month by State Working Committee, SWC, for allegedly divulging official information to unauthorised sources and romancing with the opposition in a manner contrary to PDP Code of Conduct. The state Deputy Chairman of the party, Hon. Femi Bamisile and Oluwawole had on Monday announced Aluko’s suspension on Monday. Oluwawole said yesterday that the Disciplinary Committee would be reinforced to begin investiga-

tion into the allegations against Aluko in accordance with the party’s constitution. The publicity secretary, who said Aluko’s suspension had no political undertone or arose out of crisis, said the SWC’s decision in the circumstance was justifiable. According to him, the action taken against the secretary was part of measures to instil discipline among the PDP members and reposition the party ahead of the 2014 governorship election in the state.

Panel submits report on Ogun virginity test

he five-man panel of enquiry set up by the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to investigate allegations of unlawful administration of virginity test on some students of Ajuwon Senior High School, Ajuwon in Ifo Local Government Area has submitted its report. The school Principal, Mrs. Olufunke Aladeojobi,

on December 10, 2012 allegedly invited a nurse to conduct virginity test on 10 female students in the school without seeking the consent of their parents or guardians. The school nurse, identified as Mrs. Makinde, also allegedly took part in the exercise. The panel report was submitted to the Commissioner for Education, Mr.

Segun Odubela. Speaking during the submission of the report, the Chairman of the panel, Mr. Idowu Adeniji, said members obtained both oral and written evidence from community leaders in Ajuwon, including students and other members of the public. He added that during the sitting, the panel gave equal opportunities to individuals that appeared before it.

Aluko had told journalists on phone on Monday that he had not committed any offence to warrant his suspension, saying that the news of his suspension was a ruse. Meanwhile, PDP has said that the Prof. Olu Agbi factional group remained expelled from its fold in Ondo State. This is contained in a statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, who said the recent outburst of the Director General of Olusola Oke Campaign group, Dr. Dare Bada, was masterminded by the factional group. Fadaka said the expulsion of Agbi and his group was predicated on their serial indiscipline activities that contradicted the goals of the party. He said: “It is therefore important that we correct the erroneous impression in the media that they remain a faction within the party, they are not. They are completely extraneous and detached from the party.”

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GEORGE OPARA ABIA

he people of Abiriba community in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State are now under siege following the invasion of the area by military, police and other security operatives in search of the killers of Chief Iroeke Ukaku. Ukaku was said to have been shot dead in his house while his two daughters were abducted after he had offered his killers some money to spare his life and those of his family members when the killers invaded his house. Sources at Abiriba said that Ukaku, who is the current head of his village compound came back for the Christmas holiday like

South East

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Gunmen kill man, abduct two daughters

others and after attending to some pressing family issues last Friday was relaxing with his family members when his killers struck. According to sources, he offered his killers money while pleading with them to take the money, spare his life and those of his family members, but the killers refused and shot him, collected the money and abducted his two daughters. As at the time of this report, the two girls have not been found, while security men have descended on the community in search of the abductors. In a telephone chat, a source, who did not want his name in print, said peo-

ple of the community were happy to stay back and help the security men to search for and rescue the girls, stressing that the killers of Ukaku must be found at all cost. He explained that the security men have been doing their work with all sense of decorum and believed that those behind the killing of the man and the abduction of his two daughters will be found in no distant time. Meanwhile, the Abia State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of three suspects in connection with the killing of Chief Ukaku and abduction of his two daughters. Speaking in Umuahia on

the incident, the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Ambrose Aisabor, said the incident was not a case of kidnapping, but rather a case of murder occasioned by revenge. Aisabor’s words: “It is a case of murder, because the scenario we saw and the things we met on ground shows that it is a case of revenge mission and not that of kidnapping or murder as people are speculating.” The CP, who confirmed the incident said on that fateful day, he got a report about 8.30pm from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area and immediately deployed his men. According to him, prelim-

inary investigation revealed that sequel to that fateful day, the late Ukaku was alleged to have on December 24, engaged the services of “Bakassi Boys” from Aba who came to his community and arrested some boys and allegedly maimed some people and extorted money from them. Aisabor said available information also revealed that on the same day of his murder; his assailants had gained entry after killing two Bakassi men guarding the compound and thereafter accessed the house where the deceased was relaxing. After several foiled attempts to gain access to his

Obi charges students on academic performance

room, the assailants eventually got hold of his eightmonth-old granddaughter whom they threatened to smash her head on the wall should the late Ukaku not make himself available to them. Having no option, the late Ukaku, who was said to be about 67 years old, offered himself and was immediately murdered while three members of his family were taken away, one of them, it was gathered, eventually escaped from the kidnappers. The Abia police boss said from their investigations no ransom has been demanded by the abductors of the two daughters, adding that investigation was still ongoing.

Opposition parties urged to embrace coalition talks

CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

nambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has charged students of secondary schools in the state to take their studies serious and exhibit high moral standard. Obi’s call on the students to be responsible citizens was respectively made yesterday during his inspection visits to Marist Brothers Secondary School, Nteje; Model Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkwelle Ezunaka; New Era Secondary School, Onitsha; Army Day Secondary School, Onitsha and Community Secondary School, Awada. He also gave cheques to some of the schools for the rehabilitation of their structures during the tour. At each of the schools visited, he inspected their facilities, interacted with the staff and addressed the students on the need to take their studies seriously; more so that education is the biggest asset those growing up should strive to acquire, to excel in this highly competitive society. The governor assured the students that his administration will not relent in upgrading their facilities. He regretted that past neglect made most of the schools to collapse.

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, during a visit to Marist Brothers Secondary School, in the state, yesterday.

NAFDAC warns traders against banned products

he National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday warned traders in Abia State against selling banned products. Chief Regulatory Officer in Aba Special Zone of NAFDAC, Mr. Gabriel Ezeaguba, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba. He said NAFDAC would

DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

he Enugu State government said it has distributed 21 electricity transformers of various capacities to some communities and parts of the state capital under its rural electrification programme. The benefiting communities, according to the government include; Ozom Aguobu Owa, Akama Oghe, Agu Ibe-

intensify public enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the traders against selling unwholesome products. Ezeaguba said that the agency would carry out massive campaign in markets in Aba and its environs with a view to seizing such items and arresting defaulters. He said more consumer safety clubs would be established in secondary schools in the state this year and

would also deploy NYSC members to achieve the objective. “We are winning the war against unwholesome goods in Aba. “That is our mandate and we are doing just that, some traders are cooperating, while we are still getting some resistance from others,” he said. Ezeaguba, however, said that members of the public were not helping the agency with adequate information

in the bid to check nefarious activities of dubious traders. “The problem here is there is still much resistance on the side of the populace. “People are not coming up with information and sometimes when it comes to places like markets you also have a lot of resistance. “The people you are trying to help don’t even know what you are doing so, there is a lot of resistance.

21 communities get transformers je, Okata Nkpamute, Orba, Nkpunano, Umuawalagu Nara, Obe Agbo, Edem Nike and Eziama Agbogugu. Others are Uwani Amokwe, Amadim Amugwu, Ikeghe Okpatu, Enugu Achi, Umuoma Agbada Inyi, Ugwuleshi Agwu, GRA I and GRA II, Unity Layout, police community and Central Police Station (CPS), Enugu.

The General Manager of the state Rural Electrification Board, Mr. Simon Atigwe, said with the arrangement on ground, no community in the state would be left out in the electrification project. Atigwe also said that the criteria for benefiting in the replacement exercise was based on the report of the team that visited every com-

munity in parts of the state in addition to the priority needs of the various communities. The state Commissioner for Rural Development, Dr. Eric Oluedo, said the gesture was in keeping with the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime to electrify all communities in the state that are without electricity.

he Abia State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) yesterday called on opposition parties in the state to embrace the ongoing coalition talks to enhance their relevance. A chieftain of the LP in the state, Mr. Allen Wogu, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia. He said such coalition was necessary to wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia, ahead of the 2015 elections. Wogu, who was the LP’s deputy governorship candidate in the 2011 elections in the state, said that major opposition parties in the state had been in coalition talks. He said the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, chaired the merger talks between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). “Onu has been championing the coalition talks and I also wish that the LP will embrace the move. This will present to residents of the state a better option that will be a clear departure from what they are experiencing at the moment,” he said. Wogu, a former personal assistant on special duties to Onu, said that the current administration in the state had failed to live up to the expectations of the people. He said the level of infrastructure decay in Aba in particular and the state generally, was unprecedented.

South South

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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Crisis looms in Azazi’s T community over gas project

SURE-P to create 10,000 jobs in Cross River

EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

risis may soon break out at Peretorugbene, the community of former National Security Adviser, the late Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi, in Ekeremor council, Bayelsa State. This follows an alleged disagreement between the community and Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, over a proposed gas project in the area. Members of the community alleged that the Anglo-Dutch oil firm meted out injustice to them in the proposed Southern Swamp

Tunu Gas project operated by the company. An indigene of the community and President of Ijaw Youths Federation, Famous Daunemigha, said in a statement made available to our correspondent yesterday in Yenagoa, that the community was compelled to alert the public over the alleged unjust activities of some multinational oil firms over the Tunu gas project in the community. He also alleged that the activities of firms managing the operation of the Gas Gathering Projects such as Saipem Contracting Nigeria, Daewoo Nigeria and SPDC, negated the Local Content Act of Nigeria that

provides for the protection and participation of host communities in any such project. Daunimigha expressed fear that if not properly managed, the situation could degenerate into fresh crisis in the community and the larger Niger Delta region. He said: “Contracts are unilaterally awarded without due consideration of contractors from the host communities. These contracts are awarded to contractors from other host communities when they operated in their areas. What is good for the goose is also good for the Gander.”

Daunemigha regretted that the non-indigenous contractors awarded such contracts on the recommendation of SPDC were not even from the Ijaw nation, which he described as unacceptable to the community. The activist also accused the multinational firm of adopting a divide and rule tactics in dealing with host communities, which most times pitched one community against another. He said: “We make bold to say that we will resist all antics used by these companies against the interest of the people, should they use different policies from what they did in other areas.”

he State Implementation Committee for the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) yesterday said that Cross River State would target 10,000 unemployed people under the programme this year. The state SURE-P Chairman, Mr. Agom Jarigbe, said this in Calabar at the inauguration of the Sensitisation/ Orientation Workshop for the implementation of the programme in the state. Jarigbe said 5,000 unemployed people would benefit from the Federal Government’s SURE-P while 5,000 people would benefit from the state’s controlled SUREP. He said: “Right now, we are employing 3,000 and later we will take more 2,000 making it 5,000 but before the year runs out Cross River will have 10,000. “The SURE-P at the state

level will employ 5,000; then under the Federal Government’s SURE-P we will have 5,000.” According to him, beneficiaries of the programme are expected to receive N10,000 monthly stipend and after one year they will be fully absorbed into another bigger endeavour. Jarigbe said that the beneficiaries were expected to carry out community work and advised them to work hard in order to justify the good intention of the government. He said the Federal Government was targeting 370,000 beneficiaries across the country under the first phase of SURE-P. The Chairman, Calabar Municipal Area Council, Mr. Eta Mbora, said SURE-P was in fulfilment of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign promise.

UNIBEN lecturer in police net over extortion SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

senior lecturer at the University of Benin, UNIBEN, has been arrested for extorting about N100,000 from a female student. The lecturer, whose name could not be ascertained at press time, is said to be an assistant dean of the Faculty of Law. The suspect was arrested by the university’s security officials with marked money before he was eventually handed to the police for prosecution. The UNIBEN Public Relations Officer, Mr. Harrison Osarenren, who confirmed the report, said the school was desirous to clean its system of people like the lecturer. He said: “With the arrest, we will try and rid the system of bad eggs.” The lecturer allegedly collected the money to change the female student’s course of study from English Language to Law. Sources at the university told our correspondent yesterday that the suspect, who represents his faculty in the committee constituted by the management of the university on students’ inter-faculty movement coordination every academic session, allegedly used his position to compel the female student to pay about N150,000 to approve her request for a change of course from the Faculty of

Arts to the Faculty of Law. Following her inability to raise the money before the deadline, the student allegedly sought the advice of another lecturer, who encouraged her to lodge a formal complaint with the school authorities. It was gathered that the authorities took up the matter by raising N100,000 for the student and asked her to play along. The student later called the lecturer to inform him of her ability to raise only N100,000, which she was asked to pay into a certain bank account given by the lecturer.

L-R: Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; Otaru of Auchi, HRH Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III, and representative of the Etsu Nupe, Niger State, Alhaji Mohammed Bagudu, at the 16th Auchi Day celebration in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday.

No more automatic promotion Akwa Ibom Assembly passes 2013 budget for teachers –Uduaghan

elta State Government has cancelled automatic promotion of teachers in the state unified teaching service. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who announced this during the First Sunday of the Year Service at the Pasture of Life Church in Asaba, said the era of mass promotion of teachers in the State Teaching Service was over. Uduaghan said henceforth all promotions would be based on job performance, stressing that the idea was to encourage hardwork and development in the education sector. The governor said that

about 1,400 teachers on salary grade level 16 did not teach because of their seniority grade level, adding that this was not good enough. He said: “We do not like the situation because it is not just only unhealthy but counter-productive as it will not promote good academic performance by students.” Uduaghan called on persons in positions of authority to strive to influence the society positively and excel in assigned duties so that they would be role models to others. He also said appropriate measures had been taken to

address the flood challenge to check future occurrence in the state. The governor commended the founder and presiding Pastor of the Pasture of Life Christian Church, Rev Jude Akhere, and other church leaders for believing in the state government and for standing by him in all his governorship elections. He recalled that Akhere mobilised other church leaders to pray for the success of his re-run elections and expressed gratitude for the support. In his sermon, Akhere preached on the “2013 year of influence.”

kwa Ibom State House of Assembly yesterday passed the 2013 Appropriation Bill of N470.08 billion. The budget comprised recurrent expenditure of N118.79 billion and capital expenditure of N351.28 billion. Governor Godswill Akpabio had on November 20, 2012, submitted a budget estimate of N459.30 billion for 2013 to the Assembly for consideration. The Chairman, Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Onofiok Luke, told the House

that the committee was satisfied with the implementation of the 2012 budget. Luke said that to ensure prompt completion of the ongoing projects, the committee had to increase the capital expenditure by N10.77 billion. The Speaker, Mr. Samuel Ikon, urged the executive to ensure proper implementation of the budget for the benefit of the state. Ikon urged the executive to ensure prompt release of fund according to the budget. The state had budgeted N533.11 billion in 2012.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

One year after: How successful are Occupy Nigeria protests?

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Politics

J9C set to chart way forward – Ademokun

2015: ACN alleges plot to silence Buhari, Tinubu AYODELE OJO

he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government of a plot to discredit and silence key opposition leaders in the country, especially Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. ‘’For the Jonathan-led administration, and not minding its deceptive aloofness from it all, the race for 2015 has started in earnest and it is a do-or-die, and all means foul and unfair are on the table to cripple the opposition, by ensuring that nothing will be left of the integrity of its key leaders even if they are fortunate to make it to 2015 “These opposition leaders are considered as constituting a clear and present danger to the electoral fortunes of the PDP in 2015, hence must be stopped at all costs and by whatever means,”’ ACN said. The party, in a statement

made available to National Mirror yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the plot is an attempt to frustrate the ongoing plans to form a formidable platform through merger of opposition parties to confront the PDP in 2015 election. The party said the paranoia over the merger plans has driven the PDP-led government to resort to imprudent and crude tactics aimed at tarnishing the image of key opposition leaders,. According to Mohammed, “Asiwaju Tinubu is particularly a prime target of these evil machinations, because of his status as the leader of the country’s second biggest party, his progressive credentials as well as his electoral value. As far as the PDP-led government is concerned, getting him out of the way is the best way to ruin the merger plans.” The party said a huge war chest has been earmarked for the phased cam-

paign, which has already started with a well-oiled media war, being waged especially online, denigrating these leaders. The party added: “Some key government agencies have also been co-opted to dig up any dirt they hope can be plastered on the targeted leaders, while foreign intelligence agencies have been contacted in a desperate attempt to unearth any information that can be used to discredit and disgrace these major opposition figures thus distracting them from the merger plans. “Indications are that

highly-combustible sectional and religious issues, that are being manipulated by desperate forces to divide and destroy, are not off the table as long as exploiting them can shut down the opposition. Or how else does one interpret a recent PDP statement that President Goodluck Jonathan is being criticised by the opposition because he is from a minority ethnic group? “And what about the continuous efforts, which have failed so far, to portray a key opposition leader as a sponsor of Boko Haram? His nomination as a ‘facilitator’ of some phantom peace

talks was not an accident, but was carefully choreographed to portray him as a religious zealot and terrorist not fit to preside over the affairs of the nation.” ACN said it will beam its searchlight on the activities of the government concerning the alleged plot against its leaders. “Those who either conveniently acquiesced or opted to dine with the devil when many progressives took to the trenches during the long, bitter and gruelling battle to enthrone the democracy we are now enjoying apparently do not value it, and will stop at nothing

to endanger it on the altar of selfish personal interests and political expediency. “It is therefore incumbent on all Nigerians, especially those who believe that all hands must be on deck to nurture and strengthen our democracy, to be vigilant. After all, it is said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” the party said. Several telephone calls and text messages to the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, and Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, to respond to the allegation, were not answered or returned.

Dickson lied over Bayelsa treasury, says Sylva OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

ormer governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva has described the claim by the governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, that he inherited N4, 451 in the treasury as at best the outburst of an illegitimate governor troubled by an attack of conscience. Sylva, who was speaking through his media adviser, Doifie Ola, said that Dickson was still obsessed with his ghost one year after he left office. Ola said that Bayelsa State has never had it so bad, as nothing is happening in the area of delivery of democracy dividends to the people of the state, saying: “Rather than concentrate on what leadership ought to be, Dickson and his team are busying chas-

ing Sylva’s shadows, like the Biblical evil man who runs when no one is pursuing him. This clearly shows how confused he is.” The media adviser said that Sylva ran the most transparent government Bayelsa has ever seen since the advent of the Fourth Republic, in spite of the daunting challenges he confronted when he took over from President Goodluck Jonathan in 2007, adding that the state’s debt profile was nowhere near what Dickson is painting it to be. He added: “By our records, we would have concluded payment of all our outstanding debts, except the bond, by February 2012.” He therefore advised that Dickson and his team should stop their “facesaving pranks with Sylva’s name, for it will never confer legitimacy on them.”

Kebbi State Governor, Saidu Dakingari (right), congratulating the new Chief Judge of the state, Justice Bala Mairiga at the swearing-in in Birnin Kebbi, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Suswam denies engaging in frivolous foreign trips OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

he Benue State government has denied claims by a group, “Major Political Stakeholders,” that Governor Gabriel Suswam has been engaging in frivolous trips abroad that do not in any way benefit the state. Debunking the claims, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Cletus Akwaya, said that investigations by the state government have shown that the faceless group are peopled by members of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Akwaya said that the government and people of the state are not taken unawares by the latest antics, because “it has become the stock in trade of the opposition ACN in Benue to raise such baseless allegations without any iota of substance with the sole objective of distracting and discrediting the administration and person of Governor Suswam from delivering on his mandate.” He added: “We wish to state loud and clear that Governor Suswam does not engage in frivolous travels abroad as being insinuated by the ACN under the guise concerned stakeholders. It is on record that in the out-

gone year, Governor Suswam made only six official trips abroad.” Giving a breakdown of the visits, Akwaya said that Suswam accompanied President Goodluck Jonathan, on invitation to the United Nations’ meeting in New York in September, while he was in Windhoek in October to attend a special investment forum put together by the Nigerian and Namibian ambassadors. He said that the governor was also in October travelled to Israel for holy pilgrimage in line with his Christian faith and made a detour to Germany on his way back for medical check-up. Akwaya said that Sus-

wam was in Germany in November in company of a colleague-governor to visit Suntai Danbaba, the Taraba State governor who was on admission in a German hospital following a plane crash and was in the United States of America in December to inspect hospital equipment donated by Medshare, an Atlanta-based non government organisation. While noting that government business never suffered during the governor’s trips outside the state, Akwaya advised the state ACN to join hands with the governor to take Benue State to the next level rather than engaging in campaign of calumny.

Politics

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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One year after Occupy Nigeria protests Like a whirlwind, the Occupy Nigeria movement nearly brought the Goodluck Jonathan administration to its knees a year ago, through massive nationwide protests following the government’s removal of subsidy on petrol. OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU writes on the success or otherwise of the protests.

xactly one year ago, Nigerians from across the divide, putting aside religious and ethnic differences almost brought the government of President Goodluck Jonathan to its knees, when they embarked on series of protests to resist the arbitrary increment in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol from N65 to N142. The nationwide protests that greeted the removal of the fuel subsidy were unprecedented. The Northern part of the country which had more than often been docile when there were protests against government policies was fully involved in the protests as the ancient city of Kano became the rallying point for the protests, reminiscent of the Tahir Square protest in Egypt that led to the fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime. The removal of the fuel subsidy, which the Jonathan administration had been mouthing for quite some time, but which the President had consistently been telling Nigerians that there was an ongoing nationwide consultation, was part of the deregulation of the petroleum sector. For this action, Nigerians rose in one accord to say no to the obnoxious policy. One of the earliest groups to kick against this policy was the Pastor Tunde Bakareled Save Nigeria Group (SNG), which less than a year earlier was in the vanguard of the enthronement of Jonathan as Acting President following the illness of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, despite stringent opposition from a cabal in the seat of government. The SNG, on January 2, 2012 mobilised Nigerians and they began gathering at the famous Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota in Lagos. The famous Tahir Square gathering in Cairo, Egypt, probably inspired the Gani Fawehinmi and the Liberation Square gatherings in Lagos and Kano respectively. The protests were not limited to Lagos and Kano alone, as other major towns in the South-West witnessed massive protests. Other major towns across the country like Abuja, Ilorin, Kano, Kaduna, Gusau, among others witnessed large turnout of protesters. The South-East and the South-South however remained calm and were not involved in the protests. For the South-East, the hike in the price of petrol was not new, as petrol had for long been selling for almost the new price or even higher before January 1, 2012 and for the South-South, it was perceived as being in solidarity with their son, as the President is from Bayelsa State. These protests gave birth to the Occupy

Nigerians protesting against the removal of fuel subsidy in January 2012

Nigeria movement, which was born on January 2. The Occupy Nigeria protesters shut down filling stations, created huge human barriers along expressways and motor ways. There were arguments for and against the removal of subsidy. Finance Minister and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, believed that the subsidy must go. But former Minister of Petroleum in the Babangida administration, Prof. Tam David-West, claimed that there was no fuel subsidy in the first place. He stated that even the previous price of N65 per litre was far higher than the actual cost of N40.02 per litre, including tax, freight and other costs. In Lagos, participants at the gatherings, who cut across social and economic classes joined hands to denounce the increase. The Ojota protests were a parade of many influential people, even as entertainment gurus were not left out. Prominent entertainers, in the mould of Banky W, Funmi Iyanda, Seun Kuti, Femi Kuti, Ras Kimono, 9ice, Dede Mabiaku, among other musicians and humour merchants kept the Gani Fawehinmi Park a beehive of activities as long as the protests lasted. The widow of the late activist, Gani Fawehinmi, Ganiat was among the notable Nigerian who participated in the protest. But while the protests persisted, government continued in its grandstanding, saying that there was no going back on the removal of subsidy. In fact, Okonjo-Iweala threatened that if government backed

down, she would resign from office. The government came up with series of jingles and advertisements using different groups to drum up support for the policy. But all these efforts failed to move the protesters. The protests were not limited to the country as simultaneous protests against the policy were carried out in London and the United States of America. The Occupy Nigeria protests also claimed no fewer than 16 casualties, allegedly killed by the Nigeria Police Force. The Occupy Nigeria Kano demanded among other things the re-instatement of fuel subsidies, improving the quality of lives of Nigerians, cabinet reshuffle, improved social services and frontal anticorruption war by the government among others. Pleas by the governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwanso to Kano citizens to shun the Occupy Nigeria protests were ignored as protesters gathered at the Liberation Square, chanting anti-Jonathan songs and demanding for the President’s resignation. In an unprecedented show of solidarity in a state highly prone to religious violence, Christians stood guard and formed protection walls round Muslims while they say their prayers at the rally grounds. The protesters vowed not to leave the Square until the fuel pump price reverted to N65. The social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, became another avenue for Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora to give the Occupy Nigeria protests wide coverage. Blogs and students’ websites gave live coverage to the Occupy Nigeria protests, posting live pictures of the protests to the internet. The Facebook coverage of the protests and the attack on

DESPITE THAT THE PROTESTS EXPOSED THE FRAUD AND CORRUPT PRACTICES IN THE

DOWNSTREAM OIL SECTOR, NEARLY ALL THOSE WHO WERE INDICTED... ARE WALKING THE STREETS FREE TODAY

the President forced him to close his own Facebook page. Twitter became a connecting platform among the protesters on the one hand and between them and other Nigerians globally on the other hand. And for the first time in Nigeria’s history, the National Assembly aligned with the people. The House of Representatives was a bit combatant in its approach as it called off its Christmas and New Year break to sit on a Sunday to pass a resolution urging the government to maintain the status quo, while a lasting solution was found to the impasse. The Senate, though less combatant, also aligned with the Nigerian people. By mid-January, following the grounding of all activities in the country and a marathon negotiations brokered by the Senate President, David Mark, the Federal Government backed down and announced that it had reduced the pump price of fuel to N97 per litre. The probes instituted by the National Assembly in the aftermath of the Occupy Nigeria protests opened cans of worms in the downstream sector of the oil industry. One year after the Occupy Nigeria protests in which billions of naira were lost in manpower and almost one score of lives of innocent Nigerians lost, have Nigerians fared better than before the protests? Have the Occupy Nigeria protests been successful? Of what benefit has the protests been to Nigeria and Nigerians? To the Secretary of the SNG and one of the prominent members of the protests, Yinka Odumakin, nothing seemed to have changed. He believed that the intention of the Occupy Nigeria protests, which was to overthrow the cabal that had held Nigeria by the jugular and entrenched corruption in the land, was not achieved. In a chat with National Mirror, Odumakin said: “It is corruption that is occupying Nigeria now, because the January 2012 protests were inconclusive. Although the protests were able to expose the corrupt practices in the oil sector, it did not achieve the desired result. “Because the protests did not go the way CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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Politics

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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J9C set to chart way forward – Ademokun Percy Ademokun is the leader of the January 9th Collective, an amalgalm of non-partisan groups of professionals, committed to good governance and accountability in Nigeria. In this interview with FELIX NWANERI, he speaks on the need for a better Nigeria where resources are judiciously utilised, against the background of the group’s inaugural lecture today where Jimi Agbaje is speaking on Elite, Leadership and National Transformation. Excerpts:

What is the January 9 Collective (J9C) all about and how do you intend to achieve your aims? January 9 Collective (J9C) is a non-partisan fusion of like-minded Nigerian professionals whose unifying strong bond is the unwavering belief in Project Nigeria and an equalled passion to create the requisite awareness that will encourage and promote good governance at all levels via constructive engagement. The group is a direct fallout of the protests by Nigerians across the country who spoke in one voice against the infamous fuel subsidy removal authorised by President Goodluck Jonathan in January 2012. One of the most impactful rallying points was the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos which accommodated people across all strata in unison against what panned out to be an increase in the cost of petroleum products. This was the birthplace of J9C, but it has since crystallised into a platform where concrete strategic steps can be developed and implemented towards the attainment of the ideal Nigeria of our dreams; a dream that can certainly be actualised. On the objectives of the group, J9C aims to build a body of Nigerian professionals who are passionate about Nigeria and have a clear cut direction through constructive engagements on burning national issues, pursuing transparency, probity and accountability at all levels, promoting openness across all strata of governance and ensuring best practices and excellence in their various professions. As one of those who kicked against the fuel subsidy removal, are you not worried that none of the indicted persons in the scam that prompted the removal is yet to be convicted a year after the protests? We are bothered, but I must point out that J9C is not about the subsidy protest. It just happened that it was a meeting CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 of the Arab Spring, which led to change of government in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and some other Middle East countries, the corrupt elite in Nigeria is still holding on to power. “Unfortunately, despite that the protests exposed the fraud and corrupt practices in the downstream oil sector, nearly all those who were indicted one way or another for corrupt practices in the oil sector are walking the streets free today. Those charged to court for fleecing our commonwealth in the name of subsidy have not been diligently prosecuted. Corruption has continued to occupy Nigeria.” A former member of the House of Representatives and one of the organisers of the Occupy Nigeria protests, Dino Melaye, said that the protests were successful to some extent and unsuccessful to a large extent. Dino said: “It was successful to an extent that the corrupt practices in the oil sector and in governance have been exposed. It had consciencised Nigerians and made the ordinary man on the street aware of

democracy. The membership of your group cuts across people of different political ideologies, don’t you envisage a clash of interest, especially when taking positions on government policies. Like I said earlier, we are not a political party and we have no intention to metamorphose into one in the future. We are people of like minds, though we have some of our members who belong to the various political parties. However, we have a way of coming together and speaking with one voice when it comes to taking position on issues that affect the people irrespective of our political inclinations. When you talk about engagement, are you subscribing to the call by some people for a sovereign national conference? Personally, I don’t see anything wrong in people calling for a dialogue to determine how they are governed. That is my position and not that of the J9C. But as a group, our view is that we must continue to respect genuine call for a national conference.

Ademokun

ground for it to take off. Most of us have been friends for years, so the gathering provided a platform for us to meet and strategise on how we can collectively contribute as a body to nation-building through advocacy, because we cannot continue to keep quiet on issues of national concern. We must ask questions when necessary; criticise and proffer solutions as well as praise when there is the need. I must however add that we must not be deterred to speak out because those indicted in the subsidy scam are walking free on the streets of the country. We must continue to speak up and ask questions on issues that affect us. Some people may disagree with you on relying solely on advocacy to change the way we do things. To these pessimists, only a revolution can bring the change that we desire. Do you share this belief? Revolution comes in different ways, it does not necessarily come through the guns or being on the streets. That is why we insist that Nigerians must not relent in asking questions on how their resources are managed by those in power. However, I must say that if it takes a revolution to change for the better, let the will of the people prevail in a

J9C is organising a public lecture to mark its one year anniversary, what is the focus of the discourse? We have initiated an annual lecture series in line with the group’s constructive engagement direction. This year’s lecture billed for January 9 (today) will be delivered by an erudite personality and professional, Jimi Agbaje, a pharmacist but more widely remembered for his political exploit in 2007 as the gubernatorial candidate of the proscribed Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in Lagos State. The lecture is titled “Elite, Leadership and National Transformation.” It promises to be incisive and will set the tone for our journey together in steering our motherland out of the woods. We are using the event to provide a platform for elite Nigerians to come and talk to the people on how to move the nation forward; to educate the people on true national transformation and not just transformation on paper. What next, after the lectures? Definitely we are going to come out with a position paper that will be available to the public and relevant government institutions. We should discard that notion that those in government have no listening ears. I will assure you that some of them do, and from the position paper that will come out at the end of the lecture, I am hopeful that we will be making lots of recommendations from which the government can draw inputs as we work towards the realisation of our dream of a veritable Nigeria, which is achievable.

One year after Occupy Nigeria protests

his fundamental human rights. It has created awareness in the minds of Nigerians that they can bring their government to account for their actions and inactions. “But it has not been successful to the extent that the status quo has remained. The government has continued to wallow in corrupt practices and the present government has grown from bad to worst. President Jonathan has graduated from a weak leader to a wicked leader and the massive corruption that pervades the land has continued unabated.” On what now occupy Nigeria, Melaye was quick to respond: “Corruption has occupied Nigeria. Rather than having a government of the people for the people and by the people, what we have today is government of the greedy for the greedy and by the greedy.” He disclosed that the Occupy Nigeria movement has scheduled a concert for January 18, where Nigerians would also be sensitised about the ills of corruption that is bedeviling our dear nation, adding that

entertainers would be gathered together to send the message across to Nigerians that they have to take their destiny in their hands this time around, if they want to escape from the shackles of oppression corruption has put on them. The National Publicity Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Osita Okechukwu, believed that Occupy Nigeria 2012 was a reminder to President Jonathan that there was a social contract between the government and the governed, adding: “For in this part of the world more often than not those in power forget that the power they exercise is on trust reposed on them by the people.” He wondered why a government would impose hardship on its people as New Year gift with the arbitrary hike in pump price of fuel. His words: “The protest exposed the corruption under-belly of the regime and most importantly that this is democracy not dictatorship. It vindicated people like Prof. David-West who maintained that

there is no fuel subsidy, that it is corruption that is being subsidised. “On a second note, the 2012 protest is a hard lesson to the government and future generation of government which must think twice before taking some irrational anti-people decision like the increase in pump-price.” Also of concern to stakeholders is the fact that government has failed to provide an insight to how the subsidy skyrocketed to trillions of naira from the N300 billion it used to be annually before the advent of this present regime. To some extent, the Occupy Nigeria protests, according to political analysts cannot be said to be total failure, as it contributed to the opening of the cans of worms in the oil industry, but what is of grave concern is the way government and relevant agencies have been handling the mind-boggling revelations of rot and corruption in the oil sector. A lot of oil companies and personalities are now being tried for subsidy fraud.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Whither our FA Cup? PUBLIC DOMAIN

DELE

SETEOLU

deleseteolu@nationalmirroronline.net (08033137577 SMS only)

he going-on English FA Cup has attracted tremendous followership and engendered enthusiasm among soccer fans across the globe. The Nigerian soccer fans have followed keenly the third round matches of the tournament. There had been exciting and keenly contested fixtures; Swansea Vs Arsenal, West Ham United Vs Manchester United, Mansfield Vs Liverpool, Manchester City Vs Watford, Chelsea Vs Southampton etc. The English FA Cup is arguably the most prestigious in English football. The wll known attractive element of the FA Cup is the capacity to showcase the brilliance of non-premiership club sides. The English FA Cup enjoys tremendous spectatorship, media coverage and sponsorship. Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and later Chelsea had FA Cup glories that added to their stature and rating. The final, often played at the Wembley Stadium, is a delight in organization, stakes, media review and razzmatazz. The Nigeria FA Cup, otherwise referred

to as the Challenge Cup, is modeled after the English FA Cup. This competition began in 1945 as the country’s most glamorous football event. At the outset, the dominant teams were the Railway Corporation, Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, Kano XI, Police Team, Port Harcourt XI and Ibadan XI. The 1960s witnessed, for instance, the emergence of Stationery Stores of Lagos owned by the late Chief Israel Adebajo. It enjoyed tremendous followership, especially in Lagos and made significant impact in the FA Cup series. The 1970s was dominated by the Western Nigeria Development Corporation WNDC Shooting Stars later known as the Industrial Investment and Credit Corporation (IICC) Shooting Stars, Rangers International, Bendel Insurance, Ayuf Salam FC, Racca Rovers and others. This decade was laced with intense rivalry among the club sides, particularly the IICC Shooting Stars and Rangers International in local and international competitions. It is noteworthy that IICC Shooting Stars won the 1976 edition of the African Cup Winners Cup - the inaugural cross-border honor for Nigeria. The Nigeria FA Cup matches often drew intense excitement, followership and huge spectatorship. The 1980s was equally remarkable with the entry of privately owned club sides such as Abiola Babes, Leventis United, New Nigeria Bank, Iwuayanwu Nationale. The 1984 Challenge Cup final between Abiola Babes and Leventis United, the 1986 final between Leven-

THE DELAY IN THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE

2012/13 LEAGUE

SEASON AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS IN THE

NPL BOARD ALSO

TYPIFIES THE CURRENT TRAJECTORY IN

NIGERIAN FOOTBALL tis United and Abiola Babes, and the 1988 final between Leventis United and Iwuanyanwu Nationale, were highpoints of the Nigeria FA Cup. Abiola Babes, owned by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was heavily funded and set the pace for football organization and management in Nigeria. Leventis United was equally owned by the Coca Cola group and led by a through bred technocrat, John Mastroudes. The disagreement between club owners and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) on certain issues led to the dissolution of Abiola Babes and Leventis United. This development contributed to the decline of Nigerian Football, in terms of funding, glamour, quality of football and spectatorship. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been working to redeem the lost glory

of the Challenge Cup. The Glo sponsorship of the FA Cup has been a deliberate attempt to raise the game. The 2000s have thrown up relatively newer club sides such as Heartland FC, Ocean Boys, Enyimba FC, Sunshine FC etc. The FA Cup matches involving these teams have been lackluster and attracting poor spectatorship. The media coverage has equally been poor amidst decrepit stadia facilities. The decline of FA Cup reflects the crises of Nigerian Football. The delay in the commencement of the 2012/13 league season as a result of the crisis in the NPL Board also typifies the current trajectory in Nigerian Football. The NFF has been enmeshed in heavy politics and enthronement of mediocrity. It is largely populated by vested interest representatives, who are not versed in the technical details and administration of football. The lopsided nature of NFF reflects in Nigeria’s global football outings. The country failed to qualify for the 2012 Equatorial Guinea/Gabon Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2010 world Cup in South Africa. The domestic league has equally been lackluster thus explaining the country’s poor performances at the CAF organized competitions. The challenges are: What do we do to recreate Nigerian Football and the FA Cup? How do we introduce technical competence rather than political patronage into our football? These issues are germane to the future of Nigerian football.

A minister and his disingenuous initiative PIUS ADESANMI

he Jonathan administration needs to buy a white cock and go wash its head by the riverside in order to know how to start a new year without irritating Nigerians. Luckily for President Jonathan, Dr. Akinwumi Ayo Adesina, his Minister of Agriculture, is the one who has opted to usher Nigerians into a new year with a half-brained initiative. Last year, the culprits were President Jonathan and his fuel subsidy cabal – Diezani Allison Madueke, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, and our alienated friend, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who had serious trouble knowing which kind of fuel the ordinary Nigerian uses for his I-better-pass-my-neigbour. It seems the administration can only start a new year with steps that attract fury or scorn and contempt. Last year, it was fury. This year, it is scorn and contempt and they are being generously heaped on the head of the Minister of Agriculture. His sin? He wants to spend N60 billion of our hard-earned money buying cellphones for farmers in rural Nigeria. I heard with one ear that the target is 10 million handsets. It’s been laffomania on social media since this initiative was announced. My good friend, Kayode Ogundamisi, announced the arrival of “Harvard-trained lunatics” (I think he meant Purdue-trained though) in government. However, before we get carried away by the hysteria, it is pertinent to look at the profile of the man in the eye of the storm. This will help us address pertinent questions. The online profile of the Minister from the website of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria will do. “Akinwunmi Adesina is Vice President (Policy and Partnerships) for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA),

THE MAN WE HAVE ON OUR HANDS HERE IS AN INTELLECTUAL WITH UNIMPEACHABLE ACADEMIC

ACHIEVEMENTS, A SEASONED TECHNOCRAT WHO HAS CUT HIS TEETH AT THE HIGHEST INSTANCES OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT an organization established with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal of bringing a green revolution to Africa, and lifting millions of poor farmers out of poverty and food insecurity. Mr. Adesina has over 20 years of experience in African agriculture, development policy and rural development of Nigerians. Despite massive injections of subsidies, productivity remains low, with many concerns about the effectiveness of existing programmes. He won the Rockefeller Foundation Social Science Research Fellowship in 1988, which initiated his career in international agricultural development. He has worked in senior research positions in international agricultural research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. He joined the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, as a senior scientist for Africa in 1998 and

later served as Rockefeller Foundation representative for Southern Africa, based in Harare, Zimbabwe (1999-2003). He is also an associate director (food security) at The Rockefeller Foundation, based in Nairobi, Kenya (2003-present). Dr. Adesina helped to design, inspire and galvanize support for the landmark Africa Fertilizer Summit. He is consultant on agricultural development issues in Africa by the World Economic Forum, World Bank and African Development Bank, among other institutions. Dr Adesina was a lead organizer of the Africa Fertilizer Summit for African heads of state in 2006. He was instrumental in framing the soil health policies adopted there by over 40 African governments, the African Union, New Partnership of African Development (NEPAD), and other leading global development institutions. Mr. Adesina has worked in senior research leadership positions at IITA, WARDA and ICRISAT. In July 2007, he received the YARA Prize for the African Green Revolution in Oslo (Norway) for his pioneering work with agricultural inputs and agro-dealer networks in Africa. In 2008, he was honoured with Purdue University’s College of Agriculture Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award, for his inspiring leadership in spearheading transformative change in African agriculture. In 2009, Mr. Adesina was appointed into the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Advocacy Group that will drive the rapid achievement of the Goals across the globe. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon described him as an “eminent personality’’ who had shown outstanding leadership in promoting the implementation of the MDGs. Dr Adesina holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University (USA).”

I have gone to this length to show that contrary to a certain impression of him now circulating like a wildfire in the harmattan on social media, this Minister has nothing in common with the caterwauling charlatans gorging in government and in the corridors of power. This is not the profile of your typical government official. The man we have on our hands here is an intellectual with unimpeachable academic achievements, a seasoned technocrat who has cut his teeth at the highest instances of international development. The question we need to ask, the puzzle we need to address is: how on earth did the man profiled above come up with such a brain-dead idea? I’ve been following Dr. Adesina quietly for a very long time. Whenever a new government is formed in Nigeria, I check out the profiles of the new players in town to determine who is worthy of higher levels of expectation from Nigerians. My system of assessment of those running our lives has an unapologetic apartheid ring to it. Usually, one look at the cabinet and list of other appointees is sufficient to determine that only a few names are worthy of retention. The rest are usually pedestrian comeand-chop political jobbers unworthy of one’s attention. To be concluded Adesanmi is Canada-based scholar, writer and public affairs commentator Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

Editorial

Wednesday, January 9, 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

MD/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

YELE AKINROLABU

ED OPERATIONS

SEYI FASUGBA

DAILY EDITOR

BOLAJI TUNJI

SUNDAY EDITOR

GBEMI OLUJOBI

SATURDAY EDITOR

DOZIE OKEBALAMA

COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD

ADESOYE ADEKOYA

CONTROLLER, PRODUCTION

CALLISTUS OKE

EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

ISE-OLUWA IGE

ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

KAYODE BALOGUN JNR

SM, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

FRANK OBOH

HEAD, GRAPHICS

Fuel subsidy: One year after 2012 strike, protests CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

manufacturing, air and seaports, including small and medium scale enterprises on recess. For over one week, the economy laid prostrate, while at least 16 people were shot dead by the police, according to reports. The economy lost roughly N795.65 billion in the first one week of the strike and protests, based on officially projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the 2012 fiscal year. Till date, public anger over the hike is yet to be doused, especially against the backdrop of what seems a hollow promise called Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P), a hurried contraption the Federal Government knocked together to pacify protesting Nigerians after reducing the hiked price from N141 to N97 per litre. Reports said the country earned a total of N71.10 billion subsidy fund accruals between April and June 2012, which the three tiers of government have since shared, purportedly ‘to take care of SUREP’. The fuel price increase was said to have been necessitated by the partial removal of fuel subsidy; and the FG’s promise that funds gained from the removal would be invested in the SURE-P to mitigate the pains of the populace arising from the

THE NIGERIAN LEADERSHIP SHOULD TURN A NEW LEAF OR RISK THE EQUIVALENCE OF THE

ARAB SPRING

pump price increase. Till date, however, the public is yet to point to any of SURE-P’s capital projects, social infrastructure or job openings. Majority of Nigerians are poverty stricken and live on less than $2 per day. Cheap petroleum products appear the only tangible benefit they derive from the government, and the cost of living is inextricably tied to vagaries in the prices of the products, whether petrol, kerosene or diesel. Any hike leads to sharp increases in the cost of production and that of goods and services passed to the final consumer. And once up, prices never come down anymore. This makes life more unbearable for the less privileged. Despite these stark realities, President Jonathan is still equivocal on his administration’s position on fuel subsidy, products supply and pump price hikes, and recently provoked threats by organized

labour and Occupy Nigeria to again shut down the economy. Public funds stolen by dubious oil marketers, crooks that never imported any product, but were paid billions of naira as subsidy, are yet to be fully recovered. And with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apparently hobnobbing and ‘plea bargaining’ with them, they may not face diligent prosecution and punishment. On record, however, is the fact that a House of Representatives’ probe, the fallout of the protests, uncovered a huge subsidy theft of almost N2 trillion between 2011 and 2012, an indication that the FG was actually subsidizing corruption, and penalizing ordinary Nigerians for the elite-driven fraud. We do not believe that the labour and Occupy Nigeria protests were politically sponsored, like President Jonathan was quoted as saying in one of his recent public appearances. Rather, it was a spontaneous response by Nigerians pushed to the wall, bonded by the common pain of imprudent and poor governance; the ultimate goal being to make their insensitive government responsible and accountable to them, in a country where looters in leadership positions divide the people along ethnic or religious

lines, or both; but remain resolutely united in looting as their pastime. The rabid obsession of the leading elite for cornering public funds earned from oil is at the root of the subsidy scam and the non-development of other important sectors like agriculture, manufacturing and technology, power infrastructure, education and health, etc., and seems the major reason the nation’s four refineries are clinically dead. The leadership should grow wealth and make life worth living for the people. Quite shameful is the fact that a country (Nigeria) that prides itself as world’s 6th largest producer of crude oil relies almost wholly on importation to meet its refined petroleum products’ need. The reason for the Occupy Nigeria protests should be addressed by reviving the prostrate refineries and allowing private refiners to come on stream to help crash the pump prices of petroleum products. Nigerians have been denigrated and taken for granted for too long. They have been treated more like fools by the leadership than as bonafide citizens. The Nigerian leadership should turn a new leaf or risk the equivalence of the Arab Spring in no distant future. Occupy Nigeria is not dead, and cannot die.

ON THIS DAY January 8, 2005 Mahmoud Abbas won the election to replace Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority. He replaced interim president Rawhi Fattouh. Abbas (born March 26, 1935), an Arab of the Sunni-Muslim faith, has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since November 11, 2004; and was sworn in as President of the Palestinian National Authority on January 15, 2005 on the Fatah ticket.

January 8, 1996 First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turned to a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians. The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996.

January 8, 1991 Representatives from the United States and Iraq met at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, and subsequently led to direct military intervention by US-led forces in the Gulf War.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Health & Wellbeing Kano Govt. increases medical and health workers’ salaries

Food eaten after 8pm is poisonous –Endocrinologist

Down syndrome: Our story An enlightened mother tells the he story of her 25-year-old daughter livingg with down sydrome and her resolve to make life ral others worth living for her and several living with the condition TOBORE OVUORIE

t 25, Awele Mordi is a very good cook, a trained photographer, administrator and life skill trainer. Only her physical traits give her away as a person living with Down syndrome. When she was born July 29th, 1987, her mother immediately noticed she had unusually flattened nose, single crease in the palm of the hands, low set small ears, small mouth, upward and inward slanting eyes, wide short hands with short fingers, and sandal-like toes. These are major physical features of children with Down syndrome. Presently with no known cure, it is a genetic condition in which a baby has 47 chromosomes, instead of the usual 46. It is widely believed and scientifically proven that such children may have delayed mental and social development, while as they grow, could feel frustrated and angry when they become aware of their limitations. But this is not the case with Awele. She is living and enjoying her life to the fullest devoid of the negative tendencies often associated with the condition. All thanks to her mother, Mrs. Rosemary Mordi, whose doggedness, insatiable quest for information help redefined Awele’s life and even those of so many other children. “To be honest, I cried; I asked God so many questions such as ‘why me’. Like other mothers, I felt really bad but eventually, I moved on to the denial stage. I started saying may be it might not even be Down syndrome. I told myself often that she might not have it because there are children with those facial features that yet do not have Down syndrome. The only convincing way is to carry out a chromosomal test since there are some babies that do not have the facial features but have the extra chromosome indicative of Down syndrome. Anyway, I held unto that, that it might just be a coincidence but after then, I saw more features and knew that with or without a chromosomal test, this my child has Down syndrome” Awele’s mother revealed to National Mirror. When certain beyond reasonable doubt that her last child was with the condition, she decided to plan ahead. But her subsequent life journey with her daughter was made easier by members of her family who were quite supportive. “I was favoured that I had a very supportive family. My husband was very much behind me which was very helpful because in that situation, a woman needs help from her family. If it’s something the woman carries alone, it becomes so much of a burden and she really cannot carry it all alone. “After I left the hospital, I decided to plan ahead. First, I had known from the hospital that I would not have any help from the medical field, especially in that hospital be-

Mum Awele and daughter

cause most of them knew next to nothing about this condition. Well, I told my husband and he advised I went to the UK with the child to know what to do, carry out the test at least to be very sure she had the condition and then plan ahead for her. And that’s what we did”. On returning to Nigeria, Awele from a very tender age was integrated properly into her family without being made to believe she had any disability. Like her other siblings who do not have the condition, she was also always given domestic chores and responsibilities. All these, she successfully carried out. “We never looked down on her, rather, we accepted her as part of the family. We never over protected her; we never made her believe that she had any disability; which is what most parents always do to the detriment of the children. “I made sure I drew a balance even though I knew that

she had a disability. I don’t treat her as a child with disability. I gave her chores like her other siblings but would give her extra time to do it. I never and still don’t compare her with the other children. But you can only do these when you have the right information because knowledge is power. So many families suffer from ignorance. They don’t treat such kids in the right way because they lack the needed information but I was able to properly equip myself to know what to do and I did it”. Moulding Awele into the industrious woman she is today was actually a process every child goes through but hers was quite different from the norm. When she was born 25 years ago, the Nigerian educational structure didn’t cater for children living with her type of condition, nor those with learning difficulties or special needs. Thus, her mother was left with no choice but enroll her in CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Down syndrome: Our story CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 a private school and still got her a special teacher, while she mingled freely with her classmates. “I made arrangement with a private school whose owner had special education background. I told the school authorities that I wanted her to be in class with the other children; that way, she will learn everything from them, play and fight with them like every child should. This way, she wouldn’t get stigmatized or feel different. But I equally arranged for a special education teacher who brought her out of the regular class once in a while during lectures to teach her at her own pace so that she will fit in very well in the morning classes. I did this until she went through primary school”. Unfortunately, as a result of Nigeria not having the needed post-primary educational structures for children with special needs, Awele couldn’t proceed further to the secondary school. Rather, she underwent vocational trainings after learning how to read and write in the primary school. This is now paying off for her. “I didn’t prepare her to take common entrance examination to go to secondary school, in preparation for university education because I thought that I would be deceiving myself since we don’t have the structures for such in Nigeria. If it were abroad, she would have gone to the university, but here, we don’t have anything in that regards. I wanted her to at least be able to read and

write, be able to know basic arithmetic and so on, in order to prepare her for what we call independent living. I didn’t want her to return to the UK where her siblings are and be a burden to anybody. “We made her learn a vocation to be able to be on her own. After her primary education, she went back to the UK, spent two years in the college where they exposed her, trained her in independent living before she returned to Nigeria to help in the running of this organization”. As a result of Awele’s condition, and the fact that so many Nigerian women with children living with the condition lock such kids indoors out of ignorance or out rightly abandon them, Mrs. Mordi in 2002 established the Down Syndrome Foundation, now located in Surulere, Lagos. When Awele returned to Nigeria, she has been assisting in running the organization as well as training other children living with Down syndrome. Today, Awele is a trained photographer and handles the camera very well! In addition, she bakes bread, cakes, and other types of pastries and foods effortlessly and excellently. All these she learnt while in college. “In college, they call it independent living; they train them in various fields but she actually majored in photography” the proud mum told National Mirror with overwhelming joy. Wondering why she majored in photography? According to Mordi, while in school, her trainers discovered her flair for

Awele (r) dancing with other members of the Down Syndrome Foundation at an event recently

photographs and photography. In the first year, she was exposed to various areas of life so that she could be properly integrated into any society. Like her other classmates, she was sent on internship and had hers at Mac Donald’s. While there, she was assigned to different departments. Awele who owns a professional camera and uses it very well is now a mentor to other kids at the foundation and assists in raising them. “She attends to visitors and is fully involved in the educational training of the other kids. These, she combine with other activities such as baking bread, cakes, etc”. Grooming her daughter into the present excited young lady full of life was no easy task for Mrs. Mordi because the Nigerian society still believes and is yet to outlive the myth about Down syndrome. Someone once tried to convince her that the child had spiritual problem and would need healing. But for her being enlightened, she perhaps would have fallen for such claims. “If I weren’t educated, and hadn’t sought needed information and help, I

would have fallen into such wrong hands and then possibly cause more harm to my child. And that is what most families go through. Because of ignorance, they fall into wrong hands, and then the child is the one who suffers. There are so many issues involved in disabilities such as this that needs to be brought to the front burner for the sake of the child. The problem children with disabilities face are not the disability itself but the attitude of the larger society and the family” she explained. Do you have a child living with Down syndrome or know anyone who has a baby with the condition? Here is Mrs. Mordi’s candid advice to you or such parent: “You have to accept the fact that the baby has limitations but must not overstretch it and at the same time not under do it because you could make the mistake of over protecting the child and not allow them do anything. This would not help the child; it would only drag him or her backwards”. If it worked for Mrs. Mordi and her daughter Awele, it will certainly do for you!

Overcome sleep deprivation by shedding weight this new year L ATEEFAH IBRAHIM-ANIMASHAUN

o you struggle to get to sleep no matter how tired you are? Or you wake up in the middle of the night and count ceilings while staying wide awake for hours, anxiously looking forward to day break. The New Year is a period to get a good sleep which is necessary for memory, physical performance, mood stability, weight maintenance, and muscle and cellular repair. Experts have come up with a solution to the problem has been identified. Stress, anxiety, depression, medications, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, medical conditions, change in your environment or work schedule, poor sleep habits, ‘learned’ insomnia, eating too much late in the evening has been identified as been identified as the main cause of sleeplessness. Insomnia is a common problem that affects the patient’s energy, mood, health, and ability to function during the day. Chronic insomnia can even contribute to serious health problems and simple changes to lifestyle and daily habits can put a stop to sleepless nights. According to expert John Hopkins University, USA, losing weight, whether from changing diet or a combination of diet change and exercise, can improve sleep quality. This study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Centre for Advancing Translational Sciences and presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions recently. A Professor of medicine at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA and director of clinical and re-

search exercise physiology, Kerry Stewart found out that improvement in sleep quality was extensively associated with overall weight loss, especially belly fat. Report says for the six-month study, the researchers enrolled 77 people who had type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. The participants, all of whom also were overweight or obese, were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group went on a weight-loss diet and had supervised exercise training, while the other group only had the diet intervention. A total of 55 participants completed all phases of the study. Although Stewart noted that the key ingredient for improved sleep quality was a reduction in overall body fat, and, in particular belly fat, no matter the age or gender of the participants or whether the weight loss came from diet alone or a combination of diet exercise.”

He also noted that good sleep quality is important in general for good physical and mental health, as well as for a healthy cardiovascular system. “Depending on the cause, chronic sleep disruptions increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeats. Obesity increases the risk of sleep problems,” he says. In a similar study carried out in September 2012, researchers also found that adequate sleep helps weight loss. The researchers add that adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise. He also recommend calorie restriction and increased physical activity for weight loss, they posit that there is significant evidence that inadequate sleep is contributing to obesity. Lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones. According to a new survey men and women who are suffering with insomnia report less interest in sex and lower libidos. Research from Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism indicates that men who suffer with lack of sleep have low levels of testosterone. Over the long run, losing sleep can contribute of depression and anxiety. Insomnia is also one of the bad symptoms of depression. Chronic sleep loss can bring dark circles under the eyes, lackluster skin and fine lines. If you didn’t get enough sleep, you can experience puffy eyes and sallow skin. If you are suffering with lack of sleep, your body will release cortisol which is stress hormone. Uncontrolled CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Emergencies: Preparedness and response (2) A n epidemic (or outbreak) of disease can cause an emergency because of the severity of the disease or responses to it. In the case of pandemic influenza and other diseases spread by close personal contact, those who are ill should be kept separated from others.

Supporting Information The impact of a disease outbreak depends on the severity of the disease as well as the responses by governments, communities and individuals. An influenza pandemic, involving a new virus, can spread rapidly through a population that has little or no immunity against the new virus. The influenza might be moderate or severe in terms of the illness and death it causes. The outbreak can come and go repeatedly over time. Its level of severity can change over the course of the pandemic, making it unpredictable. It generally has a greater impact than regular seasonal influenza outbreaks. Annual or seasonal influenza causes most deaths in people over 65 years of age. An influenza pandemic causes more severe illness and deaths in younger age groups. In both seasonal and pandemic influenza, pregnant women and children under 2 years old are at increased risk of complications and death. Older children have the highest rates of infection but tend not to have severe outcomes. Influenza symptoms include high fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhoea. In some cases, influenza can lead to pneumonia and breathing difficulties. During an outbreak of influenza or other infection, some general steps to help protect children and families include: stay home if sick, and stay apart from others know the symptoms and danger signs, and what to do and where to go to get help if the illness becomes severe wash hands with soap and water often, and keep surfaces clean cough or sneeze into an elbow or a tissue, and dispose safely of tissues do not spit near children or in public.

Children wading through flood that revaged some communities in Nigeria recently

spread of the infection in the household: give sick people a separate space at home assign a single caregiver to a sick person give plenty of fluids and foods to the sick person.

In an outbreak of an infection that has serious consequences, it is important to reduce close contact with others: stay at least one metre apart from others, especially if they are coughing or sneezing or look unwell stay at home as much as possible and avoid public gatherings and travel. In an extensive outbreak, some individuals may need to be isolated in a hospital setting for treatment or to prevent the spread of the infection. But for many people access to care may be limited. To care for sick people at home and to prevent the

SCIENCE

Chronic worriers at higher risk for PTSD –Research

eople who worry constantly are at greater risk for posttraumatic stress disorder, according to new Michigan State University research published in the journal Psychological Medicine. Many people experience traumatic events such as the death of a loved one, being assaulted or witnessing violence, but only a small minority develop PTSD, said study author Naomi Breslau, a professor of epidemiology at MSU. “So the question is, ‘What’s the difference between those who develop PTSD and the majority who don’t,’” Breslau said. “This paper says people who are habitually anxious are more vulnerable. It’s an important risk factor.” Breslau reached that conclusion by analyzing data from a decade-long study of about 1,000 randomly selected people in southeast Michigan. At the start of the study, partici-

pants answered 12 questions that gauged what psychiatric experts call neuroticism, a trait marked by chronic anxiety, depression and a tendency to overreact to everyday challenges and disappointments. They then had follow-up assessments at three, five and 10 years. Half the participants experienced a traumatic event during the study period. Those who scored higher on the neuroticism scale as the study began were more likely to end up among the 5 percent who developed PTSD. Breslau said the findings are particularly persuasive because the study assessed participants’ personalities before they had a traumatic experience, rather than measuring neuroticism among those who already had PTSD. “There have been studies of neuroticism and PTSD, but they’ve all been retrospective,” she said. “We’re never sure of the order of things in a retrospective study.

5. Mothers, even malnourished mothers, can still breastfeed even under the stressful conditions of emergencies. Supporting Information People often believe that during emergencies many mothers can no longer breastfeed due to stress or inadequate nutrition. This is a misconception – it is not correct. Mothers who lack food or who are undernourished can still breastfeed adequately. They should be given extra fluids and foods to protect their health and well-being and that of the child. Fathers and other family members can support breastfeeding mothers with food preparation and childcare.

New study links low wages with hypertension!

orkers earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, according to new research from UC Davis. The correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and persons between the ages of 25 to 44. “We were surprised that low wages were such a strong risk factor for two populations not typically associated with hypertension, which is more often linked with being older and male,” said J. Paul Leigh, senior author of the study and professor of public health sciences at UC Davis. “Our outcome shows that women and younger employees working at the lowest pay scales should be screened regularly for hypertension as well.” The study, published in the December issue of the European Journal of Public Health, is believed to be the first to isolate the role of wages in hypertension, which occurs when the force of circulating blood

against artery walls is too high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension affects approximately 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. and costs more than $90 billion each year in healthcare services, medications and missed work days. It also is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke, both of which are leading causes of death and disability. While there is a known association between lower socioeconomic status (SES) and

hypertension, determining the specific reason for that association has been difficult, according to Leigh. Other researchers have focused on factors such as occupation, job strain, education and insurance coverage, with unclear results. Leigh’s study was the first to focus on wages and hypertension. “By isolating a direct and fundamental aspect of work that people greatly value, we were able to shed light on the relationship between SES and circulatory health,” said Leigh. “Wages are also a part of the employment environment that easily can be changed. Policymakers can raise the minimum wage, which tends to increase wages overall and could have significant public-health benefits.” In conducting the study, the team used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a highly regarded database in social science. This longitudinal, representative study of families in the United States includes information on wages, employment and health, including hypertension status.

Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Food eaten after 8pm is poisonous –Endocrinologist TOBORE OVUORIE

r. Oladapo Ashiru, Professor of Anatomy and Reproductive Endocrinologist, has urged Nigerians and

everyone in general to endeavour to eat their meals before 8.00pm. According to him, any food eaten after that time is essentially poisonous to the body system. Speaking at the 4th Allure Vanguard Women On Wellness,

WOW, which held in Lagos recently, he disclosed that “Any food eaten after 8.00pm is poison, as the intestine shuts down after 8.00 pm. You should try to eat before 8.00 pm to avoid accumulation of undigested foods that are

(L-r): Dr. Emmanuel Enabulele, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), Dr. Pamela Ajayi, Managing Director, PathCare Laboratories Nigeria and Azoma Chikwe, HEWAN President at the HEWAN 2012 Symposium which held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba, Lagos recently.

Govt urged to improve PHCs for cancer screening L ATEEFAH IBRAHIMANIMASHAUN

o boost capacity for early detection of cancer, the Nigerian government has been charged to equip the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the rural areas with diagnostic tools for accurate screening and detection of breast and cervical cancer. The Founder of Pink Pearl Foundation, Mrs. Orode RyanOkpu said this during a press briefing on the foundation’s 5th anniversary in Lagos as he enjoined all stakeholders involved in the fight against cancer to intensify its effort in creating awareness about the disease.

According to her, it has become obvious that many cancer patients in the country report late at the hospital due to lack of adequate information on the signs and symptoms of the disease adding that many women still lack basic knowledge on the causes of cancer. She added that the foundation’s activities had been targeted towards improving the lives of women living in grassroots communities who doesn’t have access to information on the symptoms, prevention and importance of regular examination for early detection of the ailment. She lamented that many women are self conscious of their breasts and sees breast ex-

amination by non family member as a taboo which she said is due to ignorance which can only be conquered by genuine enlightenment. Ryan-Okpu called on organisations and individuals to support the foundation’s efforts towards the provision of a diagnostic centre in Delta State that would help the less-privileged women in the state have access to screening and treatment facilities. She identified ignorance and poor level of awareness as factors that have increased the population of Nigerian women dying of cancer. She said the foundation had focused on awareness campaign to promote early detection of breast cancer in the country.

Overcome sleep deprivation by shedding weight this new year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 release of cortisol damages skin collagen which is a protein that keeps skin elastic and smooth. Chronic sleep loss can bring dark circles under the eyes, lackluster skin and fine lines. If you didn’t get enough sleep, you can experience puffy eyes and sallow skin. If you are suffering with lack of sleep, your body will release cortisol which is stress hormone. Uncontrolled release of cortisol damages skin collagen which is a protein that keeps skin elastic and smooth. Naturopathic Medical Doctors try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at

the same time every morning, even if you’re not tired at night and/or got very little sleep by morning. It is best to wake with the sun in order to reset your biological clock, and go to bed early enough that this will give you as many hours as you need to feel your best. If you cannot fall asleep, get up and do something else. The anxiety of trying to fall asleep can actually exacerbate the problem. The last hour (or at least half an hour) before you go to bed, do something very calming — read a book, listen to music, pray, or meditate in bed until you start

to nod off. Try not to watch TV right before bed. Do not take any stimulants or engage in stimulating activities before bed. Have a cup of tea (chamomile is my favorite) while you do this, and try to slow down your breathing. Consume little or no alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol may help you fall into a light sleep, but it maintains only lighter stages and prevents REM and deeper stages of sleep. This means you can be awakened more easily. This is why drinking alcohol before bed is associated with waking in the middle of the night.

harmful to the organs”. In his presentation titled “Defying Age”, Ashiru observed that the ideal way to go was to eat slowly, chew well and drink water 30 minutes to one hour after meals to allow the food be digested in its real state as water dilutes the nutrients. “People often violate the rules of the body when they do not follow the law of nature. While it is natural that foods eaten should not go into the digestive system, swallowing our foods straight without chewing deprives the food from being broken down. “Too much food and undigested food, lead to fermentation and subsequently, decay which eventually leads to other problems, as undigested foods poison the body and it shows in the skin”. Advocating that “we must only supply the body what it can take”, he further revealed that “the intestine is the root system of the human body that is responsible for the most common

cause of systemic damage”. He however mentioned food intake, environmental factors, such as diesel, gasoline, automobile fumes and radiators, as well as air pollution often caused by refineries, industries, waste as other factors responsible for promotion of ill health and aging in humans. But he singled out bad eating habit as a major factor that causes aging. In order to maintain good health and avoid undue strain and stress to their digestive systems, the endocrinologist proposed that every Nigerian should do a 3-10 day detox procedure or intestinal cleansing. “To cleanse the system, a manual abdominal treatment can be carried out to cleans the intestine, blood and fluid and consequently reduces pain. These along with removal of environmental poisons will help regenerate and renew life,” he noted.

Kano increases medical and health workers’ salaries

he Kano State Government has approved five percent increase in the salaries of medical doctors and health workers in the state. This is contained in a statement signed by Mustapha Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer in the office of the state’s Head of Service. According to the statement, the increment would take effect from January 2013. It stated that the increment followed the signing of an agreement between the State Government and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). The agreement was signed by the Head of Service, Alhaji Umar Shehu on behalf of the State Government, while the NMA Vice Chair-

man in Kano, Dr Usman Tijani, signed for the workers. Shehu further revealed that medical doctors in the state would enjoy a minimum salary of N173,980 while the minimum salary for health workers would be N27,852. In his remarks, Tijjani reiterated the resolve of his members to rededicate themselves toward promoting healthcare delivery in the state. Chairman, Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria, Kano chapter, Ahmed Gana, expressed appreciation to the State Government for approving the increment. He said the gesture would boost the morale of the medical and health workers in Kano.

Institute to empower community, stakeholders on HIV/AIDS counseling

nstitute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), has said it would empower traditional, women, religious and community leaders with requisite skills to counsel people on HIV and AIDS. Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, disclosed this recently in Abuja saying there was need to intensify efforts to curtail new infections. Dakum said the institute would empower the leaders with necessary skills that would enable them to provide service. “There are primary health care (PHC) centres in every community, but beyond the centres, there are world develop-

ment committees”. There are village development committees; all these committees are PHC structures that are getting health care to communities”. According to him, the committees are made up of the traditional leaders, the religion leaders, the women leaders, youth leaders. “We are working with them, we want to empower them with information and the skills to be able to counsel people and test people in their communities. These leaders have been empowered to be able to identify those that were positive and help them to be able to source treatment in the appropriate centres” he added.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Arts Lounge

We have to look back at Occupy Protest –Ogunfuyi

Lagos witnesses mega crossover concert

HARMATTAN WORKSHOP:

Putting a human face to art WE MUST CREATE A

TERH AGBEDEH

SITUATION WHEREBY

ot many people can start a foundation even while they are still alive and even fewer people can take a foundation and turn it into a success by pursuing a programme for the benefit of humanity. Bruce Onobrakpeya, the famous artist who turned 80 last year, as many agreed at the 9th Ben Enwonwu Lecture Series in Lagos, is one such special breed of people. Onobrakpeya presented the keynote address at the event dwelling on the activities and challenges of the foundation named after him in organising the annual Harmattan Workshop in Delta State. Himself mentored by Ben Enwonwu, Onobrakpeya argued in favour of the informal and apprenticeship system adopted at the workshop as against the formal art school system. Already, the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, BOF, has called for entries to the 15th edition of its annual Harmattan Workshop, which holds in February and March 2013 at the Niger Delta Cultural Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State with the theme: ‘Art and Communication’. But at the event to back him up were no other than the famed Nigerian collectors Omooba Yemisi Shyllon and Mr. Sam Olagbaju. While the former argued for the sustainability of the Harmattan Workshop as a springboard for the development of Nigerian art as an alternative to crude oil, the latter, who said he has witnessed the workshop, praised what goes on in AgbarhaOto. “I witnessed the workshop firsthand and have only good things to say about it”, Olagbaju, who is also a trustee of the Ben Enwonwu Foundation, had said. Indeed, when crude oil dries up, Nigeria will need an alternative source of foreign exchange, but most of all, the gathering was an opportunity for Onobrakpeya to respond to questions from the audience about some of the things not covered in the keynote. For instance, he talked about the main difference between the Harmattan Workshop and a formal institution like an art school. He explained that the main difference is that anyone can attend the workshop. “There is no fixed accreditation. That is the main difference, you work in there and become a participant”, he said. Onobrakpeya said the workshop has had a huge impact on the people in the Agbarha-Otor locality because people from there, some of whom never went to school, come there to learn one thing or the other leading to improved living conditions. “We have dropouts, people who are not even in the arts at all, we’ve had someone in the

GOVERNMENT RECOGNISES INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS AS GREAT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ART IN THE COUNTRY

Instructors and participants at a previous Harmattan Workshop.

Onobrakpeya

geography department; he came in and started to work. So, we really don’t have any kind of standard that you must attain before you come in”, he said, adding that this is one of the greatest criticisms for the workshop. He stated that; “the moment you say one should provide a certificate, become a matriculant, have one pass in English or get something in chemistry and so on before you get in then you have already put away a lot of people who would benefit from the workshop. “Something we always say at AgbarhaOtor is, really, there are techniques, there are things that you learn but art comes from the heart. Art comes from your own observation and a person who has not learnt to draw can become an artist”, he explained. Onobrakpeya provided an example in the form of the Mbari School in Osogbo, saying that the people who climbed to the top in the Mbari situation never attended art school. Some of them were electricians but they were given the materials and

Olagbaju

they used the material to draw from their hearts. Therefore, he said one does not need that kind of strict ‘you must pass this or that’. He called to mind the European philosophy which said that going to art school or being in the academy destroys the genius and that the best place to nurse that genius is in the informal education system, apprenticeship and so on. “So, we don’t really need any qualification, whatever state you are in, as long as you believe that you have something to take from the art, we accept you”, he emphasised. On sustainability, Onobrakpeya agreed with Shyllon that it is a big worry. “I love the philosophy that if what you are doing is good then it will survive. I also feel that because many first class brains and people with high passion attend our workshop the process of development there and the creativity will continue forever”, he said, explaining that they have already started to show up. This is because when he started worrying over who would take over the directorship of the centre, the artist Sam

Ovraiti showed up. “People come in all the time and there are other people willing now to do some other things. So people from the Harmattan Workshop are really there waiting to make it move forward”, he pointed out. Onobrakpeya, however, stated that the people at the different levels of government must be reached not just for support “we must create a situation whereby government recognises informal institutions as great contributors to the development of art in the country and to enact laws and create the cultural policy that will make funds available to help such bodies”. He said that duty is in the hands of not just the people present at the event or those in Abuja, the seat of government. “We can talk to our uncles, to people who can help, the big money-making corporations in the country to help such groups,” he appealed. Indeed, the Harmattan Workshop needs all the help it can get in putting a human face to art. For one, the workshop needs a home of its own for which Onobrakpeya said land has already been procured in Delta State. This is an avenue for lovers of art to make contribution to a worthy cause. “We call on cultural commissioners and the minister of culture to visit the workshop, recognise and help it. The art of our country will grow and when the oil runs dry we are sure the art will support us,” Onobrakpeya concluded. The workshop, which is to have two sessions from February 17 to March 1 and March 3 to 15, will feature painting, print making, metal construction, wood sculpture, stone carving, mixed media, textiles and photography, among other genres of art. Certificates will be issued upon completion of the workshop and interested participants can get more details concerning fees and other arrangements at the BOF website or its office in Mushin, Lagos State.

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

VOICES

LET’S

T AL K FAD

Distribution regulation must remain NFVCB’s mandate

with

NOLLYWOOD HAS NOW BECOME A RATHER COMPLEX INDUSTRY WHOSE PAST CANNOT BE LINKED WITH ITS Ogundaisi

‘YINKA OGUNDAISI

mong the listed items for the Federal Government to consider as its outstanding debts to the Nigerian creative industry (motion picture sector especially) is the request to disrobe the National Films and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, of its present mandate to regulate the distribution business of motion pictures. For reason/s not stated, authors of the demand list did not consider it necessary to say what becomes of this important function but it can be safely assumed that a new body is made responsible for it or worse, the distribution of films and other motion picture is left as free for all. Either of these options will spell disaster in capital not just for the industry but the whole country as well. The Nigerian films industry has an interesting but a rather peculiar story behind the unique position it has now found itself by the short sightedness of its leaders and which I believe remains the key reason why almost all the intervention actions of successive governments have not succeeded in solving its man-made challenges. First, it is only industry I know which rather than take pride in its illustrious past and consolidate the gains for its present and future advancement has never missed any opportunity to declaim its past from the present. Nollywood, known globally as a Nigerian phenomenon, does not hide its position that though an offshoot of the original film industry, it is nonetheless a separate industry of its own! The net effect of this is that for some practitioners, the Nigerian film industry is as old as the country’s independence or even older, but to most of the present players, it is an industry that evolved only 20 years ago. Secondly, by proclaiming only its video production credentials, Nollywood is the only one of its type operating a Direct-To-Home, DTH industry in the whole world. The effect of this is that unlike other businesses or enterprises for which investors could Google the net for global best practices. This same opportunity is not available for Nollywood or the new version of the Nigerian film industry because it has no known equal or verifiable examples its practices can be compared to or with. In more ways than one, this

PRESENT situation is somewhat responsible for the perceived seeming delays by the new two financial intervention agencies, NEXIM and BOI not to have made the desirable impact of intervention in the industry’s business affairs till date. The third peculiarity is a function of the first two; Nollywood has now become a rather complex industry whose past cannot be linked with its present and most of its practices not comparable with what obtains in other climes. With this complexity, only few people within or outside the industry have adequate business experience mixed with the required artistic imperatives or inclinations to comprehend how best to pilot the industry’s business affair. Conversely, those with adequate knowledge of how the industry functions or ought to function do not have the requisite business and other leadership competence to add to their industry knowledge for a complete understanding of the issues at stake and how best to resolve them. I list among the few with the rare combination of the necessary indoctrination of the artistic imperatives and knowledge of the business demands of the industry. Consequently, and more often than not, I am invariably seen as inflexible and authoritarian on some issues which, with the benefits of hindsight, I had given considerable thoughts to. I know are more beneficial to the practitioners and the industry in its entirety. I am not for example, particularly enamoured with, or convinced of the need for MOPICON and have stated my strong views about it several times. First I do not know of any precedent for it in any country of my acquaintance. Besides, there is the overall issue of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the extant constitution. For anyone or group to now ask for a legislation to moderate or abridge the freedom of others who for a reason or multiple of it do not feel inclined to belong to their association but nonetheless desire to express themselves through a film, video or any other form of motion picture seems to me a contradiction of the same freedom of expression already granted by the constitution to any individual or group. Yinka Ogundaisi is a seasoned Nollywood practitioner and an advocate for lasting reforms in the local movie industry. To be concluded next week

Fidelis Duker

fidelisduker@yahoo.com

Thank you Fashola, others

hardly want to personalise my column but this week I am writing on the benevolence of the Executive Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, who within the week supported the medical bills of our own talented thespian and colleague Ngozi Nwosu. He, like other well meaning Nigerians, have in the last one month been contributing their widows might towards the medical operation for this talented woman. I have known Ngozi for over 20 years from our humble days under the popular “Abe Igi” meeting point of the National Theatre in IganmuLagos. “Abe Igi”(under the tree) as it is called was the major meeting point for theatre artistes before the evolution of the phenomenon Nollywood. At the early stage of Nollywood, Ngozi was a part of the cast of several movies produced by first generation Nollywood producers. It is not a debatable fact that Ngozi’s dexterity and talent as an actress cannot be quantified having excelled in English, Yoruba and Igbo Movies. My first role for Ngozi was in 1996 when I cast her alongside Franca Brown for a role in my award-winning movie Not My Will which went on to receive 11 nominations at the THEMA Awards in 1997. It was from this movie that Ngozi won an award as the Best Crossover Actress among the several others she has won during her more than 20 years career. However, as I reminiscence on her career as a quintessential actress who must not be allowed to die, I remember with nostalgia how I contacted Ngozi for a role in my movie as the best friend of Franca Brown. Ironically, both ladies were not on talking terms at the point in time over a personal dispute which was public knowledge. Some colleagues had warned against the combination but I must say they delivered their roles as professionals and it was difficult for the viewers to know there was a feud between the ladies... that was how professional Ngozi was about her career. The financial support given by the Fashola-led Lagos State Government is so commendable considering this is not the first time the governor is coming to the aid of Nigerians especially people in the creative sector. It was this same Government that supported the kidney transplant of the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Prince Ifeanyi Dike and like Ngozi, Ifeanyi is not a Lagosian but rather from the south eastern part of the country. It is therefore important to commend the responsive and compassionate nature of the governor who has always been

I APPEAL THAT

WE CHANGE THIS ATTITUDE OF SECRECY ATTACHED TO ILLNESSES BECAUSE WE ALL FALL ILL in the forefront of supporting Nigerians in need. Available information at my disposal has it that Funke Egbemode of the Sunday Sun did a story on her back page column on the plight of Ngozi which caught the attention of the governor. He demanded to know and was given details of what was required to undergo the operation to save the actress; Fashola completed the outstanding with the sum of N4.5m. This to me deserves commendation and I will like to say a big thank you to his Excellency and his team. Unfortunately, I heard some shameless colleagues who wanted to reap where they did not sow had gone to tell Ngozi that they were the ones who appealed, pleaded, cajoled and compelled the governor to support her. I say shame to them because you do not need to score cheap political points or publicity because truth will always come out. Another important issue that must be addressed is the secrecy attached to illness as it has been a part of our culture in this part of the world to hide our health status. Over two years ago, there had been a change in the physical appearance of Ngozi but when she was confronted with this observation then, report said she rained curses on the reporter and even told a couple of friends that she was okay. Sadly, this is not the first and only time we have had issues like this bothering on health status. Remember late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua; First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan; governor of Enugu State Mr. Sullivan Chime and even ordinary Nigerians who hide their true health status. Recently, the American Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, collapsed and in less than 24 hours, the entire world knew her health status. So, I appeal that we change this attitude of secrecy attached to illnesses because we all fall ill. Finally, I say thank you to those who supported Ngozi and wish her a successful operation, so she can return to continue her trade as a thespian.

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Arts Lounge

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

ARTISTE UNCENSORED

MIDWEEK JUMP

I’M SHOWCASING THE REACTION OF PEOPLE FROM THE CALL TO PROTEST TO THE MOVEMENT

GANI FAWEHINMI PARK AROUND LAGOS TO THE

Ogunfuyi

We have to look back at Occupy Protest –Ogunfuyi TERH AGBEDEH

t is a year already since Nigerians from all walks of life hit the streets across the country to protest fuel subsidy removal by government. Photographer Kunle Ogunfuyi was among the protesters in Lagos every step of the way and in an exhibition beginning tomorrow titled: ‘Flashback on Nigeria Protest: A Lagos Account’, Ogunfuyi shares 52 of the images captured. Curated by veteran photo-documentarist, Tam Fiofori, the exhibition holds at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. When Omooba Yemisi Shyllon declares opens ‘Flashback on Nigeria Protest: A Lagos Account’ tomorrow, it would be exactly one year since the subsidy removal protest ended. “My idea was to capture the real essence of the protest, document the reaction of the people, their expression and anger. It was the spontaneous reaction of the people to removal of subsidy on fuel”, Ogunfuyi told our reporter on the grounds of the National Museum. He explained that when he started the project, it was supposed to be a book, but the estimates he got from the Emirates Press in Dubai got him to rethink strategy rather than kill the proj-

ect, “It resulted in this exhibition for now. But I believe that in the future, the pictures will still come out in a book... as Nigerians, we have to look back and make reference to the Occupy Protest”. The images he is showcasing, Ogunfuyi said, are relevant to the Nigerian society because the subsidy removal protest brought out all Nigerians, rich and poor, who set aside their differences to say ‘no’ because subsidy removal would bring more hardship to them. “I’m showcasing the reaction of these people from the call to protest to the movement to the Gani Fawehinmi Park around Lagos, as well as people like Pat Utomi and Lagos Island residents converging on NTA to have their voices heard, to the invasion of the military tanks and personnel in Lagos”. Ogunfuyi, who is the Photo Editor for thisdaylive.com, said the images will echo in the minds of every Nigerian reminding them of the protests. Reacting to whether it was not too early to exhibit the images one year after, the documentary photographer said, “This was not just the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, calling a protest or Save Nigeria Group, SNG, this is the first time Nigerians truly protested since independence over 50 years ago. This was not the June 12 election pro-

test, which was staged mostly in the west. This protest was staged in the six geo-political zones”. Ogunfuyi, who is looking forward to the opening of the exhibition and was at the National Museum to put finishing touches to the show, recalled the protest was, however, not staged in a few states because they were already buying fuel for as high as N145. The protests had effect, he said. The first being that Nigerians came out to protest without saying, ‘you are Yoruba, Ijaw or Hausa’. Although, he said he didn’t have to trek while he documented the protest, Ogunfuyi explained he had to result to buying fuel at exorbitant price from the Black Market. “When there is any scarcity, there is always room for Black Market. So you have to pay more to get fuel,” he said, pointing out that apart from restriction of movement, cost was another reason why the pictures focused on protesters in Lagos State. “For instance, Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu are missing in the pictures. But Lagos is vast and there is hardly a tribe that is not represented here. So, if you have gone to Lagos, you have gone everywhere. In fact, there was no military presence in other states except in Lagos during the protest”, he said. Ogunfuyi, who studied general art and photography at the Yaba College of Technology and at the New York College of Photography, respectively, said collectors can have a rare opportunity to purchase the pictures during the one week they will be on display. A native of Ondo State, his photographs on this same project has been appreciated globally during the last 11 months. He has been photo editor of National Pride magazine from 2005 to 2006 and has covered assignments with a couple of magazines based outside Nigeria like Inspire and Arise magazines. He has also done some documentaries for Victorious Army Church and City Of David both in Lagos. He was among 15 African photographers selected by Noor and Nikon in 2009 for a documentary photography master class and has established HOD Images to document traditional festivals, events and environmental scenery around Nigeria and hopefully, the world. A member of the Lagos chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists, SNA, and National Photoshop Users based in New York, Ogunfuyi, who has been a part of several group exhibitions since 2008, is married and blessed with children.

Jan. 30 deadline for Oribhabor poetry prize

he Eriata Oribhabor International Poetry Prize is accepting poems themed around experiences with food. The prize seeks poems that promote Nigerian delicacies, explore individual experiences/ culture shocks on encountering foods from other places. Also welcome is a comparison of our delicacies with that of foreign lands. Deadline for submission is January 30 and what the organisers are looking for is original works from all over the world in any style. Up to three poems, per submission will be accepted. First prize is N35,000, second prize is N20,000 and third prize is N10,000. The competition will accept previously published poems but poets should indicate when and where published so they can be properly credited if accepted. Selected poems may be published in an anthology and details communicated accordingly. All contributing poets will receive a copy of the anthology in which their work is featured and enjoy the option of purchasing additional copies at a discount. Submissions are via email only to oribhaborfoodpoetry@gmail.com and poets should include contact details in the body of the email, including full name, email address, phone number and mailing address, as well as a maximum of 100-word bio written in the third person.

Final rites for Elebuwa start today

eteran actor Enebeli Elebuwa, who died on December 5, 2012, at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, Fridabad, Haryana, New Delhi, India, will be buried this week. The programme released by his family and signed by Oyem Enebeli announced that there will be a candle light procession today at 5.00 p.m. as well as a night of tribute from 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., at O’jez Restaurant, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Tomorrow there will be a wake at 5.00 p.m. at NTA Channel 10 grounds, Tejuosho, Yaba, Lagos. While on Friday, there will be Requiem Mass at St. Michaels Catholic Church, Lafiaji, Lagos and interment will follow immediately at Victoria Court Cemetery, Ajah. Thanksgiving Service will hold at the same church on Sunday, January 13.

Late Elebuwa

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FAR AND NEAR

Experts to use culture to promote good governance

TERH AGBEDEH

ver 100,000 Lagosians converged on the reclaimed Eko Atlantic City on the eve of 2013 to welcome the New Year in true Lagos style, while millions of others experienced the event via the mass as well as the social media. Eko Atlantic City played host to the biggest crossover party in Africa when activities conceived by the Lagos State Government to mark the Lagos Countdown 2012 went into full gear on New Year Eve. The countdown activities came to a climax with a thrilling display of spectacular fireworks, laser beam and water projection as never seen before in the entire continent of Africa. This was preceded and followed by rich musical performances led by an array of A-list Nigerian artistes including; 2face Idibia, D’Banj, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, M.I, Burna Boy, Ice Prince, Brymo, Dr. Sid, Davido and Dare, among others. Other activities billed for the night were interdenominational prayer session for Lagos State among other side attractions. Part of preparations for the countdown concert by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, was arrival of experts to manage the spectacular

IJEOMA EZEIKE ABUJA

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu (L), with Executive Secretary, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Fola Arthur-Worrey, during the countdown festival

Lagos witnesses mega crossover concert

fireworks, laser beam and water projection display to herald Lagos into the New Year. Managing Director, LASAA, Mr. George Noah, had told reporters that “the strategic intent for hosting the event was to put Lagos on the global tourism map in the league of cities like New York, among other major destinations commemorating the event”. The celebration officially began on Thursday, December 20, 2012 as the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola,

SAN, officially ‘switched on’ the Lagos Festival of Lights, heralding the holiday season. Governor Fashola said the Lagos Countdown was conceived to create an end of year crossover tradition that engages citizens of the state, tourists and investors throughout the end of year holiday season. “This year, Lagos state will be among many global cities and states that will be under much focus and attention as we march on from December 31, 2012, into the New Year”, he said.

TK shoots into ’13 with new film

Queen Ure releases debut album

...works on missing parts of Ma’ami

L INUS K INGDOM

astor turned music artiste, Ure Okezie, popularly called Queen Ure, has released her debut album titled Porpori at an album release dinner, which held at The Cave, GRA, Ikeja-Lagos penultimate week. Ure, who has adopted ‘Popori Queen’ as her stage name said her music is a fusion of several genres of music. “My type of music varies. I do R’n’B, Afro pop, reggae, gospel music, Highlife and more; most of which is in the album of 15 songs with the hit track being ‘Porpori”, she said. The launch witnessed the presence of some artistes in the Nigerian entertainment industry such as Alariwo of Africa and Nollywood actress and model, Tina Don, amongst others. “The turnout is evident that people love what I am doing. I give thanks to God for making this possible”, Ure enthused. Tina Don commended Queen Ure’s desire to sing, calling it encouraging. “It is good that she followed her heart; I have enormous respect for her passion for music. From the little I’ve seen, Ure is a fast-rising music artiste and I pray she would be where she desires if it is the will of God”. A Chemistry graduate from the University of Jos, Ure Okezie also had an outstanding career in the Nigerian banking industry before becoming a pastor.

Fireworks display at the event

Kelani

n 2013, award-winning filmmaker, Tunde ‘TK’ Kelani, is shooting a new feature, Dazzling Mirage just as he returns to location to film some missing parts of Ma’ami, starring star actress, Funke Akindele. According to TK, the decision to shoot the missing scenes is not unconnected with the fact that the film is yet to be released; he is poised to make it a better picture with additional scenes The critically-acclaimed Ma’ami has done cinema and festival circuits in Nigeria and abroad including: Benvido A Nollywood: Welcome to Nollywood in Brazil; British Film Institute’s Film Africa; the Edinburg Film Festival, Scotland; the African Film Festival, Glasgow and New York African Film Festival 2012. TK’s Dazzling Mirage is a continuation of his literature to screen approach to filmmaking. Written by Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare, the film tells “a story that will touch the nerve of a nation and our approach to sufferers of sickle cell anaemia and the

myths. I’m intrigued by the writer’s approach to weave a love story with it and that, to me, is an attraction. I have also had personal relationship with sufferers of this ailment and I consider it my responsibility to bring their story to fore”, the 2012 ZUMA Film Best Director said. Kelani, who has just returned from the Dubai International Film Festival as a member of the Jury, is undaunted by ravaging piracy, lack of funding and poor infrastructure that has stalled Nollywood. “2013 is a sink or swim year for the movie industry in Nigeria. No doubt, the industry has been ravaged by continuous piracy and very slow development of infrastructures which continue to pose great challenges for Nigerian filmmakers, but we are determined not to stop in spite of adversities; the show must go on. Egbokhare’s Dazzling Mirage, published by Loud Books, is a narrative about the adopted daughter of the Adebayo family. It is a story of her travails and triumphs against the odds of physical pains and psychological traumas which she experienced in her journey towards self-fulfilment. The author holds a PhD in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan, where she teaches writing skills. The story is being adapted for screen by award winning UK-based playwright, Ade Solanke.

igeria’s inability to decisively tackle most development challenges like poverty, unemployment, security and deplorable state of infrastructure has been largely attributed to bad governance in all its ramifications. Therefore, seeking ways to use culture to teach and spread good governance that will positively affect all aspect of human endeavours in the Nigerian democracy was the centre of discussion at a one-day public lecture tagged “Culture, Good Governance and Nigeria’s Democracy” organised by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO. The lecture, which brought together experts in the arts and culture sector, including Prof. Shamsudeen Amali, Vice Chancellor, Nassarawa State University, gathered in Abuja to fashion out ways to eliminate factors that slow down the nation’s system of governance. Shamsudeen Amali, in his lecture, identified the need to select some cultural aspects from the traditional system of governance and infuse them into the contemporary Nigerian democratic practices. “In order for the contemporary Nigerian democracy to richly enjoy good governance, we would have to know and select some good cultural aspects from the traditional system of governance, such as the family systems and values, honesty, peace and integrity and infuse them into the contemporary Nigerian democratic practices through the councils and House of Assembly”, he said. Adding that to “increase the success of the current Nigerian democratic dispensation we need to use effectively, massively, richly and systematically achieve this through education, transportation, communication and various other fields of human activities”. He suggested the urgent need to use forms of activities and creativity like cultural festivals, theatre, play, music, drama production and performances, visual arts, films and non verbal communication as effective tools for the practice of good democratic governance. The university don, therefore, called on individuals, organisations, local, state and federal governments to actively support and promote arts and culture. In his speech, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, Executive Secretary of NICO, said the Institute has successfully used past editions of its public lecture series as a platform to sensitise Nigerians to the strategic importance of culture in the promotion and sustenance of good governance and democracy in Nigeria. “It is therefore pertinent to note that if Nigeria must stand tall among the comity of nations, we must as a matter of urgency, explore the cultural dimension, not only in our quest for good governance and democratically ideal, but in every sphere of our national development”, Ayakoroma said. He expressed hope that the lecture will help citizens to better appreciate the need to embrace culture, cherish its inherent values and accord it a place of pride in every aspect of the nation’s development agenda.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Rangers oﬄoad Okemiri 30

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I am cool about the new season, really. I can only expect to stay fit and expect greater things to happen –Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt

Palanca Negras pick squad

ngola yesterday cut four players from their preliminary squad to finalise the 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals, keeping faith with new striker Guilherme Afonso. The 27-year-old, who won two caps for Switzerland at under-21 level, had been a surprise selection by coach Gustavo Ferrin and the subject of speculation in the Angolan press on Tuesday over his

chances of making the final cut, is one of seven European-based players in the final selection. Ferrin left out four home-based midfielders-Ary from Primeiro Agosto, Mabina of Petro Atletico, Paty of InterClube and Ito from Progresso Sambizanga. Angola play in Group A with hosts South Africa, Cape Verde and Morocco, who they meet first at Soccer City in Johannesburg on January 19.

Ukraine-based Brown Ideye (l) and USA-based Bright Dike are surprisingly left out of the Nigerian 23-man Nations Cup squad

AFCON 2013: First timers dominate Eagles’ squad

…set for Cape Verde friendly AFOLABI GAMBARI

he Nigeria Premier League received a massive boost yesterday as six of the league’s players made the 23-man team of Nigeria to the 29th Africa Cup of Nations holding in South Africa from January 19 to February 11. Enugu Rangers’ newly-signed Chigozie Agbim joined Israel-based duo of Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide to complete the goalkeepers’ slots while Sunshine Stars’ Godfrey Oboabona, Warri Wolves’ Azubuike Egwuekwe, Kano Pillars’ Reuben Gabriel and Rangers’ duo Ejide Uzoenyi and Sunday Mba made up the six NPL players. In an AFCON squad replete with 17 first time participants in the finals, USA-based Bright Dike, who rescued Nigeria from the Catalonia loss in a friendly last week as Nigeria drew 1-1 with the star-sprinkled side, and Ukraine-based Brown Ideye, whose

knack for scoring in the Ukrainian league this season has enjoyed rave reviews, were dropped by Coach Stephen Keshi in what explains the gaffer’s difficulty as pruning his initial 32-man squad. But junior international Kenneth Omeruo, who recently joined Chelsea but was immediately loaned to Dutch side ADO Den Haag, made the final cut. Captain Joseph Yobo, who made his AFCON debut at Mali 2002, will be making his sixth appearance, punctuated by Nigeria’s absence at the 2012 finals in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea, to equal the record held by former captain Nwankwo Kanu for the most finals appearaces. Meanwhile, Nigeria will take on Cape Verde later today in the Super Eagles’ final warm-up game before departing for South Africa on January 16 to finalise preparation before their first Group C game with Stallions of Burkina Faso on January 21.

EAGLES’ SQUAD: SQU Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama Austin Ejide Chigozie Agbim Defenders: Elderson Echiejile Juwon Oshaniwa Joseph Yobo Efe Ambrose Azubuike Egwuekwe Kenneth Omeruo Godfrey Oboabona Midfielders: Mikel Obi Nosa Igiebor Ogenyi Onazi Raheem Lawal Obiora Nwankwo Fegor Ogude Gabriel Reuben Strikers: Ahmed Musa Emmanuel Emenike Victor Moses Ikechukwu Uche Ejike Uzoenyi Sunday Mba

Manucho

Hockey boss cautions on Rio YEMI OLUS

igeria is not yet ready to compete in the hockey event of the 2016 Olympics, President of the Hockey Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Mr. Patrick Ukah, has declared. According to Ukah, it will be realistic for Nigeria to target the 2020 games “Obviously, 2016 is out of the way as there is no way hockey can be at Rio. So, we are thinking of the next Olympics,” the HFN boss told National Mirror. In its assessment of the country’s dismal outing at the London Olym-

pics Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has recommended that the country focus on medal-hauling sports in subsequent competitions. Hockey, which occupies the back seat in Nigeria is likely to be one of such disadvantaged sports. Ukah, however, reeled out the major events that Nigeria would participate in as 2013 evolves for the federation to pursue its developmental goals. “We will participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, African Club championships and the Junior Olympics because that is where we believe the future resides for us,” he submitted.

Sport

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sturridge makes ‘biggest club’ claim

Daniel Sturridge

ew Liverpool signing, Daniel Sturridge, has claimed that the Reds are the biggest club in the Premier League, insisting the Merseyside team is above Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. The England striker joined Liverpool for £12m from Chelsea last week after failing to make his mark at Stamford Bridge and the Reds are his third big club after leaving Man City at an early age. “It is the biggest club I have ever played for. In the Premier League, there is no bigger club than Liverpool,” Sturridge said yesterday. “I thank the boss for giving me an oppor-

tunity to play for a club like this and I thank God for making it possible. “As a young player, when you play for big clubs you can sometimes get caught up in it and you never get another opportunity to play for another big club.” Sturridge has also revealed that he is desperate to link up with Liverpool hitman Luis Suarez - starting with Sunday’s showdown with Manchester United. “It’s going to be a pleasure for me to play with Luis and I’m looking forward to us forming a formidable partnership against the teams we’ve got coming up soon,” he added.

Red Devils hands off Walcott

Steven Gerrard

Gerrard targets improved status

iverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, is confident he will soon return to the form of his former self after a rollercoaster season so far with Liverpool. The Reds and England captain has had a mixed campaign after a combination of injuries and tactical reshuffles under club boss Brendan Rodgers have forced him into different roles and seen him score just five goals. But, going into the second half of 2012/13, 32-year-old Gerrard is feeling good about himself and Liverpool’s prospects for the future ahead of facing Manchester United at the weekend. “People’s opinions, percep-

tions and the way they judge you changes when you get a goal,” Gerrard said yesterday. “I think my performances are getting closer to where I want them to be so if I can add goals to those performances, then maybe people will start saying ‘the old Steven Gerrard is back’. “I don’t think the manager has asked me to do anything different in terms of the way he wants to me to perform. But I’ve got the buzz that the team’s improving and it’s going to get better. “I’m confident that come the end of the season I will be satisfied with myself and the team, because I do believe we can finish the season really strong.”

Theo Walcott

anchester United is ready to give up on its pursuit of Arsenal winger Theo Walcott with the player getting set to sign a new contract at the Emirates this week. The Walcott saga has been the latest contract row to envelope the club in recent seasons and Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to bring the 23-yearold to Old Trafford after he refused to sign a new deal at the Emirates before Christmas. The winger turned down one offer of a new deal reported to be worth £75,000 a week, in the summer and failed to reach an agreement as the player looked for terms closer to £100,000. But Arsene Wenger has finally reached a compromise with a player he cannot afford to lose and Walcott is set to sign before Arsenal faces Manchester City on Sunday. Walcott is the club’s top scorer this term with 14 goals across all competitions for Arsenal so far this season, already his best total in a single campaign since moving to the north London club from Southampton in 2006.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

icknamed Atlas Lions, the Morocco national team had its best time in African football when they won the Nations Cup in 1976. With further glory few and far between, the Lions shone again at the FIFA World Cup in 1986 when they emerged as the first African and Arab team to win a group at the World Cup, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and England. They were also the first African team to make it to second round barely losing to eventual runners-up West Germany 1–0 and came within two minutes of moving out of the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, Kjetil Rekdal’s late winning goal for Norway against Brazil eliminating them. But they launched back to glory last year with victory over Libya in the Arab Nations Cup final. Former African Footballer of the Year, Mustapha Hadji, said last week that the wait for 36 years to restore Morocco’s glory in Africa has proved harrowing. “My generation struggled so hard without making a head way in winning the Nations Cup,” Hadji lamented. “Likewise the generation after me also tried in vain and the pain can only be imagined. But this present generation have demonstrated the resolve to do well starting from the South Africa 2013. “We are looking forward to greater things and it is just as well that we can even look forward to using this Nations Cup to further our preparation towards the World Cup 2014 qualifiers starting in March.” Lions Coach, Rachid Taoussi, says his charged are motivated to excel in South Africa. “We are determined to re-launch ourselves back to reckoning and there is no better time than now,” Taoussi said. “The team has reckoned the odds of playing against the host nation but we are very calm about this reality. “We will also not attempt to underrate any one because we believe every of the 16 nations are equal to the task. Of course, as much as we have heard people say Cape Verde are minnows, the fact is there that they stopped Cameroun from coming to South Africa. And Angola will also not be easy meat for anyone in the group.” Short of sticking out his neck on prediction about how Group A will evolve after the last games on January 27, Taoussi preferred to play the waiting game. “It will be a bit hasty at this stage before the first round of matches must still be played and it is fingers crossed till then.” The Moroccan team had arrived in South Africa on January 4, nearly two weeks before the AFCON game against Angola, and will play friendly matches with Zambia and Namibia. Captain and keyman, Nadir Lamyaghri, says the spirit in camp is in all time high. “Everyone is ready to defend our country’s flag in South Africa,” the Wydad Casablanca goalkeeper declared, although he refrained from making a cup-winning declaration. “We have not promised our nation the cup but we are sure to give a decent performance that will make them proud of us. “I think my team mates are highly motivated for this competition and I believe the couple of pre-AFCON games that we will engage in will also shape us up for the

Sport

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Morocco seek AFCON re-launch

AFOLABI GAMBARI writes that although the Atlas Lions are ranked outsiders in South Africa, they possess the steel to re-launch to reckoning

Morocco players pose before a recent game

Most caps: Noureddine Naybet (115)

challenges ahead of us.” Asked to be specific about how the Moroccans hope to surmount the trio of South Africa, Angola and Cape Verde, Lamyaghri said all the four contenders in Group A possessed equal chance to sail to the knock-out stage. “It’s obviously going to be tough but I wouldn’t really say ours is a group of death since only ourselves and South Africa are past winners of the cup,” Lamyaghri admitted. “Nevertheless, the two others cannot be written off especially after we saw what Zambia did at the last Nations Cup finals. Indeed, unrated nations have found motivation in Zambia’s success and I strongly believe that on this account alone, this event will be competitive.” Federation: Association Royal Moroccan Football Federation FIFA ranking: 72 Highest FIFA ranking: 10 (April 1998) Lowest FIFA ranking: 95 (September 2010)

Nations Cup record 1957 – Did not enter 1959 – Did not enter 1962 – Withdrew 1963 – Did not qualify 1965 – Did not enter 1968 – Did not enter 1970 – Did not qualify 1972 – Round 1 1974 – Did not enter 1976 – Champions 1978 – Round 1 1980 – Third place 1982 – Did not qualify 1984 – Did not qualify 1986 – Fourth place 1988 – Fourth place 1990 – Did not qualify 1992 – Round 1 1994 – Did not qualify 1996 – Did not qualify 1998 – Quarterfinals 2000 – Round 1 2002 – Round 1 2004 – Second place 2006 – Round 1 2008 – Round 1 2010 – Did not qualify 2012 – Round 1 2013 – Qualified Strengths: Every single player in the Morocco squad is determined to excel by entering the record book as among the group that helped the country bounce back after nearly forty years in the African wilderness. In addition to this, the squad boasts a united camp imbued with discipline and hardwork. Weaknesses: The team is populated by inexperienced

players and rely mostly on the prodding of coach Rachid Taoussi. This may make the Maghreb nation fall when a clear cut leadership is required on the pitch as the competition gathers pace. 2013 Nations Cup squad Goalkeepers: Nadir Lamyaghri, Anas Zniti, Khalid Askri Defenders: Mehdi Benatia, Ahmed Kantari, Zakaria Bergdich, Issam El Adoua, Abdelhamid El Kaoutari, Abdelatif Noussir, Abderrahim Chakir Midfielders: Karim El Ahmadi, Adil Hermach, Younès Belhanda, Abdelaziz Barrada, Kamel Chafni, Chahir Belghazouani, Mehdi Namli, Youssef Kaddioui Strikers: Youssef El-Arabi, Mounir El Hamdaoui, Nordin Amrabat, Oussama Assaidi, Abderrazak Hamdallah, Abdelilah Hafidi Key Player: Nadir Lamyaghri The Coach: Rachid Taoussi Did you know? Morocco legend, Mustapha Hadji, is now Special Assistant to the country’s Sports Minister on grassroots football development, with a mandate to comb the nook and cranny of the country after the country expressed their determination to return to the top of African football. NATIONAL MIRROR’s prediction Although a resurgent side, Morocco can draw inspiration from their past solid experience in the Nations to easily upstage giant-killing Cape Verde and surmount the odds against hosts South Africa. The North Africans look good to make it past the group stage.

Sport

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Nigeria N ig Premier League with

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Cricket

IIKENWA NNABUOGOR ikenwa.nnabuogor@gmail.com

Bangladesh national team hook ex-Heartland coach

ormer Heartland coach, Ludewijk de Kruif, has been named the new national team coach of Bangladesh, National Mirror can exclusively report. The 43-year old Dutchman is expected to be unveiled as the national team later this week. Close sources said that the former Heartland coach arrived the cricketcrazy Asian country early this week to complete the contract. The contract details are not yet known, but it appeared he would sign a two-year contract. National Mirror learnt that de Kruif was given the nod for the top job because of his rich CV and his excellent relationship with Nigerian players currently ruling the Premier League

in Bangladesh. The officials at the apex soccer body in Bangladesh got kind words about the young Dutch coach from Nigerian players, many of whom he had worked with back in Nigeria at Heartland. He was preferred ahead of several other coaches that applied for the job. The former Top Oss of Holland player had been out of job since he left Heartland on mutual consent in May 2012. Attempts to rejoin the Owerri-based side failed to see the light of the day, forcing the coach to return to his native Holland to ponder on his next move. He will be faced with a tough task of building a team for the Asian country whose first love remains cricket.

Anthony Okemiri (right) in Kwara United action

Rangers offload Okemiri

nugu Rangers have announced they would not be signing Kwara United winger, Anthony Okemiri after spending weeks training with the Flying Antelopes, National Mirror can exclusively reveal. OKemiri and some other players including former Rangers striker, Fabiyi, were asked to try elsewhere early this week as they intensify pre-season training ahead of the new season which is expected to start next month. Close sources revealed that Okemiri was not offered a contract because of his diminutive nature as a result of Flying Antelopes’ declaration to shut the door on short strikers. Okemiri had arrived Enugu at the close of last season with high hopes of teaming up with the Enugu-based side but was shocked when he was told he wasn’t going to be offered a deal, leaving him devastated and with lean pockets. The kid brother of former Enyimba left back, Ogbonna, had a blistering stint at Kwara United where he spent three seasons. He’s now left with the option of returning

to Ilorin or look elsewhere for opportunities. Meanwhile, returnee striker, Bishop Onyeudo, is yet to be offered a contract in spite of several weeks of training with the team with a view to signing a contract. Ony-

eudo, National Mirror learnt, is still waiting for the management’s decision. The Enugu-born star is getting impatient with the waiting game, but remains optimistic that he could sign the dotted lines for his former club.

Medrano takes time off

ormer Sunshine Stars’ Cameroun midfielder, Medrano Tamen, says he is taking time off soccer time to cool off with his family in his native Victoria, South West Cameroun, and then think of where next to take his game to. Tamen, who returned to Cameroun after helping the Akure-based side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2012, revealed he was being courted by a

Medrano

number of European clubs, but said he was taking his time studying the proposals before agreeing on his next destination. Medrano told National Mirror he was done with Nigerian football, ruling out a return to have another shot with a Nigerian side, but revealed his fond memories, which he said, would live with him forever. “I had my best moments with Sunshine, reaching the semi-finals of Champions League and finishing runners-up in the league,” he recalls. “I was also named the best foreign player in the league. I will never forget my days in Nigeria but I have to move on with my career. “Right now, there are a lot of clubs that are interested in me, but I’m taking my time, having a well deserved rest with my family. “I wouldn’t want to reveal the names of the clubs yet, because it’s not yet time. I will make my destination known when the time is right.”

Lodewijk de Kriop

Qatari club invites Akani on trial

ormer Gabros striker Valentine Akani has been invited by an unnamed Qatari club for a trial. Akani jetted out last week to begin a trial which is expected to last two weeks before a decision will be reached to offer him a contract. Akani had eyed a return to Rangers and trained with them, but there was no contract talks yet on the table for the talented striker before the Qatari bait. Akani wasted no time in giving it a trial and hence his trip to the Middle East. The deal, which is packaged by his agent, will be

determined by this performance during the trial. Akani told National Mirror he would work hard to get a contract and breathe a new life to his career. The Enugu-born striker was a hit when he grabbed the goals for Gabros some seasons ago and caught the eye of top spenders. Enyimba eyed him, but it was Rangers that won the race for his signature. He also spent a season at home town club, Akwa United, before joining Rangers. His career has not really remained the same since his sparkling start at Gabros.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business & Finance ‘We should not base oil prices on international market dictates’ Former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tamuno David West

The Excess Crude Account is supposed to serve as a buffer for the economy. Whenever available revenue is not up to the budgeted figure, government will augment for the health of the economy

42-43

MINISTER OF STATE FOR FINANCE, YERIMA NGAMA

Delta blacklists Union, Diamond banks over alleged N1.1bn fraud SOLA ADEBAYO WARRI

he Delta State Government has blacklisted Union Bank Plc and Diamond Bank Plc for allegedly defrauding it of N1.1bn paid by the American energy giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, as tax in 2012. Already, the government has petitioned the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, asking the apex bank to investigate and punish the two banks for the alleged sharp practices. The government alleged that the money paid by the oil major through the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, DSBIR, in December last year was not credited to its account until the authorities in the agency raised the alarm in January. The Chairman of DSBIR, Mr. Joel Onowakpor, told newsmen in Asaba, the state’s capital, yesterday that the two banks

fraudulently concealed the funds, which was earned as internally generated revenue for the state government. Onowakpor said the banks could no longer be trusted by the board for further business deals on behalf of the state government. According to him, the fraud was discovered at

the end of 2012 when the board was reconciling its accounts, adding that the board was shocked to discover that the total amount expected in the account of the board was short of N1.1bn. He lamented that the board had on December 27, 2012 got a payment alert of N1.1bn from Chevron, adding

that the money was belatedly credited into the board’s account in tranches on Monday, days after the authorities of the agency raised an alarm over the missing fund. Onowakpor said, “I was dazed to get alert from Diamond Bank on Monday January 7th, 2013 about the money

which was not even paid at once but in batches. Chevron paid to Union Bank since 27th December 2012 but Union Bank withheld it till 31st December, 2012 when it paid to Diamond Bank. Diamond Bank received the money and refused to credit it until Monday January 7th, 2013 around 12:16 pm.”

he Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah yesterday cleared the air on the controversy trailing the alleged securing of $500m loan from China to acquire 30 aircraft for do-

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L-R: Interim Head, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNIFEPFI) Yuki Yasui, and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at the Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat held in Calabar recently.

FG clears air on $500m intervention fund for airline operators OLUSEGUN KOIKI

Arik Air

mestic airline operators. The government said that the huge sum amount of money was not for the procurement of aircraft for the operators, rather, it is for building of five new international terminals and 11 cargo terminals in the country. Oduah stated these yesterday through her Special Assistant, Media, Mr. Joe Obi in a telephone interview with National Mirror.

She informed that the funds for the acquisition of 30 aircraft for the domestic operators was being sourced from the Federal Government’s intervention funds for aviation industry, adding that the funds had always been there for the operators to assess. He could however not tell how much of the intervention funds were being set aside for acquisition of 30 aircraft for opera-

StarTimes plans new N15bn investment in Nigeria 32

tors, but assured that the funds unlike the former intervention would be judiciously used by the beneficiaries who meet the conditions attached to it. He emphasised that it was not the role of the government to provide operating aircraft for domestic operators, but explained that government had the right to intervene in any critical aspect of the economy including the airline sub-sector.

Malaysians to increase investment in real sector

He said, “The $500m is not for acquisition of aircraft, but rather for the building of five new international terminals and 11 cargo terminals by the government and not for procurement of aircraft. The acquisition of 30 aircraft is from the intervention funds. As you know, we already have aviation intervention fund provided by the government. So, we are not taking any loan for any aircraft.”

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

One year after, fuel subsidy controversy lingers 34

Business Finance

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

StarTimes plans new N15bn investment in Nigeria OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

tarTimes, one of the digital television providers, has mapped out strategies to invest over N15bn in the sector in its expansion drive for the year 2013, the Chief Operation Officer of the company, Mr. Joshua Wang has said. Wang, who spoke with Journalists yesterday in Abuja while unveiling the new products and services of the company for the New Year, also disclosed that the company’s subscription base had hit 1million.

With the new investment plan, it is expected that the volume of investment would have hit N30bn before the end of the year, having already invested over 15bn within two years of operation in Nigeria. He said that the next phase of the company in its expansion drive is to cover additional 15 states before the end of the year, having already had its presence in 16 major states across the country. Speaking on the impact of the StarTimes investment in the country, the Director, NTA-Start Television Network Limited, Mr. Maxwell Loko, said that the

new expansion plan would generate about 8,000 direct and indirect jobs. “Since the company began operation in Nigeria about two years ago, we have been able to provide unequal services to Nigerians. Our services are not only cheap; we have been able to demonstrate that Nigerians from all walks of life can have access to digital television. “At the present the company has over 700 Nigerians on its pay roll and it intends to generate additional 3000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs through its new expansion strategies, he said.”

Some of the company’s New Year products, according to him, include the introduction of Startimes DVB-T2 decoder which would enable subscribers have access to over seventy channels, provision of door-to-door after sale service, and a Startimes M50 mobile Television, which would only be opened to subscribers in Lagos and Abuja. Speaking on the features of one of the products, he said,” Startimes DVB-T2 will gather over seventy channels of great sport, music, movies, new, kids and teens entertainment, documentary, religion

and lots more with recent inclusion of new channels for subscriber’s satisfaction such as WAP TV,EuroS[ort News, Africa Movie Channel, a music channel(AMC),business TV,Freshwave and other exiting channels like: Nigezie, Kennis Music, Orisun, E-star and other captivating channels like Vchannel, Liberty TV,Mettle TV. In order to serve the millions of soccer Nigerians, he explained that the company is in discussion with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) to secure the right to show the forthcoming AFCON 2013.

FG conducts survey on MDGs’ achievements TOLA AKINMUTIMI (ABUJA)

L-R: Brand Executive, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. Noah Amosu; winner of “40” Samsung Television in the DStv Mega Promo, Mrs. Caroline Egbe and Marketing Executive DStv, Miss. Bisi Animashaun, during the prize presentation in Lagos, yesterday.

Stop Customs Amendment Bill, stakeholders tell Senate FRANCIS EZEM

takeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry have raised a very strong voice against the proposed passage of the Customs and Excise Management Act by the Senate, Nigeria’s upper legislative which was hurriedly passed last year by the House of Representatives despite objections raised by the stakeholders. The same house had also hurriedly passed the controversial Maritime Security Agency Bill in 2011, which sought to create an additional maritime security agency to police Nigeria’s maritime and oil and gas offshore infrastructure, but which was also stopped by the Senate, which most stakeholders commended. The current position of the stakeholders is ahead of the resumption of the upper legislative chambers after its Christmas and New Year recess. The stakeholders, who rose from a breakfast meeting in Lagos organised by Maritime

Industry Advocacy Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation unanimously, urged the President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark and the entire membership of the chamber to show statesmanship and patriotism by throwing out the CEMA Amendment Bill currently before it. According to a communiqué issued by the stakeholders jointly sign by Mr. Sesan Onileimo and Kayode Collins, executive directors of the initiative, the stakeholders argued that the process leading to the controversial passage of the bill was shoddy and fraught with irregularities as none of them was carried along in the process. The stakeholders had also argued that the proposed legislation, which is the enabling act of the Nigeria Customs Service conflicts seriously with the functions of other government sister agencies as the service would usurp all their powers and functions if the bill is passed by the Senate in the curret form.

“The CEMA Amendment Bill if passed as presently constituted conflicts with the functions of the President, Minister of Finance, Nigerian Ports Authority, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency”, the stakeholders argued. Other agencies which the Bill conflicts with are the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, a development that would give rise to scores of litigations and therefore lead to rivalry that would disrupt a smooth running of the agencies and also destroy the existing inter-agency cooperation that is crucial for the system. The stakeholders also noted that aside distorting the present port concession agreement between the Bureau of Public Enterprises, NPA representing the Federal Government and the various port concessionaires, the proposed legislation contains some obnoxious clauses, which will cause disharmony among the various operators.

he National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS), in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President (OSSAP) on Millennium Development Goals, has commenced a survey to estimate MDGs indicators in 2012. According to the NBS, to ascertain the level of achievement of MDGs in the country, there is the need to collect data needed for the estimation of the indicators from time to time. Specifically, the statistical agency stated that the survey was aimed at achieving the following objectives of providing MDGs indicators for 2012, giving an insight of the extent of achievement based on the indicators and also helping in estimating MDGs trend if the data on the indicators are annualised.

The Bureau said the survey will be conducted in both urban and rural areas in all the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT and he general areas where data are to be collected include; Household, Individual Women between (15 – 49 years) and Children under five years of age. The NBS stated further: “Our field officers will be visiting the selected households between January 7th and 27th, 2013 to collect the required data. The NBS and OSSAP hereby solicit from states, LGAs, communities, households etc, and the necessary cooperation for the success of this exercise, particularly in completing the questionnaires correctly. “We would want to reiterate that national development is a collective responsibility, with accurate, timely and reliable data as a major pre-requisite for strategic planning and development.

NEXIM Bank issued N43.7bn export guarantees to firms TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

he Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) said it has issued Guarantees valued at $27.3m to some manufacturers some of whom are engaged in Greenfield projects. Similarly, the bank in a statement signed by its spokesman, Chinedu Moghalu quoted the Managing Director, Roberts Orya, disclosed that about N23.3 billion were also provided to support Nigerian exporters, particularly those engaged in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) between 2009 and August last year. The interventions, according to Orya, were in its target sectors with high growth potentials of manufacturing, agro-processing, solid minerals and services classified under the bank’s MASS Agenda. The NEXIM Bank’s boss said that as a result of these opera-

tional interventions, the bank was able to generate and sustain direct jobs of over 14,358 as at August last year. He commended the shareholders for fresh capital injection as well as other institutional support through supervisory and regulatory over sight and guidance from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance. With the transformation drive that has been consistently pursued by the management, the results have impacted on the bank’s performance and ensured an appreciable return of the equity investments of the shareholders as a dividend for the 2010 financial year. For instance, Orya said the improved performance led to the declaration of dividends to shareholders for the first time after year 2003 when dividend was last paid. He assured that a robust enterprise Risk Management Framework for the bank has been designed and being rolled out.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Energy Week

udemea@rocketmail.com 07031546994

One year after, fuel subsidy controversy lingers

Fuel subsidy protest

One year after massive nationwide protests forced the Federal Government to reverse its decision to totally remove fuel subsidy, the issue remains controversial stricter rules on subsidy payments constricted fuel supplies for most of last year. UDEME AKPAN reports that the massive corruption and other problems that characterised the fuel subsidy regime will not become a thing of the past until the Petroleum Industry Bill, designed to fully commercialise the nation’s oil sector and provide incentives for investments in refineries, becomes a reality.

hen President Goodluck Jonathan emerged with the nation’s 2012-2015 mediumterm Fiscal frameworks, MTFF and 2012 Fiscal Strategy Paper, FSP, in late 2011, the main thrust was to put paid to the nation’s endless fuel importation era as well as harness more funds for socio-economic development. As Jonathan puts it: “A major component of the policy of fiscal consolidation is Government’s intent to phase out the fuel subsidy beginning from the 2012 fiscal year.” Specifically, the President claimed that the reversal of the policy would free about N1.2trn in savings, part of which can be deployed into providing safety nets for poor segments of the society to ameliorate the effects of the subsidy removal.

A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE POLICY OF FISCAL CONSOLIDATION IS GOVERNMENT’S INTENT TO PHASE OUT THE FUEL SUBSIDY BEGINNING FROM THE

2012 FISCAL YEAR

“The accrual to the Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF as a result of the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy will also augment funds for critical infrastructure through the infrastructure window of the SWF,” he had argued. Jonathan was not alone. The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who led the campaign for the withdrawal of the subsidy had insisted that “there has been a lot of debate on fuel subsidies and we have all resolved that removing it is a good direction to go on.

You have to leave it to us to decide when it is prudent to do so.” The Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA whose functions include price determination, supply regulation and databank creation stated that as at August 15, 2011, the landing cost of one litre of petrol was N129.21 while the margin for transporters and marketers was N15.49. The agency which put the actual pump price at N144.70, had argued that government subsidy was N79.70 per liter as the offi-

cial pump price was N65. The PPPRA argued at that with the then 32 million litres estimated fuel consumption, the government expended about N2.6bn as subsidy daily. But many opponents of fuel subsidy removal thought differently. For instance, in his misconceptions on fuel subsidy, a Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana who criticized the government for its inability to maintain the nation’s refineries with 445,000 barrels per day capacity remarked that successive governments have, for some inexplicable reasons, failed to construct new refineries. Falana had observed that those who were given refinery licenses under the Olusegun Obasanjo AdministraCONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Energy Week

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

One year after, fuel subsidy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 tion refused to do so, preferring instead to engage in the importation of petroleum products. According to him, “In the last two years a barrel of crude oil which is extracted for less than $10 has been sold in the international market for prices ranging from $100 to $180. Since the cost of production is by far less that the price of the commodity the issue of subsidy does not arise. It is however conceded that the Federal Government has been subsiding corruption and inefficiency arising from official negligence to maintain the existing refineries and build new ones to meet domestic needs and generate substantial revenue from exporting petroleum products.” The lawyer had rolled out several figures to support his arguments. For instance, Falana remarked that in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Federal Government spent N261bn, N278bn, N630bn, N421bn and N673bn respectively for the importation of petroleum products. In 2011, N240bn was appropriated for fuel subsidy by the National Assembly. Falana had stated that the Federal Ministry Finance released additional N1.3trn for the importation of fuel products by August 31, 2011, thus, raising the total amount the nation spent on importation from 2006-2011 to N3.6trn. “The NNPC and PPPRA, Central Bank and the Federal Ministry of Finance should justify these figures. This has become necessary as the auditors engaged by the Government have failed to detect fraud with respect to the over N3.6 trillion wasted on fuel imports in the last five years. Yet the auditors have been collecting billions of Naira annually for failing to verify and detect the monumental fraud perpetrated by the “oil cartel”, he had said. Falana, who had alleged that with the illegal directive of the NNPC, the PPPRA was made to honour unverified vouchers from importers of petroleum products, stated that a huge sum of money was paid in 2011 for petroleum products purportedly imported into the country over two years ago. According to him, “The controversy surrounding the planned removal of fuel subsidy has drawn attention to the illegal management of the Federation Account and the usurpation of the powers of the PPPRA by the NNPC to the detriment of the Nigerian people. As an agency of the Federal Government the NNPC cannot interfere with the management of the funds belonging to federal, states and local governments without appropriation by the National Assembly.” Falana had also stressed that whereas all revenues collected by the Federal Government shall be paid to the Federation Account pursuant to section 162 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended the NNPC has been operating the Federation Account illegally. He submitted

Jonathan Alison-Madueke

THE PROTESTS WHICH GROUNDED THE WHOLE OF

LAGOS ALSO

AFFECTED MOST STATE CAPITALS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY,

INCLUDING

ABUJA,

WHERE SECURITY AGENCIES BATTLED TO CONTROL THE SITUATION Esele

that the NNPC admitted that the state and local governments were shortchanged to the tune of N420bn. “With respect to fuel subsidy, the NNPC operates the Petroleum Support Fund, which is funded through imposition of monthly levy of 50 per cent on the Federal Government, 25 per cent on state governments and 25 per cent on local governments. Such deductions are made from source by the NNPC without appropriation or approval of any tier of Government,” he added Like many other people, Falana did not only criticise proponents of the fuel subsidy. He had also made concrete suggestions. For instance, he called for improved maintenance of the nation’s four refineries and the construction of new ones. He also requested the NNPC to build mega stations in neighbouring countries like Benin, Togo and Niger to discourage smuggling and generate revenue for the Government, adding that Venezuela has over 2,000 gas stations in the United States. According to him, “Given the political will the country’s four refineries can be fixed in six months while four new ones can be built by the Federal Government in the next one year. To fund the project the Government should draw from the foreign reserves which are currently withdrawn regu-

larly to pay for the importation of non essential goods to the country. The government may also offer some incentives to the oil majors operating in the country to invest in refineries.” He was not alone. The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David West stated that the costs associated with fuel refining, distribution and even importation was over estimated. West, who puts the cost of local refining at about N40, observed that the masses have over the years been paying ‘incompetence tax’ of N25 per litre to the government. He alleged that the refineries were deliberately sabotaged to justify endless fuel importation. West who believed the subsidy was not the best option to take blamed government for lack of transparency in the oil sector stating that: “ideologically, there is no one that would support the waste inherent in this subsidy, but this administration has showed no interest in solving the problems of corruption, in getting the refineries to work – they have made no effort at all. And they have not even threatened to audit the N1.4trn subsidy that somebody has taken that we all know, and everyone in the government knows that it is impossible for that quantity of petroleum products to be imported into this country.” With these and other wise counsels,

many observers expected the government to be cautious. But it was not. In fact the suggestions fell on deaf ears as the President Goodluck Jonathan seemed to have made up his mind to withdraw the subsidy. Consequently, motorists and other users of fuel woke up on January 1, 2012 to realise that the pump price of the product was adjusted from N65 per litre to N141 per litre. The attracted the anger of labour, human rights activists and others who took to the streets, agitating against the policy. The Occupy Nigeria antifuel subsidy removal mass protest which spread like wild fire spread from Lagos to many other parts of the nation. Available reports have it that many people were killed in some parts of the country, including Lagos where protesters gathered daily at Gani Fawehnmi Freedom Park to mobilise and educate the masses on the subject. Hundreds of protesters attended the rally in hired trucks, as there was no movement throughout Lagos metropolis. The protests which grounded the whole of Lagos also affected most state capitals throughout the country, including Abuja, where security agencies battled to control the situation. The Police was reported maintaining presence at every major civic centre where protests were targeted by members of Labour and civil societies. At some point, the House of Representatives was forced to ask the Federal Government to put on hold the implementation of the fuel subsidy removal and enter into dialogue with the organised labour. The House had also urged the NLC to suspend the strike until after meeting with the Federal Government. The Federal Government whose officials thought the protest was sponsored by anti government forces was forced to act. Federal Government approved the reduction of the pump price of petrol from N141 a litre to N97 a litre. The president directed the PPPRA to ensure immediate compliance with the new pump price of N97 a litre. In his national broadcast, Jonathan said government decided to shift ground given the hardships being suffered by Nigerians. He said the reduction in the pump price resulted from considerations and consultations with state governors, the leadership of the National Assembly and organised labour. The president reiterated government’s commitment to pursuing full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, however and urged Nigerians to show understanding for the imperatives of the adjustment in the pump price of petrol and give government their full support to ensure its successful implementation. He assured that government would continue to respect people’s right to express themselves within the confines of the law and in accordance with the dictates of the country’s democratic

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Energy Week

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

controversy lingers space and reiterated his administration’s commitment to cutting down on the cost of governance and to continue with the implementation of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment projects. The president said that legal and regulatory regime for the petroleum industry would be reviewed to address accountability issues, lapses and corruption in the sector. He assured that all those found to have contributed one way or the other to the economic adversity of the country would be dealt with in accordance with the law. As protesters left their various locations, particularly Freedom Square where they had spent several days, many stakeholders, including the Nigerian NNPC, PPPRA returned to the business of fuel importation. Specifically, the Federal Government has engaged the services of 42 marketers to import 3.57 million metric tonnes or 4.8 billion litres of petrol for domestic consumption in the second quarter (AprilJune) of this year. The imports, authorised by the PPPRA, was the first since mass protest compelled the government to backpedal its decision to remove fuel subsidy in January. While some firms alleged to have performed badly in the past have been dropped, a closer look revealed that the list is dominated by some reputable importers, including Mobil, Oando, Conoil, Forte Oil, MRS, NIPCo and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The PPPRA said in a statement that it was bent on ensuring that the nation did not witness fuel shortage in the nearest future. It confirmed that the government would continue to subsidise the price of petrol to enable motor-

Fuel queue

ists get the product at the official N97 per litre. Marketers, according to the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Mr. Reginald Stanley, are not allowed to transfer titles of import permits to third parties, while all imports at the point of tendering notices of arrival and readiness, must be accompanied by letter of credit, pro-forma invoice and Form M, among other requirements. PPPRA also said it would not pay for excess discharges, while failure to deliver approved volumes would render such company liable to exclusion from the scheme for two consecutive quarters or more apart from payment of a penalty. The government was forced to retain the subsidy following mass protest in January this year. From all indications, Nigerians needed the fuel. But the process of importing it into the nation was suspect-

Protesters during the fuel subsidy crisis

ed to be characterized by fraud and other sharp practices. Consequently, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee was set up on January 8, 2012 to verify among other things the actual subsidy requirements of the nation. The Farouk Lawan-led Committee whose members considered the implementation of the subsidy from 2009 -2011 uncovered many irregularities. It maintained that contrary to statutory requirements and other guidelines under the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) Scheme mandating agencies in the industry to keep reliable information data base, there seemed to be a deliberate understanding among the agencies not to do so. According to the reports, “This lack of record keeping contributed in no small measure to the decadence and rots the Committee found in the administration of the PSF. This is evident also in the budget preparatory process by MDAs where adequate data is not made available to the National Assembly. The Committee had to resort to forensic analysis and examination of varied and external sources (including the Lloyds List Intelligence) to verify simple transactions. In this regard, the PPPRA is strongly urged to publish henceforth, the PSF accounts on quarterly basis to ensure transparency and openness of the subsidy Scheme.” The Committee whose members uncovered endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency had stated that: “Much of the amount claimed to

Energy & Oil Prices

Source: Bloomberg

OIL ($/bbl) Nymex Crude Future Dated Brent Spot WTI Cushing Spot

PRICE*

CHANGE

% CHANGE

TIME

85.95 111.01 85.54

0.41 0.90 -0.74

0.48% 0.82% -0.86%

07:42 07:52 10/29

PRICE*

CHANGE

% CHANGE

TIME

310.55 275.30

-0.97 -0.38

-0.31% -0.14%

07:37 07:41

OIL (¢/gal) Nymex Heating Oil Future Nymex RBOB Gasoline Future

NATURAL GAS ($/MMBtu)

PRICE*

CHANGE

% CHANGE

11:19

New York City Gate Spot

3.77 3.43 3.57

-0.03 0.09 0.11

-0.84% 2.69% 3.18%

07:43 10/29 10/29

ELECTRICITY ($/megawatt hour)

PRICE*

CHANGE

% CHANGE

TIME

% CHANGE

09/24

Nymex Henry Hub Future Henry Hub Spot

Mid-Columbia, firm on-peak, spot Palo Verde, firm on-peak, spot

32.95 35.23

-0.40 -0.76

-1.20% -2.11%

10/26 10/29

BLOOMBERG, FIRM ON-PEAK, DAY AHEAD SPOT/ERCOT HOUSTON

30.25

2.04

7.23%

10/26

Source: Oilprice.com

have been paid as subsidy was actually not for consumed PMS. Government officials made nonsense of the PSF Guidelines due mainly to sleaze and, in some other cases, incompetence. It is therefore apparent that the insistence by top Government officials that the subsidy figures were for products consumed was a clear attempt to mislead the Nigerian people.” The members uncovered conflicting figures that were put forward by some authorities. For instance, contrary to the earlier official figure of subsidy payment of N 1.3trn, the AccountantGeneral of the Federation put forward N1.6trn, the CBN N1.7trn, while the Committee established subsidy payment of N2,58trn as at 31st December, 2011, amounting to more than 900 per cent over the appropriated sum of N245bn. The Committee maintained that the N2.58trn was based on the CBN figure of N844.94bn paid to NNPC, in addition to another figure of N847.9bn reflected CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Energy Week

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

One year after, fuel subsidy controversy lingers CONTINUED ON PAGE 40 as withdrawals by NNPC from the excess crude naira account, as well as the sum of N894.2bn paid as subsidy to the marketers. The Committee also maintained that the N847.9bn quoted above strongly suggests that NNPC might have been withdrawing from two sources especially when the double withdrawals were also reflected both in 2009 and in 2010. The Committee whose members noted that NNPC was found not to be accountable to anybody or authority stated that: “The corporation, in 2011, processed payment of N310.4bn as 2009 – 2011 arrears of subsidy on Kerosene, contrary to a Presidential Directive which removed subsidy on Kerosene in 2009. The corporation also processed for itself, direct deduction of subsidy payment from amounts it received from other operations such as joint venture before paying the balance to the Federation Account, thereby depleting the shares of States and Local Governments from the distributable pool. Worse still, the direct deduction in 2011 alone, which amounted to N847.9bn, was effected without any provision in the Appropriation Act.” It maintained that while NNPC feasted on the Federation Account to bloat the subsidy payable, some of the marketers were involved in claiming subsidy on products not supplied. The Committee stated that PPPRA laid this foundation by allocating volumes of products each quarter to the marketers which it knew were not in conformity with its own guidelines for participation. The Committee whose members believed that some marketers collected subsidy of over N230.12bn PMS volume of 3,262,960,225 litres that were not supplied reported that apart from proliferation and non-designation of bank accounts for subsidy payment, PPPRA and the OAGF were unable to manage in a transparent manner the two accounts they chose to disclose. It stated that: “the particular Accountant-General that served during the period 2009 was found to have made payments of equal installments of N999m for a record 128 times within 24 hours on the 12th and 13th of January 2009, totaling N127.8bn. The confirmed payments from the CBN records were made to beneficiaries yet to be disclosed by the OAGF or identified by the Committee. We however discovered that only 36 Marketers were participants under the PSF Scheme during this period. Even if there were 128 marketers, it was inconceivable that all would have imported the same quantity of products to warrant equal payments.” The Committee that put the nation’s daily fuel consumption at 31.5 million litres stated that in 2012, marginal increment of 1.5 million litres a day is recommended in order to take care of unforeseen circumstances, bringing it to 33 million litres per day. It maintained that: “And to maintain a strategic re-

Yakubu

Obasi

THE FUTURE IS NOT BLEAK AS THE ROLES OF VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE STREAMLINED THROUGH THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL, PIB WHICH IS STILL BEFORE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

THE

serve, an additional average of seven million litres per day (or 630 million litres per quarter) for the first quarter of 2012 only is recommended. Thus, PPPRA is to use 40 million litres of PMS in the first quarter as its maximum ordering quantity per day. In subsequent quarters PMS daily ordering quantity should be 33 million litres per day.” That was not the only report. Another report that attempted to unmask the abuse of fuel subsidy management was the Imoukhuede Committee established to verify and reconcile fuel subsidy payments revealed that 21 companies that participated actually made fraudulent claims. The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede disclosed that of the N422bn earlier found to have been unaccounted for, N18bn was actually a duplication while only N403bn was verified. According to him, N21bn was cleared leaving N382bn as the sum in contention, the basis for which the committee recommended that the process of recovery should be made. Aig-Imoukhuede made it public that a total of 116 oil marketing and trading companies (OM&T) that participated in the petroleum subsidy scheme in the period under review were invited for interviews. He stated that: “Out of the N422bn identified by the Technical Committee which I chaired, the Presidential Committee took steps to identify and remove duplication, which may have been contained in the Technical Committee’s report which was also discovered in the course of the panel’s interviews.” The Chairman who noted that of the N422bn, N18bn was found to be duplica-

tion stated that the actual amount that was being verified was N403bn. Of this amount, he said N21bn was cleared, leaving N382bn as the sum in contention for which the committee recommended that the process of recovery should be made. “We believe that at this juncture and based on the recommendations of the committee, Nigerians will begin to see the federal government take the action that is visible having gone through the invisible hard work of putting together the cases against those who may have misbehaved in the fuel subsidy programme. He also stated that: “Finally, our recommendation is that for the nation to keep putting together teams of technocrats to pursue those who abuse a subsidy regime is not sustainable. The lasting and final solution to ensure that this kind of thing does not occur again is for the deregulation of fuel subsidy,” he had said. Besides, the Lawan and AigImoukhuede Committees-led report, the former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu’s Special Petroleum Task Force controversial report has also highlighted corruption and other abuses in the industry. The report also noted the overwhelming influence of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and called for review. Apparently, appreciating the work of the Committee, the President constituted three committees to prepare draft white papers on report, thus raising hope on its implementation. Meanwhile, the government has started to recover some funds from many

fraudulent importers while several cases are ongoing in courts. But it is doubtful how far some authorities, especially EFCC would go in tackling the issues at stake as they need the cooperation of others, including foreign nations. This partly explains why the EFCC has already sought the assistance of foreign governments, especially Swiss authorities to investigate the multi-billion dollar fuel subsidy scam because of alleged refusal of oil trading firms to cooperate with the Commission. However, the questions most people are asking are: How long will the nation continue to import fuel and how can the process of fuel importation be streamlined to accomplish increased transparency and accountability? The President of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr. Peter Esele opined that the nation may continue to import fuel until new refineries are built and old ones maintained to process to boost the nation’s capacity. Esele noted that efforts targeted at building new plants did not work out in the past because of many reasons, including inconsistent policies and insufficient motivation of investors. The TUC President added that the process of importing fuel would also become more transparent and accountable when there are checks and balances. Under the present arrangement, the PPPRA has the responsibility to authorize imports as well as verify claims for settlement. Like marketers, the NNPC is involved in importation of fuel for marketing in its stations nationwide. The Ministry of Finance ensures that the importers are paid after due clearance of PPPRA. But the reports of the various Committees showed that due process was not always followed in all cases. Indeed there are many cases some parties either dabbled into or made attempts to influence the roles of others. The National President of Oil and Gas Service providers Association, OGSPAN, Mr. Colman Obasi who painted the gloomy picture of the sector said it would be impossible to fully accomplish transparency and accountability under the present legislative regime. Obasi, who observed that the present regime allows many organisations which sometimes perform conflicting roles in the sector pointed out that: “We have the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Petroleum Products Marketing Company, the subsidiary of NNPC and PPPRA among others to play one role or another.” However, the future is not bleak as the roles of various institutions are expected to be streamlined through the instrumentality of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB which is still before the National Assembly. The PIB is also important, particularly as it would attract investors interested in establishing new refineries in the nation. The new plants are expected to boost the nation’s low refining capacity, meet demand as well as generate foreign exchange through fuel export to other nations.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

What is the state of petroleum industry, especially after the partial withdrawal of fuel subsidy in the nation? The situation has improved a little. But it is a fragile peace that was negotiated after protests last year. However, it must be said that the fragile peace being maintained does not translate to mean that all is well. For instance, the fallout of the policy is still affecting Nigerians, including oil workers. The fuel price increase occasioned by the Federal Government’s action is still causing ripples within and outside the industry, with millions of workers just struggling to survive. For NUPENG and other unions, what the continuous suffering and endless struggling of Nigeria workers and masses mean to the union in the immediate term, is that oil and gas workers in particular have put lasting measures in place to forestall any sudden hike in fuel price by the Federal Government with or without collaboration with oil marketers. How has it been since NUPENG and other affiliates participated in the “mother of all protests” in order to compel the government to revert prices of petroleum products amongst other issues? First, it cannot be correct to say that NUPENG, PENGASSAN or other important stakeholders in the petroleum sector were caught unawares by the government’s decision to remove subsidy, which led to the protests in January last year. Like others, NUPENG was prepared and actually participated in the protest because of its concerns for workers. Indeed, PENGASSAN and NUPENG participated in that protests, alongside nongovernmental organisations and civil society groups and the results of that action is there for all to see. Even if the price of petrol is still not uniformly sold across the country, it was the action by labour, it allies and supporters that made a very

ConocoPhillips sells $3.5 bn assets, leaves Nigeria, Algeria

onocoPhillips has agreed to sell its Nigerian and Algerian assets for a combined $3.54 Billion. It announced, within days of each other, agreements to sell its equity in Nigeria for $1.79Billion and the Algerian business unit for $1.75 billion. The Nigerian assets are being acquired by Oando Energy Resources, the Toronto listed Nigerian independent. The Algerian assets are going to Pertamina, the Indonesian state hydrocarbon company. The disposals of these African units, each delivering less than 50,000BOEPD, will allow the American independent to focus on its five “high-margin projects expected to account for 550,000 BOEPD by 2016”. The projects are in Canada, North Sea conventional play, American unconventional play, Malaysian deepwater and Australian Pacific LNG.

Energy Week

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Oil, gas workers yet to benefit from SURE P –Scribe The Federal Government promised to provide many palliatives to Nigerians during last partial withdrawal of fuel subsidy. But in this interview with MESHACK IDEHEN, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Mr. Isaac Aberare, said the SUREP has not made any positive impact on oil workers bad situation from getting worse. Have the partial withdrawal of subsidy and the creation of the SURE P programme by government made any positive difference in the lives of the country’s workers in particular, and Nigerians in general? From an individual point of view, let me inform you that I am yet to see anything that has been done in the name of the SURE P programme, based government promises. As a union, we can say that the situation is sad because NUPENG has not yet seen any sign whatsoever that the SURE P programme is ongoing. As far as NUPENG is concerned, the programme remains a deceit; a fraud. It is a promise by the Federal Government that they never had any intention of keeping in the first place. As an industry expert, do you think there are any benefits that can in the past one year be linked to the deregulation policy of government? To answer that question, let me ask, has petrol and other products become more available in all the nooks and crannies of the country due to the policy of the Federal Government? Are the petrol stations in most parts of the country particularly in the South East still not selling above the recommended selling price of N97? Has the refineries started working to support the petrol consumption needs of the nation’s manufacturing sector? These are issues that we need to look at, and questions that need be asked.

Aberare

From the union’s perspective, what is the state of the refineries, and why have they not started functioning in full capacity as expected? The optimisation of the refineries existing capacities is one of the issues that illustrates that the government has failed woefully. It is even sad to hear rumours of new Greenfield refineries that are to be built with tax payers and workers money, when the existing ones have been left to rot. It is a bad signal, and if care is not taken, may end up like the ones before it. Considering

all that has been happening in the oil and gas industry, especially in the past one year. What should workers and citizens that depend mostly on the availability and affordability of petrol to run their lives expect to see from NUPENG as a union this year? NUPENG will continue to advocate and push for improved working conditions for its members, while at the same time, continues to also advocate for a better measures that can impact positively on the lives of Nigerians.

Conoil to build 60 new stations nationwide in 2013 UDEME AKPAN

eading petroleum products marketer, Conoil Plc plans to bring on stream next year, 60 new retail outlets spread across the country as part of its major strategic expansion programme to meet the increasing fuel needs of Nigerians. The expansion programme would gulp about N4.8 billion and it is earmarked to grow the company’s sales and revenue by over 65 percent. It is projected that the new stations will complement the company’s plan for massive importation of refined petroleum products next year. The retail outlets will offer robust and automated network which will leverage on technology to deliver the assurance of quality products and improve service efficiency at the forecourts. The expansion project represents the second phase of the company’s comprehensive four-year plan which started two years ago. It would be recalled that Conoil embarked on the plan to adequately prepare for industry-specific challenges, ensure im-

Adenuga

pressive growth in its performance indicators and consolidate its leadership position in the downstream petroleum business. Hitherto, Conoil had commenced the ambitious plan with the upgrade of its storage tanks at the company’s depots nationwide to accommodate bulk product

imports. In pursuant of this, the company increased the storage tanks for white products – Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), diesel and kerosene – to 80,000 metric tonne, to double the capacity of its storage facilities at its Apapa installation. Another major plank of the expansion programme was the construction of the company’s multi-billion naira Port Harcourt depot which has the capacity to hold 70,000 metric tonne of various petroleum products with the propensity to dispense 5.5 million litres per day. The Port Harcourt depot complements the company’s flagship installation in Apapa, Lagos, providing easy access to fuel imports and easing the pressure on available jetties and other port infrastructures in Lagos. Conoil has been in the forefront of pioneering innovative initiatives in the Nigerian downstream oil sector. Its multipurpose mega stations not only sell petroleum products, but also offer a variety of value-added convenience services that delight consumers.

Energy Week

WAGP: Ghana urges Nigeria to fix pipeline

resident John Mahama of Ghana has urged his Nigerian counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan, to fix the broken West Africa Pipeline. He said this is important to the continued use of Nigerian gas to power electricity generation. Mahama spoke yesterday after meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Ghananian president who was declared winner of last Saturday’s Presidential election, told State House Correspondents that he wants Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipelines back into operation. He said:“ I took the opportunity to discuss with him the issue of West Africa Gas Pipeline. As you are aware, it got broken and there was an accident when they were trying to activate it. So, I want President Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipeline back into operation as soon as possible so that Ghana can continue to receive Nigerian gas to power our electricity generation.” President Mahama who said he was on his way to Equatorial Guinea for the African, Carrabian and Pacific Group of States conference also said the short meeting discussed the relationship between the two countries. “This has been a very short visit. I am on my way to Equatorial Guinea for the ACP African, Carrabian and Pacific Group of states conference that is taking place there. The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) operator of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) system has shut down the pipeline system after experiencing a loss of pressure around the Lome segment of the pipeline this morning. WAPCo has subsequently stopped all gas deliveries to its onshore stations and is working closely with the government agencies and other relevant organisations to investigate the cause of loss of pressure and to ensure safety while rectifying the situation. The project has witnessed a lot of disruptions in the past few years as a result of pipeline vandalism and other challenges. For instance, early last year, it was shut for repairs. The operator of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) system that resumed gas receipts into its pipeline was forced to shut off gas receipts as the gas that was being received at the company’s Itoki Receipt terminal exceeded allowable gas specifications for moisture content. This situation led to a shortfall of gas available for delivery to its customers. As a result of improved gas specification WAPCo has resumed accepting gas made available at the receipt point for delivery to its customers. Officials said while there was improvement in gas moisture content, the gas supply situation remained a challenge with WAGP receiving less than the contractual volume of gas resulting in a shortfall of gas available for delivery to customers.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

How to boost LPG consumption –NIPCO MD UDEME AKPAN

takeholders in the gas sector of the nation s hydrocarbon industry stormed Abuja to fashion out a strategic policy for a rapid growth in domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas [LPG] usage in the country. Experts in the LPG sector had an interactive strategic policy consultation on how to create awareness on the benefit of LPG usage and best way Nigeria can rapidly develop the market. The conference, co-sponsored by NIPCO, an integrated indigenous downstream operator in the oil and fad industry articulated a policy paper on domestic LPG usage for consideration by the Federal Government and overviewed a strategy to develop a viable policy and a thriving LPG market. Speaking on the conference, Managing Director Nipco, Mr. Venkataraman Venkatapathy said his company supported the summit as part of its conscious initiative of deepening the LPG market through a well articulated policy for the benefit of all stakeholders. The company, he noted, had over the years put in place a massive 4,500 MT LPG storage facility and supported plethora of events for stakeholders to deepen the domestic gas market. The Managing Director recalled scores of joint sponsorships and sole campaigns aimed at boosting LPG use as cooking gas and vehicular fuel, citing the LPG summit organised by the Senate, Federal Ministry of Environment auto gas fuel exhibition, cooking gas Awareness programme organised by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry [LCCI] etc. According to him, these initiatives are primarily to provide veritable platforms for a sustained campaign on the economic and environmental benefits of LP gas

Venkataraman Venkatapathy or NIPCO LPG station

against the backdrop of the abundant gas resources in the country. He reiterated that Nipco is not in the LPG business as an investor alone but as a corporate entity desirous of availing the populace the benefits of using gas with the introduction of its 3 and 6kg cylinder with single burner stove. Venkatapathy explained that as part of the company’s conscious resolve to improve access to gas, LPG skid are being deployed to major cities across the nation using some of our branded outlets. The skid which is akin to a mini gas station .he noted offers dual purposes: it can be used to refill for domestic gas cylinders and re –fuel vehicles using LPG as auto fuel with its attendant economic and environmental benefits. He assured stakeholders of the company’s interest in increasing gas infrastructure in the country as epitomised in her investment running into billions of naira in the sector. The Managing Director commended the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for its vision for the sector and its as-

sertion that LPG remains one of the veritable engines for economic growth of the nation in line with the gas master plan. Venkatapathy commended the efforts of the leadership of the Nigerian LP Gas Association [NLPGA] for its various advocacy initiatives which largely brought about the strategic policy dissected at the two day conference. The summit declared opened by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke had over 100 participants who agreed that even though LPG use is a critical component of the gas master plan launched in 2010, there is still need for policy document to harness this resource and deepen its domestic utilisation especially as cooking fuel. The Executive Secretary Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency [PPRRA] Mr Reginald Stanley who also facilitated the conference urged all stakeholders to take keen interest in the policy document with a view to finalising it before the end of January 2013 preparatory to its submission to the Federal Government for approval.

Stakeholders make case for increased focus on renewable energy CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

iven the increasing relevance of renewable energy in the global power mix, governments are turning towards development of the technology as effective energy source. Even though federal government in 2003 approved renewable as part of its national energy policy, calls have made for government to intensify efforts on the development the technology for increased power generation in the country. Some stakeholders in the power sector who advocated the development noted that the new technology is cleaner and safer for power consumers across the nation. For instance, President Nigerian Conservative Foundation (NCF), Desmond Majekodunmi said government should first of all reposition the gas turbine generators in such a manner that those gas generators can be closer to the gas supply. Majekodunmi stressed that it is easier to transmit electricity that has already been generated over a long distance than it is to carry gas pipe to that same long distance, adding the move is far cheaper, and

less prone to vandalism and terrorists attacks. According to Majekodunmi, the cost of lying the pipes all the way to the distant areas where they are required leaves much to be desired, and all Nigerians need is adequate electricity not minding whether it was generated miles away. He said “The first thing is to reposition the gas turbine generators that are already on ground or coming in so that those gas generators can be closer to the gas supply, it is easier to transmit electricity that has already been generated over a long distance than it is to carry gas pipe to that same long distance, it 30 times more expensive to carry the gas pipe from where the gas is being generated all the way to wherever Kaduna, or Kano or wherever. Continuing the NCF President added: “Politically it looks very nice that okay we carry the turbine we go and put in an area and then we bring the gas, but it is almost twenty if not thirty times more expensive more complicated to carry the gas to that far place than it is to, generate the electricity where the gas is and then carry the electricity through high tension, much cheaper more clean less prone to accidents

and even terrorists attack. We want light, we want electricity, the people in that area do not care whether the electricity is generated 1000 kilometres away, they do not care, all they care is available electricity” he stated. In his submission, the President National democratic Institute , Mr. Ezenwa nwagwu said the Nigerian like every other country ought to explore other sources of energy as it is become obvious that official power generation and distribution had hardly meet the supply need of the people.

Solar plant

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Executive Discourse

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘We should not base fuel price on Former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tamuno David West insists that government’s fuel subsidy regime is one big fraud as Nigeria has no business basing local oil prices on the dictates of the international market. he spoke with Deputy Editor, AYO OLESIN.

y today (Wednesday), it would be one year since we had the ‘Occupy Nigeria Projects,’ in your own opinion, what has changed since then? First, I must congratulate your paper for being the first to talk about the protest, which crippled the whole economy due to removal of subsidy on fuel. Now, my opinion is this, the Federal Government has done nothing to address the situation, I still insist and I still challenge them that this fuel subsidy is a fraud, a government fraud. The issue should be thrown open for a public debate, I want to say there is no fuel subsidy, it is a fraud and we have been vindicated by many reports among which were the Farouk Lawal’s report, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s report and even the Senate report. As far as fuel subsidy is concerned, the government is a failure. Any government that lies to the people is a failure and for those who were killed during the protest, their bloods would be on the government’s head. You can see what is happening, for the past three to four months, fuel has been selling at the above approved price. The government says it approved N97 for a litre of fuel in this country and I want to come out boldly and say that fuel should not be sold for more than N40 per litre maximum even an expert all the way from Texas, United States of America in his report said it should be around N35 per litre, but for over four months, the price has been high and the government pretended as if they don’t know and if they don’t know, such a government is not fit to rule this country. The government that enslaves the people and creates crisis for the people is not a government because in every country in the world, the common people are in the majority and any government policy that does not address the plights of the poor people anywhere is a failure and such government deserves a punishment from God. It is unfortunate that an Ijaw man in the saddle has worsened the situation of this country. I can assure that if the Federal Government tries such nonsense it tried in January 1, 2012 again, the government would fall. If the Federal Government was serious, it should close down the petrol stations that are selling above the N97 per litre price, but the government has done nothing to address the situation. The argument has always been that because the price of crude oil is high in the international market, definitely the price of the refined oil would be high in the country, what is your say on this? Let me tell you that anybody that is bringing up such argument is talking rubbish including Mr. President and his ministers. The international market has nothing to do with oil price in the country. Do you know why? Nigeria has no business to base their price on international market because we have the products in this country. That argument is fraudulent. We have four refineries and unfortunately, the government can not manage anyone of them and they claimed the four refineries are only producing at 30 per cent capacity that is fraudulent.

West

AS FAR AS FUEL SUBSIDY IS CONCERNED, THE GOVERNMENT IS A FAILURE. ANY GOVERNMENT THAT LIES TO THE PEOPLE IS A FAILURE AND FOR THOSE WHO WERE KILLED DURING THE PROTEST, THEIR BLOODS WOULD BE ON THE GOVERNMENT’S HEAD

We have petrol stations in Nigeria, why should we compete with higher price? We have the crude oil in Nigeria, there are refineries in Nigeria and there are filling stations in Nigeria and we are still comparing our price to that of international market, anybody that is saying that is talking rubbish. Just recently, the Minister of Finance Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said our fuel price should be higher, what are the indices for this? I’ve got evidence from 13 countries; our oil price is the costliest. If crude oil is being sold at a highly discounted rate to domestic refiners, do you think this will address the high prices within our system? It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie. At what discounted rate are we talking about now? In any case, why will the price change? We are not just refining locally, we are equally selling hundreds of thousands of litres everyday. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is owned by Nigeria, the oil is equally owned by Nigeria even if they are going to sell at discounted price, NNPC should get the oil to the communities. All the figures being brandished about by the government are political figures, it is full of deceits. All their arguments that fuel is being sold higher in many countries are full of fraud. The government should close the borders where fuel passes through and should be able to address the issue of fuel scarcity and refurbish the refineries. After the probe, several things were unveiled and the government is saying they are prosecuting those found wanting, but so far, nothing much has been done, do you expect any impactful outcomes from this process? All what we are seeing is camaraderie; they accused Farouk Lawal of taking bribe. In the law, whosoever gives a bribe is as guilty as the one who collects the bribe, but that is not the situation in this country. Both Lawal and Otedola should be investigated and prosecuted if found guilty, but that has nothing to do with the fuel

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Executive Discourse

international market dictates’ THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING MONEY AND USING IT PROPERLY.

WE HAVE MONEY, BUT WE HAVE A PROBLEM OF JUDICIOUS SPENDING FROM THE PRESIDENCY TO THE GOVERNORS TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

price and the subsidy fraud. We don’t have the right to subsidise fuel in the first place. The argument of the government is that poor people don’t need either petrol or gas, they claimed what the poor people need is kerosene. They said the fuel subsidy is just for the middle and high class All those arguments are not sustainable, they are lies. What is the price of kerosene today in the country if they want to help the poor? Even the kerosene they are talking about is imported and costlier than petrol. Just go around and see, the price of kerosene is much higher than fuel. This government is irresponsible and it’s making the masses suffer and the government belongs to the people. Nigeria is not going to collapse because of Niger Delta crisis or any other crises, but it’s going to collapse by the weight of corruption in the system. What is the salary of President Barack Obama of the US? The salary of Nigerian President is triple of that of the US that is corruption, which will kill this country. What is your take on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which is supposed to address some of these thorny issues? No, PIB has nothing to do with this. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, PIB is a political document and I’m surprised that those that are supposed to comment on it are not doing anything. The title alone shows un-seriousness. The PIB bill is just a noise on the surface; local content. The PIB is political and intellectually fraudulent and I put that to the government. I know what I’m talking about. The bill will not and cannot address the issues of a common man on the streets. The multinational oil companies like Shell and co can do

without Nigeria and they have started moving to other countries like Angola and the rest. There is a call by some elders and stakeholders that the derivation fund should be paid directly to the communities rather than the governors who have been spending it on their behalf. Do you support this? All those groups are like the Niger Delta Group or what have you are not out to fight corruption and are not doing the right thing. All you have to do is to monitor the spending of the money. Giving it to communities does not solve anything. Who in the community are they going to give the funds to? You are going to give it to somebody who does not have N5,000 in his bank to manage hundreds of millions of naira? I don’t just understand it. The issue is corruption. Let’s just monitor the spending of the funds. Then, who is going to do the monitoring because parts of the problems we have is monitoring? There are many people in Nigeria that are ready to do the job for the government, but the government will not give them because they are all a cabal of corrupt people. From top to bottom, they are people of corrupt people. There are thousands of people who can do the monitoring for the government but the government will avoid them because they know they will put ‘sand in their garri’ and expose their misdeeds. There is a difference between having money and using it properly. We have money, but we have a problem of judicious spending from the Presidency to the governors to the local governments. Nigeria is one of the best countries to reside in this world because Nigerians are generally good and accommodating people. But it is unfortunate that we are being ruled by those who are corrupt, an average Nigerian is not corrupt and does not know about corruption. That is why the government will not use people who can say the truth, they will only use those they know can keep their secrets.

Then, how do we get out of this mess we’ve found ourselves? It is very shameful. We can make the government unworkable, divine anger, I don’t like violence. We are against corruption and everybody has a right to challenge the government. Look at what is happening in the Arab World. Are they not human being like us? But the fact is that Nigerians demonstrate for a few days and go home. We need a non-violent demonstration in this country to put things into perspective. With this, the government will go, will collapse and we will eventually have a genuine and honest government in place. Let Nigerians shut down the National Assembly and take their fate into their own hands. The voice of the people is the voice of God.

Global Business

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bank of America to sell service rights on $100 bn of mortgages

ank of America Corp is looking to sell collection rights on at least another $100 billion of mortgages after announcing similar deals for more than $300 billion on Monday, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The sources, who declined to be identified because they are not allowed to speak to the press, expect Bank of America to announce more sales of collection rights, known as mortgage servicing rights, in the next several weeks. On Monday, the bank said that it is selling mortgage servicing rights on $215 billion of home loans to Nationstar Mortgage Holdings for $1.3 billion and MSRs on another $93 billion of mortgages to Walter Investment Management for $519 million. Big banks are looking to sell residential mortgage servicing rights as Basel III capital rules start going into effect making it more costly for banks to hold onto the rights. Ally Financial Inc.’s banking subsidiary is also looking to sell $122 billion of MSRs. Ocwen Financial Corp, Nationstar and Walter are among a handful of firms looking at purchasing a portion of Ally’s MSRs, according to the sources. Bank of America spokesman Dan

Frahm declined to comment on any specific transactions, but said the bank had been selling mortgage servicing rights for years and that approach remained part of its strategy. “By reducing the size of our portfolio, we improve customer service capacity and resolve legacy mortgage issues and reduce risk in our portfolio,” he said. Representatives at Ocwen, Nationstar and Walter did not return calls. Ally spokeswoman Gina Proia declined to comment. Bank of America shares were down 1.4 percent at $11.92 on Tuesday morning. “Trade for next three years” Mortgage servicing rights allow banks to earn fees from mortgage investors in exchange for collecting home loan payments from borrowers. The housing bust has made collecting such payments an expensive business as more borrowers become delinquent and go into foreclosure. New capital rules will also make mortgage servicing rights more expensive for banks, so at least some of the assets are migrating toward non-bank companies like Ocwen, Nationstar, and Walter Investment Management. Many banks are likely looking at sell-

U.K. stocks retreat; Vodafone gains on Verizon

.K. stocks dropped for a second day as investors awaited the start of the U.S. earnings season and concern mounted that the recent rally by shares has overshot the outlook for corporate profit. African Barrick Gold Plc (ABG) plunged the most on record after its biggest shareholder stopped talks to sell the business to China National Gold Group Corp. Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) rose 1.7 percent after a report that Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) may buy the U.K. operator’s stake in Verizon Wireless. Anglo American Plc (AAL) added 1.4 percent after the mining company appointed a new chief executive officer. The FTSE 100 Index (UKX) lost 10.95 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,053.63 at the close in London, erasing an earlier gain of as much as 0.4 percent. The gauge jumped 2.8 percent last week, reaching its highest level

since February 2011, as the U.S. Congress agreed on a compromise budget, avoiding automatic deficit-reduction measures. The broader FTSE All-Share Index fell 0.3 percent, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index added 0.2 percent. “Macro risks are quite significant, and there are big divergences in performances, so this is not a very good moment,” said Roberto Magnatantini, who helps manage 27 billion Swiss francs ($29 billion) at Banque SYZ & Co. SA in Geneva. “I am a little more prudent now than I was two or three months ago, while not being overall defensive. We’ve had that classical climbing over the wall of worries behavior in the market, but I think now we will have some correction with the realities.” FTSE 100 companies are trading at 15.6 times reported earnings, their highest valuation since December 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Obama

ing portions of their mortgage servicing rights, the sources said. “There is a huge amount of servicing that is going to come off the banks,” said one of the sources. “It is going to be the trade for the next three years.” Denmar Dixon, executive vice chair-

Iran’s oil revenue problem

ll indications are that sanctions against Iran are really starting to bite and this time it is coming from the oil ministry in Tehran, which for months has denied that oil production was suffering due to international pressure. In an interview with the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), Gholam Reza Kateb a member of the national planning and budget committee in Parliament referenced a report from Iran’s oil minister Rostam Qasemi. In that report, the minister suggested that oil revenues in the country plummeted 40 percent, while gas and gas products’ export revenues fell by 45% compared to the same period last year. This is a hot button issue in Iran, where the currency due to sanctions

Abu Dhabi consolidates

ergers among companies in the Gulf are not common as shareholders, who are often powerful local families, tend to demand high valuations and are reluctant to cede control. A planned merger between Dubai’s largest developer, Emaar Properties EMAR. DU, and the property unit of conglomerate Dubai Holding at the peak of the emirate’s real estate crisis in 2009 was ultimately called off. Abu Dhabi’s intention to merge Aldar and Sorouh was first announced last March, as the emirate conducted a review of itseconomy in the wake of the global financial crisis. Real estate prices in the emirate have tumbled over 50 percent in the last few years following the 2008 global financial

crisis and because of oversupply of new properties. This has forced some firms to cancel projects and restructure their debts. Aldar - the larger company, which built the Yas Marina Formula One Circuit, home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - said in November that it had written down 737 million dirhams of assets, mainly related to hotels. It has received $10 billion in rescue funds from the Abu Dhabi government, equivalent to the amount which Abu Dhabi lent Dubai to rescue it from a debt crisis in 2009. In return, land on Al Raha beach, the Ferrari World Theme Park, and other key assets, were sold by Aldar to the government. Smaller Sorouh, which has assets of 14.1 billion dirhams, has fared slightly better.

man of Walter Investment Management, said he expected more MSR sales coming. “I think we are in the third, fourth inning of the game here,” he said, in a conference call discussing the MSR acquisition from Bank of America. “There’s plenty more to do.”

Iran President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

has dropped 80 percent from its peak in 2011. The Iranian people are faced with spiralling inflation and job layoffs within the state sector. I spoke with a source in Iran’s representative office to OPEC who declined to comment and referred all matters to the Oil Ministry. A spokesman at the state oil company Iran Petroleum would only say “in this political climate it is difficult to confirm these statements.” Hours later, a spokesman from the Ministry told another Iranian news agency, Mehr, that the numbers quoted about revenue and production drops are not true, although he offered no specific numbers. Until this report to the Iranian Parliament, Minister Qasemi has maintained that Iran’s production was hovering around four million barrels a day, where it was two years ago. Back at the OPEC Seminar in June 2012, the minister told me that sanctions would not have any influence on plans to expand production and investment, shrugging off questions that suggested otherwise. This despite analysis to the contrary from the Paris based International Energy Agency and Vienna based OPEC of which Iran is a member. The IEA back in July suggested that Iraq surpassed Iran in production for the first time in over two decades and production in Iran dipped to 2.9 million barrels a day. OPEC in its October 2012 survey said it slipped to 2.72 million at the time Minister Qasemi said output remained at 4 million barrels. Minister Qasemi was recently quoted at a conference in Tehran that Iran needs to invest $400 billion over the next five years to maintain production targets and to play catch up after years of under investment.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

UAE’s Aldar, Sorouh reach initial merger deal

UBAI Abu Dhabi’s two biggest real estate developers have reached an initial agreement to merge via a share swap, with a final deal expected to be signed in the coming weeks, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Aldar Properties ALDR. AD and Sorouh Real Estate SOR.AD have a combined market capitalization of about 10 billion dirhams ($2.7 billion), which would make the proposed merger one of the biggest conducted by listed firms in the Middle East. The merger would create a state-backed company with combined assets worth nearly $15 billion, and could help to repair

Global Business

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Abu Dhabi’s weak real estate market by ensuring better coordination of new property developments. With the support of the Abu Dhabi government, which owns a major stake in Aldar, managements of the two companies have held discussions for nearly a year on asset valuations, financial terms and the new management structure, the sources said. The merger will be based on a share swap and will not involve a cash payment, two sources said. The terms of the share swap could not be confirmed. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter has not been made public. Aldar and Sorouh declined to

comment. “The deal had the blessing of the state from the beginning but it was always a matter of getting an agreement on the valuation,” said a senior banking source familiar with the matter. “A lot of permutations and combinations were put forward and there was involvement from the highest authorities when it looked like things were getting out of hand.” Shares in both companies rose sharply in response to news of the initial merger agreement, although it is not clear whether the deal will be beneficial to investors in both; that will depend on the ratio of the share swap.

China’s tighter rules may hurt Malaysian palm oil industry

till fresh from the aftermath of Indonesia’s lower palm oil export duty regime, Malaysian refiners are now faced with a new challenge China’s Inspection and Quarantine Bureau’s (CIQ) tighter requirements on imported edible oils, including refined palm oil, to be of “landed quality” rather than the preceding “shipped quality at origin” introduced early this month. If local refined bleached deodorised (RBD) palm olein exports were restricted or constricted into China, the world’s second-largest palm oil importer, then what are the options for

Malaysia to redirect its 300,000 tonnes of palm oil imported into China monthly? It is understood that palm oil that does not meet specifications would be turned away and no longer be allowed to be re-refined in China. The CIQ regulation also holds the refiners and exporters responsible for the deterioration of the edible oils without additional charges. Given the current volatility in the commodity market, this could also lead to abuse and default by the importers. The Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia (Poram), for instance, is most concerned that its

members may face big losses if their cargos are rejected. It opined that China’s restriction could also open the floodgates for other major importing countries to demand similar treatment for palm oil imports. This exposes the exporters, who are typically the refiners and traders, to the risk of rejection, as they have no control over the deterioration in quality of shipments once loaded onto the vessels.

Capital Market

Index rises 0.35% in bullish trading JOHNSON OKANLAWON

rading in equities continued on bullish note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as investors’ appetite on stocks with good corporate actions rose further. Analysis of price movement showed that 34 stocks appreciated in prices, while 23 stocks dropped substantial value in their prices. Specifically, the market capitalisation of listed equities rose by N33bn to close at N9.29trn, up from N9.26trn recorded

on Monday, representing 0.35 per cent increase when compared to the preceding day. The All Share Index appreciated by 103.32 basis points to close at 29,089.52 points from 28,986.20 points recorded the preceding day. UBA Plc which topped the gainers’ list added 46 kobo to its share price to close at N5.14 per share, followed by UAC-Properties with N1.16 increase to close at N13.22 per share. NASCON, Oando and Forte Oil Plc appreciated by 73kobo, 65kobo and 40kobo to close at N8.74,

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

N13.68 and N8.51 per share respectively. On the flip side, DN Meryer Plc lost 15 kobo to close at N1.40 per share, followed by AIICO Insurance Plc with seven kobo to close at 71 kobo per share. Custodian Insurance Plc lost 13kobo to close at N1.40 per share, while BAGCO Plc dropped 22 kobo to close at N2.38 per share, while MRS Oil Plc fell by N1.18 to close at N22.58 per share. Further analysis showed that the banking sub-sector buoyed by activities on the shares of Unity banka dominated

others on sectoral chart with 305.1 million units valued at N2.27bn exchanged in 3,093 deals. The Conglomerate sector propelled by transactions done on the shares of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc was the second most traded stock with 83.7 million units worth N103.7m in 234 deals. Transaction in FBN Holding Plc ranked third, trading 26.5 million shares worth N22.01m in 238 deals. A total of 529.8 million shares worth N3.71bn were exchanged in 6,857 deals.

The NSE All-share and NSE-30 Indices Week Ended January 04, 2013 28,600.00

1,370.00

28,400.00

1,360.00 1,350.00

28,200.00

1,340.00

28,000.00

1,330.00

27,800.00

1,320.00

27,600.00

1,310.00

27,400.00

1,300.00

ASI

NSE-30

Source: NSE NIBOR QUOTES 07 JANUARY 2013 & 08 JANUARY 2013 20.00 19.00 18.00 17.00 16.00 15.00 14.00 13.00 12.00 11.00 10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00

07-Jan-13

U.S. stocks slip as earnings season begins; Yen, gold up

.S. stocks retreated for a second day as investors awaited fourth-quarter earnings reports, while European shares erased earlier gains triggered after economic confidence grew more than forecast. The yen and gold advanced. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.5 percent to 1,454.27 while the Stoxx Europe 600 Index declined 0.1 percent, with trading volume 45 percent higher than the three-month average, as of 12:32 p.m. in New York. The yen appreciated 0.6 percent versus the

dollar after touching a 2 1/2-year low last week. Sweden’s krona fell after the central bank said the economy is slowing. Treasuries rose before a $32 billion note auction today. Gold gained for the first time in four days. Brian Belski, chief investment strategist at BMO Capital Markets, talks about the outlook for U.S. markets and corporate earnings. Belski speaks with Tom Keene and Sara Eisen on Bloomberg Television’s “Surveillance.” Alcoa Inc. (AA) will start the earnings re-

porting season for Dow Jones Industrial Average companies after the market closes today. A gauge of euro-region executive and consumer sentiment rose to 87 last month, exceeding the 86.3 median of 24 estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso said the government will use reserves to buy euro-denominated sovereign debt to weaken the yen, while stopping short of signaling direct euro purchases. “We’re waiting for earnings to come out,” John Manley, who helps oversee about $212 billion as chief

equity strategist for Wells Fargo Advantage Funds in New York, said in a telephone interview. “Valuations are far from excessive. Yet we’ve had a strong rally very quickly. Now the market is adjusting.” The S&P 500 (SPX) retreated for a second day after reaching a five-year high last week following a budget compromise in Washington that averted most of the so-called fiscal cliff of spending cuts and tax increases. Fourth-quarter profits at companies in the measure probably grew 2.9 percent, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

China’s CDB balks in support of HSBC sale of Ping An stake

tate-run China Development Bank (CDB) has expressed concern over the funding behind the effort of Thailand’s CP Group to buy HSBC’s stake in Ping An Insurance, sources told Reuters, a stance that may scupper the $9.4 billion deal. The collapse of the deal, Asia’s second-biggest M&A transaction announced last year, would be a huge blow for HSBC Holdings Plc. The bank said in December it stood to reap a post-tax gain of $2.6bn from the sale that forms part of its plan to rid itself of non-core assets. “Indeed, there are some problems,” said one of the sources, referring to CDB’s role in the sale. The sources were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

CDB’s concerns follow reports in Chinese media, including the respected magazine Caixin Century Weekly, concerning the involvement in the deal’s funding of mainland businessman Xiao Jianhua and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Caixin reported on December 25th that while the payment for the first stage of the deal was wired from a CP Group bank account, per the terms of the deal, the money behind that payment in fact came from external sources. One third of the cash was provided by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, while the remaining two thirds came from companies controlled by Xiao, the magazine reported. It is these revelations that have given CDB cold

feet, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified sources including one who said that the CP-CDB talks have been “de facto halted”. A spokesperson for CP Group told Reuters that they had seen the SCMP’s report, but had no further comment beyond a previous statement which said that the acquisition of the Ping An shares had been legally conducted by four wholly owned subsidiaries using “legal capital from the Charoen Pokphand Group and its subsidiaries.” Late last year, HSBC agreed to sell its 15.6 percent stake in Ping An Insurance (Group) Co of China Ltd to CP for HK$59 per share. The bank said in a December 5 statement the sale of its stake in the

world’s second-largest life insurer by market value would be completed in two stages. About one-fifth of the holding was to be transferred to the Thais on December 7. CP, controlled by Thailand’s richest man Dhanin Chearavanont, said it will purchase the shares through four British Virgin Islands companies - All Gain Trading Ltd, Bloom Fortune Group Ltd, Business Fortune Holdings Ltd and Easy Boom Developments Ltd - which it said are fully-owned subsidiaries. The rest of the purchase is financed by the Hong Kong branch of CDB, and is subject to approval by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), HSBC said at the time.

08-Jan-13

Source: FMDA

Market indicators All-Share Index 29,089.52 points Market capitalisation 9,297 trillion

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

UBA

4.68

5.14

0.46

% CHANGE 9.83

UAC-PROP

12.06

13.22

1.16

9.62

NASCON

8.01

8.74

0.73

9.11

OANDO

13.03

13.68

0.65

4.99

8.11

8.51

0.40

4.93

LIVESTOCK

1.42

1.49

0.07

4.93

BETAGLAS

9.98

10.47

0.49

4.91

WAPIC

0.63

0.66

0.03

4.76

ETERNA

2.39

2.50

0.11

4.60

CUTIX

1.53

1.60

0.07

4.58

LOSERS COMPANY DNMEYER

OPENING

CLOSING

1.55

1.40

CHANGE

% CHANGE

0.15

-9.68

AIICO

0.78

0.71

0.07

-8.97

CUSTODYINS

1.53

1.40

0.13

-8.50

BAGCO

2.60

2.38

0.22

-8.46

MRS

23.76

22.58

1.18

-4.97

MORISON

3.30

3.14

0.16

-4.85

EVANSMED

0.83

0.79

0.04

-4.82

PHARMDEKO

2.35

2.24

0.11

-4.68

NPFMCRFBK

1.18

1.13

0.05

-4.24

NEIMETH

0.95

0.91

0.04

-4.21

Primary Market Auction TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Days

30,159.21

13.00

10-Jan-13

182-Day

57,729.22

15.31

10-Jan-13

Open Market Operations TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

83-Days

65,750.00

14.05

10-Jan-13

317-Days

16,384.86

15.55

10-Jan-13

315-Days

41,864.32

15.55

10-Jan-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$150m

N/A

$150m

7-Jan-13

$300m

N/A

$300m

19-Dec-12

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at January 8, 2013 1st Tier Securities

1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

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Cocktail

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

FOR YOUR SUCCESS

WITH DR. DEJI FOLUTILE

Today's Tonic (78) Whatever limitations you have are limitations you have created. Where do they exist? Only in your mind. –Anthony Robbins * * * MY NOTE: I do not cease to be amazed at the wonders that can come through the mind that is put to work. Equally amazing is the level of mediocrity we can sink to by small thinking. I once read that no problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. This last statement has helped me a lot. I think it will help you too!

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oddities

Family, pet dog reunited weeks after Sandy

he owner of a dog who fled after Hurricane Sandy swept through New York says she found the pet at a shelter just before the dog was to be euthanized. Christine O’Donovan, owner of the shepherdridgeback Buster, spotted a photo of her dog posted on the Animal Care & Control shelter’s nightly euthanasia

list Dec. 13 for animals to be put down the following day, the New York Daily News reported Saturday. “I looked at the photo and knew it was him,” O’Donovan said. O’Donovan said Buster fled two weeks earlier as workers assessed the damage Sandy caused to her home in Queens. A neigh-

bourhood search was unsuccessful and the lack of electricity or an Internet connection meant she couldn’t access the shelter’s lost-and-found database or go to the shelter. O’Donovan learned of Buster’s whereabouts from Kim Fraser of Sasha’s Mission rescue group, who texted O’Donovan after recog-

nizing Buster on the nightly Facebook list. O’Donovan placed Buster on hold using the shelter’s telephone system, telling the Daily News she was praying “he would be alive when we got there.” “He was so happy to see my kids and they were so happy to see him,” O’Donovan said.

TEL 08104942999 E-MAIL deji.folutile@gmail.com Follow me @TwitterOWOTIDE

iPhone owner tricks thief using dating app

New York City musician used a combination of technology, seduction, a hammer and a bribe to reclaim his missing iPhone from a confused crook. Jazz trombonist Nadav Nirenberg (nah-DAHV’ NEE’-run-berg) says he left the phone in a livery cab on New Year’s Eve. The next morning, the 27-year-old learned via email that someone was

sending messages to women using a dating app on the phone. Nirenberg logged on to the service and offered the man a date — posing as a woman. He even posted a picture of a pretty girl. When the culprit arrived at Nirenberg’s Brooklyn apartment building with wine, the musician greeted him with a $20 bill while holding a hammer — just in case.

Dragon Master truck, the hand-painted murals took about 3,800 man-hours of work, and Ison has estimated the value of time and materials at PHOTO: AP $130,000.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror “We will chase criminals from Delta State; there will be no hiding place for them.” DELTA STATE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE; IKECHUKWU ADUBA

Gov’s wife orders sack of female councillor JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

he supervisory councillor for Water and Sanitation in Matazu council area of Katsina State, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim has been sacked for allegedly engaging in a free-for-all scuffle with wife of the council area transition committee chairman. The sack was said to have emanated from office of the wife of the state Governor, Mrs. Fatima Shema. Mrs. Shema was said to have issued the sack order through a letter of termination of appointment dated December 27, 2012. Part of the letter signed by one Bala Lawal Yaro, a staff officer at Matazu Local Government reads, “I am directed by the Office of Her Excellency, Hajiya Dr Fatima Ibrahim Shehu Shema, to issue you this letter of termination in view of your unkindly like misconduct and behaviour.” The affected lady is the only female councillor in the Matazu Council Area transition management committee and was said to have engaged in the fight at the premises of the Matazu Council Area secretariat. It was learnt that the scuffle ensued between the two women when the chairman’s wife allegedly slapped the sacked councillor at the office of the council’s Director of Administration during a meeting to resolve some differences.

Rape victim’s mother cries for justice OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

other of late Titilayo Adija, a teenager who was on January 1, 2013 raped and murdered at Ora-Odo street, Ehin-Ogbe in Owo, Ondo State, has called on the state government and the Nigeria Police to ensure that those involved in the killing of her daughter are brought to book. Adija, who spoke in Owo, said

she is still in shock as a result of the untimely death of her daughter. Weeping profusely, the distraught mother vowed that her family would not rest until justice is done; pointing accusing fingers in the direction of some suspected neighbours whom she claimed are notorious for perpetrating wicked acts. Adija described the deceased as an easy going girl, demanding that her remains be buried

Traders selling date palms at Gujungu Market in Jigawa State.

in the suspects’ house after autopsy. The victim, a 16-year-old Senior Secondary School student of Saint Louis Grammar School, Owo, was reportedly raped by a gang of boys after attending the New Year service alongside members of her family in their church. When the whereabouts of Titilayo became unknown, her parents had directed the siblings to search for her.

PHOTO: NAN

Goats arrested for violating environmental laws ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

fficials of the Osun State Waste Management Agency (OWMA) have arrested five goats in Osogbo, the state capital for allegedly violating the state environmental laws. The state co-coordinator of the agency, Mr Henry Ogunbanwo who confirmed this, said they were arrested at Dele-Yes -Sir area while disrupting the environmental exercise. Ogunbanwo said his agency had earlier issued notice of

warning to all residents on the need to monitor their domestic animals, which, according to him, their roam about during the period against the environmental laws and maintained that the goats would not go unpunished. “The goats arrested by my men were detained at the office of the agency in Osogbo from where they would be taken to court for prosecution for they were not above the law of the land. They would be charged to court by the agency and would be prosecuted in accordance with the laws guiding environ-

mental protection in the state”. “When officials of the OWMA stormed the area without prior notice to residents of the area, the goats were arrested for running foul of the laws guiding environmental protection by roaming around the residential area of Osogbo instead of being caged by their owners. “ “We are not going to stop at this, officials of the agency will from now move to all the nooks and crannies of the state to arrest animals found violating the state environmental laws and owners of such animals would also be dealt with in ac-

cordance with the provisions of the laws.” “Those rearing domestic animals in all parts of the state should, therefore, keep them in a cage to avoid arrest, for the agency would not allow any animal to roam about on the streets of any town or village in the state”. He declared that the administration has zero tolerance for dirtiness that can lead to environmental hazard; hence the need to enshrine environmental laws, adding that the government would not take it lightly with violators of the laws.

It was learnt that the lifeless body was discovered in an uncompleted building beside her one-storey residence, hanging on a rope tied to the lintel of the building in a kneeling position. The discovery of her body was said to have elicited confusion in the town, and this reportedly fueled speculations on who might have been responsible for the dastardly act. Some people close to Titilayo had claimed she was last seen entering the house of her boyfriend shortly after the church service. The story spread that the victim was raped and murdered in her boyfriend’s house, and that the rapists decided to make it look like suicide. An angry mob descended on the one storey building, and set it ablaze. Community Mirror gathered that the rapists held Titilayo by the throat and used cloth to cover her mount, as she struggled to scream for help, only for the cloth to stop her from breathing, leading to her death. It was learnt that the teenager’s corpse was kept in the house until night when it was taken to the uncompleted building to fake her suicide. But the position people found the body did not convince anyone she committed suicide. Police from the “B” Division, Otapete, Oke-Ogun in Owo, have reportedly arrested the prime suspect, 17-year-old Abiodun Adebayo, while his elder brother, Tolu Adebayo, another suspect was said to be at large. The police also arrested the parents of the boys, Mr. Jeremiah Adebayo and Mrs. Yemisi Adebayo, who were alleged to have played a role in disposing the body after they learnt about her death. The police said investigations were ongoing and that the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, at the Police State Command Headquarters, Akure before the suspects would be charged to court. The Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Adeniran Aremu, confirmed the incident, saying the matter is still under investigation and that details would be made available later.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Wednesday January 9, 2013

Boko Haram kingpin’s escape shameful, says Tsav HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

ormer Lagos State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has expressed shock over the escape of the Boko Haram kingpin identified as Ali Jalingo, a fortnight ago at Gboko in Benue State. Tsav, who spoke with our correspondent in Makurdi yesterday, dis-

closed that it was shameful that the Boko Haram kingpin escaped while being trailed and blamed the botched operation on the officer who led the team. He also suggested that the officer responsible for intelligence gathering should be held liable for their inability to bring the culprit to book. “In one breath we were told the kingpin was arrested while on the other

hand we also heard the suspect escaped,” the former commissioner said. Tsav expressed reservations over the disappearance of the said Boko Haram suspect, saying that the team should be investigated. He also expressed displeasure over the demolition of the building behind an Islamic nursery school in Gboko South where the suspect was

said to have taken refuge, which he described as a breach of human rights. Tsav said that former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zakari Biu, was dismissed when a suspected Boko Haram member, Kabir Sokoto, escaped from his custody and suggested that the same punitive measure should also to the joint team of security officials who allowed Jalingo to escape. Meanwhile, about 10

armed soldiers were keeping vigil yesterday in the area where Jalingo allegedly escaped while a bulldozer was on the spot where Boko Haram member’s apartment was demolished. Speaking on the incident, an elderly man who lives behind the demolished building, Chief Kumaga Kange Adem, said though calm had been restored to the area, the people were still sleeping

with one eye closed. He added that though no one was mistakenly shot during the raid, some of the residents had relocated for the fear of the unknown. Also speaking on the incident, the Chairman of Gboko Local Government, Hon. Mike Anazande, condemned terrorism, saying it was alien to Tiv people and the people of Benue State in general.

Disasters: NEMA to train 154,000 volunteers nationwide A ZA MSUE KADUNA

he National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, yesterday disclosed that it would train 154,000 volunteer corps to handle community resilience and peace building network across the country. The NEMA DirectorGeneral, Sani Sidi, said the training would be done in the six geo-political zones of the country with the North-West zone as the kick off point. He added that by the first quarter of next year, the training would have been concluded in all the zones. Sidi said at least 200 volunteers would be picked from each local government for the training. The DG made the disclosure at the launch of community resilience network and peace brigade among stakeholders and volunteers of the agency in Kaduna. He said: “We are working on an existing plat-

form and blue print of having at least 200 NEMA volunteers in each of the 774 local government areas of the country. “This means having at least 154,800 volunteers nationwide and integrating them into the NEMA community resilience network. “We intend to use all available media to raise awareness and commitment to this noble idea which is in line with NEMA’s vision and mission and we sincerely advocate that all of you will support us on this journey.” Speaking at the event, the Kaduna State Governor, Muhktar Ramalan Yero, commended the efforts of NEMA in managing disasters such as flood, fire and conflicts across the country. Yero, who spoke through his deputy, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, said the state government had set up emergency management agency at the local government level to complement NEMA’s effort during emergency.

Kogi inaugurates eight family courts OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

he Kogi State Chief Judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, yesterday inaugurated eight Family Courts in the state. Speaking at the inauguration, Ajanah said the new Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules came into force in December 2009 to replace the old one. The CJ said the Child Rights Act, assented to by then President Olusegun Obasanjo, was proactively domesticated by the Kogi State Government. He recalled that on De-

cember 10, 2012 the state judiciary established eight jurisdictions of family court pursuant to Sections 152(2) and 153(2) of the Child Rights law of the state. Ajanah asked the judicial officers to ensure positive adjudication and friendly administrative measures in the dispensation of justice in the interpretation of the Child Rights law. He also appealed to the state government to embark on an aggressive enlightenment campaign and sensitisation among parents as ignorance “is no excuse in law”.

Yobe State Govenor Ibrahim Gaidam (left) and Commissioner for Housing, Muhammad Ago Dala, examining the Best Housing Governor for 2012 award at the Abuja Housing Show in Abuja, recently.

Southern Kaduna must produce PDP chairman, groups tell Yero A ZA MSUE KADUNA

he Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, yesterday asked Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero not to take away the vacant position of the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the zone. Also, the Southern Kaduna Concerned Citizens, SKCC, threatened to mobilise its kinsmen against Yero in 2015 if the position was taken away from the zone. In a telephone inter-

view, the Secretary of SOKAPU, Mr. Adamu Marshal, said the state PDP chairmanship position must be retained by Southern Kaduna. He said: “The fact that Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero is from the North and the chairmanship position has been zoned to Southern Kaduna has not changed. “We respect the new governor and we expect him to respect us.” Addressing a press conference the SKCC Chairman, Comrade Joel Wakili, said any attempt to take away the party chairman-

ship from Southern Kaduna would engender a major political re-alignment and electoral revolt, describing the zone as a strategic stronghold of PDP in the state. Wakili said the appointment of Alhaji Isiyaku Aliyu as acting chairman of the PDP in the state as plot to alienate the Southern Kaduna. He argued that the action was against the PDP constitution. In a letter sent to President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Yero among other

Six die in Abuja - Lokoja road auto crash

ix people yesterday died in an accident which occurred on the Lokoja - Abuja Road. The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr. Garba Mohammed, who confirmed the accident in Lokoja, said it occurred at Karara village at 11.10a.m. He said the accident involved a Toyota Corolla car with registration num-

ber, Lagos GGE 204 EKY, and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number, Lagos FKJ 634 XB. Mohammed said 10 people were involved in the accident, adding that four victims were seriously wounded and rushed to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, for treatment. The commander said that bodies of the victims, comprising two men and four women, were depos-

ited at the hospital. He blamed the accident on dangerous overtaking and over-speeding on the part of the two drivers. Mohammed advised motorists plying the road to always adhere to traffic rules and regulations. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, a woman was killed in an accident on the road on Monday, while five others were seriously injured.

stakeholders, including security agencies, the group said late Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa’s zone had only the deputy governor and the head of service at the moment. The group said: “This follows the appointment of Ambassador Nuhu Bajoja, then PDP chairman as the deputy governor of Kaduna State. “Perhaps, the chairmanship position ought to remain in Southern Kaduna. As a result of the demise of Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, the disposition list of major positions in government as well as in party hierarchy at both the state and national levels became blatantly skewed in favour of Northern Zone 1 and 2 as against Southern Kaduna Zone.”

Yero

North

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Gunmen abduct Maiduguri-based businessman INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

Maiduguri-based businessman, Alhaji Ali Budum, was on Monday kidnapped in his Bolori Stores by gunmen. Bolori Stores is a popular shopping mall in the city, daily patronised by the rich and businessmen of repute, where most of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s goods/products are stored and sold. It will be recalled that barely two weeks ago, some gunmen invaded the area and killed Alhaji Abubakar

Girigiri, one of the notable businessmen that had invested heavily in Borno, Yobe and other states in the North-East. A source that claimed to be a close friend of the kidnapped Budum told our Correspondent on phone that, that was the second time gunmen was laying ambush on Bolori Stores, pointing out that the first was when some gunmen kidnapped a permanent secretary in one of the key ministries in Borno State. He said the security challenges facing the state is

unfortunate as it has given some miscreants opportunity to kidnap very influential people in the state, which he said was very dangerous. He urged security operatives, particularly the Joint Task Force (JTF) to redouble their efforts at fighting the menace. The source, however, said the kidnapped Budum was later released by his abductors in the night, after one of his son, paid a ransom of some unspecified amount. He added that his friend,

Alhaji Ali Budum, has reunited with members of his family and is healthy. When contacted on phone by journalists, the spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, in a text message said; “I am not aware of such incident,” he stated. Also contacted on phone, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Yuguda Abdullahi, picked the call said, I am not hearing you, the network is bad, I will call you later,” but he has not called as at the time of filing this report.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Gombe sure of hitting N5.7bn IGR target –Chairman DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

he Chairman of Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue, Alhaji Salihu Baba Alkali, has expressed optimism over his board’s ability to meet its targeted revenue of N5.7 billion for this fiscal year, 2013. Speaking in an interview with National Mirror, the chairman said the state government has taken measures to ensure that it realises the target without a setback. According to him, with the passage into law of the Fiscal Responsibility Law

Yuguda reiterates commitment to non-formal education EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

auchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, has reiterated the commitment of his administration to the promotion of adult and nonformal education in order to ensure that the target of education for all is achieved in the state. This was just as he assured that the Adult and Non-Formal Education Institute in Kangere, is made conducive for learning and teaching. Yuguda, who inspected the ongoing reconstruction of facilities at the institute, according to a press release issued and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ishola Michael Adeyemi, also announced that the structures formerly meant for the College of Agriculture will now be used by the institute. According to him, the need for the college to move from its present location in Yelwa, has been overtaken by recent developments. He also said that new structures will be added to the institute which had never been renovated since it was established many years ago just as he directed the site engineer to ensure that recreational facilities are provided because according to him, after series of academic activities, the students need to relax their nerves and recreate. On the quality of work done at the site, Governor Yuguda expressed satisfaction at the level of work done at the site, commending the contractors for a job well done.

L-R: Senior Special Assistant to Bauchi State Governor on Special Duties, Alhaji Sabo Abubakar; Governor Isa Yuguda and Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Bappah Azare, during the governor’s inspection of the National Open University of Nigeria Formal Education Centre at Kangere in Bauchi, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Shettima embarks on tour of projects INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

reparatory to the commissioning of renovated hospitals across the state, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, has inspected Dikwa General Hospital to assess the facilities provided. The governor, who was conducted round by the Principal Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr. Haruna Idrisa Timta, said he is determined to provide facilities and conducive environment to all hospitals across the

IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

he Nasarawa State government yesterday said it has spent over N130 million to sponsor pilgrims in last year’s Christians’ pilgrimage to Israel as well as the installations of facilities in the board’s complex. Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Chris-

state. As a responsible and responsive government, the governor said modern facilities and affordable drugs will be provided to meet the health care services of the people, stressing that the ceiling of the hospital be replaced so that it will stand the test of time. Briefing the governor earlier, Timta said the hospital attends to about 25 patients daily but that their major challenges included delivery beds, ambulances, provision of borehole, staff quarters as well as scanning

machines and incubator for premature babies, among others. Shettima before leaving Dikwa for Marte for similar inspection paid a courtesy call on the Shehu of Dikwa, Alhaji Mohammedu Ibn Masta II. Receiving the governor, the royal father expressed gratitude to him for approving the completion of his palace, supply of furniture of the palace and renovation of Dikwa General Hospital, among others. The Shehu similarly commended the governor

for the tremendous achievements recorded in all sectors in just less than two years of his administration, stressing that the people of his domain appreciates the governor’s giant stride in the provision of basic amenities to the people of the state. Governor Shettima thanked the royal father for acknowledging the performance of his administration. He said despite what his administration is passing through, no stone will be left unturned in the provision of social amenities to the people.

Nasarawa spends N130m on Christian pilgrims tian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Clement Magaji Odeh, disclosed this during a chat with our Correspondent in Lafia, the state capital. According to him, “A total of 199 people, out of 200 earlier earmarked for the holy pilgrimage, performed the exercise as a result the death of one

of the pilgrims, Rev. Emmanuel Jatau, who died immediately after the screening exercise.” He further gave a breakdown of the number of persons who attended the holy pilgrimage last year to include 103 persons from the state government sponsorship, 58 pilgrims sponsored by the

local government areas, while a total of 30 people were privately sponsored. The executive secretary, however, expressed joy over the 2011 pilgrim exercise because according to him, the state contingent did not witnessed either any case of death or abscondment despite the hostility between the

in the state last year and the commencement of its implementation this month, the board is sure of meeting its target for the year. He explained that before now, most revenue generating Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) claimed they have the backing of the law to retain what they generated but he revealed that it was a wrong practice which the Fiscal Responsibility Law is out to correct. He said henceforth, all MDAs, including the state revenue board are expected to remit their income to the consolidated revenue fund of the state government. His words: “In the Fiscal Responsibility Law, all agencies collecting revenue, whether MDAs or the Board of Internal Revenue are not allowed to spend a kobo of their collections. They are expected to remit all income collected by them to the consolidated revenue fund of the government.” Alkali explained further that; “Revenues are now expected from the Urban Development Board, Gombe Transport Service, State Water Board, Gombe Media Cooperation, just to mention a few, which if put together in a year, is a very huge amount.” The governor lamented that considering the long history o of the emirate, there was nothing to write home about it in terms of modern building and other infrastructures, emphasizing that shelter remain one of the cardinal objectives of his administration. The inspection also took the governor to the General Hospital in Marte that was renovated by the government and is ready for commissioning. The governor directed the commissioner for urban and rural water supply to mobilise his staff for the drilling of borehole in the hospital. Palestinians and Israelites as of the time of their arrival in Israel. On the country’s present security challenges, Odeh urged both Christians and Muslims to unite for the peace and development of the country as he argued that “nobody can tell whether God is a Christian or Muslim, but all we know is that God created human beings.”

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

Riots in Palestinian camp in Damascus

PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

23 rebels have declared a unilateral ceasefire ahead of a second round of peace talks with the government of Democratic Republic of Congo. At a news conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, the rebels said they hoped the government would follow suit. An attempt last month to negotiate an end to the nine-month rebellion in the east of the country had failed. Up to 800,000 people have been displaced since the rebels took up arms against the Kinshasa government in May. “We’ve been for peace... today we’re declaring that we’re in a ceasefire,” M23 spokesman Francois Rucogoza was quoted as saying at the news conference in Kampala by Reuters news agency. “Even if the government refuses to sign a ceasefire agreement we’ll continue with the negotiations,” he added. M23 has accused the cabinet of President Joseph Kabila of failing to honour an earlier peace deal to integrate rebels into the army. The rebels, who were initially led by Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, made rapid gains late

“The work of protecting our nation is never done. We’ve still got much to do” – United States President, Barack Obama

DR Congo’s rebels declare unilateral ceasefire last year. They seized the main city in the region, Goma, in November, but withdrew under international pressure. M23 say they want to improve living conditions for the people of eastern DR Congo, but the UN say they are supported by Rwanda, which has been heavily involved in its eastern neighbour since those responsible

for the country’s genocide fled there en masse in 1994. Bosco Ntaganda, who set up M23, was an officer in the Rwandan army before he left to join a rebel movement in DR Congo. The ICC accuses him of using child soldiers and the UN says he controls several mines in the east of the country. The government in Kinshasa has had little control over the

east since the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. The region’s mineral riches have been plundered by numerous groups and countries over the past 15 years and little has been spent on DR Congo’s infrastructure. President Kabila easily won re-election in 2011 in a vote described by international observers as “lacking credibility”.

Kagame

Authorities in Senegal say a man has died after setting himself on fire outside the presidential palace. Radio station RFM reported that the man had arrived Monday afternoon in front of the gates to the palace doused in flammable liquid and then lit the fire. He was later taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries. It is the first such incident since President Macky Sall took office earlier this year after beating long time President Abdoulaye Wade in the runoff election. In February 2011, two Senegalese citizens died after setting themselves on fire. Senegal, a nation on Africa’s western coast, is one of the region’s few stable democracies though it suffers from high unemployment, particularly among young people.

Tunisian suspect in Libya attack freed

M23 rebels sitting in a truck as they patrol Goma, recently.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Rwanda gets UN seat, amid allegations of aiding rebels wanda has been hailed for years as a beacon of peace and economic growth in its post-genocide period, and on January 1 it took a prestigious seat on the United Nations Security Council. But after years of accolades, international opinion of the tiny Central African country appears to be shifting.

WORLD BULLETIN Senegalese man dies after setting self ablaze

At issue are allegations in a U.N. experts’ report that Rwanda last year began aiding a Congo rebel group called M23 that is accused of rape, using child soldiers and conducting summary executions in eastern Congo. Rwanda denies the accusations. Since President Bill Clinton failed to intervene in Rwanda’s

1994 genocide — during which extremist Hutus killed more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus — the United States has been one of Rwanda’s staunchest allies. That made it all the more noteworthy when President Barack Obama warned President Paul Kagame in December that Rwanda must stop supporting M23. One month earlier Britain announced it was withholding some $34 million in aid to Rwanda because of the allegations over M23. And the U.S. suspended its military aid to Rwanda, albeit only $200,000. Philippe Bolopion, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, wrote in an op-ed article in the New York Times late last month that Rwanda was able to win its two-year, rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council in an October vote despite the June U.N. report because of its friendship with the

U. S. Still, Bolopion believes the international view of Rwanda is changing. “They got away with a lot in the past because of their own tragic history concerning the Rwandan genocide, where the international community failed to do anything,” Bolopion told The Associated Press. “They’ve also used the fact that they are a rather efficient country when it comes to spending aid money. These two elements have allowed them to get away with a lot of things in the past. But their support of M23 has been blatant, and they are such an abusive group. The past few weeks and months the pressure on Rwanda has increased significantly.” Rwanda’s leaders bristle at the suggestions they are helping M23. Kagame, in his Dec. 31 state of the nation speech, addressed the allegations.

A man linked by officials to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi has been conditionally released by a Tunisian judge due to lack of evidence, his lawyer said Tuesday. The release of Ali Harzi, a 26-year-old Tunisian, appears to represent a blow to the investigation of the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate in Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. The investigation in Libya itself has been stalled due to the weak central government in the face of the powerful militias, some of whom may have been involved in the attack. Harzi was one of very few people in custody in relation to the attack. U.S. officials said in December that Egypt had also arrested a member of the Islamic Jihad group for possible links to the attack.

Former judge challenges Egypt’s constitution The only female judge to sit on Egypt’s highest court says she has filed the first legal challenge against the country’s highly contentious constitution, which cost her the seat she held. Tahani el-Gebali said Tuesday she filed a complaint to the Supreme Constitutional Court questioning the legality of the charter, which she said was drafted and passed illegally. She called it “a threat to the rule of law.” El-Gebali said she asked the court to nullify the consequences of the constitution’s passage, one of which is the reduction of the number of judges sitting on the court. She argues that violates the court’s independence.

World News

WORLD BULLETIN One million go hungry in Syria – UN The World Food Program said yesterday it is unable to help 1 million Syrians who are going hungry. This month, the agency aims to help 1.5 million of the 2.5 million Syrians that the Syrian Arab Red Crescent says need it, spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said. The lack of security and the agency’s inability to use the Syrian port of Tartous for its shipment means that a large number of people in the some of the country’s hardest hit areas will not get help, she said. “Our main partner, the Red Cross, is overstretched and has no more capacity to expand further,” Byrs said. She also said that the agency has temporarily pulled its staff out of its offices in the Syrian cities of Homs, Aleppo, Tartous and Qamisly due to the rising dangers in those areas. But in December, WFP was able to reach for the first time in many months some hard-to-reach areas near the Turkish border, she said.

France convicts nine over link to Uzbek terror group A Paris court has convicted nine people for links to a militant group that the U.N. Security Council has described as an al-Qaida affiliate. The trial that began last month came four years after police in France, Germany and the Netherlands rounded up the suspects. The defendants convicted in connection with collecting funds for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which the U.N. listed as an al-Qaida affiliate weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Defence lawyers said the funds were for humanitarian uses — such as paying for sheep for slaughter under Muslim ritual. The heaviest sentence in Tuesday’s verdict came down on suspected ringleader, Irfan Demirtas, a 53-year-old Turkish-Dutch national, who was given an eight-year sentence, £20,000 ($26,170) fine and barred from French territory after his sentence is up.

Iran leader warns against raising election doubts Iran’s supreme leader says that Iranians should not serve the country’s enemies by questioning the fairness of upcoming presidential elections. The remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quoted yesterday by state TV also appeared to be a warning to reformists who have in recent weeks stressed that the vote scheduled for June be free. Iran wants to avoid a repeat of the unrest that followed 2009 presidential elections. Opponents of the winner, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called them fraudulent. Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, says hostile powers “want to do something so that the elections are without the lively and massive participation of the people.” “All people should be careful that their remarks do not serve this desire of the enemy,” he says.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Riots in Palestinian camp in Damascus P alestinian factions in Syria called yesterday for a ceasefire after fighting flared at a refugee camp in the capital, Damascus, highlighting a split among Palestinians as the civil war intensifies. The Yarmouk camp has been the scene of heavy clashes in the past, but the battles subsided last month after Syrian rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, battled loyalists there to a standstill. In Tuesday’s fighting, five people were killed on Yarmouk Street, four of them when a shell exploded and the fifth in sniper fire, according to The Britainbased Observatory for Human Rights that relies on reports from activists on the ground. The group said intense clashes were taking place on the edges of the camp, where the Syrian troops are positioned, and the nearby Hajar Aswad district. In a statement Tuesday, representatives of 14 Damascus-based Palestinian factions called for a cease-fire and a halt to all military operations to enable medical teams and food supply trucks to enter the camp. They urged gunmen to withdraw from the camp

“in order not to bear the responsibility of the continuing displacement of (Yarmouk’s) residents.” About half of Yarmouk’s 150,000 residents have fled since fighting erupted in mid-December, according to estimates by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees that administers Palestinian camps in the Middle East. Some sought refuge in neighboring

Lebanon, and others found shelter in UNRWA schools in Damascus and other Syrian cities. Dozens have been killed in the fighting, although the United Nations did not provide an exact figure of casualties in Yarmouk violence that has included airstrikes and artillery shelling from the Syrian military and clashes between rebels and Assad loyalists. Khaled Abdul-Majid, a senior

representative of the Palestinian factions that issued the statement, confirmed that battles were progress in and around Yarmouk. He told reporters in Damascus, “We are working to end those clashes.” When the revolt against Assad’s rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines.

Palestinian Syrian refugees holding a banner during a demonstration in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Beirut, recently. PHOTO: AP

Three accused in Indian rape case get legal help

hree of the men accused of raping and murdering an Indian student have asked lawyers to defend them and the lawyers have agreed to do so, even though most of the judiciary has refused to represent the suspects because of outrage over the attack. The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died two weeks after being beaten and gang-raped on a moving bus in New Delhi, then thrown bleeding onto the street. Protests followed, along with a fierce public debate over police failure to stem rampant violence against women. Five men and a teenager have been accused of the December 16 attack but with public anger simmering, most lawyers in the

irefighters battled scores of wildfires yesterday in south eastern Australia as authorities evacuated national parks and warned that hot, dry and windy conditions were combining to raise the threat to its highest alert level. Temperatures soared to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas. No deaths have been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find about 100 people who have been missing since last week when a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, destroying around 90 homes.

district where the trial will be held have ruled out representing them. But two lawyers, V. K. Anand and Manohar Lal Sharma, of-

fered to defend the five men when they appeared in a New Delhi court for the first time on Monday, despite the condemnation of their legal colleagues.

Women protesting outside the Indian High Commission, London, on Monday. PHOTO: AP

Wildfires rage across Australia On Tuesday, police found no bodies during preliminary checks of the ruined houses. “You don’t get conditions worse than this,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. “We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option.” Catastrophic threat level is the most severe rating. Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. The combination of soaring temperatures and dry, windy conditions since Friday have sparked fires that

burned 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania. In New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, the fires scorched more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres). All state forests and national parks were closed as a precaution and total fire bans were in place. In Victoria state, where fires in February 2009 killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes, officials said two people were treated for minor burns and four were treated for smoke inhalation.

The lawyers said on Tuesday three of the five had asked to be represented by them. “I understand the sentiments of the people. But you cannot go by sentiments,” Anand told Reuters. “The accused have a right to justice just as the victim has.” Legal experts had said a lack of representation for the five could give grounds for appeal if they were found guilty. Convictions in similar cases have often been overturned years later. The five accused men are facing various charges including murder, rape and abduction and prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty. Anand said he would represent Ram Singh, the driver of the bus on which the rape took place, and had a preliminary meeting with him on Tuesday to work on a defense plan. “There are many aspects. He has conceded some things and also talked about the role of others,” Anand said. He declined to go into details. The other lawyer, Sharma, said he would also be representing Singh as well as two other men. The court must confirm the two lawyers as defenders when it next convenes on January 10. The other two of the five accused men had yet to ask for legal representation, the lawyers said. The sixth member of the group, who is a teenager, will be tried separately in a juvenile court.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Dele Giwa’s mother dies at 87

• Stakeholders renew calls for justice over slain son LEONARD OKACHIE

fter long years of agony, Madam Elekiya Ayisat Giwa, mother of slain journalist, Dele Giwa, has bowed to the cold hands of death. Madam Giwa, 87, died yesterday morning at Aruna Ogun Hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos of an undisclosed ailment. She was until her death, living with her daughter, Mrs. Abibat Ronke Aboaba. Dele Giwa was a celebrated journalist and founding editor of Newswatch magazine, who was killed by a letter bomb in his home on October 19, 1986 – two days after he had been interviewed by State Security Service (SSS) officials. His death had generated ripples in various quarters as the parcel was marked “From the C- In – C.” raised speculations that the then military government may have something to do with his death. The then government, under Gen. Ibrahim Babangida however denied any involvement in the murder and instituted a panel to find the killers which was never achieved. But, several years after, the mother had said that she had left the circumstances surrounding the death of her son in God’s hand even she was quoted as saying, “Dele was to me a cloth. You don’t expect an unclad woman to go dancing in the market place if she is sane.” However, veteran journalists who spoke to National Mirror yesterday on her death said she died a sad woman as the issue surrounding the killing of her son has not been resolved. Publisher of Entertainment Express, Mr. Mike Awoyinfa who was mentored by Dele Giwa described her as a quiet and modest woman who died the very day his son,Dele Giwa died . Awoyinfa who was former Managing Director of The Sun Publishing Limited, said: “Dele Giwa was my editor and my mentor of such. So I know the mother

Dele Giwa

very well. She strikes me as a very quiet and modest woman who did not deserve what she got. It is not the prayer of every parent to parent to see their children die. She really suffered; she felt the agony. But that is destiny for you. “She lived probably enough to see the glory of a son. She did not give birth to an ordinary son but to a legend. Dele Giwa is still alive; he is alive in all us he trained. He was editor’s editor.She died the very day Dele Giwa died. She was just holding on. May her soul rest in peace and may we not have this tragedy again when journalists will be bombed.” Similarly, Awoyinfa’s long-time friend and deputy, Mr. Dimgba Igwe said she died the day Dele Giwa died, adding that the woman would be angry with Nigeria for killing her son. Igwe, a veteran journalist who had also worked with Dele Giwa said: “It is a very sad event especially as Dele Giwa who was our biggest hope had to die in such a circumstance. And since then nothing was done to rehabilitate the woman. She is going to be angry and her anger is going to be on Nigeria because Nigeria killed her son. As a matter of

Late Elkhia Giwa

fact, that woman died the time Dele Giwa died. Igwe charged Edo State Government to ensure that the woman is giving a befitting burial and as well urged the Ministry of Information to do something about it, stressing “that is the only way to appease the average spirit of the woman.” Publisher/CEO of Diamond Publications Limited, Mr. Lanre Idowu noted that the woman died in agony as the circumstances surrounding the murder of her son was never resolved. “I feel sorry and sad.All we can do is to thank God and to wish her soul eternal rest.Unfortunately, the issue of who killed Dele Giwa was not resolved. May be it is a reminder to us not to allow the matter be swept under the carpet.It is a challenge us as communicators and to

also remind the law enforcement agents that it is an unfinished business,”said Idowu who is on the Board of the Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME). Also reacting to the death, Head of School of Mass Communication at Lagos State University (LASU) Prof. Lai Oso told National Mirror that the woman would still shout to Dele Giwa’s death that justice was never done. Prof. Oso continued:She felt bad and disappointed with the country that the country did not do anything concerning the murder of her son.Sadly, so many people have been killed and their killers were never found. Killers of Bola Ige, Bayo Ohu of The Guardian and others have not been found.Up till now the security agents have not been able to address this.It is a continuous thing as journalists are being killed.

Navy redeploys 224 senior officers

he Nigerian Navy in Abuja on Tuesday announced the deployment of 224 senior officers. A statement signed by Commodore Kabir Aliyu, the Director Naval Information, stated that those redeployed were 49 Rear Admirals, 106, Commodores and 69 Captains. It listed the senior officers to include: Rear Adm. J.N Amaino, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard becomes the Director of Marine Engineering, Naval Headquarters. Rear Adm. D.B. Boer, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Shipyard, Port Harcourt is now Admiral Superintendent, Naval

Dockyard, Lagos. Rear Adm. J.B Oladimeji, Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters to Defence Headquarters as the Chief of Administration. Rear Adm. U.O Jibrin, Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters moved to Director of Training, Defence Headquarters, while Rear Adm. K.O Komolafe, Chief of Accounts and Budget to Group Managing Director, Nigerian Navy Holdings. Rear Adm. Emmanuel Ogbor, former Chief of Training and Operations, Naval Headquarters, become Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters. It added that Rear Adm. O.E Ekwe,

Commandant, Nigerian Navy Engineering College, Sapele was moved Admiral Superintendent, Naval Shipyard Port Harcourt. Rear Adm. AOA Ikioda, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command moves to National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru as Moderator. Rear Adm. O.B Ogunjimi, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command to Naval Headquarters as Chief of Training and Operations. Others are Rear Adm. S.A Orie, Director of Curriculum and Programme Development, National Defence College, Abuja, become Managing Director, Nige-

rian Navy Engineering Services Support Company Ltd. Rear Adm. D.O Osuofa, the Deputy Commandant, Armed Forces Commandant Staff College, Jaji, now Director of Logistics, Defence Intelligence Agency, while Rear Adm. Bala Mshelia, Chairman, Military Pensions Board to Chief of Accounts and Budget, Naval Headquarters. Also Rear Adm. J.O Aikhomu, Chief of Naval Standard and Evaluation moved to Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command and Rear Adm. I.E Ibas, Navy Secretary to Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command.

WORLD RECORD

Most bottles played Vol. 03 No. 531

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

N150

The most bottles played in a musical performance is 475 and was achieved by 19 musicians organised by Jack Daniel’s (USA) at South Street Seaport in New York, New York, USA, on 1 September 2011.

Jonathan and hemlock of the gods

ne of the biggest lies being generated and peddled by self-styled prophets and “political visionaries” is that if President Goodluck Jonathan runs for re-election in 2015, the country would be doomed. For pessimists, such doomsday saying heralds a season of turmoil and trepidation. Like religion, 2015 is now thriving on fear, as well as hope. Without fear, the political establishment, including the presidency, would go on behaving like there will never be day of reckoning. And with hope, many optimists believe the year would not only mark a watershed in the political evolution of Nigeria, but with luck, herald it into the “Democracy Hall of Fame.” But all that will depend on whether we conduct free and fair elections, where winners would have been genuinely chosen by majority of the voters, while losers behave rationally by not spoiling the party and heading to the courts and election tribunals.

Okay Osuji (okayosuji@nationalmirroronline.net) 08034729256 (sms only)

But is such a scenario possible in Nigeria? This question had always agitated the minds of many who have been following the flurry of political activities from the second half of last year. In what looks like a carefully choreographed chicanery, some clerics and political demagogues have gone to town with end-of-the-world warnings to President Goodluck Jonathan not to run for a second term in 2015. Those behind this monstrous fraud believe they are messengers of the gods and therefore, ordained to pass divine instructions to Nigerians. In their flights of fancy and political surrealism, they see themselves as custodians of the nation’s conscience and so are manipulating the country’s emotions, while giving the impression that come 2015 and Jonathan throws his hat into the ring, there would be Armageddon. They are cleverly employing the dictum of Josef Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propaganda Minister during World War 11, who infamously remarked that, “all you have to do to for white to become black, is to continually repeat the farce every time”. In the present situation, all that the President’s opponents are repeating in connivance with paid soothsayers and marabouts is that the cosmic powers are not favourably disposed to his second term bid in 2015. Short of repetitive threats of the country breaking apart if he does, they have been unable to give cogent reasons why Jonathan must not run, even when past presidents shunned all “spiritual” predictions

THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE DOING HIMSELF A DISSERVICE IF HE BUCKLES UNDER SUCH PRIMITIVE SENTIMENTS and concocted extraterrestrial visions to run for second term and still won through contrived electoral landslides. Every day has tales of secret meetings by political strange bedfellows at the dead of nights, and how some self anointed political overlords are scheming to dethrone the President when his current term expires. That is why the flood of Jonathan’s posters in Abuja announcing his re-election bid is causing some ripples and even made to look like a taboo and source of national concern. But who says that Jonathan’s supporters cannot indulge their fancies, especially in a democracy where freedom of speech is a revered tenet? Man is a political animal and so indulges in actions designed to reap him psychological advantage. Come to think of it, President Jonathan and his handlers could be flying a kite to gauge public opinion on the wisdom or otherwise of kicking off his campaign so early by stealth. There is nothing wrong with such calculation, if only to give him unassailable political mileage before deter-

mined opponents. The problem is that many of the so called “political natives” still find it difficult reconciling themselves with reality of a Jonathan’s presidency, even when it has celebrated the second anniversary and still counting. In a country of contending ethnic and religious mosaic and with no organized framework for allocating political offices, except through primordial interests, it has been difficult for those who see Nigeria as ethnic vineyard, coming to terms with the fact that the country belongs to everyone, irrespective of coming from a minority or majority nationality. The histories of big nations are replete of those from so called religious and ethnic minorities getting to pinnacle of political power and offering quality leadership. Even if the reason is a perceived lack of economic progress in the past two years, it would have been proper to articulate them and convince Nigerians on the dangers and futility of “re-electing a president who has done so much to pauperize us”. Incidentally, such thinking is not even pointed in that direction. Rather, what we are assaulted with are such facetious arguments of political leadership returning to its natural habitat, whatever that means. The President would be doing himself a disservice if he buckles under such primitive sentiments, as he is entitled to seek for another term irrespective of what political opponents think of it. Without prejudice to those calling for Jonathan to step down in 2015, they are at liberty to mount a more competent and effective campaigns detailing his shortcomings and what a repeat entails for the country. If his party members become convinced on the gravity and danger of backing him as their candidate, they reserve the right to chuck him out through internal primaries. But if nominated for re-election, then it is left to Nigerian voters to either endorse or reject him from among the field of contenders racing to occupy Aso Rock in 2015. Anything short of this would be like crying in the rain, as his opponents are now doing.

Sport Extra

he Los Angeles Lakers continued their struggles with a third successive defeat, losing 112-105 at home to the Denver Nuggets early yesterday. A 29-point haul from Kobe Bryant was not enough to win a high-scor-

B’ball: Lakers’ misery takes worse turn ing clash which the Nuggets put their stamp on after half-time. The game was tied at 60-60 at that point, but the Lakers turned the ball over far too often and the

Nuggets’ offensive stars did not pass up the chance with six of their players ending the game in double figures. Guard Ty Lawson scored 21 points and weighed in

with 10 assists and Danilo Gallinari hit two key threepointers down the stretch to ensure Denver held on to the advantage they built up in the third period - he ended with 20 points.

“We’re a good team, and it’s getting better,” Nuggets coach, George Karl, said. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City Thunder has extended their fine road record with a 104-92 win in Toronto.

Kobe Bryant

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