Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Nigeria’s oil output drops by 140,000 bpd

Our grouse with PIB, by northern senators

Shell declares force majeure on Bonny Light exports

UDEME AKPAN Sunmonu

Vol. 3 N0. 571

Police under siege:

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he nation’s oil output has dropped by about 140,000 barrels per day as a result of the

shutdown of Nembe Creek trunk line in Bayelsa State that delivers crude oil from CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

...reject more powers for Petroleum Minister P.2

Alison-Madueke

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

N150 INUSA NDAHI AND A ZA MSUE

Gunmen kill DPO, G deputy, eight others

…raze police station, raid bank with IEDs Mass arrests in Enugu trail CP’s murder

P.10

unmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect on Monday night attacked the Divisional Police Station and Mainstreet Bank branch in Gwoza, Borno State, killing the Divisional Police Officer, Abubakar Digire Ahamdu; his deputy and eight civilians caught up in the crossfire.

The incident, which happened at 9p.m., came barely 17 hours after the assassination of Mobile Police CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Encomiums, humour as Obasanjo marks 76

...Jonathan, Oshiomhole hail ex-President

P.4

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru; Governor Babatunde Fashola; Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Dr. Taofeek Folami, during an inspection tour of ongoing projects by the governor, yesterday.

Bianca Ojukwu’s suit over property suffers setback P.9

Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, 58, dies of cancer P.53

Fracas in Ogun Assembly as lawmakers break mace Lagos House sets up probe committee on child abuse

Kenya polls: Kenyatta in early lead

P.8

P.51

News

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Our grouse with PIB, by northern senators GEORGE OJI ABUJA

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ore than seven months after President Goodluck Jonathan sent the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, to the National Assembly for consideration, the Senate finally commenced deliberations on it yesterday with the majority of the northern senators opposing some of the key provisions.

Incidentally, out of the about 350 clauses of the draft bill, the bone of contention, according to the submissions of the northern senators, is the fiscal benefits to the host communities (host communities funds), National Frontiers Exploration Agency and the “excessive” powers bestowed on the petroleum minister.

Expectedly, the northern and the southern senators were divided in their con-

tributions to the bill.

While the southern senators argued in favour of the draft bill, their counterparts from the North were clearly opposed to it.

The Debate on the bill will continue for the rest of the week to enable all the senators make inputs.

Last week, Senate President David Mark asked senators who wanted to contribute to the bill to submit their names and the days they would like to speak to

the Senate Leader.

Out of the three issues, the one that generated so much debate was the issue of fiscal benefits to the host communities.

The northern senators were of the view that there was no need for the bill to create additional funds for the oil communities since the 1999 Constitution as amended had allowed 13 per cent derivation funds for those communities.

Section 116 of the draft

L-R: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his wife, Bola, and Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, during the launch of a book, “Olusegun Obasanjo, The Presidential Legacy 1999-2007” to mark the 76th birthday of the ex-President in Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday.

bill, which established the host communities funds says: “There is established a fund to be known as the Petroleum Hosts Communities Funds (in this Act to be referred to as “the PHC Funds.”

Senator Lawan Ahmed (Yobe North) argued that there were enough resources accruing to the oil producing locations from the 13 per cent derivation and that the area did not need additional funds.

While estimating the amount that has accrued to the oil producing states from the 13 per cent derivation in the past one year at N7.3trn, the lawmaker berated leaders from these states for wasting the resources.

“How can somebody after taking N7.3trn from 13 per cent over 13 years come back to ask for more?

Does it not show us that many leaders have failed CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Chairman, Visafone Limited, Mr. Jim Ovia, presenting the book.

Police under siege: Gunmen kill DPO, deputy, eight others CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Training Camp, MPTC, Commandant, Mr. Umaru Ali Jenga, and a traditional ruler.

Gwoza is a border town with Cameroon and 135 kilometres south-east of Maiduguri, the state capital and an epicentre of Boko Haram’s activities.

Residents, who did not want their names mentioned for security reasons, told our correspondent that the attackers used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and petrol bombs in torching the police station and the bank before carting away an undisclosed amount of cash.

The Mainstreet Bank branch is about 750 metres from the police station.

One of the residents said: “We were about going to bed when we started hearing multiple explosions and gunshots at the divisional police station on Market Road.

“The dogs were barking, while the few people remaining at the main junction of Maiduguri-Mubi road started to run for

safety as the attackers and the policemen at the station engaged in a gun battle for over two hours.

“Twenty minutes after, I heard another two bomb explosions on the Mainstreet Bank premises followed with sporadic gunshots that lasted for another 30 minutes.

“We hurriedly shut our doors for fears that the gunmen could burst into our houses as we did not know who could be the next targets.”

A source at the General Hospital, Gwoza, told newsmen that the bodies of the DPO and seven others were brought in by the police in two Hilux patrol vehicles.

He added that the gunmen gained entry into the bank after the manager was dragged from his home at gunpoint to open the bank before carting away an undisclosed amount and setting the building on fire with explosives about 10:25p.m.

Another resident said that their children and wives could not sleep as the gunshots continued into the early hours of yester-

day.

“The whole area covering Gwoza Wakane and the residential north flank of Market Road were inundated with deafening sporadic gunshots that lasted for over four hours.

“This is the first time we are having this type of multiple attacks of Boko Haram in Gwoza,” he added.

The Borno State Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, yesterday confirmed the incident, but added that no arrests had been made.

He, however, said that investigations had commenced to unravel the perpetrators of the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to grant “unconditional” amnesty to members of Islamic sect group to encourage them to lay down their weapons.

The Sultan, who is also the President-General of Ja’amatu Nasril Islam, JNI, said the amnesty would end the insurgency, stressing that government should

also accept those who denounced terrorism.

Abubakar made the declaration at the opening of the JNI annual central council meeting in Kaduna.

He described the recent Wukari crisis in Taraba State as madness, saying that Muslims were the major victims.

“We want to use this opportunity to call on the government, especially Mr. President, to see how he can declare total amnesty to all combatants (Boko Haram) without thinking twice.

That will make any other person who picks up arms to be termed a criminal.

“If amnesty is declared, it will give so many of those young men who have been running and hiding to embrace that amnesty. Some of them have already come out because we have read in the papers that some have already come out.

“Even if it is only one person that denounces terrorism, it is the duty of the government to accept that person and see how he can be used to reach others. It is left for the government

to use that person, evaluate him and see whether he is genuine or fake.

“These are some of the things we are pushing for, yet people are saying that we are not doing anything as Muslim leaders in the North.

“No! We are doing much more than what any other person has done. And I want to commend you all.

We will continue to do more despite the criticisms.

“My brothers and sisters, what happened in Wukari a few days ago is total madness beyond comprehension. Because if you follow the news, how can an issue between the youths playing football turn into what happened in Wukari where the major victims have been Muslims?” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohammed Aliyu Pate, who was invited to enlighten the gathering on the polio controversy, regretted that in the entire world, only Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan still had incidents of wild polio.

He noted that 98 per cent of children affected by the

disease had Muslim names and described the false claims going on about the wild polio virus in Nigeria as unfortunate.

Pate said: “The opposition to it led to the unfortunate deaths of nine innocent female health workers in Kano. That should not happen because immunisation of children is in the best interest of the children and our society. By 2007, Niger, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan were the only countries in the world that have polio cases.

“Today, India and Niger have been off that list. Go to our streets today in the North, you will see how polio has crippled our children, turning them to disabled and beggars.”

The Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero, who declared the meeting open, advised Muslim leaders to preach peace, promising to ensure that the Quranic schools built in the state teach quality western and Islamic education.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Photo News

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

President Goodluck Jonathan (left) receiving the report of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission from the chairman, Chief Isaac Jamide in Abuja, yesterday.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema; President of Council, NSE, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Board of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Suleyman Ndanusa; Council member, Alhaji Kasimu Kurfi and Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, at the opening of trading on the NSE floor in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Chairman of Heritage Bank, Mr. Akinsola Akinfemiwa; Deputy Director, Banking Supervision, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Benjamin Fakunle and Managing Director, Heritage Bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, during the bank’s interactive session with the media in Lagos, recently.

Coordinator, Honourary International Investors’ Council (HIIC) and Chairman, Africa Matters Limited, Baroness Lynda Chalker (right) and Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, addressPHOTO: NAN ing journalists after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan In Abuja, yesterday.

National news

Encomiums, humour as Obasanjo marks 76 ROTIMI FADEYI, SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN AND FEMI OYEWESO

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ctivities marking the 76th birthday of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo climaxed yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital with the unveiling of a legacy book project written as memoir of his eight-year tenure as president of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007.

The book titled: “Olusegun Obasanjo; The Presidential Legacy, 1999 – 2007”, was co-edited

by Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Oladipo Akinkugbe and Ahmed Joda and written by former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku and 199 other scholars.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadome joined other Corporate Nigerians, represented by Oil and Gas magnate, Femi Otedola and Jim Ovia, the Chair-

• Jonathan, Oshiomhole hail ex-president man of Visafone Limited; technocrats, academia, members of the diplomatic corps as well as the art community and traditional institutions to pay respect to the former president.

Speaking at the presentation, both Akinkugbe and Joda declared that the idea behind the book stemmed from a chance discussion with Obasanjo and will form part of the “authentic history of rescuing Nigeria’s democracy from the ‘intensive care unit,” which the country then went through.

Akinkugbe said: “We indulge in the hope that our account will form part of the authentic history of that difficult period of rescuing democracy from the intensive care unit. You do not have to be a historian before you have a sense of history; and I felt strongly that an eight year tenure as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces would

be well worth chronicling.

“Obasanjo could have done this by himself by way of autobiography and I do hope he tells his own story of this period someday.

“I felt, however, that it could equally be coupled together by multi-distinguished scholars, technocrats, bureaucrats, diplomats, military and clerics to asses dispassionately his administration’s performance in the various sectors under his whims.

“This we have attempted to do in the 20 essays that constitute the spine of this book and the instructive and almost magisterial pen portrait of Obasanjo himself.”

In his remark, Joda described Obasanjo as a well known “controversial person, who loves controversy.

“All through his tenure as military head of state, as president of Nigeria for eight years, there is no doubt that he is one president who knows this country well; who

has been to every part of the country, can call up friends at any time of the day, in any town, city or even some villages in Nigeria day or night and I think we should recognise that he has been involved very deeply and very intimately with the welfare and happiness of this country.

“I think his greatest asset has been his ability to spot talents in men and women from across this nation who are the brightest and the best. And he has laid a legacy, which perhaps at this time not too long after he has left office can attract debates but I have no doubt that as time goes, people will remember that his experience in the presidency has made him.

“He has been very faithful to the country and that policies that affect the fundamental happenings and wellbeing of the people of this country were evolved,” he said.

In his remark, President Jonathan eulogised

the virtues of the former president, describing him as a true nationalist, a true elder statesman, peace-loving and a promoter of national unity.

“Your successes are well placed in the history of our dear country; we celebrate with you as you continue to contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria,” Jonathan said.

Jonathan also said that Obasanjo demonstrated an unseal traits in those years when military regimes were still fashionable by rejecting the unusual temptation of regime extension to usher in democracy in 1979.

The book launch witnessed humour and banter.

Anyaoku, who chaired the launch, said he obliged to write on the Obasanjo years from the perspective of foreign policy, “because I was there when he was an actor on the global platform.”

Responding to all the encomiums and toast poured on him, Obasanjo vowed to use the last drop

of his blood to preserve the unity and progress of Nigeria, first and foremost and Africa and the world in general.

The former president also rendered a popular Christian song to back his pledge, “Bo keyin kan lenu mi, maa sin Jesu dandan,” (if it remains one tooth in my mouth, I will worship and praise the Lord Jesus).

The former president admonished public office holders to be selfless in the discharge of their duty as well as being upright in whatever they do.

“If you are in public service and you expect commendation of men and women, you may be the most disappointed human being on earth. So, if commendations do come, take it as it comes and accept it and if it does not come, don’t worry.”

Meanwhile, Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State has described Obasanjo as an outstanding statesman who has dedicated himself to the ideals of national unity, peace and progress of Nigeria.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Top civil servants face sack over ghost workers OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

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he Federal Government is set to sack some top civil servants in some Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAS, over the recent discovery of about 45,000 ghost workers in 251 MDAs. National Mirror learnt that three members of staff of the Accounts Department of the Federal Ministry of Information had been dismissed for engaging in sharp practices in the payment of salaries.

A Presidency source said: “In the Federal Ministry of Information, about three or four accounts staff were sacked. It is the same in all the ministries where the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information Sys-

tem, IPPIS, has been commenced.

“You will recall that about 10 ministries actually started the IPPIS and more MDAs are getting involved.”

The source, however, declined to speak on whether the dismissed workers had been prosecuted.

He, however, said that as more MDAs embrace the IPPIS, more scams would be uncovered and more people would be sacked.

The Director, Public Relations, in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Tope Ajakaiye, said that the IPPIS had been in operation for some years and that the MDAs were expected to sanction any officer in-

volved in such scams.

Ajakaiye, however, confirmed that administrative actions were being taken against officials who had benefitted from the scam, stressing that most of the disciplinary actions were not usually made public.

He said: “Administrative actions are being taken but they are not normally re-

ported.”

Ajakaiye explained that the unitary structure of the IPPIS had made it possible for government to plug loopholes and consequently save the country the cost of financing non-existent workers.

The Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama, had a few days ago announced the discovery of 45,000 ghost

workers who “earned” over N100 bn in about 251 MDAs through the application of IPPIS. Unfortunately, the staff audit of some 251 MDAs is yet to be effected.

Also, the Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, had recently disclosed that one in five civil servants was a ghost.

This followed the discovery of 5,000 ghost workers on the government’s payroll.

The Kano State Government has also announced the discovery of over 8,000 ghost workers, while Kebbi State said 9,300 fictitious names were discovered from the nominal roll of its workforce.

Our grouse with PIB, by northern senators CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

to deliver to the host communities?” the lawmaker queried, stressing that “the host communities funds should not have any place in this bill.”

Lawan also noted that the entire resources that had accrued to the oil producing states, (including from the NDDC, Niger Delta Ministry, SURE-P and Amnesty Programme) in the past 13 years was N11.3trn and wondered why they should deserve more resources.

On the issue of National Frontiers Exploration Agency to be established by the new bill, the northern senators criticised it for not having a clearly defined source of funding, aside from the appropriations, which at the end of the day would make it dependent on the minister to function.

The lawmakers noted that the agency should be independently funded to enable it to discharge its functions effectively.

On the alleged excessive powers conferred on the petroleum minister by the draft bill, the northern senators said that such provisions would not free the industry as envisaged, but would make it a stranglehold of the minister. They stressed that much of the powers reserved for the petroleum minister by the draft bill should be trans-

ferred to the legislature to exercise instead.

Senator Alkali Abdulkadir Jajere, described the bill as very controversial.

He said: “The new PIB has a lot of issues that need to be streamlined before it is passed, especially the host community funds provided for in the bill. The fund is supposed to be like the PTDF, which has already been enacted by the National Assembly.

“Also, the powers conferred on the minister in the bill are much too wide and uncontrollable, making him or her too powerful. We have to reduce the powers and encourage the portion that says exploration of frontiers should be encouraged.

“The Benue, Niger and Sokoto troughs can be developed. The issue has to be addressed. We have to look at the powers given to the President. Anybody given such powers here can use them to the latitude where they should not be used.”

The Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, however, said the bill, when passed, would fundamentally alter the legal, fiscal and proprietary dynamics and regime of the nation’s oil sector and also harmonise and consolidate the diverse and disparate laws, about 16 of them, that today govern and regulate the sector.

He said that the bill was CONTINUED ON PAGE 12>>

L-R: Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammed Pate, at the Jama’atu Nasril Islam central council meeting in Kaduna yesterday.

Nigeria’s oil output drops by 140,000 bpd CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Shell’s producing fields to Bonny export terminal.

Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, which accounts for half of Nigeria’ oil production, said in a statement yesterday that it had declared force majeure on Bonny Light export programme yesterday.

The force majeure is meant to protect Shell from bearing any liabilities to crude oil buyers due to the shutdown. The company explained that the closure became necessary after a leakage was noticed on the pipeline.

Shell’s spokesman, Mr. Precious Okobolo, who signed the statement, said that SPDC was mobilising a team to repair the line after the investigation.

“The cause will be determined by a Joint Investigation Visit, which will be scheduled once the leak point has been excavated.

“There has been a recent upsurge in crude theft activities on the NCTL, resulting in frequent production shutdowns and massive oil spills blighting the environment,” the statement added.

Okobolo also stated that between February 22 and 25, flow stations producing into the pipeline were shut down by safety systems three times due to oil theft.

Prior to the shut down, Shell had cautioned that the theft of crude oil from its Nembe trunk line could threaten daily exports of 140,000 barrels of crude oil.

The SPDC Corporate Media Relations Manager, Mr. Tony Okonedo, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the theft was coming barely 16 months after the old trunk line was replaced due to repeated attacks.

Okonedo added that on December 24, 2012, the line was shut down because of leaks caused by two failed bunkering points.

“In one case, some 17 illegal bunkering points were found within a distance of 3.8 kilometres,” he said.

The Managing Director of the firm, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, had said the level of crude theft at the new Nembe creek trunk line had reached an alarming proportion with unbearable consequences for stakeholders.

“Some 70,000 barrels of

oil per day were deferred in the December leak which took a month to repair because of the swampy terrain,” he had said.

The Shell boss said helicopter over- flights on February 6 confirmed thriving crude theft activities at various points.

The firm stated in a recent report that Niger Delta unrest had turned into a worrying criminal movement, feeding on massive thefts of crude oil.

“Heavily armed and wellorganised groups attack oil and gas facilities in the region, shut down operations, kidnap staff and sabotage pipelines,” it said.

According to the report, “Rival gangs and ethnic groups have clashed violently in several of the delta’s towns. Barges take stolen oil to tankers waiting offshore for export. There is also a massive illegal refining business based on stolen crude oil.

“All these have reduced the amount of oil SPDC is producing, created environmental and social problems from oil spills and reduced government revenue that could be used to develop in-

frastructure and services.”

It stated that the Niger Delta continued to be a challenging place to operate because of many reasons, including fundamental lack of basic infrastructure, poverty, lack of employment opportunities and criminality.

“We estimate that some 150,000 barrels of oil are stolen from facilities every day.

This is a huge amount – and the effects of this industrial scale theft are devastating for both the people and the environment,” the report said.

It noted that this was evident from the thick smoke from illegal refineries that lined the shore, leaving the land, the shorelines and the water heavily polluted with oil.

“The scale of these operations is not hidden.

The perpetrators of these crimes have set up barge building yards and storage depots for the stolen crude.

“This is not petty theft undertaken by desperate individuals struggling to make a living. These are well-funded crimes that may be connected with an international syndicate,” the report added.

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National News

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

National Hospital workers protest condition of service

Panel indicts NDDC for fund mismanagement

MARCUS FATUNMOLE

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ABUJA

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edical services were yesterday disrupted at the National Hospital in Abuja, following a three-hour protest by workers over the alleged nullification of their condition of service by the hospital’s management.

The aggrieved workers also accused the hospital’s Director of Administration, Mr. James Odiba, of staying in office beyond the 35 years stipulated by the Civil Service Rule.

The protest was accompanied by a three-day warning strike, holding between 8am and12pm daily; effective from yesterday.

The protesters comprised Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Senior Staff Association of the hospital.

Addressing journalists at the hospital, Chairman of NANNM, Otonoku Matthew, said: “We are protesting the condition of service at the National Hospital. We have worked for over 14 years and we were told yesterday that the document guiding our condition of service is null and void by officials of the Federal Ministry of Health.

“We have no other option than to organise this protest and begin a threeday warning strike from today to drive home our point that there is nowhere people work without condition of service.”

The workers, however, claimed Odiba was responsible for the cancellation.

Meanwhile, the hospital’s spokesman, Mr. Tayo Hastrupp, said that fewer workers participated in the protest.

ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

he Presidential Monitoring Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) has indicted the commission for mismanagement of funds.

The committee also indicted the commission for poor project execution.

In a report submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abuja, the committee’s chairman, Chief Isaac Jemide, said of the 609 projects monitored in three states, about 222 (36.5%) were completed, 102 (16.7%) were on-going and 285 (46.8%) were abandoned.

According to him, the report covered between

2005 and 2011.

The committee said physical inspection and evaluation of the 609 projects in Cross River, Edo and Rivers states were carried out.

The committee raised the concern that the commission’s management allegedly refused to explain why it abandoned some projects.

The report also exposed the failure of the NNDC to complete all civic centers and university hostel projects for 12 years.

The committee pointed out the unjustifiable introduction of astronomical variations on the contracts sums of most projects awarded by the commission over a short

period of time.

The committee also noted some of these variations were effected prior to projects commencement as well as the deliberate exclusion of some mega projects from the list of those submitted to it for evaluation.

The presidential committee further accused the NNDC of refusal to sanction incompetent contractors such as Messrs Fountain Construction Company Limited, which is handling the Eket-Ibeno Road in Akwa Ibom State, for poor project execution.

The committee was also annoyed that the commission failed to provide records of the beneficiaries of mass transit

boat and bus scheme embarked upon since 2004.

According to the committee, the report on the monitoring of 1,510 projects for the period 2005 to 2011 in the remaining six NNDC states had been completed and would soon be submitted to the President.

The committee, therefore, urged the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of the report, which it said would assist in repositioning the NDDC for effective service delivery.

Receiving the report, Jonathan promised that his administration would implement the recommendations in order to achieve the purpose for which the NDDC was established.

Senior Staff Association of National Hospital, Abuja, protesting the non-implementation of national hospital approved staff condition of service and the death of one of their colleagues, yesterday.

Nigeria asked to tackle terrorism, oil theft to attract investors ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

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o-ordinator of the Honourary International Investment Council (HIIC), Baroness Lynda Chalker, yesterday told Nigeria to tackle terrorism and oil theft in order to attract robust foreign investment.

She also asked Nigeria to promote the culture of good governance as part of the measures to demonstrate her sincerity to

the investors.

“Investors are very cautious and want to see sincere commitment on the part of the government,” Chalker said.

Addresing journalists shortly after she met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Chalker said: “Investors will not just want to invest because they love Nigeria, but that returns on their investments are guaranteed.

“The private sector is

very cautious and wants to see commitments, want to see an end to terrorism in the North, end to the oil theft in the South and good governance in the states. All these things have to be considered to attract investors to make sensible investments.

“They are not going to put money in just for the love of Nigeria, it has to make economic returns and it is our responsibility to do all and give advice so that Nigeria can succeed in

attracting investment.

“We must never forget that Nigeria, even in the oil field, has many competitors. In fact, if you look at the last edition of the Economist, with very positive structure on development in Africa, you realise how much competition it is for Nigeria. So, we have to stay ahead of the game and it is the HIIC job to do that.”

Chalker added that her discussion with the President also focused on how to

tackle oil theft in the Niger Delta, describing the opening of the Lagos-Kano rail as a welcome development.

She disclosed that the meeting of the HIIC scheduled to hold in the middle of this month in Abuja was also discussed at the meeting.

The HIIC is an organisation established by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004 with the aim of advising Nigeria on how to attract investment into the country.

Why we won’t scrap Post-UTME –Minister IJEOMA EZEIKE ABUJA

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he Federal Government has said that it would not scrap the Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME).

Minister of Education, Prof Ruquayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I, spoke yesterday in Abuja when the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) visited her.

She said with the introduction of e-testing, the Federal Ministry of Education is making effort to strengthen Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as well as making it the most competent examination body in the country.

The minister said: “JAMB is still a competent examination body, the PostUTME was introduced to help checkmate malpractice and get quality students.

“For now, Post-UTME will still go on until we achieve our aim which is total sanitization and eradication of all forms of examination malpractice from the system.”

She said though Nigerians are yet to grasp the effectiveness of JAMB electronic testing, but with time it would be accepted.

On the crisis rocking the University of Abuja, the minister said: “It is sad as the institution, which is supposed to be a premier university, given its location, is turning to be the worst in the country.”

She, however, assured that in the next few months, the Engineering Department of the university would get the required accreditation, but on the interim and with the full support of the students, they would be distributed to other institutions.

Earlier, NANS urged full implementation of the 2013 education budget, even as the students’ body asked the Federal Government to cancel the PostUME, which it described as means of defrauding Nigerian students by school management.

The students’ body, led by its National President, Hon Yinka Gbedebo, commended the Federal Government for surmounting the numerous challenges bedevilling the nation’s education sector.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Bad leadership responsible for nation’s woes –Sanusi UDO ONYEKA

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he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Lamido Sanusi has said that the country’s major problem was that of bad leadership.

Sanusi, who said this yesterday in Lagos at a business forum of Metropolitan Club noted that the high level of mediocrity among the leadership had almost destroyed all sectors of the economy.

According to him, “It is even now that we are beginning to ask questions about who the man that is occupying that position is. What used to be the question was where he from is and not whether he can do the job he was assigned to do or not.

“That is the reason, why a minister of works after three years in office and with all the money budgeted for roads cannot show 100 kilometres of road that was fixed. That is the problem

…says foreign reserves was never $67bn that has kept us where we are. I think what will move Nigeria forward is when we begin to put people in positions that we know they can handle not because he is from here or there.”

Stressing the importance of empowering people in positions of leadership to enable them perform, Sanusi said, “I know that human capital is essential, that was why when I came on board as the CBN governor we insisted that all managers in banks must be trained and people were shouting. We need people who are trained to man positions of authority in Nigeria. However our constitution says WAEC attempted person could even become the president and that is why we have all sorts of people in leadership positions in the country”.

He insisted that the banking reforms were all about removing people who are

not supposed to manage banks from their positions.

“In less than four years as CBN governor I had sent away more than 12 bank chief executive officers. I did not do it because I hate them but because that was the only way the sector could move forward”, he said.

Sanusi also used the occasion to clarify that there was no time that the country’s foreign reserves hit $67bn, pointing out that the reserves peaked at $62bn during the Presidency of late Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua .

The CBN boss said that the raging controversies around the external reserves was needless, stressing that governments all over the world resort to spending part of the reserves when the need arise.

He however said the financial system has never

had it so good in the last 20 years, adding that the reforms in the industry have sanitised the financial system.

“What people will begin to see from the point moving forward is growth in the economy,” he said.

He explained that people have not been able to feel the impact was because the financial sector only contributes four percent of the country’s GDP and it is only when other sectors are reformed that the growth would be visible.

“It is important that we change the way we do things. Ninety nine per cent of the export earnings and 80 to85 per cent of government’s earning is from oil”, the CBN boss noted stressing that it is unsustainable economically to rely on a product which we do not control its price.

7

Fashola assures Lagosians on 1, 966 projects MURITALA AYINLA

L

agos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday said his administration is currently executing about 1, 966 projects across the state to realise his objective of turning Lagos into Africa’s modern mega city.

Speaking while fielding questions from journalists shortly after inspecting ongoing projects in Lekki and Victoria Island axis of the state, said the projects were aimed at transforming the state.

Fashola’s words: “Currently we are executing about 1, 966 projects across the state and I don’t think that we have been to 300.

So all the projects we have visited really are the ones that have problems. Those are the projects we have been going to see what the problems are instead of just reading reports.

“We come to have a feel of it and see whose ministry is responsible and what we can do to ensure that

Fashola

the ministries and contractors are communicating.

Sometimes there are local issues, people go to court, but we have come out here to ensure that we get as many of those projects completed.

The governor said the projects when completed will further endear the party to the electorate, saying the party will defeat the opposition with a wider margin in the 2015 general election in the state.

He assured that the Ikoyi-Lekki Link Bridge will soon be commissioned, saying the bridge requires finishing works and installations of a toll plaza.

Tears as govt demolishes houses in Lagos community MURITALA AYINLA

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here was confusion at the Odoragunshi community in Eredo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, of Lagos State, when hundreds of buildings, allegedly built on government industrial area, were pulled down yesterday.

The demolition was carried out by a combined team of the Lagos State Task force on Environment and Special Offence Unit and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Confused evicted residents watched helplessly as bulldozers pull down their structures. Those who could summon courage, managed to evacuate some of their property before the structures were brought down.

The residents claimed that they collected all necessary documents when they acquired the land from indigenes of the community about a decade ago, but were surprised when the state gov-

ernment laid claim to the large expanse of land.

Some of the buildings have approved plan boldly written on them but the government said they were fraudulently acquired from town planning officials.

The buildings, comprising of completed and several uncompleted structures, were demolished by the officials of the ministry of physical planning and urban development.

Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; explaining the meaning of an English word to pupils of St. James Anglican Primary School, Okeoniyo, at the inauguration of the ‘Reading Parent’ project in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

Bribes-for-jobs: Interior Minister, FCC boss differ on website scam GEORGE OJI ABUJA

T

he Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, yesterday dismissed claims by the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, FCC, Prof.

AbdulRaheem Oba, that his ministry was aiding employment scams by opening a website for employment.

The minister, who appeared before the Senator Awaisu Kuta-led joint

committees on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs and Employment, Labour and Productivity, which is probing the recruitment irregularities in federal establishments in the last two years, accused Oba of propagating falsehood against his ministry.

Oba, who was at the venue of the event, rather curiously, kept mute as the minister made a mess of the FCC boss’ claims.

Oba had alleged on Mon-

day, when he appeared before the probe committee that; “The Ministry of Interior opened a website and directed people to deposit their CVs there without indicating what position they are applying for. That kind of action drives these young men and women into the hands of fraudsters.”

Reacting to the claims of Oba, the minister emphatically said; “That is certainly not true. We don’t have online recruitment

arrangement in place in the ministry. We have never, officially, to the best of my knowledge, asked anybody to place applications online.”

In obvious reference to the FCC boss, Moro said, “Certain persons went to the press because of the sensitivity of recruitments, certain people went to town that the ministry was engaged in unwholesome activities; it’s not true.”

Explaining further, the

minister said; “Let me say therefore, that in the course of our recruitment, replacement exercises, we have had recurring decimal or incidents of complaints and allegations of some levels of scam in the exercise and I want to say here that this is as a result of the situation in which we found ourselves in this country.

“The number of persons that are unemployed and the number of persons itching for recruitment.”

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South West

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Pandemonium in Ogun Assembly as lawmakers break mace FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

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here was pandemonium in the hallow chamber of the Ogun State House of Assembly yesterday following attempts by the Speaker, Hon. Suraj Ishola Adekunbi, to suspend four members for allegedly infringing on the House rules.

The uproar witnessed on the floor of the House, which resulted in the breaking of the mace, was as a result of the crisis rocking the Assembly over the composition of members of the tenders’ board.

•Journalists tear-gassed

At the plenary yesterday, the Speaker, recalled an alleged unruly behaviour of four lawmakers during the previous sitting.

Adekunbi noted that four members- Hon. Job Akintan (Egbado North II); Hon. Remmy Hazzan (Odogbolu); Hon. Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo (Ifo II); and Hon. John Obafemi (Remo North); all walked out on all other members without taking a bow at the previous sitting.

He said the action was contrary to the rule of the

House and that the four lawmakers deserved sanction.

The speaker alleged that their action was unparliamentary and a gross disrespect to the legislative institution and called on the Majority Leader, Hon. Israel Jolaosho, to move the motion for their suspension.

The majority leader, however, described their action as disrespectful to the office of the speaker and moved a motion for the suspension of the four lawmakers.

Before the speaker could call for secondment, however, one of the lawmakers alleged to have infringed on the House rule, Adeleye-Oladapo, who was sitting very close to the mace, headed for it and broke the symbol of authority of the House.

Hon. Adekunbi, however, went ahead and announced the suspension of the four members and immediately called for a recess.

While the lawmakers went for recess, the purportedly suspended four lawmakers along with 10 other legislators immediately reconvened under a

Ogun State House of Assembly in disarray yesterday. Inset: The broken mace.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

group called G-14, appointed Hon. Remmy Hazzan, as Speaker Protem, and reversed the suspension order earlier pronounced by Adekunbi.

The protem speaker said that the earlier sitting of the House was null and void and called for a motion to suspend Adekunbi and three others.

The motion for the suspension of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Tola Banjo, the Majority Leader, Israel Jolaoso and Olakunle Oluomo (Ifo I), was moved

by Hon. Segun Elemide and was seconded by Samson Onademuren.

The G-14 lawmakers, under the leadership of Remmy Hazzan, who later addressed journalists, however, remarked that the four lawmakers were illegally suspended as there was no secondment to the motion that suspended them.

Hazzan said Adekunbi ought to have put the question before the House and consequently called for a voice vote, stressing that nothing of such was done.

Hazzan, who claimed that Adekunbi “does not possess unilateral power to suspend any member of the House,” also attributed the cause of the crisis to an attempt by the speaker to perpetuate fraud through award of contracts without following due process.

The G-14 lawmakers, who also alleged that the speaker had stood the Rule of the House on its head,

further alleged that; “That is why he wants to impose his stooge on us as the Chairman of the Tenders Board,” stressing that “we will resist such move as lawmakers.”

Hazzan also attributed the rancour in the House to the insistence of some lawmakers to probe the actual debt profile of the state as required by the recently passed law.

He said the suspended speaker had wanted to suspend the four lawmakers to pave the way for his G-12 lawmakers to form a simple majority and consequently enjoy free amendment to the law which empowers the executive to access loan without recourse to the state assembly.

Meanwhile, attempt by journalists to get the speaker to react to the allegations and other happenings in the House, ended abruptly as the journalists were tear-gassed and sent away from the committee room of the Assembly complex.

Oluomo, who represented the speaker, had used a foul language on one of the journalists, which triggered off responses from the newsmen.

National Mirror recalls that the previous House’s sitting on February 28, 2013 had ended abruptly with the speaker calling for adjournment following a rowdy session over the report on the composition of tenders’ board.

Ondo tribunal: Oke loses bid to tender voters’ register Child abuse: Lagos House sets up probe committee HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE

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he Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, yesterday rejected an application filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olusola Oke, to tender the original copies of the 2011 voters’ register that was already in evidence before the court.

The tribunal, led by Justice Andovar Kaka’an, rejected the application, saying the applicant failed to take advantage of the document while in the custody of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, saying the application lacks merit.

The panel explained that Oke had earlier sought to rely on the voters’ register used in 2011 and 2012, when he asked for the leave of the court in January to in-

spect and make Certified True Copies, CTC, of all documents used by INEC in the October 20, governorship election in the state.

The tribunal, however, saw the application as strange and that it could not see any special circumstances as canvassed by the petitioner’s counsel.

Kaka’an said; “Where then is the evidence of special circumstance as there is no affidavit evidence filed to support the application.

“He (Oke) knew that he needed the CTCs of the 2011 voters’ register and he waited for two days to the close of his case before applying for it.”

Olatoke had at the resumed hearing of the tribunal informed that he filed two subpoenas last week Friday, saying the first subpoena was to direct INEC to produce the CTC of the 2011 register.

He also said the second one was against the secretary

of the tribunal to produce the original copies of the document, because the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, had earlier tendered same in evidence before the tribunal.

But, counsel to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, (SAN), opposed Olatoke’s application, arguing that it was strange to paragraph 104 of the Evidence Act. Also counsels to the Labour Party, Prof. Wahab Egbewole and INEC, Mr. Hassan Liman, concurred with Jegede’s position on the issue.

The court, however, granted leave to Oke through his counsel, Olatoke, to present the documents across the bar.

Counsel to the defendants, however, did not objected to the presentation of the documents by Oke’s counsel in areas being pleaded by Oke while the tribunal admitted them in evidence.

SEKINAH LAWAL

T

he Lagos State House of Assembly, on Monday, set up a four-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged victimisation of Aisha Alabi, a JSS 1 student of Kadara Junior Grammar School, EbuteMetta, by her principal, Mrs. E. C. Ukpaka, over the use of Hijab.

Speaker of the house, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, announced the setting up of the committee after the house discussed the petition forwarded on the issue by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit, during plenary.

In a press release signed by the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of MSSN, Sulaimon Alamutu, it was stated that during the debate, the Chief Whip of the House,

Hon. Abdurrazaq Balogun, among other members, pleaded for caution over the issue.

He said both sides of the story should be heard before any reaction. “We have lived harmoniously for so many years, despite our religious differences, let’s not make any judgement before investigating the issue,” Balogun said.

However, the speaker said nobody should discriminate against anybody on the basis of religion, adding that it is a matter that would not be tolerated in the state.

It will be recalled that the MSSN had raised the alarm over the issue and also staged a peaceful protest to Governor Babatunde Fashola’s office in Alausa, last Thursday.

The ad-hoc committee, which comprises of; Hon. Abdurrazaq Balogun; Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola; Hon.

Alawiye-King and Hon. Rufai Adeyemi; has one week to report back to the house.

Also, the Council on Higher Institutions, COHI, an arm of the MSSN Lagos State Area Unit, has advised the Lagos State government not to renege on the agreement it reached with the society following last Thursday’s mass protest in Alausa against the victimisation of Muslim students using Hijab in secondary schools.

The group warned that reneging on the agreement may result to the disruption of the relative peace being enjoyed in the state at the moment. Assistant General Secretary of the MSSN, Mr. Sulaimon Dhikrillah, said the group was not out to fight the state government, but to demand the recognition and protection of the rights of Muslims as guaranteed by the country’s constitution.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

9

Promote substantive justice at all times –Aregbesola tells Acting CJ

G

Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Alaafin of Oyo (right) and former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, during a sympathy visit to the monarch over the recent fire incident at the ancient Oyo palace, yesterday.

Church Vicar sacked over Fayemi’s N5m donation ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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he crisis rocking St Paul’s Millennium Anglican Church in Odo-Owa Ekiti in Ekiti State over the N5 million donated by Governor Kayode Fayemi has taken another dimension with the compulsory retirement of the church’s vicar, Rev Michael Ogunniyi.

This is despite the threats and protests by members of the church that the rank of the cleric, who had earlier been demoted from Archdeacon to Canon by the Anglican Bishop of Ekiti West Diocese, Most Rev Oludare Oke, should be restored.

It will be recalled that the crisis began when the cleric, in defiance of the order of the Anglican Bishop that the N5 million donated by Governor Fayemi during the burial of the former An-

glican Primate, Most Rev Abiodun Adetiloye, should be kept in a special fixed account, saying it was an endowment fund and not a gift to the Odo-Owa church alone.

But some members disagreed with the bishop and prevailed on Rev Ogunniyi to use the money to buy a new bus for evangelism and for renovation of the church.

The church consequently bought a new bus for N3 million, spent N1 million on renovation and kept the remaining N1 million in bank.

This consequently earned the vicar a demotion.

In a statement yesterday, the Diocesan Communicator Emeritus Dr Kunle Olasope and Diocesan Communicator Prince Sola Adetule, said the Bishop had on March 1, 2013 handed over a letter of compulsory re-

tirement with six months’ notice to the cleric.

The statement reads: “The question of Vicar Ogunniyi is strictly a matter of discipline which must be maintained if the person, position and authority of the bishop are not to be rubbished and dragged in the mud”.

The diocese also allayed the fear of demotion of the Odo Owa church from archdeaconry as it announced the Dean of the Cathedral, Very Revd Julius Olaosebikan, as supervisor of the church until Rev Ogunniyi would bow out.

The vicar, who was originally billed to retire in 2017, said he had accepted the compulsory retirement, adding that he did not regret the action.”

He told journalists on phone yesterday that “the matter is all about purchase of the bus which the church

had been longing for in the past 15 years. My loyalty is to the church and not to the bishop. I have no regret”.

Ogunniyi, however, advised members of the church not to engage any violent act because of the bishop’s action.

Some members of the Provincial Church Council (PCC) had last week threatened that they would sue the bishop if he did not restore the rank of the vicar, adding that they might be compelled to move out of Ekiti Anglican West Diocese.

But the Diocese, which said the board had passed vote of confidence in the bishop for the effective way he has run the affairs of the diocese, added: “As for those who threaten court action at Odo Owa, they are entitled to their rights, but the Diocese will not be deterred”.

Bodies of missing toddlers found in Lagos FRANCIS SUBERU

S

ympathisers moaned yesterday in Ketu, Lagos State, when two children - Toheeb Adedokun and Tajudeen Falilu - who had been declared missing 35 days ago by their parents and the police were found dead in their neighbourhood.

The bodies of the children were found inside an abandoned car parked a few houses away from where

the parents of the deceased are living on Taike Street in Ketu.

Immediately the bodies of the children were discovered, police officers attached to Ketu Police Division were alerted to remove them.

It will be recalled that Toheeb and Tajudeen were reported missing on January 29 by the police and insinuation were rifle that the kids may have been kidnapped.

National Mirror gath-

ered that the Honda Pilot Sports Utility vehicle in which their bodies were discovered was owned by a yet to be identified person.

On a visit to the street, National Mirror saw neighbours discussing the incident in low tones.

One of them, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the children might have wandered into the vehicle and later got trapped inside car, causing them to suffocate.

He said: “We had

searched all over for the children to no avail and assumed they were kidnapped. Even the police thought it was a case of kidnapping. Only if we had known that the children were trapped in a vehicle in the next compound, probably we would have been able to save them.”

The Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident, saying the matter would be thoroughly investigated.

overnor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has urged the new Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Mrs. Adebola Adepele Ojo, to promote substantive justice at all times.

Aregbesola spoke yesterday during the swearing-in of the Acting Chief Judge in Osogbo, the state capital.

He said: “What people seek to do through the courts is to be in harmony with the universal rules.

The quest for justice is the central pursuit of every man the world over, which is why the court has been described as a bulwark of the people.”

The governor said if any place is peaceful and progressive, it is the enthronement of justice that goes unhindered in that environment.

Aregbesola said: “I therefore charge the Acting Chief Judge to promote substantive justice over technicality. I charge her to let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.

“The judge, under oath, has pledged an affirmation

of oneness with the universe in the pursuit of the universal purpose.

“With this oath, we expect the judge therefore to deliver justice, untainted and without inducement, in satisfaction of the universal purpose, in accordance with the laws of the land.

“It is a universal principle, and scientifically established, that the amount of peace, tranquility and prosperity in a place is directly proportional to the justice obtained in that society.”

The new Acting Chief Judge, in her response, pledged to do all within her capacity to dispense justice at all times.

Justice Ojo also sought the cooperation of stakeholders in the administration of justice in the state.

She said: “The task before us is to remain steadfast on the path of justice.

I pledge to all the people of Osun State that with the oath that I took, I will promote justice and equality.

“I want all the lovers of justice to support and cooperate with me so that we can all succeed in the enthronement of justice.”

Bianca Ojukwu’s suit over property suffers setback WALE IGBINTADE

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he suit filed by Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, the widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, against Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL) and seven others before a Lagos High Court suffered a temporary setback yesterday due to failure to serve one of the defendants in the suit with court processes.

Bianca, who sued on behalf of her two under-aged children, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu (claimants), wants the court to declare that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of the property located at No 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of the first defendant (OTL).

At the resumed hearing of the suit, Ifeanyi Okunah, counsel to the 8th defendant, Mr. Massey Udegbe, told the trial judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, that his client had not been served with

court processes.

He further told the court that while he was ready to accept service in court, he would need a minimum of two weeks to file a defence to the suit.

Earlier, the 1st to the 7th defendants, through their counsel, Chief George Uwechue (SAN), sought the consent of court to regularise their statement of defence as well as their counter affidavit dated December 7, 2012.

Justice Atilade granted their request and adjourned the case till March 19 for mention In their statement of claim, the claimants want the court to declare that the threat of forceful ejection from 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street by the defendants as illegal.

They urged the court to declare that they are entitled to possess the following property, namely: No 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as No. 13 Ojora road); No 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; No 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; No. 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.

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South East

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Group flays plot to unseat Rep

Kwara CP: Police embark on massive arrests in Enugu

CHRIS NJOKU

T

OWERRI

T

he people of Okigwe South Federal Constituency in Imo State have decried the alleged plot by a former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Nwachukwu, to unseat his successor, Prof.

Chudi Uwazuruike, from the National Assembly.

The people said Nwachukwu has no right to challenge Uwazuruike’s victory in the April 2011 election.

Acting under the aegis of “Concerned Citizens of Okigwe South” which comprises Ehime, Ihitte/ Uboma and Obowo local government areas, the people flayed the legal battle trailing the April poll as senseless, ridiculous and unacceptable.

They said that the suit instituted by Nwachukwu challenging Uwazurike’s victory lacked merit and credibility, adding that Nwachukwu did not participate in the January 2011 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries where Uwazuruike emerged as the party’s candidate.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the group’s leader, Dr. Eli Dibia, expressed shock that Nwachukwu, who he alleged willfully and publicly announced his withdrawal from contesting the primaries and went ahead to ask his supporters to vote for Prof. Uwazurike, could now make a dramatic volte face to challenge the victory of the person he voluntarily supported.

Dibia said Nwachukwu gave the Okigwe South Federal Constituency poor representation while he was in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011.

He described Nwachukwu’s representation as a monumental disaster to the people that Okigwe Constituency.

Okorocha

DENNIS AGBO AND TORDUE SALEM he Enugu State Command has embarked on massive arrest of suspected criminals in the state in a manhunt for the killers of Kwara State Commissioner for Police, Mr. Chinwike Asadu.

Asadu was shot dead last Saturday night by some gunmen in Enugu State.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Enugu, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, confirmed the massive arrest of the suspected criminals from their hideouts, but refused to disclose the number.

Ebitibituwa said: “It is a random arrest from criminal’s domains. We will let you know the number as soon as it is possible.”

Sources, however, told National Mirror that no fewer than 200 suspects have been arrested.

The police commissioner said from what the command had gathered, it could still not understand the motive behind Asadu’s murder.

He said the late Asadu’s driver and orderly, who survived the attack, are in intensive care in hospital, saying: “We have been talking with them. We don’t want to speculate and we don’t want to jump the gun. We have made arrests and we are intensify-

•Reps condemn killing

ing our effort to arrest more criminals.”

Ebititbituwa , however, supported Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime’s pledge that a reward of N10 million would be given to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of Asadu’s killers.

He also confirmed the killing of another policeman, Corporal Amos Marcus, along Rangers Avenue in Enugu last week by gunmen, who took away his pistol.

Marcus’ body has been

buried in Kaduna State.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday condemned Asadu’s killing.

The House asked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to ensure that the killing did not go the way of previous unresolved murder cases in the country.

The House condemned the killing, following a motion by the Chairman of the Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed.

The motion, which was

OWERRI

T

he feud between the Imo State House of Assembly and Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, over alleged contract scam is deepening as the Assembly is gearing up to impeach him, sources told National Mirror yesterday.

The sources said Agbaso, who was also the Commissioner for Works before the minor cabinet reshuffle two weeks ago, was allegedly fingered in some contract scam running into millions of naira. Some contractors have, however, protested the contract scam.

The deputy governor was accused of requesting and receiving financial gratification from some contractors, a situation which National Mirror gathered led Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha to drop him as the commis-

Anthony Williams (2006), Marshall Harry (2003) and Chief Bola Ige (2001), no high profile killing or assassination has been unraveled by the police.

“The Chinwike Asadu, a senior police officer, was caught by assassins bullet is worrisome.

“If a high ranking police officer is attacked in this manner, our security situation in the comity of nations will further worsen thereby making investment drive in our country a mirage as no investor would put his resources in an unsafe environment.”

Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa (left) and Deputy Commissioner, Operations, Mr. Isaac Akinmoyede, at a news conference on the slain Kwara State Police Commissioner held in Enugu, yesterday.

Contract scam: Lawmakers may impeach Imo deputy gov CHRIS NJOKU

passed after the House observed a minute silence in honour of the late Asadu, said the killing indicated the nation’s deteriorating security capacity to deal with all forms of crime.

Mohammed, however, recalled that the IGP, Mr, Mohammed Abubakar, on resumption of office last year decried the pending unresolved murder and other heinous crimes in the country.

He said: “Since 1986 death of Dele Giwa, former Editor of Newswatch through a parcel bomb; Hajiya Sadaatu Rimi, Olufunsho

sioner for works in the cabinet reshuffle.

Agbaso, until the recent cabinet reshuffle, was in a position to award, negotiate and facilitate the payment of money to contractors executing major projects for the government.

Some contractors, it was gathered, alleged that the deputy governor used his position to collect financial gratification, an allegation that jolted the relevant committee in the state House of Assembly to investigate the claim.

Although efforts by the House to summon the chairman of the contractors’ association in the state, Mr. Oguenyi Kenneth, who allegedly led the protest at Onuimo Local Government Area, proved abortive as he failed to appear before the committee investigating the allegation.

A source close to the House told National Mir-

ror that the impeachment process would have commenced if the man had come forth to prove the allegation.

The source said: “We have officially summoned him on radio without response. He even demanded for air ticket which we obliged, yet he has refused to show up.”

It will be recalled that the House last week asked the Commissioner of Police to arrest Oguenyi anywhere he is found in Nigeria.

Speaking yesterday in a statement, the Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mr. Ebere Uzoukwa, said the face-off between the deputy governor and Imo House of Assembly over allegation that the former requested for and received financial gratification from some contractors had been resolved amicably following the intervention of Okorocha.

Apathy trails registration of Anambra indigenes CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

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he registration of indigenes by the Anambra State Government is being marred by public apathy.

This development has compelled the government to appeal to the indigenes to register and have their data captured, as well as collect their identity card and number.

Investigation by National Mirror indicated that about 300,000 persons have been captured in the exercise which began some months ago.

It was gathered that the apathy trailing the exercise was caused by the fear that the government will use it as a basis to collect taxes from the people.

The registration, which is being handled by the management of Charms PLC and under which all the key data about a resident, including his or her identity, level of

income and occupation, will be captured, is expected to affect both government and non-government employees, traders, artisans and others.

Already, the state government has moved swiftly to rekindle public interest towards the exercise.

After its executive council meeting held on Monday, the state government, however, directed all town union presidents to ensure that their citizens were registered without further delay.

In a statement issued after the executive council meeting, the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Joe Martins Uzodike, shed light on the import of the exercise.

Uzodike said that the identity card given to the people after the registration would be a requisite for any government transaction, adding that it would be a requirement for treatment in public hospital in future.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South South

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

11

Union laments FG’s poor response to corruption, others SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

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he Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Allied Institutions, SSAUTHRIAI, has decried the feeble and uninspiring response of the Federal Government to the issue of corruption and insecurity in the country.

The union said its nationwide strike over issues of welfare, allowances and others, is borne out of corruption in one form or the other, calling on the President

Goodluck Jonathan administration to be more proactive in its response to official corruption involving government officials at all levels.

It also urged the government to reconsider national security apparatus so as to effectively combat the menace of kidnapping, terrorism, cultism, assassination and armed robbery. SSAUTHRIAI made these positions clear in a communiqué it issued at the end of its national special delegates conference held in Ilorin, Kwara State and made available to National Mirror.

Signed by its newly elected Chairman, Felix Uwadiae and Secretary, John Ibiloye, the communiqué insisted that the union’s on-going strike would continue until the Federal Government shows a change of heart on the issues highlighted above.

Other germane issues the communiqué looked into include: The 12-month arrears of CONRAISS, an agreed salary structure that the government made effective only in July 2010, as against the agreed date of July 2009; the 65 years retirement age for all categories of workers in the

research institutes; nonskipping of CONRAISS Level 10; establishment of a supervisory body for research institute systems otherwise called NARICOM; new scheme of service for research institute workers; and improvement of funding of the research sector in Nigeria.

The communiqué reads in part: “The council expressed disappointment with the poor disposition of government to the legitimate demands for improved condition of services for workers in the system.

“The council deemed it inappropriate for key

officials of government to continuously ignore the need to put an end to protracted disputes with unions.

It, therefore, strongly called on all relevant actors in the system to ensure full implementation of the subsisting agreement on the 12-month arrears on CONRAISS effective July 2009 to June 2010, the 65 years retirement age for all categories of workers in the research institute system, non-skipping of CONRAISS Level 10, establishment of supervisory body for research institute system, new condition and

scheme of service for research institute workers, and improvement of funding for the research sector in Nigeria.”

“The council resolved to fully support the newly elected sectoral council executive of SSAUTHRIAI to perform optimally and harness the benefits of cordial relationship with the national secretariat and other organs of the union.

“It also endorsed the position canvassed for the enthronement of probity, accountability, prudency and discretion in the discharge of various roles performed by its officers.”

Contractor debunks Onolememen’s claims on road project SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN

T L-R: Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije and his vice, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Benin City, yesterday

Good governance: Mischief makers’ll not deter me –Dickson EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

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ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, yesterday said the antics of mischief makers would not deter him from executing his restoration agenda that would impact positively on the lives of the people in the state.

Dickson said those peddling unfounded rumours about him were envious of the progress his administration has recorded in the past one year, despite daunting challenges.

The governor bared his mind yesterday in Yenagoa, during his monthly interactive session with ward, local government and state executive members of the Peoples Demo-

cratic Party, PDP. He reassured the people of the state of his resolve to aggressively pursue the overall development of the state in spite of the rumours and propaganda being peddled by detractors of his administration.

His words: “My faith and confidence in you, the good people of Bayelsa State has never shaken and will not shake. You deserve the best we can offer and let me assure you that the best is yet to come.”

The governor appreciated the contributions of ward and local government executives as critical structures of the party, as he urged members to remain steadfast in their support and show more interest in the af-

fairs of government.

“When you have challenges, present them to constituted authority at your level. If you are at the ward level, talk to your local government chairman. If you are at the working committee, raise all the concerns with the state chairman and working committee.

Any day I come here, I want to listen to all the complaints from the grassroots; how are the people faring?

“What are their priorities? What do they think of what we are doing in government? Because it is your government, if the government fails, it is we all that have failed; it is the PDP that would have failed.”

Governor Dickson specifically prevailed on the

party’s ward leaders to continually enlighten the rural folks on the policies and programmes of government.

He said he would soon commence his ‘thanked you’ tour to the eight local government areas of the state, stressing that PDP candidates for the council chairmanship positions in the impending local government poll, would be presented to the people.

Earlier, the state PDP Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (Rtd.) noted that the recent rumours were intended to distract government from its good works.

Inokoba reiterated the need for party members not sell their conscience, but, remain focused at all times.

he contractor handling the construction of the popular 5-Junction in Benin City, Edo State, has dismissed the claim by the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolemenmen, that the road is being constructed by the Federal Government.

The contractor handling the road project, Reynolds Construction Company Limited, RCC, denied the claim yesterday when Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, inspected the work along with top officials of his government, during which he told the contractor how impressed he was with the quality of work done on the road even as he urged the contractor to hasten the pace of work so as to meet the deadline.

It will be recalled that Onolemenmen, who was speaking at a town hall meeting last Tuesday in company of the Minister of Information and Orientation, Mr. Labaran Maku, as part of the Good Governance Tour to the state, claimed that; “The junction of Akpakpava and Dawson Road, is what we called kilometre 0.00. So from that kilometre 0.00 up to 5-Junction, to Uselu

to Ugbowo and to Ekiadolor, is being handled by the Federal Government.”

Debunking the claim a week later, the RCC Works Supervisor, Mr. Yaniv Dabah, told National Mirror that the project was exclusively financed by the Edo State government.

Dabah’s words: “Edo State government is doing 5-Junction; the road, the erosion control, beautification and street lights at the 5-Junction are being financed and executed by the Edo State government.”

Dabah said the construction work on the junction, including the beautification and walkways will all be completed within two weeks.

He added that the construction company has already completed the asphalting and street lights on the road.

Furthermore, work on Adolor area of Ugbowo, the workman added, will be completed within a month from now. “People in the area will be relieved from the perennial flooding in the area as the rainy season approaches,” he added.

Dabah also acknowledged that the state government is constructing additional lanes on both sides of the AkpakpavaDawson-Uselu-Ugbowo Road with walkways and street lights.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Aliyu praises nine APC governors for visiting Maiduguri PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

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L-R:District Head of Ushongo Local Government Area, Chief Stephen Nduul; Minister of Works, Chief Mike Onolememen and Senator PHOTO: NAN Banarbas Gemade, at the launch of rehabilitation of Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road in Benue State, on Monday.

Plateau varsity, College of Arts’ merger in order –Govt JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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he Plateau State Government has said that the merger of the state university in Bokkos with College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies in Kurgwi was in order.

The Joint Unions of Plateau State Tertiary Institution Workers, who are currently on strike, had cited the merger as one of the reasons for embarking on the strike, describing the policy as a plot by the government to sack workers.

But the state Commissioner for Education, Mr.

Nanle Dashe told National Mirror yesterday in Jos that government had no intention to sack the workers.

Dashe, therefore, called on the striking workers to go back to their duty post.

The commissioner explained that the merger of the two institutions was informed by the need to make the system serve the people better.

He said: “Laws are made by man and they are made to guide man and not the other way round. So, when there is a law and there is a genuine reason to revisit that law in the course of time because of additional

information, nothing is wrong to revisit the law and change it to ensure that the system works well.

That is why we have a constitution and the constitution is reviewed based on additional information and the dynamics of the society. “So, at a point in time, it made a lot of sense to create the School of Arts and Remedial Studies because of exigencies to meet certain demands.

“The College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies in Kurgwi was created mainly for the training of those seeking A Level certificate and also

Our grouse with PIB, by northern senators CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

first introduced in the sixth Senate but legislative action on it could not be concluded as at that time because it seemed several versions of it were in circulation within the chamber and elsewhere.

“It was re-introduced in the seventh Senate as an executive bill with franking measures introduced to ensure that only one version was before this Senate as against our aforementioned previous experience. It was read the first time on September 19, 2012.”

He listed about 18 objectives of the bill, including harmonisation and consolidation of the several disparate legislations that govern and regulate oil industry, thus, making its legal framework more user-friendly.

Significantly, NdomaEgba explained that the bill seeks to increase domestic gas supplies, especially for power and industry.

“It will ensure accelerated gas infrastructure develop-

ment through private partnership by addressing funding issues associated with slow development of the country’s gas infrastructure which is the backbone of our power sector reform agenda, amongst others,” he argued.

Senator Ali Ndume remarked that the original intention of the bill was to provide the framework to reform the oil and gas industry.

He, however, regretted that the inconsistencies in the bill would make it impossible to achieve that objective.

Ndume listed the inconsistencies to include the oil and gas implementation committee, which was first set up by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He noted that while the bill sought to reform the sector, the powers conferred on the minister made such reforms impossible.

He also spoke about the need for the bill to establish a standalone National Frontiers Exploration Agency and not one that will be dependent on the minister.

On the issue of host communities’ funds, the lawmaker advocated that the host communities fund should be in form of equities and not special profits funds.

Other northern senators who kicked against some provisions in the bill and opposed its passage included, Ibrahim Gumel, Isa Galaudu, Sankara Danladi amongst others.

In his contributions, Senator Bukola Saraki chided senators who called for the defeat of the bill and argued that what the Senate must do was to ensure that the bill was passed, despite the alleged inconsistencies and shortcomings because not doing so would be more dangerous than otherwise.

Saraki argued that since it has already been agreed by everybody that the oil and gas industry lacks transparency and openness, the only logical thing is to reform the sector and the best way of doing that would be by supporting the bill.

“We must address what is

giving students remedial programmes that will help them remedy their deficiencies in their ‘O Level’ for their normal regular admission.

“But in the course of drafting that law and creating that institution, it was given the status of a tertiary institution which means placing it at par with Colleges of Education and Polytechnics. But when you look at its nature of training, it doesn’t reach the level of higher institution. So, it was a misnomer to categorise it as an autonomous higher institutions.”

negative and inconsistent in the bill and move forward by passing it to the next stage.

Let us not take issues that are controversial and issues that will not make the bill to progress. We must let the bill progress to the second stage.

We have a responsibility to deliberate on the bill and come up with a better one than let this one die,” Saraki said.

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who also argued along the same lines as Saraki addressed the issue of host communities’ funds and wondered what anybody would lose if the fund is created. According to him, the fund will not be coming from the federation account but from the profits of the foreign oil companies. He said the fund is another way of insisting that the foreign oil companies comply with their social corporate responsibilities.

Other senators who also argued along the same line as Saraki and Okowa were Senators Helen Esuene, Bassey Otu, Ben Ayade and Nkechi Nwog.

overnor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has praised the nine All Progressive Congress (APC) governors for visiting Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

He said the visit by the nine governors had indicated that the security problem confronting Borno State was not as bad as it was painted.

Applauding the governors’ courage, Governor Aliyu said that the visit by President Goodluck Jonathan tomorrow to Borno is another opportunity to let people know the state is safe.

Aliyu spoke when the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of Nigeria Army, Maj-Gen. Baba Gana Monguno, visited him at the Government House in Minna.

He said: “The visit by

some governors to Maiduguri has made people to understand that things are not as bad as they think. And with the visit of President Jonathan on Thursday, Maiduguri will be opened to people that have been afraid to visit the city.

“Also, the Northern Governors’ Forum has set up committees to look at the situation in Maiduguri and we are making progress with the committees’ reports.”

Aliyu, however, stressed the need to prioritise intelligence gathering as a result of the current security challenges confronting the country.

He also stressed the need to prioritise discipline in the military, saying: “The military structure is based on discipline which is almost missing in the society today. We need this discipline so that it can be transferred to the civil society.”

FG hasn’t abandoned Ajaokuta steel company –Minister WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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inister of Steel and Mines Development, Alhaji Muhammed Musa Sada, said yesterday that the Federal Government has not abandoned the Ajaokuta Steel Company.

Sada said that the government is set to revamp the company.

The minister spoke during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the company and Reprom Company Nigeria Limited in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.

He said that with the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the Federal Government would resolve the pending legal battle between ASCL and the former concessioners, Global Infrastructure Holdings Limited, an Indian firm.

The minister, who was represented by an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Steel and Mines Development, Mr. Imeh Erikpo, commended the Sole Administrator and the Engineers for keeping the company’s equipment safe.

Sada said: “Any nation that fails to develop its steel

sector is doomed. The present effort by the Federal Government to revive the ailing Ajaokuta will be sustained.”

Also speaking during the signing of the MoU, the Sole Administrator, Mr. Joseph Isah Onobere, noted that the giant stride was made possible with the determination

by President Goodluck Jonathan to revive the company.

He said the signing of the agreement was a litmus test of the collective resolve and ability to make things work as management and staff of the company.

Onobere said: “Reprom Company Nigeria Limited has provided technical support to the steel plant since 2003 and conducted the technical audit of the plant. So, there is no doubt about its ability to perform.”

The involvement of the Ukrainians, who are the original designers of the steel plant under the old Soviet Union in Reprom, was an added advantage to the steel plan.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Reprom Company Nigeria Limited, Mr. Attah Achimugu, said his company was determined to inject life into the plant through the active operation of the Light Section Mill (LSM).

Wednesday March 6, 2013

2015: Constitution has final say on President’s eligibility –Tofa

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Politics

Budgeting: Senate moves to restore parliament’s powers

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Presidency blasts APC govs over visit to Borno OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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he Presidency has described the recent visit of some governors under the aegis of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to Borno State as an act of political desperation on the part of the governors and the par-

ties they represent.

It also said that the government will fish out the killers of the Kwara State Commissioner of Police who was murdered over the weekend in Enugu state.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said that

the visit of the governors to Borno was hurriedly packaged to pre-empt the visit of Mr. President which had been planned and scheduled several weeks ago.

Okupe said: “This is surely an act of crass opportunism and political desperation on the part of these governors and the party they represent.

“We regard that visit as a media circus, stunt and photo-ops by these governors who were apparently in Maiduguri to feather their political nests. If one may ask, where were these governors in the last 18 months that they had been in office? It is obvious that it is part of their mobilisation drive that took them to Bor-

L-R: Leader of the delegation of the German Parliament, Uwe Kekeritz; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Dorathee Janetxke-Wenxel during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly on Monday.

Reps seek penalties against employers TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

A

Bill to provide stiff penalties against employers in the country scaled second reading in the House of Representatives yesterday.

The law would punish late, non and underpayment of workers’ wages, pension and emoluments.

Speaker Aminu Tambuwal has referred the bill to the Committees on Public Service Matters and Labour and Productivity for further legislative action.

Leading the debate on the bill yesterday, Minority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN-Lagos), said the bill was borne out of the “recklessness violation of employees’ rights by their employers”.

He expressed disappointment that “it is only in Nigeria that workers are owed salaries ranging from three to six months and sometimes up to one year.”

FELIX NWANERI

I

ndications have emerged that the former chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Chief Olabode George, may have been tried in error by the Lagos State High Court, which sentenced him to two years imprisonment for contracts splitting and inflation in 2009.

Revelation by the Acting Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Government, Mr. O.T Olatigbe, according to documents made available to National Mirror shows that there was no fiat from his office - ordering the trial of George, a former National Vice Chairman (SouthWest) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Olatigbe, in a response to a memo by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, which requested for the fiat upon

no State rather than any patriotic call to duty. These are desperate power mongers who flock together in spite of their obvious conflicting political philosophies and inordinate ambitions.”

He challenged the opposition party to explain to Nigerians the benefits of the celebrated visit has brought to the citizens of Borno State and what effect it had on the activities of the Boko Haram sect which he said even carried out bomb attacks while the meeting was in progress.

“That visit which was borne out of sheer political recklessness could have caused Nigeria major security embarrassment but for the fact that the Federal Government and its security apparatus took extra efforts to ensure that the visiting governors were safe.

“Being elected officials, the onus was on the Federal Government to ensure that they were safe in spite of their being oblivious of the peculiar security impli-

cations and real potential dangers inherent in their hurriedly packaged visit.”

The presidential spokesperson swore that the government will spare nothing in ensuring that any murder of any Nigerian anywhere in the world is punished. He cited the example of the apprehension of those who carried out attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero recently.

He said isolated tragedies such as the killing of Asadu cannot be taken as an index of failed state as being labelled by the opposition parties “because if that was to be so, many nations of the world including some of the advanced countries would be termed failed states.

“All over Europe and America, criminals engage in killings and mass murder, even of school children and nobody in those countries laid the blame on the president or head of government talk less of using it to denigrate their countries as failed or failing state.”

Bode George tried in error, says DPP which the trial was based, said there was no record of any such fiat with his office.

It will be recalled that a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja division, presided by Justice Joseph Oyewole, had convicted George and five others over alleged contracts splitting and inflation and slammed them with a two-year jail term without option of fine.

They include the former Managing Director of the NPA, Arc. Aminu Dabo; Captain O. Abidoye; Alhaji Abdulahi Aminu Tafida; Alhaji Zanna Maidaribe and Engr. Sule Aliyu who was joined as 6th defendant after the charge was amended.

The DPP in the memo dated February 25, 2010, stated: “I contacted the legal adviser of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Chile on phone and he told me that the Lagos State

Attorney-General, gave EFCC the fiat to prosecute Chief Bode George at the Lagos State High Court, since the offence is a state offence and that no fiat was issued Mr. Festus Keyamo, and that it was the commission that engaged him for the matter, based on the fiat issued to it.

“Based on the above premise, it is my humble submission that EFCC failed to secure a fiat for Festus Keyamo to represent a Federal Government agency in court, and that action alone is fatal to the trial of Chief Bode George, for it is only a legal officer in the employment of the Federal Ministry of Justice or under the employment of EFCC that can prosecute any matter for EFCC without a fiat,” he said.

He also stressed the fact that the Federal Ministry of Justice always deploy competent legal officers to

EFCC to prosecute its cases.

The AGF had in a memo dated April 16 with reference no: HAGF/ EFCC/2010/1/47 and addressed to the chairman of the EFCC, requested to be furnished with “details of any fiat issued to Mr. Festus Keyamo to prosecute the case against George in the High Court of Lagos State and also defend the appeal arising therefrom to this office immediately.”

The order was prompted by a letter from Michael Lana, solicitor to George, who claimed to have perused records and could not find a copy of any fiat purportedly issued to Keyamo to prosecute the case or appear in the Appeal.

The first letter from Lana to the AGF was dated February 22, 2010 while a reminder was sent on March 10, 2010.

Consequently, the AGF sent a memo to the DPP for

verification of the claims.

But a reply by the Chief State Counsel, Mary Bamitale Baiyekusi, stated thus: “My inquiries from the DPP registry and colleagues in the Department revealed that: (i) the above cases are not on records in the DPP department. (ii) Chief Bode George and others were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. I am therefore of the opinion Michael Lana should be advised to liaise with the EFCC for necessary action.”

When contacted on the issue, Keyamo told National Mirror on phone that the issue had earlier been raised by George at the Court of Appeal, but he lost. “That issue was raised at the Court of Appeal and they lost. They have appealed to the Supreme Court, so let us wait for the Supreme Court to rule on it,” he said.

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Wednesday March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

2015: Jonathan/Sambo ticket torments opposition ABDULLAHI GARBA

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e are in the season of political anomie in Nigeria and the vultures are already searching for carrion.

The alarm bells are ringing where normality is undisturbed and the names and reputations of innocent people are the subject of sadistic imaginations of the character assassins. But it is all too familiar because it didn’t start today and will not end now that the lies are exposed. With 2015 fast approaching the do-or-die politicians are hitting and running without rhyme or reason.

The latest media sleaze prominently bandied by a national newspaper targets the unperturbed Vice-President Namadi Sambo with a trumped up story of ongoing moves to drop him from the presidential ticket ahead of the 2015 elections and even identifies his supposed replacement as “a fair complexioned governor from the North-West zone”. The VP, according to the warped imagination of the paper’s hackwriter, is out of favour because a phantom committee working on the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2015 strategy has suddenly found him to be politically unsuitable.

Were it not for the exclusive prominence the paper devoted to this fairy tale it was worthy to be ignored by any discerning mind. But using it as a lead story indicated much more than meets the eye, particularly as the newspaper has since surrendered its initial journalistic prowess to the desperate dictates of its owner and is now commonly disregarded in any other context. It is therefore certain that the formidable political power charging confidently ahead under the Jonathan-Sambo PDP flag is sending

THE JONATHAN-

SAMBO PRESIDENTIAL TEAM IS UNASSAILABLE BOTH ON ACCOUNT OF THE TIGHT INTERPERSONAL COMRADESHIP OF THE TWO PERSONALITIES AS WELL AS THE UNDISPUTED TRACK RECORD OF FOCUS AND PERFORMANCE shock-waves into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) ranks sufficient to necessitate malicious propaganda and wishful imagination. This rabid reaction is to be expected from a party that is so unsure of its chances at the next polls that it hysterically hounds other parties into a merger of desperate bid oblivious to its disabling incompatibilities.

Even the reporter loses his bearing as he cooks up improbabilities to support his untenable analysis. So in one sentence he refers to VP Namadi Sambo as being more technocrat than politician, a positive attribute which actually vindicates the assignment of enormous onerous responsibilities in strategic sectors to him by his impressed boss, Mr. President and debunks any notion of election liability. In another reference he ridiculously states that the PDP’s 2015 strategy is to get a VP “like Atiku” was to Obasanjo! Anyone else with even rudimen-

Sambo

tary political wisdom would recall the Atiku-Obasanjo partnership in presidency as the perfect recipe for treacherous political disaster. With these monumental assaults on logic and commonsense, the newspaper’s incompetence and mischief is glaring.

Such a cock-and-bull story however may also be feeding on the subterranean sentiments of certain elements whose loyalty to the PDP is shallow and highly dependent on their selfish interests. The mention of a fair-complexioned North-West governor is indicative of such fifth columnist antics because the unnamed governor has a track record of autocratic egotism that recognises no other interest than personal. In his state he is despised in political circles for temporary loyalty and brazen betrayal which he crassly displayed to his deceased benefactor in politics as well as high intolerance of superior performance and personality among

2015: Constitution has final say on President’s eligibility –Tofa AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

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ormer presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa yesterday said the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 election should be determined by the constitution rather than individuals or groups.

The former chairman of the Elders’ Committee of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), who spoke in Kano, noted that the controversy over the eligibility of the President to context the next poll was unnecessary because the constitution is clear on the tenure of elective officers, including that of the president.

Tofa insisted that the opinions of individuals on the matter are totally irrelevant and should be dismissed as hearsay, irrespective of the calibre of persons involved.

He said: “What we need to know as stakeholders is what the law says about President Jonathan’s situation and not what someone else says he heard or saw Jonathan signed. Our constitutional experts should be brave enough to speak on relevant sections of the appropriate law.

“If the law allows Jonathan to contest the election, then it is up to him and the PDP to decide whether he should or not.

But, if the law says he cannot, either because he is now serving his second term, or because he cannot be sworn in as president

Jonathan

three times, or because he cannot serve for more than eight years, then he just cannot contest and must forget about it.

“It is not for Jonathan or anybody to decide whether he can contest or not, it is for the law to determine that. The bottom line is that all this debate about what Jonathan said or what he promised is just a waste of time, we are not in a banana republic, as those who spread this hearsay seem to believe.”

He also urged leaders of the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) to

shun the temptation of zoning elective offices, particularly the presidency to avoid the rancour and confusion usually associated with such action.

According to him, the party should decide its flag bearers through the ballot and not by zoning, pointing out that every region should be given the opportunity to pursue its ambition on the platform of the APC in line with the constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act. His advice came against the back drop of calls for former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu to drop their presidential ambitions to pave way for a younger candidate to emerge as the APC’s presidential candidate.

Tofa said Buhari and Tinubu, and not their parties; the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are the important factors in the merger arrangement, expressing fear that the APC will not make any headway if their respective personal ambitions are edged out.

According to him, Buhari will lose his political relevance, while Tinubu will also lose his interest, insisting that such will be a serious blow to the APC. His words: “They (Buhari and Tinubu) must be allowed to aspire to whatever position they fancy, and let democracy determine their nomination for that position. If Buhari withdraws, 95 per cent of CPC is out.

his compatriots in the state. This fair-complexioned governor has a dark mind of intrigues and insatiable lust for power which perfectly fits his being touted as a “favourite” of the phantom committee.

Even at the national level and the very base of PDP incumbency there are characters whose frequent indiscretions and political philandering have earned them so much disrepute that their survival is solely a factor of the statesmanship of their bosses and yet they are incurable in their machinations of seeking undeserved favour by foul means. Any well-healed political prospector can hire their services and they will not hesitate to betray their benefactors. It is quite reasonable to posit that these are the spurious sources on which the newspaper relied for concocting its tall story of dissent in the presidency which however still remains a mere figment of those desperate to be seen to be aiding and abetting the desperate political agenda of its ambitious owner.

As far as the core leadership constituents of the PDP are concerned, the Jonathan-Sambo presidential team is unassailable both on account of the tight interpersonal comradeship of the two personalities as well as the undisputed track record of focus and performance in the execution of their acclaimed transformation agenda. Unlike the Atiku-Obasanjo odd mix, we have never heard of any crisis or dissatisfaction since President Goodluck Jonathan wisely chose Architect Namadi Sambo as his vice. It will take more than editorial dreams and ambitious fifth columnists to create smoke without fire.

Garba is a public affair analyst based in Abuja.

If Tinubu loses interest, 50 to 70 per cent of the funding is lost. But if they genuinely decide on their own without any pressure from anywhere to opt out and remain faithful to the new party, that will be a big credit to them. But, I do not see that happening without a serious loss to the new party.”

He also advised against the scheming out of any of the geo-political zones on the basis of zoning by the party, saying such will breed crisis that may derail APC’s focus.

“The other obstacle APC has to be really careful about is the exclusion nature of zoning. If they zone the presidency to the North and the vice presidency to the South-West or even South-South, the South-Easterners would have no place in the APC. And any Easterner who joins the APC would be seen as a traitor.

“The Igbos, who rightly have their eyes on the presidency this time round, need to be given the opportunity like everyone else to go to the primaries and try their luck.

That is democracy. But to say they are zoned out from the onset will be a serious goof.”

The best thing for the APC, Tofa recommended, is to have an open and free for all presidential primaries, adding that whatever leadership the party appoints now to run its affairs at the national level must be on an interim basis.

Its main role, he said, should be to organise congresses from the ward to the state levels and that it should be only after the conclusion of the party’s presidential primaries that the party should hold a convention to elect a national executive.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The Senate last week commenced moves to exert the National Assembly’s powers of control over the fiscal expenditure of the Federal Government henceforth. This was during the debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North), the soul of which was the power of appropriation by the legislature, writes GEORGE OJI

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Politics

Wednesday March 6, 2013

or so long, members of the National Assembly have continuously decried their declining control over the fiscal expenditure of the Federal Government.

This is not withstanding the provisions of section 80(3)(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which gives the parliament the overriding powers to prescribe the mode and manner of all public expenditure of the Federal Government.

What have been the practice over the years, especially in the recent years is that in the matter of national budgeting process the executive arm of government have been the one on the driving seat, dictating the pace; leaving the legislature with little or no inputs to make in the entire process. As one of the senators put it, “the current national budgeting process makes the legislature less involved and at best reactive, relying solely on the information provided by the executive arm of government. Under the current arrangement, there is an absence of a coherent and systematic means of exerting legislative control over the fiscal priorities of the Federal Government.”

Indeed, on several occasions, members of the National Assembly have at best condemned this rather regretable situation.

Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made to redress this rather very disturbing trend. During the presentation of the 2013 budget by President Goodluck Jonathan before the joint session of the National Assembly on October 10, last year, both the Senate President David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, made the point very clear, condemning the docile roles played by the National Assembly in the budgeting process.

Mark in particular had threatened at that occasion that henceforth the National Assembly will no longer act as a mere mechanical rubberstamp that will robotically pass budget estimates as presented to it by the executives. He stressed that the parliament was constitutionally empowered to make inputs to the budget and that what the constitution enjoins the president to do, was to lay before the National Assembly mere estimates and that once the estimates are so laid, the consideration of the figures become subject to the constitutionally prescribed modes of exercising legislative power.

Despite this well known position of the law, the lawmakers have either willingly shied away from exercising this known constitutional responsibility or have been influenced by the executive in usurping this very critical role. Even the weak attempt by the legislature in altering the 2013 budget estimates submitted to it by the executive resulted in the delay of the final passage of the budget into law. The delay,

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Budgeting: Senate moves to restore parliament’s powers which lasted for over two months, was occasioned by the opposition of the executive to the adjustment made in the budget by the lawmakers.

The motion last week by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, and entitled, “A Call for Review of National Planning and Budgeting Process,” was therefore seen by many senators as the first real move to redress this rather unfortunate practice of executive control of the budgeting and fiscal process. The motion sought in the main to return the national planning process and make it the driving force and key determinant of the yearly national budgeting that would ensure real economic growth.

This is because the existence of an open and inclusive national planning process will strengthen the powers of the parliament over public expenditure. This will be opposed to the current method of annual incremental envelop system, which is done by the finance ministry and the ministries, departments and agencies of government.

The motion was co-sponsored by 46 other senators.

In his lead presentation, Adetunmbi observed that national plans allow the government to develop a holistic perspective that promote equitable distribution of resources and drive targeted economic growth compared to the narrow approval of MDAs which is aimed at maintaining and or expanding resource allocation to them based on the annual incremental approach to budgeting.

He argued that what Nigeria needs is evidence-based budgeting that is rooted in a planning that is based on demographic information from a credible census and reliable socio-economic data from the national and state statistical bureau.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the current annual incremental envelopbased budgeting being used by the Federal Ministry of Finance is arbitrary and not pro-growth and is one of the factors that is responsible for the slow shift from recurrent to capital led annual budget in Nigeria.

According to Adetunmbi, what the country needs is to have a stronger national planning function that provides multi year national plan and undertake the necessary analysis of alternative planning scenarios, policies and strategies and bring together the line ministries, the private and voluntary sectors as well as the international community into an effective development partnership.

Finally, the lawmaker was of the strong belief that the national budget process can be better coordinated through the merger of planning and budgeting functions rather than operate as competing policy framework as is currently being done; while the finance ministry concentrates on public treasury and investments expenditure control as well as budget implementation monitoring.

Adetunmbi’s prayer was that the Senate should mandate its committees on National Planning and Finance to review the current national planning and budgeting linkage and recommend improvements.

Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba who seconded Adetunmbi’s motion stated that

Mark

THAT IS WHY WE HAVE A SITUATION TODAY WHERE NATIONAL PLANS THAT SHOULD DELIVER DEVELOPMENT,

EMPLOYMENT AND DELIVER PROJECTS ARE RATHER DELIVERING UNCOMPLETED PROJECTS,

UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY the question as to who has the ultimate responsibility for the budget process should by now have gone beyond doubt. He said the constitution is very clear that the power over appropriation resides with the National Assembly, stressing that worldwide, the power over appropriation is at the soul of the legislative business. The lawmaker urged those who believe that whatever proposals are brought from the executive to the National Assembly are scripture; either as the Bible or Koran to which no amendment can be allowed should now know that they are in error. He said if the ultimate responsibility for the budget responsibility resides with the National Assembly, it only means that the process of planning, which now ends in the yearly appropriation process, should also involve every critical stakeholder because the annual budget is only a segment of a plan and since the appropriation process resides in the National Assembly, it is only logical that the parliament should be part of the process that leads to the annual budgetary process.

Ndoma-Egba regretted that that is not the case now and there is a disconnect

between the body that has the ultimate responsibility for the appropriation and the body that does the planning.

According to him, “That is why we have a situation today where national plans that should deliver development, employment and deliver projects are rather delivering uncompleted projects, unemployment and poverty.” He said as long as our national planning and budget do not deliver wealth, completed projects, it means that there is something wrong with it.

According to the lawmaker, “Recurrent does not deliver development, it is capital that does. A situation where our recurrent is over 70 per cent we can only deliver poverty and not development. The time has come for us to take a surgical look at our planning process.”

Senator Barnabas Gemade’s worry was that the nation concentrates so much on the medium term strategy paper and the medium term expenditure framework, which is handed down by the budget office.

He expressed concern that the location of the budget office in our government is a serious problem to ensuring that the budget process is open, it’s free and participatory and can stand the test of time and satisfy the yearnings of the Nigerian people. He said over the years, the nation had a budget office that has moved from the Office of the National Economic Adviser to the Office of the president to the office of the minister of Finance and stated that the Budget Office should return to the National Planning Commission for effective planning and monitoring of the budgets.

Senator Tukur Mohammed Bello located the bane of the nation’s economy on the lack of proper planning and budgeting. He stated that as an arm of government that has the most important role in appropriation, the National Assembly needs to put in place a national plan that will be guiding it as to how to conduct the parliament’s function of appropriation annually and also make sure that the executive follows the appropriation laws that legislature passes and implement the budget judiciously.

Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba observed that experience has shown that national development plan in Nigeria has propelled development. Giving a brief historical analysis of national planning in Nigeria, the lawmaker said, “We adopted the system of national planning from the east; the Soviet Union and its allies. National development plans in those countries lay the foundation for development and when we adopted it in Nigeria we also led the foundation for development.

“From the five year national plan we moved to the rolling plans and we had three-year rolling plans and projects that were not completed in the three-year rolling plan were rolled over to the next plan and at the end of the day we found that projects were completed.”

At the end of the day, the senators resolved to mandate its committees on national planning and finance to review the current national planning and budgeting linkage and recommend improvements.

The committee was given four weeks within which to report back to the entire Senate.

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Obasanjo: The quintessential leader @ 76 EKE AGBAI Continued from yesterday

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n 1999, the prophecy of the supreme boss of Celestial Church of Christ at Makoko, Yaba, Rev. Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oschoffa that Obasanjo will rule again, came true. ‘There will in future be in the country some trouble that will involve Gen. Obasanjo and after the trouble, they will beg him to be Head of State again’ (Olusegun Obasanjo: PASSING THE TORCH by Ambassador Albert Omotayo - page 185). Twenty years later, Nigerians democratically elected him president under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The fight against corruption was a major priority for the new President, leading to the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the strengthening of the Code of Conduct Bureau. These agencies saw to the prosecution, conviction and imprisonment of many corrupt high profile public servants and politicians. This was the first of its kind in Nigeria and only Baba could have done it.

His administration attracted some of the best technocrats of Nigerian extraction globally. Baba is allergic to mediocrity and sought out the best minds. He didn’t care if they were people from the same geopolitical zone so long as they were the best.

At one time, he had almost nine Nigerians from the same area (not Yoruba) to oversee

major ministries and Nigerian capital market. They include the Ministries of Finance with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Transport Ojo Maduekwe, Aviation Kema Chikwe, Information Emeka Chikelu, Education Oby Ezekwesili, Central Bank Charles Soludo, Nigeria Stock Exchange Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Nigeria Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Arthur Mbanefo and his most trusted personal aide, Senator Andy Uba, a current serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Let me hastily say that Senator Uba has come to epitomize the virtue of true loyalty because of the way he served Baba. And for this, I pay Senator Uba a special salute as he prepares to contest and hopefully win the governorship race of Anambra State.

He is well groomed to govern Anambra State, restore her to the path of growth and prosperity. It is against this obvious public record that l unequivocally state that those who hold the view that President Obasanjo does not have a favourable disposition towards Ndi-Igbo are not in reconciliation with the facts.

When Baba left office in 2007, the economy had grown from 3% to 7% GDP. The Nigerian foreign reserve was only $2 billion when OBJ came into office in 1999, but by 2007 when he left office, it had risen to a whooping $43 billion. Through fiscal discipline, debt management and sagacious diplomacy, he secured $18 billion debt pardons from the Paris and London clubs and paid off another $18 billion to get the nation free of debt.

THE NIGERIAN FOREIGN RESERVE

$2 BILLION WHEN OBJ CAME INTO OFFICE IN 1999, BUT BY 2007 WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE, IT HAD WAS ONLY

RISEN TO A WHOOPING

$43 BILLION

Another major achievement was the telecommunications deregulation and liberalization policy, which ushered in an era of unprecedented mobile phone communications, easy ICT access, creation of associated investment and business activities with huge employment opportunities in the telecommunication sector.

On Africa, from 1976-1979, Obasanjo continued the 1960 Nigeria independence foreign policy, which was anchored on Africanisation and non-alignment. He exercised hegemonic influence by promoting African unity and getting other African nations secure independence. In carrying out this policy, Obasanjo saw to Nigeria’s full participation in the then Organization of African Unity (now African Union); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); Non-Aligned movement; Commonwealth and the United Nations.

He supported Angola’s independence

struggle from Portugal in 1976 by mobilizing diplomatic support for Popular Movement for Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and was instrumental to its recognition by OAU. In Namibia, Sam Nujoma’s SWAPO struggle against apartheid South African regime for independence could not have been realized if not for the huge support from OBJ. When it was unthinkable and unfashionable to do so, the liberation movement in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was supported with a huge sum of $20 million, paving the way for her independence in 1980.

In Mozambique, he sent military assistance to help the new independent nation to suppress the South African backed RENAMO guerrillas that constituted a significant threat to the peace and survival of the country. He mobilized and coordinated huge African pressure against South African apartheid government and clandestinely supported African National Congress (ANC).

Beyond Africa, Obasanjo’s administration opened up China’s new trade and investment frontier for Nigeria. China was one of the first countries OBJ visited upon assuming office in 1999. In 2002, he paid yet another visit to further strengthen the bilateral economic relations between the two countries.

To be continued Dr. Agbai, agbai.eke@gmail.com, is the Executive Vice President, Center for policy & Foreign Engagement, USA

Kema Chikwe’s ‘no vacancy in Aso Rock’ stance CHUKWUMA NNADI

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uring the recent presentation of “PDP Women in Power” Calendar 2013 in Abuja, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemafor Chikwe, a member of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was quoted to have said there would not be any vacancy in Aso Rock come 2015 as her party would still field Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

Whether President Jonathan would or would not run for presidency in 2015 should not be my concern. I am more interested in the current political fortunes of Dr. Chikwe with regards to her winning elections either for herself or for someone else. Interestingly, one of the criteria that made her anointing as PDP National Woman Leader possible was because she failed in her senatorial bid in 2011. If she had won the Owerri senatorial seat in the April 2011 general elections, the story would have been different.

Be that as it may, there are leaders that are ‘electable’ and also there are ones that are ‘unelectable’. Kema Chikwe was a minister in ‘Grade A’ ministries - Aviation and Transport - during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The Owerri-born politician also once headed the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Many quite familiar with her activities during this period in focus would say she used her vintage position only to upstage her then state governor, Chief Achike Udenwa, in terms of federal patronage. It is

I KNOW THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WILL MAKE

PRESIDENT JONATHAN STAY PUT IN ASO ROCK AFTER 2015 IS IF THE IJAW-BORN FORMER

ZOOLOGY LECTURER WINS A RE-ELECTION

said that she was highly controversial in Imo State and intimidated people at her home with impunity. With her privileged position then as a member of the Federal Executive Council then, her style was dropping the name of Mr. President in everything with the popular phrase ‘BABA SHI’ meaning ‘Obasanjo said’. He nick name later changed from “IGOLO” TO “BABA SHI, BABA ASHILA”. She was said to have also been involved in ‘anointing’ her preferred candidates in every PDP primaries, congresses or federal appointment etc. It is a notorious fact that all her anointed candidates always fail in the election proper.

However, ‘MADAM BABA SHI’ was sent on a ‘political exile’ when she was appointed Ambassador to Ireland and later to Iceland. Interestingly, it could be observed that the political positions Kema held were all by appointment. It was ex-Governor Ikedi Ohakim that brought her back from the said ‘political exile’ and ‘lured’ her into contesting the senatorial seat for Owerri

Senatorial Zone.

Prior to the 2011 elections, including yours truly did not know that this controversial grand-mother was a political anathema. We did not know that the 2011 senatorial election was going to be a pay-back time for her for the embattled ‘Amazon’ allegedly stepped on powerful toes in her days as a minister. Incidentally, Ohakim influenced Kema’s emergence as the PDP flag-bearer even against the popular votes of the party. Having missed her there, the next point was to wait for her during the general election, where she was denied her bid. Her misfortunes also rubbed on Ohakim.

I know that the only thing that will make President Jonathan stay put in Aso Rock after 2015 is if the Ijaw-born former zoology lecturer wins a re-election. With the way things are happening in the country now, I foresee a situation where incidents of rigging in 2015 will not be a general rule as it used to be. If so, how could people like Kema, who have lost political acceptability and relevance at home, win votes for Mr. President or PDP come 2015 in her senatorial zone? It is going to be a mission impossible. I stand to be challenged.

Re-election of an incumbent, just like other election, is not by power or might.

Kema should realize that time has passed when ‘Kashim Formula’ and rigging no longer hold sway in Nigerian politics.

Now, power comes from God and sovereignty belongs to the people. Therefore, if Kema had been wise enough, knew diplo-

macy and politics very well and wanted to add value to Mr. President’s so called re-election come 2015, she would have realized that Mr. President needs to canvass and beg for votes from the people to be reelected.

In another vein, as a member of the National Working Committee of her party, I did not expect this kind of statement from Kema. It is too patronizing, immature and counter-productive. It means that the National Working Committee of the PDP will no longer associate itself with free and fair primaries when the time comes as a candidate is already anointed.

It is only an empty vessel that makes the most sound. Therefore, I see the said declaration as a proof that Mrs. Chikwe, having discovered her emptiness, now resorts to deceit and sycophancy so as to justify her present position in the PDP. Kema’s political value has indeed expired.

Therefore, it is my humble advice that the ‘old horse’ should go retire and go and take care of her very old husband who has been missing her all these years.

Comrade Nnadi Emekuku, Imo State

wrote

from

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Endless repair of Third Mainland Bridge

he controversy dogging the fitness or otherwise of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos climaxed lately with a report credited to the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, which said the Federal Government has engaged the services of a consultant, ICECON Nigeria Limited, to urgently investigate the whole substructure of the bridge to determine the extent of maintenance work required. The latest repair works on the bridge commenced in July last year and ended just last November. The work gulped about N1.5 billion, according to reports. But the contractor that handled the rehabilitation, Borini Prono Nigeria Limited, had hardly left the site when a fresh alarm was raised that the 11.8 km bridge commissioned in 1990 might collapse if urgent remedial measures were not undertaken. A consultant who handled the post-assessment of the repair project was said to have discovered that the job was not thoroughly done.

The works minister, at a recent meeting in Abuja with the Senate Committee on Works, reportedly said

THE ENDLESS REPAIR MUST NOT BE TURNED TO A DUBIOUS PLOY TO DRAIN PUBLIC COFFERS although serious steel casing corrosion was noticeable, “the steel casing has no structural function regarding pile bearing capacity, as they simply served as form works to the R.C Piles.” He said a former consultant was behind the fabrication of the story that the Third Mainland Bridge was at the verge of collapsing. According to him, the consultant had estimated that N33 billion would be required to repair the bridge, but that his ministry did not approve the outrageous cost. Onolememen said the FG would not need more than N5 billion to carry out fresh repair works on some portions of the bridge.

However, beyond all the technical jargons injected into the controversy so far, it would seem all is still not well with the Third Mainland Bridge. For a strategic bridge that accommodates

roughly 70,000 vehicles on daily basis, according to Lagos State Ministry of Transportation sources, it is pathetic that giving it the required rehabilitation has turned a cock and bull story. It was about 2006 that experts and commuters plying the bridge started complaining that it was vibrating and needed urgent attention.

When eventually the FG made up its mind to work on the bridge, how come the coterie of government consultants and the Federal Ministry of Works officials were not thorough enough in “determining the extent of maintenance work required?” Why the sudden realisation less than four months after the last major repair work? We recall that while Borini Prono Nigeria Limited was still reparing the bridge last year, members of the House of Representatives’ Sub-Committee on Works visited the company’s managers purportedly for “an on-the-spot assessment of work on the bridge and other projects”.

Why were the lawmakers unable to detect the defects? Were they at the site for a jamboree? Besides, even before the renovation

commenced, many canvassed that Julius Berger Plc which originally built the bridge should be given the job, all to no avail.

By the time the FG is through with its consultants and is able to determine the extent of maintenance work required, it is not unlikely that the bridge would be shut again for the N5 billion repairs to be effected; and Lagosians would be subjected to yet another round of grueling traffic experience and inconveniences as were witnessed between July and November last year. It is quite unacceptable making ordinary Nigerians to always suffer because of the ineptitude of public officials.

The FG should get its consultancy and repair of the Third Mainland Bridge right this time, considering the calamitous consequences of allowing the facility to cave in. In addition, the endless repair must not be turned to a dubious ploy to drain public coffers, especially now that most politicians appear more interested in planning for their 2015 ambitions than serving the people. Nigerians should insist on value for money.

ON THIS DAY March 6, 2008 A Palestinian gunman shot and killed eight students and critically injured 11 others in the library of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, a religious school in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1924 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook; after which the gunman himself was shot dead. According to one survivor, Mijael Mendelson, the attack began at about 8:36 p.m. local time. and ended about twenty minutes later.

March 6, 1983 The first United States Football League game was played. The United States Football League (USFL) was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased. The USFL was conceived in 1965 by New Orleans, Louisiana, businessman David Dixon.

March 6, 1957 Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan country to gain Independence from the British. The Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.

The word Ghana means “Warrior King” and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire. Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms.

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Health & Wellbeing UN calls for extension of agreement to provide affordable life-saving drugs for the poor

Pregnant women should seek medical help from competent personnel

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Diabetic? Eat what you like TOBORE OVUORIE

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re you diabetic and restricted to a meal of beans and unripe plantain – a meal most Nigerians living with diabetes are made to believe is the only right food for them? This piece of news should be of interest to you. Experts say you can eat any food you can lay your hands on available to you even with your condition. There’s however a caveat: you must do so in moderation.

This was revealed yesterday by Dr. Femi Oyegbile, a Permanent Secretary with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, during the launch of the insulin support centre at the General Hospital, Ikorodu, Lagos state.

The Insulin Centre is a one-stop shop set up by Novo Nordisk, a global health care company with its headquarters in Denmark: The centre will see to the conducting of diabetes care training for the key stakeholders such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and peer educators, as well as ensuring availability of insulin at GHI. All these are to ensure that insulin is sold at affordable price – lower than N50 for a day use while patients are educated on how to live healthier lives.

According to Dr. Oyegbile, living with diabetes is neither a death sentence nor a restriction to living life to the fullest.

“With proper education about wellness; people living with diabetes can still live normal and healthier lives” he revealed to National Mirror.

A Nigerian Mrs. Grace Ayokanbi confirmed Dr. Oyegbile’s stance. Speaking in an exclusive interview with National Mirror yesterday, she revealed that for the past 50 years, she has been eating anything and living a normal life.

“I have been living with diabetes for the past 50 years and have been eating and living a normal life. I was born with the condition because I inherited it from my parents.

“There’s no food a diabetic patient cannot take, if he or she has the right information at the finger tips as education about wellness is paramount to living a rich and fulfilled life notwithstanding the condition.

“For instance, unlike the general belief out there, a diabetic can actually eat eba, semo or wheat but when this is eaten, it must be followed by physical activities so that he or she can use the energy at that particular time. But the physical activities must not be so strenuous. It could be cleaning, mopping, being active in the kitchen or washing. At least, do something to burn down that energy” she stated.

You can never guess that Mrs. Ayokanmi is diabetic as she looks so beautiful,

…but in moderation

Diabetes affects all ages, race and sex, but can be detected on time through frequent medical check up.

Mrs. Ayokanbi

radiant and full of life. She says the secret to her youthful radiance is arming herself with vital information about wellness and the health condition.

For instance, she reveals further that one of the most important things diabetics will do for themselves in order to live life to the fullest as she is doing, is taking a lot of vegetables, water and fruits. And of course rest!

“The important thing is taking a lot of vegetables, a lot of water and a lot of fruits.

And we need rest because it is not all the time we’re supposed to be active. But all these must be taken in the right proportion, that is, not too much and not too small. And

Vice President, African Gulf, Novo-Nordisk, Mr. Mads Bo Larsen inaugurating the insulin clinic at the General Hospital, Ikorodu, yesterday.

we are not supposed to take all fruits because we don’t take the ones that are sweet; we take fruits like cucumber, garden eggs, and when in season, wall nuts”.

Records indicate that diabetes is emerging as the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) with strong link to a large number of cases of heart attacks and hypertension, especially among black people.

The diabetes situation in Nigeria is not different from the global trend which shows that the condition kills one person every eight seconds.

According to experts, no fewer than 239 million Africans between the ages of 20 to

79 years would be diagnosed with diabetes come 2030, while a large number of these will be Nigerians. Unfortunately, a majority of people with diabetes in the country do not have access to treatment thus dying in silence while those who do, spend nothing less than 20,000 naira every month on medication. This is a major issue the Novo Nordisk insulin centre is addressing. According to the company’s Vice President, African Gulf and India, Mr. Mads Bo Larsen, “the centre targets low income earners living with the condition in order to alleviate the burden of affordability of their medication since insulin will be sold at very reduced rate in the centre. And this, with time, will be replicated all over the country”.

This ailment which does not discriminate against age, race and sex is responsible for no fewer than four million lives lost every year, no fewer than one million amputations done in a year as well as most of the manpower hour lost in most organizations worldwide. It is actually one of the major underlying causes of death among those living with other ailments. Worldwide, diabetes has been discovered to be one of the five major killers of humans at all age levels.

Even four-year-old kids are today being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes requiring them to take two injections a day. Unfortunately, most of these people do not even know that they are diabetic.

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Health & Wellbeing

SCIENCE Nearly 1 in 4 women with breast cancer report PTSD symptoms, study finds

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study by researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYorkPresbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, has found that nearly one in four women (23 percent) newly diagnosed with breast cancer reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shortly after diagnosis, with increased risk among black and Asian women.

The research has been e-published ahead of print in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“This study is one of the first to evaluate the course of PTSD after a diagnosis of breast cancer,” said lead author Alfred I. Neugut, MD, PhD, the Myron M. Studner Professor of Cancer Research, professor of medicine and epidemiology, at Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons and Mailman School of Public Health, and a member of the HICCC. “We analyzed interview responses from more than 1,100 women,” said Dr. Neugut. “During the first two to three months after diagnosis, nearly a quarter of them met the criteria for PTSD, although the symptoms declined over the next three months. Younger women were more likely to develop symptoms of PTSD, and data suggest Asian and black women are at a more than 50 percent higher risk than white women.”

The 1,139 research participants were part of the Breast Cancer Quality of

Care Study (BQUAL). Between 2006 and 2010, women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, stages I to III, over the age of 20 were recruited from NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City; the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit; and Kaiser-Permanente in Northern California. Each participant completed three phone interviews. The first was two to three months after diagnosis and before the third chemotherapy cycle, if the patient was receiving chemotherapy. The second interview was four months after diagnosis, and the third was six months after diagnosis.

“The ultimate outcome of this research is to find ways to improve the quality of patients’ lives,” said Dr. Neugut, who is also an oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. “If we can identify potential risk factors for PTSD, when women are diagnosed with breast cancer, we could provide early prevention and intervention to minimize PTSD symptoms. This approach might also have an indirect impact on the observed racial disparity in breast cancer survival.”

The research team believes that these findings may apply to patients with other cancer diagnoses as well. Dr. Neugut noted that in previous research, symptoms of PTSD have been reported following prostate cancer and lymphoma diagnoses.

Men married to women with higher incomes more likely to use ED drugs

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f that headline doesn’t grab your attention, new research from Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School on the “Psychological and Sexual Costs of Income Comparison in Marriage” should.

The study, by Lamar Pierce, PhD, professor of strategy at Olin, and colleagues in Denmark, shows that men married to women with higher incomes are more likely to use erectile dysfunction medication than their male breadwinner counterparts.

Pierce and his co-authors Michael S.

Dahl and Jimmi Nielsen based their research on data collected in Denmark.

Their paper is published this month in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The researchers looking at more than 200,000 married couples in Denmark from 1997 to 2006 also found that wives who outearned their husbands were more likely to suffer from insomnia and to use anti-anxiety medication.

They did not find these effects for unmarried couples or for men earning less than their wives prior to marriage.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The Health Beat Sam Eferaro

eferaro@yahoo.co.uk 08094082123 (sms only)

The amorous employer at Civil Service Commission

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irst we need to acknowledge the fact that Nigeria has very good civil servants who can hold their own anywhere in the world. In spite of our reputation as a leading corrupt nation in the globe, I believe we still have many civil servants who are incorruptible, godly and very honest in all their dealings. Also, inspite of the fact that we have for long sacrificed patriotism, merit and selfless service on the altar of self interest, tribalism, nepotism and favouritism, there are still some civil servant who believe in merit and fairness in what they do.

I must say however that this class of people are greatly outnumbered by the thieves and corrupt individuals in our civil service who go about without conscience. Obviously, this is why our nation seems to be crawling in every area of development and without much to show for our oil wealth. No matter what you say, I believe the military would not have succeeded in all those vices that led to the gross under-development of the country without the active connivance of our civil servants. I believe the civil servant cannot be exonerated from the looting of our wealth and resources by politicians even in present times. I can tell you, nothing has changed even with all the crusades on corruption and with EFCC, ICPC etc in place.

Just some weeks ago, the Civil Service Commission organised a test and interview for some professionals for employment in the civil service. One of the candidates is a young beautiful career lady who has just returned to the country from Europe and is searching for an avenue to serve her fatherland.

From my information, the young lady did very well in both the written and oral tests and was pencilled down for a job. I really pray she gets the job but then the Civil Servants are already displaying their character, Two weeks ago, the lady received a call from an officer in the Civil Service Commission. First, she was asked if she knew anyone in the Civil Service Commission.

“And you don’t think you should see us in the office if you really want a job?”

The officer retorted when she answered in the negative. “We need to know you. I advise that you come and see me immediately,” he said and promptly gave her the office address and fixed an appointment for 11 am that same day.

The young lady was flustered. In a serious panicky state, she called her pastor for prayers, her mum for advice and anyone who could be of help for advice.

Virtually everyone agreed that the man could not have been acting in an official capacity. The counselling poured in.

Those who knew the pranks of our civil

THE CIVIL SERVANT CANNOT BE EXONERATED FROM THE LOOTING OF OUR WEALTH AND RESOURCES BY POLITICIANS EVEN IN PRESENT TIMES servants advised her to “dress down,” wear a wedding ring and pose like a “respectable” married woman (as if that bothers the Abuja man) She was also advised to discreetly record her conversation with the man.

Off the young lady went to the Civil Service Commission. At 11am prompt she was ushered in to the man’s office.

Of course, our man gave only his first name (and you can’t be so sure that was his real name). After welcoming the lady and looking her up from head to toe, he offered her a seat and repeated his earlier conversation.

Well, he said, he had only invited her so that they, at the Civil Service Commission would know the type of person being offered an employment. He wondered how she could have got to that stage when she didn’t know anyone. Then he opened up. What will she give the Commission if she’s employed? The lady feigned ignorance and this did not go well with our man.

“Are you not a Nigerian?” He retorted?

“Well you know I’ve lived almost all my life outside Nigeria,” she replied.

After a long pause, our man found his voice again. “Do you have at least two or three sisters that you can pass on to us in the commission if you are employed?”

“You mean for employment? Well I’m sorry. I’m the last child of my parents so I don’t have any sibling that will want to join the civil service,” she answered, still continuing her ignorant stance.

“So where are you going from here?” he probed further.

By now the lady had known what he wanted from her and was quite set to talk her way out.

“Oh! I’ll be going to pick my three children from school,” she lied.

To cut the story short, our man would like to “go out” with the lady or her sisters if she is not available. In the end, sh did not really get what he wanted. But he made it clear that she may not get the job either.

I pray it’s an empty threat because his own job could be on the line too. The lady has the conversation on tape!

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Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Pregnant women should seek medical help from competent personnel –Gynaecologist Medically, what are the symptoms of pregnancy?

Some get worse when they brush in the morning. And they start vomiting. Malaria is endemic and loss of appetite is a factor too. We have the early and the late symptoms. Feeling dizzy, loss of interest in the environment. Itchy or tingly sensation in the breast, some have difference in their urine which is yet to be evidence based. Some will do urine test and they will confirm that they are pregnant. It also involves crampy pain on the lower part of the abdomen. There are several other symptoms but I don’t want to start taking it system by system because pregnancy differs. There are things that will happen in your heart, lungs on your skin, darker skin and the likes. It is referred to a stage of reduced immunity. Some will start having vaginal discharge; some will start having acne ordermatitis. Some even come down with chicken pox. It is a stage of reduced immunity because generallyall hormones are acting all at the same time and some of them are depressing the effects of the other hormones that are supposed to protect the pregnant woman. The physiology is such that the body will adjust because we are producing an hormone and it has to be balanced. But where there is imbalance in the hormones, the woman can actually crash down. Some women have cervical incompetence which leads to repeated miscarriages.

There could also be some structural anomaly inside the woman’s reproductive tract that could leads toher cervix to be incompetent. But usually, what causes miscarriages in the first three trimesters is called Chromosomal abnormality i.e. if the baby is not well formed; nature has a way of bringing down such babies because they are well formed. Nature has a way of preventing babies from coming to life when they are bad.

No one will ever love to have a baby without an eyes, nose or mouth. So, nature will make the thing just crash down. It could be very sad for the woman, more so if it is the pregnancy she has been looking for. Especially when it is the first conception of a newly married couple. In simple term, all other body system used to have their changes during pregnancy.

We also usually have the dermatological condition. There could be changes arround their nipples; I mean the areola region becomes dark. These are part of the means through which doctors detect women that have been pregnant before, you have line on the abdomen.It is a line under the umbilical cord. Some people can have dermatitis, acne;we can also have the cardiovascular changes. I mean her blood pressure will be reduced contrary to her normal blood pressure. If she was at 120/80 before, she can come down as low as 100/50. Some women can become anaemic. Their blood level can fall which is the reason why we give them hematinic that is the blood forming drugs because the blood that they use alone before pregnancy is now being shared between them and the baby. This means they will need more blood. You check their eyes and find out that they look pale. The face may not

Dr Fatimah Rabiu is a Gynecologist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). In this interview with LATEEFAH IBRAHIM-ANIMASHAUN, she recounts the tell tale signs of pregnancy and advises expectant mothers to register early for antenatal care to prevent avoidable complications and also to ensure a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. Excerpts:

Rabiu

be as red as it should be. The mouth may not also be as red as it should be. Their palms too may appear pale and these changes are as a result of hormonal and fluid changes.

Why does a woman need antenatal care?

Here, we have gone beyond the preconception care. We do the Urinalysis for the woman. We take her weight, her height, take her urine. We want to know her. We want to know her history. Why hasn’t she ben pregnant before. We want to know her history.

The previous, pregnancy, did she carry the pregnancy to term? Did she deliver the pregnancy on her own? Did she have a surgery for delivering? Did she have a caesarean section? What was the risk implication? Was she hypertensive? Does she have hypertension? Was the baby too big? Was that the reason why the baby was brought out through the abdomen? We do several investigations and screen her for HIV, Hepatitis and for other things. We check her urine and make sure everything is ok.when they come for ante natal, we now book them for low risk pregnancy and high risk pregnancy. Low risk means the doctor has not been able to identify anything that is suspicious or worrisome. High risk means he has something that he needs to take a look at. We need to take a special culture. Is it a viable pregnancy or it is a pregnancy that is accompanied

WE SHOULD AVOID REGISTERING IN DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE YOU END UP DELIVERING IN A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY HISTORY by habitual miscarriages? At this point, you want to give out drugs. Malaria is endemic.

We give her malaria drugs. We do scan to ensure the baby is ok. We get the gestational age of the baby. We get the date she saw her menses last and calculate her Expected Date of Delivery (EDD). And the EGA, Estimated gestational age. We want to know that everything corresponds and ensure there is no disparity. Disparity can occur when there is you measure her tommy and you make sure it is growing according to the number of weeks we’ve calculated with her last period of menstruation.

How do you manage pregnant women when they come for ante natal care?

If a woman is hypertensive, we want to make sure that her blood pressure is okay before she conceives. Extreme cases happen when a woman has a cardiac problem, if a woman has tuberculosis. If a woman has HIV/ AIDS virus. We have to make sure that she is optimized. There are some drugs she needs to take that will prevent her from transmitting the virus to the babies. Diabetes mothers can give birth to babies that have chromosomal anomalies. We want to make sure that diabetes is controlled. Even sickle cell in the patients. All these medical conditions need preconception care. Even an individual that appears normal needs preconception care. That is when we will do a full medical checkup. We even scan her and make sure that her womb is okay. After that, we now confirmed she’s ok.

What are the likely complications that could arise from pregnancy?

A lot of complication could occur during pregnancy. Complications could arise during the antenatal period, intra partum period, and the post-partum period. I can approach those complications from these 3 directions. We can call some the early late and after delivery complications. During the early period, some people have extreme vomiting that is so much that it leads to electrolyte imbalance. This makes them very weak and will be warranting hospital attention. Some will be having threatened abortion. There could be anemia, iron deficiency.

The lady should also have reactions, for example, some react to drugs that contain sulphurnamides. Some can even come down with malaria that is resistant to some drugs.

And this stage being a stage of reduced immunity, during labour, there could be complications when the baby is too big. And we have to conduct a caesarian section on the mother so as to deliver safely. There could be some unforeseen circumstances that cannot make the doctor to be rest assured that a particular woman who is about to deliver will have an hitch-free delivery. Some can even have rupture of the uterus and we can go in to suture her. Somemight have high blood pressure, some with cardiac compromise.

What can be done by individuals to avoid these risks?

Go for pre conception care, antenatal clinic, we should avoid registering in different places where you end up delivering in a place where they have little or no knowledge about your pregnancy history. You don’t just register anywhere. You register under trained personnel or an obstetrician and theywill tell you when things are going wrong or going normal. Follow the instructions given to you by your health care providers. Use your drugs well, do your scan.

When the doctor tells some people that they have hypertension in pregnancy they run away to healing homes. They even go as far as getting healing dates from the healers. They don’t come to the hospital until they are ready to die.

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Health & Wellbeing

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UN calls for extension of agreement to provide affordable life-saving drugs for the poor TOBORE OVUORIE

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he United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have urged members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to consider the special needs and requirement of Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

and extend their transition period to comply with the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) this week.

The two United Nations agencies last week called for the renewal of an agreement that allows the world’s poorest countries to access lifesaving drugs at costs they can afford, stressing that failing to do so would jeopardize

crucial treatment for HIV/ AIDS and other diseases for those who need it the most.

“Access to affordable HIV treatment and other essential medicines is vital if least developed countries are to achieve the healthrelated and other Millennium Development Goals,” Administrator of the UN Development Programme Helen Clark said, referring to the eight anti-poverty tar-

gets that include halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal access for treatment of this disease to all those who need it by 2015.

Established in 1995, the TRIPS agreement sets minimum standards for various forms of intellectual property regulation at a global scale, including medical drugs. However, patent protection is a factor that drives

up drug costs, making many essential treatments unaffordable for LDCs. “An extension would allow the world’s poorest nations to ensure sustained access to medicines, build up viable technology bases, and manufacture or import the medicines they need,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

The 49 UN-designated LDCs are home to some of

the world’s most vulnerable people and bear considerable health burdens.

In 2011, some 9.7 million of the 34 million people living with HIV worldwide were in these countries. Of that number, 4.6 million were eligible for antiretroviral treatment, in accordance with the 2010 World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, but only 2.5 million were receiving it.

UNESCO seeks entrenchment of biotechnology in Africa TOBORE OVUORIE

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he United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation, UNESCO wants African governments to commence popularisation of biotechnology as the surest route to drive development in the continent.

The recommendation came at an international seminar on biotechnology held to formally commission the International Centre for Biotechnology, UNESCO Category 2 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka recently.

Speaking, Director of Basic Sciences, Professor Maciej Nalecz, said biotechnology would enable Africa leapfrog competition from other continents because “it

already has its hubs, so it does not need to be started from zero.’’

He said advocacy for and popularisation of biotechnology is needed in Africa in order to tackle agricultural-related issues such as food and nutrition safety, drought-resistant plant and tissue culture; health-related issues like tropical diseases, vaccines, pharmaceuticals; biomedical engineering such as artificial organs; energy issues biomass; and, material sciences, nanotechnology and many others.

For UNESCO, biotechnology is imperative in Africa.

Nalecz justified the call stating that “’The issues of food and nutrition security and tropical diseases remain prime development challenges facing the African

continent and there are tremendous opportunities to harness the power of modern biotechnology in addressing these challenges’’.

To stimulate biotechnology development, Nalecz urged authorities to create physical infrastructure in critical platform technologies and use it to support education and training, create human directly suited to industry needs to drive research and development.

The Biotechnology conference marked the official commencement of the International Centre for Biotechnology, UNESCO Category 2, University of Nigeria, Nsukka as a UNESCO Centre following the signing of the MOU between Nigeria and UNESCO in October 2012.

AHF mobilises 2000 corps volunteers for food safety awareness campaign DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

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eginning from next month, the Africa Hope Foundation (AHF) would mobilise no less than 2000 corps volunteers into the Nigeria streets in continuation of its mission, of sensitizing the populace especially the artisan, on the dangers of improper hygiene in handling of foods.

The NGO was established to carter for the need of food safely particularly on part popular food vendors that are mostly located by the roadsides. According to the Founder and President of AHP, Princess Edith Ugwuanyi, the NGO was found many years ago in United

Ugwuanyi

States of America, Texas to be precise, with the view to coming home in Nigeria to help cause positive change in the standard of living. It was initially based on three models, one in the area of cancer awareness and treatment, the second is food safety and hygiene and thirdly on women and youth empowerment

programme.

When Princess Ugwuanyi came to Nigeria after 27 years stay in USA, she was forced to start with breast clinics, starting with local government councils in Enugu state, particularly in Igboeze South LGA but the food safety group came up and saw that it was something that touches everybody in the country and she decided to take up the food safety programme despite the fact that it is very capital intensive but the NGO has so far done well.

The Food safety campaign was flagged off in Edo state on June 2012 and between then and now, the NGO has have flagged off 8 states including Enugu state.

Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Bartho Okolo (m) welcoming the Director, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, New Delhi, India, Prof. Dinakar Salunke to the meeting of the Advisory Board of the International Centre for Biotechnology, UNESCO Category 2 at the university on Tuesday. With them, (left) the Director/Executive Secretary, International Basic Sciences Programme, UNESCO Headquarters, M.Nalecz.

FG adopts new plan on maternal and Child Health MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

T

he Federal Government has adopted a strategy known as MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) to address the problem of maternal and child care in Nigeria.

The initiative is expected to help proffer solutions to the challenges of accelerating progress with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), identifies priorities on the area of interventions that would help reduce the high level of maternal mortality in the country.

It is also hoped to assist in fast-tracking prioritization of interventions and remove bottlenecks that stand in the ways of implementing these interventions.

Delivering a keynote address in Abuja, yesterday at a two day workshop organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, in conjunction

with Development For International Development (DFID) with theme “ MDGs Acceleration Framework Technical Workshop” Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu said MAF had been tested and proven by other countries to be a an accepted policies to engender progress through capacity building.

The Minister noted that MAF would help fast track the health sector efforts aimed at accelerating progress towards the MGDs by 2015.

Prof Chukwu noted that government and other nongovernment had made a lot of efforts to reduce the scourge to the barest minimum.

He added: “We welcome the MAF initiative as it will help refocus and fast-track the achievement of the MDGs. It is our expectation at the Federal Ministry of Health that the application of MAF will fasttrack progress and performance improvement.”

“This is in line with existing Health sector effort aimed at accelerating progress towards the MDGs by 2015. With respect to MDG 5, the Health sector has made a lot of progress and expects to build urgently on these gains to meet the gaps and achieve the set target” “The MAF relies on evidence that there is a range of tried and tested policies which when adapted to national contexts, will ensure MDGs progress especially where there is the leadership, capacity and funding to implement them.” “ Lancet estimates put our current Maternal Mortality ratio at 487.1 per 100,000 live births (NDHS 2008 has the figure at 545 deaths per 100,000 live births). This figure, when compared to the estimated 800 deaths/100,000 live births by FMOH in 2006, represents an appreciable improvement in the country’s maternal mortality ratio.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Arts Lounge Tinubu’s book on political economy for launch

Paid employment is embarrassing to me –Skill 1

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Presidential dinner and options for a modern Nollywood@20 The movie industry gathered last week for a dinner at the State House in Marina, Lagos hosted

by President Goodluck Jonathan to kick-start Nollywood @20.

Aside the convivial ambience, it was another platform to analyse the industry under several perspectives. But here are things that could be gained or lost from such soirées.

NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

President Jonathan unveiling a pictorial book titled Icons of Nollywood at the dinner

H

aving a state dinner hosted for people in the movie industry by a President is not common anywhere in the world. Perhaps, during the military regime in Nigeria, no one would have heard of it. In the past two years, Nigeria’s creative industry, especially the film sector, has had the privilege of having audience with the President thrice.

Each time this happens, however, it throws up a new ray of light in the horizon for the industry’s practitioners. For instance, in 2010, during the celebration of Silverbird Entertainment’s 30th anniversary, the President announced a $200million lifeline to the industry, which he also went ahead to stress during another dinner with the creative industry a few months later.

Although these were happening as a build up to the 2011 general elections, it has gone ahead to bring some respite for the creative industry. While over N760m has been assessed by various companies involved in the sector from finance houses like the Bank of Industry, BoI, and the Nigerian Export Import Bank, NEXIM, it has highlighted the interest of the Federal Government in making the creative industry an income earner that it is supposed to be. It has also revealed the zeal of the current regime to create employment through the empowerment of the creative sector.

Perhaps the latest dinner, which held last week, holds more prospects of repositioning the industry than previous ones. President Goodluck Jonathan, during the course of the event, had announced a N3billion package that would help the industry settle its critical challenges in funding for production, manpower development and replacement of obsolete infrastructures. This, according to him would be done by the Ministries of Finance and the Culture and Tourism

L-R: Uche Jombo-Rodriguez, Joke Jacobs and Genevieve Nnaji at the presidential dinner in Lagos

under ‘Project Nollywood’ scheme which would be launched next month!

“Nollywood has already achieved great success, but it must not rest on its laurels”, he said. “Our producers, scriptwriters, actors, actresses and others who work in the movie industry must, therefore, continue to work with zeal to further improve on the quality and content of their productions. In the last 20 years, you have become an export item for Nigeria. I challenge you to become the major export item in the next 20 years. Our national income is currently dominated by the oil sector.

I believe that with continued hard work, Nollywood could begin to challenge the oil sector’s domination in the years ahead”.

While this is a formidable presidential recognition, how the parties involved (government and industry) have been going about this has remained an issue of controversy. Some people have consistently perceived such gatherings as a political ploy, while others see it as a move by a few people in the industry to position themselves as the champions of the industry for their personal benefits. A few others involved in other creative endeavours that are not as flamboyant as the movies and music, have often complained of margin-

alisation on account of this.

But how can the entire industry be part of deliberations from such rare presidential retreats with Nigeria’s creative sector?

A film director, Dickson Iroegbu, who was at the dinner, told Arts Lounge that it is a welcome development when weighed against the backdrop that the industry is now getting the ears of the people who matter in government. “The presidential dinner was not all about eating and drinking. First of all, it is an endorsement for the film industry. For the president of the country to give audience to the industry is an act of endorsement.

It shows that the industry is being recognised as a potential income earner for the government, which is what we have been preaching. I am one of those who have been calling on the government to do things right in the industry so that it will realise its full potentials. During the last dinner, we discussed a lot of issues in the industry. We talked about piracy and funding and the president assured the industry that he was interested in seeing the industry grow bigger than it is. While this is very commendable, I will urge that the industry bridges its gaps because Nollywood as an industry

is bigger than one person. Everyone must come together and collapse this idea of Hausa Nollywood, Yoruba Nollywood or Ibo Nollywood and build an industry that would stand the test of time”. I am particularly thrilled that the event saw Kenneth Nnebue of NEK Videos being congratulated by the President”.

But the way such events are organised is not going down well with everyone. Although the soiree had invited about 750 guests, some guilds in the industry were copiously left out of the list of invitees at the gathering. Arts Lounge findings indicate that journalists were only informed of the event two days to the event at a news conference and much was done to make it an exclusive reserve of some stakeholders only. This is also the grouse of a group of movie producers under the aegis, Association of Nollywood Core Producers, ANCOP. Its national president, Alex Eyengho, in an interview with Arts Lounge, said short of being packaged in a way only those who would sing the praises of the President were invited, key issues that would make the movie industry viable were not discussed.

“I have said this several times. What the industry needs is not the money that the President keeps promising. We are still battling with the one he promised.

What the industry needs is an enabling environment to work, so that producers can recoup their investments. The volume of films being produced has drastically reduced because producers are afraid of investing when they are not sure of recouping their money. I would want the President to forget about the money and sponsor the Motion Picture Practitioners Council, MOPPICON, Bill as an executive bill. This will rub off on the industry better than giving out cash”.

Other members of the creative industry are also not happy on account of the fact that such presidential soirees often alienate them. Five weeks ago, the Committee on Centenary Celebrations had held a parley with the industry and carefully alienated people in the visual arts sector, which the national president of the Society for Nigerian Artists, SNA, Oliver Enwonwu decried. According to him, ‘such activities ought to be thrown open to involve as many stakeholders as possible’.

Of course, the idea of getting many stakeholders involved would not be a bad idea, because it would, among other things, throw up the issue that the film industry and other allied creative ventures ought to be situated under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism instead of the current position where the industry is fragmented amongst three ministries.

Arts Lounge

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

VOICES

Why Stella Monye is grateful to Nigeria

LET’S

T AL K FAD with

Fidelis Duker

fidelisduker@yahoo.com; 08055662925(SMS ONLY)

Nollywood@20: Well executed coup

AYOOLA SADARE

I

A

s Stella Monye approaches her golden jubilee and the 30th anniversary since music became the mainstay of her income, Nigeria’s ‘Samba Queen’ as she is known by many, enters a season of reflection on the highpoints of her career.

One of the things Stella recalls is the consternation on her parents’ faces when she told them at 14, she was going to make her first appearance on television. It was on the Art Alade Show!

More than 30 years on, all roads will lead to a venue that is yet a closely guarded secret where Stella plans to unveil an elaborate showcase of dance, music and drama that will capture her artistic essence. Tagged, Stage Players’ Party. It promises to be a wonderfully choreographed presentation that will tap into her experience as a trained thespian who studied the arts at the University of Lagos Centre for Cultural Studies before moving to the University of Ife where she got her first degree in Theatre Arts (she recently returned to school to study Law at the Lagos State University).

Not many people know her as a trained actress who has a log of distinctive stage credits. One of the landmark experiences was when she acted the part of Oya in the play Sango Olukoso with which the Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Lagos represented Nigeria at the Horizonte World Festival of Arts in Berlin, Germany. The play later toured many European countries, including Switzerland and The Netherlands.

The Administrator of the National Theatre, the then Col. Tunde Akogun gave Stella one of the rarest opportunities of her career, for which she is so grateful to the Nigerian authorities. The event was the 150th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slave Trade. It was a turning point for Stella, as she was given the privilege to put together an all-star band to back her, the lead vocalist. The band consisted of late Remi Kabaka on drums, the late Zeal Onyia on trumpet, Bisade Ologunde (better known as Lagbaja) on bass and Peter King on saxophone.

The non-performing members of the entourage were no less eminent including the team leader, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and his wife Victoria. Others were Chris Anyanwu (now a Senator) and Prince Tony Momoh. In a stellar celebration that brought together legendary figures like the late Miriam Makeba and superstars from all over the world, one Caribbean newspaper described Stella as the bombshell from Nigeria.

She was also at the all African Universities Sports Festival in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire to sing the Nigerian national anthem besides the University of Lagos team.

In 1999, Stella was part of the team that produced and presented the theme song for the Coca-Cola World Junior Football Championship in Nigeria.

At the formation year of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, she helped to produce jingles, wrote and recorded several songs that promoted the objectives of the commission. Again, she was

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Stella Monye

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW STELLA HAS A LOG OF DISTINCTIVE STAGE CREDITS invited to play at the Corporate Night marking ‘Abuja at 30’.

Stella is not known to have recorded many albums in her career, but she has been active, participating in many musical activities. She started her career proper in the 80’s when she recorded and released her monster hit album Mr. Wright with the hit single Oko Mi Yee. Although, this brought her a lot of wealth and fame at the time, she remained in school.

Arigosamba, her next album was also a hit, but not as big as Oko Mi Yee. She recorded a follow up titled Change of Heart which included another hit single titled Ife that also was well celebrated, Stella went ahead to win the Afro pop category of the Africa Music Festival held at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, organised by Tabansi, the biggest indigenous Nigerian record label at the time. The only female contestant, she beat wave-making artistes of the time like Felix Lebarty, Jide Obi and Chris Okotie in the category. The event was witnessed by the legendary World Boxing Champion, Mohammed Ali who later presented the award to Stella.

In 2004, she joined a faith-based NGO in Apapa as a social worker. Naturally, this brought her into the mainstream of civil society and human right activities. For six years, Stella was an active participant at many road shows and street protests alongside icons of democracy, lending her band and music as a tool to propagate human rights. This would later inspire the establishment of her NGO, Women Help Initiative Nigeria (WHIN). In the same vein, she started a monthly live gig called the ‘Hukup Show’ (Harvest of Unique Knowledge) which was largely a platform for talented female acts looking for a break.

In 2008, she dabbled into making shirts and tie for the working class from African fabrics and her fashion enterprise is called ‘Samba Wears’. She also started a perfume line called ‘Stella’ and the fragrance is being repackaged and produced in France.

Sadare is a leading arts, culture and entertainment events manager and organiser.

t was an interesting weekend last Saturday when the Nigerian movie industry, called Nollywood, was supposedly hosted to a dinner by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ironically, President Goodluck Jonathan might be referred to as the first Nigerian leader to host the movie industry to a dinner which had in attendance five governors, ministers, several captains of industries, members of the legislative arm of government and traditional rulers.

It is probably the largest convergence of Nollywood practitioners in Nigeria under one roof. Around the hall, I could see my colleagues from the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa movie industries.

You will wonder why I have referred to the dinner as supposedly hosted by the President; it is simply the manoeuvring, grandstanding and scheming by all interested groups ahead of the celebration of Nollywood at 20. I would have remained silent on this issue, but being a major player and participant in the issues bothering on the celebration, I have come to realise that Nollywood, rather than being on the threshold of rediscovering itself, is on the brink of disintegration because the industry is being politicised and trivialised on the altar of pettiness.

There have been agitation and petitions by guilds and associations in Nollywood to the presidency that no single individual can or should celebrate this global phenomenon called Nollywood at 20 because it should be an industry affair. Sadly, their fight to stop the celebration failed as the experienced tacticians bent on celebrating this event used their partners in the presidency to masquerade that the president was hosting the industry at the state house. As gullible as Nollywood is, virtually every stakeholder was there to honour Mr. President.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in the president hosting an industry as he said in his speech that Nollywood, apart from being a global brand, has made Nigeria and Africa proud. But the question I ask is simply, why the desperation to host this event if not for some selfish interest by the smokescreen organisers?

It is on record that President Goodluck Jonathan has been the most accessible and proactive president since Independence who has shown genuine interest in this sector from his days as deputy governor in Bayelsa State to date. I remember when, I, in the company of other guild heads, visited him as Vice President under the Yar’Adua administration. He was very passionate about helping the industry and it was not surprising

NOLLYWOOD IS FULL OF HUNGRY PEOPLE SO ANY INVITATION TO THE

VILLA WILL BE JUMPED AT

that at the dinner, he announced a N3billion grant to support the industry. According to him, he has noticed the bottleneck attached to securing the $200million facility announced in 2010. To most of us, this is cheering news as the fund will be launched in April and managed by the Ministry of Finance and Culture respectively. It is, therefore, our belief that this fund will be properly managed and disbursed to the benefit of the industry. Interestingly too, the governor of Akwa Ibom state also announced a N50million donation to the industry for creative excellence.

What still baffles me in all these is the seeming polarisation of Nollywood along ethnic lines. Even at the dinner, it was evident that a section of the industry felt marginalised and their complaint is that the Nollywood group have not been carrying them along. As we yearn for a national body to protect the interest of the industry through a regulatory framework like the Motion Picture Council of Nigeria, MOPICON. Sincerely, for a growing industry like Nollywood, I will advocate a regulatory framework at this point of our development to safeguard and protect the interest of everyone to a marginal extent.

Now that the coup has been planned and masterly executed by the coup plotters, it is a lesson for Nollywood as an industry to begin to realise that power and politics go together and that is why you see politicians becoming very powerful in any country. What the guild heads who were fighting against the event being organised failed to realise was that the sponsors are politicians who have powers and the ears of the number one citizen and as such, no matter your cry that your event was being hijacked, there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. And like the Nigerian state whose citizens are hungry, Nollywood is full of hungry people, so, any invitation to the Villa will be jumped at. To add insult on injury, the guilds and their heads were not recognised or allowed to speak at the dinner.

In conclusion, as I thank Mr. President for the N3bn grant, I would appeal that the process of accessing the grant is transparent and administered on merit.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

25

ARTISTE UNCENSORED

Paid employment is embarrassing to me –Skill 1 Jinadu Oluwatoyin is an ND graduate of Electrical Engineering and amazingly, he is an outstanding visual artist/portraitist with no formal training in the art form –just raw talent. The ambitious young artist intends to pursue a promising career in his tertiary degree side-by-side with his first love for visual arts. How he plans to accomplish this, Oluwatoyin shares with ADENRELE NIYI and ADEBIMPE OLATUJA.

P

opularly called Skill 1, Oluwatoyin believes his two contrasting career paths are not accidental, but a well-structured plan of God for him. The graduate of Electrical Engineering from the Lagos State Polytechnic financed his tertiary education through income earned from selling art works, particularly portraits he created.

“Getting to the higher institution, I started using art works to feed, clothe and even pay my school fees plus other bills. I painted portraits for lecturers and students and some of them even gave me external jobs. I never took to art for the monetary benefits; I just have true love for arts, I have passion for it. I find happiness when doing art works”, he said.

Working out of a modest workshop in Ikorodu-Lagos, the Ondo State indigene claims he comes from an average family of four who are all artistic by nature. Toyin lost his mum two years ago, but has carried on in high spirits with remaining members of the family.

The talented 25-year-old recollects his late mum told him he started drawing from about two years of age, but he personally can only remember creating meaningful drawings at the age of five. Then, while in primary school, he helped his school mates to draw maps and other figures and this went on even when he enteredsecondary school.

However, his passion for art took a turn after Secondary School– he lost interest and stopped drawing. He explains what prompted a return to his natural gift: “I picked up the love for art again when one of my course mates made drawings that couldn’t beat my standard, yet people kept praising him. For that reason, I got back to creating art to show my colleagues the high standard in my work”.

With no formal training in the arts, apparently some exposure or a person must have triggered Toyin’s natural ability; especially in view of the excellent art pieces that have earned him some tidy sum. Toyin admits two people gave him the informal foundation for painting.

“During my Junior Secondary School, I met a man called Jasper, he was a visual artist. After school, I would go to his place and watch him draw; he never knew I

I SEE A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR MYSELF WITH THE WORKS OF ART

I CREATE AND I HAVE

SET A GOAL FOR MYSELF THAT BY

Toyin

26 YEARS, I SHOULD BE FULFILLED IN LIFE

used to draw, but I kept on observing him day after day.

After my Senior Secondary School, he employed me as his adviser, because I gave him ideas whenever he was working and he got good results from applying them. So, whenever such works fetch him some money, he would give me a cut out of it”, Toyin says of the man who he describes as a mentor and the ‘bedrock of my experience’.

Another person who motivated Toyin to take art seriously and helped shape his ability was his classmate who is very good in shading and taught him how to shade drawings.

The determined young man’s ultimate vision is to set up a big art gallery and to create job opportunities for other people; he also wishes to enlarge his scope by taking his works for international exhibition and sales.

To accomplish this vision, Toyin has set personal goals to motivate him while insisting that he intends not to ever seek paid employment. “I see working under a company as embarrassing to my personality. I see a bright future for myself with the works of art I create and I have set a goal for myself that by 26 years, I should be fulfilled in life with my works of art and other things. I am 25 years old now and apparently, my goal is on the edge of its time frame. So, I have to stay away from distractions and face the task squarely in order to yield good result”.

After he decided in the year 2009 that art was the way for him over his ‘Elect Eng’ certificate, he went into different painting forms like oil on canvas, pencil art, wood

‘By Persevarance the Snail makes it’ – drawing by Toyin

burning, etc.

The young entrepreneur is not without challenges; the ultimate being money. “Basically in this part of the world, only few people appreciate art and even fewer are ready to part with money to acquire art works”, he says.

Toyin explains further that he never gets attracted by the amount of money any job will fetch him; he believes success will locate him for the quality of his creations.

“It’s not about money, but being happy with what you do best, it’s just about happiness”.

MIDWEEK JUMP Kaye Whiteman’s love for Lagos on display tomorrow

ria in the 1960s, but he fell for Lagos when he lived in the city for two years between 2000 and 2002.

The book’s blurb states that the author “explores a city that has constantly re-invented itself, from the first settlement on an uninhabited island to the creation of the port in the early years of the twentieth century…. The city’s melting-pot has fertilised a unique literary and artistic flowering that is only now beginning to be appreciated by a world that has only seen slums and chaos”.

T

omorrow, by 4.00 p.m. at Freedom Park, Borad Street, Lagos, an Arthouse Forum organised by the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, in honour of Kaye Whiteman will take place. To be moderated by the poet, Deji Toye, the conversation will be around Kaye Whiteman’s book, LAGOS: A Cultural and Historical Companion.

There will be a small musical show at the park’s Food Court after the conversation to commemorate the author’s recent 77th birthday.

To participate in the discussion are: Tolu Ogunlesi, poet

and journalist; Toni Kan, poet, short story writer, journalist and publicist and Femke van Zeiji, a Dutch journalist who, in recent years, relocated to Lagos.

Whiteman first came to Nige-

ANA Abuja celebrity guest reading session holds

T

he first edition of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA Abuja

chapter for 2013 will hold tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. at Savanna Suites Hotel, Area 3, Garki, Abuja and feature Mallam Baba Muhammad Dzukogi, Director General, Niger State Book and Research Development Agency.

BM Dzukogi, as he is popularly known, is one of the most prominent names in the contemporary literary culture in Nigeria. An ardent lover and promoter of books and the reading culture, he is a mentor, activist, teacher, lecturer, sportsman and public servant.

Born in Bida, Niger State, BM Dzukogi began the first stage of his education at the Sarkin Zango Primary School, Minna, which culminated at

the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in physical and health education, the same university where he is undergoing his post graduate studies in sports management presently.

He started the first literary association of IBB University, The Pen Club, which is the first students’ association of the university to promote the book. His literary prowess has given the world nine published books apart from his other numerous publications in anthologies of poetry and short stories.

He has served as an adviser in the Niger State government and is the currently the national secretary of ANA.

26

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FAR AND NEAR

Tinubu’s book on political economy for launch NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

A

new book, titled Financialism: Water from an Empty Well, jointly written by former Lagos State governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu and former American Consul General in Nigeria, Brian Browne will be formally presented tomorrow at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The book, whose foreword was written

by Prof. Wole Soyinka and Rev. Jesse Jackson, revolves around how the financial systems of countries drain their economies. It is a product of the authors’ wealth of experience in handling matters as politicians, career public servants and business entrepreneurs.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of the authors, started his career life as a professional ac-

countant and former treasurer at Mobil Oil Producing, Nigeria. He is one of Nigeria’s foremost political thinkers, leading national political figure and highly successful business leader. As governor of Lagos for eight years, he developed Lagos into one of the most important financial, commercial and cultural centres on the African continent. Brain Browne, who is from West Palm Beach, Florida, was a career diplomat with several African postings, the last being his assignment as Consul General in Lagos from 2003 to 2007. Most of his professional life on the African continent has been spent working on issues dealing with Africa.

According to Wole Soyinka, “This book… challenges the domination of print value over material goods, a situation where the virtual or symbolic arbiter…tyrannises over the enabling material base. The skewed world of economics

needs to be challenged…”

In the words of Jesse Jackson, Financialism “is important because it reflects the thinking of two men who care deeply about Black people and all of humankind.

Those who read this book will be educated in part, entertained in part, and enlightened in whole. They will be better equipped to turn the tide against the inequality and rolling poverty that now sweep the political economy. One cannot ask more of these authors. I applaud them for the important contribution they have made...”.

Some of the dignitaries who would be present at tomorrow’s formal presentation include: Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia, Leo Stan Ekeh, TY Danjuma, Oba Otudeko, Emeka Anyaoku, Nuhu Ribadu, Muhammad Buhari, Kalu Idika Kalu, the Alafin Of Oyo and all the All Progressive Congress, APC, governors.

London set for Irawo’s album listening party

Eclectic live music wraps up SMWLagos ADEBIMPE OLATUJA

TERH AGBEDEH

O

n the last day of the recently concluded Social Media Week Lagos (SMWLagos) which held between February 18 and 22 across various venues in the city of Lagos, two of Nigeria’s leading entertainment companies (amongst others), One Management and Inspiro NAIJAZZ teamed up for an evening of music of various genres provided by artistes on the companies’ platforms.

Although various activities and programmes had held prior to final day, the fusion of live musical performances from solo acts and bands on the stage of Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, was a riveting way to conclude the first Lagos edition of the globally commemorated week. The show was an eclectic mix of Hip-Hop, Jazz, R’n’B, Soul, Highlife.

One Management, led by Emem Ema, paraded rapper Provabs, soul diva Ebisan and highlife ‘infinity’ crooner Wizzboy; while Ayo Sadare-led Inspiro presented Jazz piano virtuoso Dapo Dina; dexterous trumpeter/percussionist Victor Ademofe and Imole Afrika. Each artiste from both crews performed on stage alternately using live bands and not backing tracks to the delight of the audience.

The Social Media Week Lagos brought together thought leaders, creatives, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens from Nigeria and throughout the continent and the diaspora to explore how people and organisations are connecting to share new ideas and information. It was produced by Dragon Africa and AFRIKA 21.

Dina performing

Tinubu

O P-Square

D’Banj

D’Banj, PSquare nominated for International Reggae and World Music Awards ADENRELE NIYI

N

igeria-born international artiste, D’Banj and superstar singing duo, P’Square have both been nominated for the Best African Entertainer category at the prestigious International Reggae and World Music Awards, IRAWMA, 2013.

To win the coveted award, D’Banj and P’Square are up against five other big names in the continent’s entertainment scene namely: Fally Ipupa –Congo; Nkulee Dube –South Africa; Liquideep –South Africa; Daddy Muss –Sierra Leone and Sarkodie –Ghana Also making a showing for Africa at the 32nd anniversary of IRAWMA is Kenya’s Dancehall artiste, Wyre, aka The Love Child, who has been nominated for the Best New Entertainer category.

Wyre will be battling it out with some of reggae’s icons across the world like D Major who is one of the most celebrated reggae artistes internationally and Jamaica’s upcoming artiste Chronixx.

The awards also has categories like “Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year” (nominees are: Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Third World, Sean Paul,

Tarrus Riley, Romain Virgo and Stephen Marley) and “Lifetime/Hall of Fame Achievement honour” (nominees include Black Uhuru, JAMUSA-Denver Silveria, Inner Circle, Hon. Edward Seaga, Lloyd “Joe Frazier” Campbell and Johnny Nash), amongst other categories.

IRAWMA was established in 1982 and is aimed at acknowledging and honouring the accomplishments and contributions of reggae and music artists, including songwriters, performers, promoters and musicians. The awarding ceremony is also committed to promoting greater participation and acceptance of Reggae, Caribbean and World Music Internationally.

Organised by Martin’s International, the star studded event will be hosted at the Coral Springs Centre for the Arts, Florida, USA, on Saturday, May 4. This will be the fifth time in 26 years the event was hosted in Florida. Every 10 years, IRAWMA goes to the Caribbean. After 15 years on the road, it returned to its birthplace, Chicago, in July, 2012 for the 31st celebration which was combined for the first time ever with its sister event, the International Festival of Life, IFOL. Nigerians can visit www.irawma. com to vote for either of the country’s representatives.

ne of the wave making artistes Nigeria can boast of in London, Sunny George Akinfe, with the stage name, Georgy Irawo, is drawing the Nigerian socialites to the popular Enambling Centre, on Barking Road, Essex, East London for his album listening party. The event, which holds this Friday, is organised by Godfather Music Incorporated, London, owned

by Naija FM Radio Station boss, Mr. Kent Uche, in conjunction with Double ‘G’ Promotions and is expected to showcase Sunny’s brand of music in a very unique way.

The London-based singer, who hails from Ondo town in Nigeria, sings juju music. He is a graduate of Southbank University, London and he has recorded four albums, including Yin Baba Logo, which was released on Kas Records, London label in 2002 and which had some of its tracks produced by Don Jazzy. His recent work involves talented music producer, Lai Addis.

In a bid to carve a niche for his music and make a difference in the Queen’s land, Irawo has also set up a music studio in London. He said in an interview that the forthcoming album is a result of painstaking effort at further distinguishing himself.

“A lot of African artistes imbibe plagiarism with relish and I find this highly distasteful. I am a song writer and most of my songs are written by me. The album listening party would further make fans believe in my professional ability”, he said.

The high profile event will be anchored by Abike Ade and versatile broadcaster and actor, Rotimi Aberuagba.

27

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I have put the AFCON outing o behind me and will be available if I amcalled upon again availa -SUPER EAGLES STRIKER, IKE UCHE

30 3 0

CAF elections: FG backs Maigari JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

T

Mba, Oboabona, 22 others for Harambee battle ....Keshi to unveil foreign list tomorrow

Sunday Mba of Nigeria, left, battling for the ball with Djakaridja Kone of Burkina Faso at the 2013 AFCON Final match in South Africa.

EVEREST ONYEWUCHI

S

uper Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, yesterday, unveiled a list of 24 home-based professional players who will be joined later by their foreign-based counterparts for the all-important World Cup qualifier against the Harambee Stars of Kenya on March 23 in Calabar.

Africa Cup of Nations 2013 winner, Sunday Mba, who the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will decide on the club who owns him today, and Sunshine Stars’ captain, Godfrey Oboabona, who featured in all games of the AFCON in South Africa, lead the pack.

Kano Pillars’ duo of Gabriel Reuben and Papa Idris make a return to the team, as well as Heartland’s goalkeeper, Daniel

Akpeyi But the surprise call up to the Super Eagles is Shooting Stars of Ibadan goalkeeper, Dele Ajiboye, who started with the U-17 and has been with the Flying Eagles, U-23 and now the senior national team.

Team’s Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, informed National Mirror that the full list of foreign-based professionals will be unveiled tomorrow by Coach Keshi, who has mapped out plans to ensure that only fit and ready players will be invited for the clash against Harambee Stars of Kenya.

The invited players, will report at the team’s camp at the Bolton White Apartment in Abuja on Sunday, from where they will be joined by foreignbased players next week for the trip to Calabar, venue of the encounter.

Meanwhile, surprise call up, 3SC keeper, Ajiboye, has said that he will fight to be in the squad for the World Cup qualifier against Kenya.

The 22-year-old shot stopper told MTNFootball.com, “I am so happy by this invitation even though I wasn’t expecting it now, but I always knew my time to play in the Eagles will come. This is the chance I have been waiting for and I hope to do my best.”

On his chances against the likes of Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide and Chigozie Agbim, the former Pontevedra CF of Spain goaltender said he was ready to fight for shirt.

“I know we have top goalkeepers in the Eagles, but I am ready for the challenges and I am confident I will do enough to be on the team to face Kenya.”

The list Goalkeepers Chigozie Agbim (Rangers), Daniel Akpeyi (Heartland), Dele Ajiboye (3SC) Defenders Azubuike Egwueke (Warri Wolves), Papa Idris (Kano Pillars), Zango Umar (Kano Pillars), Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars), Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Chibuzo Okonkwo (Rangers), Ezekiel Bassey (Lobi Stars), Benjamin Francis (Heartland), Zubaru Muhammed (Tornadoes).

Midfielders and Forwards Sunday Mba (Nigeria), Gabriel Ruben (Kano Pillars), Gambo Muhammed (Kano Pillars), Ubale Mannir (Kano Pillars), Pius Samson (Ranchers Bees), Ohanduku Gomo (Sharks), Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland), Saka Ayo (Enyimba), Jiya Muhammed (Bayelsa FC), Emeka Ezeh (Rangers), Anthony Okputu (Lobi Stars), Adepoju Taofeek (3SC).

he Federal Government yesterday called on delegates to the forthcoming CAF elections in Morocco to support the candidacy of Alhaji Aminu Maigari, who is vying for CAF executive committee membership.

Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, who made the appeal at the regional group of experts meeting on inter-governmental committee on physical education and sports (CIGEPS), in Abuja, said this would afford Nigeria opportunity to be well represented at the CAF executive level.

Maigari is expected to contest the position with two other contenders, Anjorin Moucharafou of Benin Republic and Niger’s Hima Souley in the West B Zonal union.

Abdullahi said, “This weekend is very vital to a lot to Nigerians, the CAF Executive Committee election will hold in Marrakech Morocco and Aminu Maigari (NFF President) is one of the candidates that would vie for post of its executive committee.

“The position of Federal Government is very strong and we are in full support of our own son at the executive level to see him as the winner at the CAF executive committee election on Friday and we are ready to give him the full prop up.”

Speaking further on CIGEPS, the minister revealed that the role of physical education and sports could be critically reviewed and tailored towards the social economic climate to enhance the wellbeing of the people in the region.

He said that hosting of the regional expert working group meeting by the National Sports Commission and sponsorship of researches in connection with this programme by the Federal Ministry of Education was endorsed and supported by the FG towards the good work of UNESCO and its agencies.

‘Wikki ready for NPL new season’ E ZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

C

hairman of the Wikki Tourists Football Club of Bauchi, Alhaji Sule Chindo, has vowed to ensure that the club excels in the 2012/2013 Nigeria Premier League expected to kick off this weekend.

Chindo, who made the declaration while briefing newsmen in Bauchi said government had already provided the necessary logistics to help the team win the league.

He added that the club had already called its players to camp to harmonise their talent and to stimulate the players, preparatory to the commencement of the league.

Chindo revealed that government had replaced sign-on fees with enhanced monthly salaries, apart from gifts and win bonuses to players.

28

Sport

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tit bits...

Kahn Former Germany international, Oliver Kahn, believes that the current Bayern Munich squad is the best team in the club’s history, and expects the Allianz Arena side to dominate German football in the years to come.

The Bavarians have broken a number of records this season and currently sit atop of the Bundesliga table, while they are still in the race for the Champions League and DFB Pokal as well.

Owen

Michael Owen believes that Sir Alex Ferguson will have his sights firmly set on another European title this year.

The Stoke striker, who spoke ahead of the second leg clash between Manchester United and Real Madrid yesterday, said Ferguson would be confident to lead his team to the height attained in 1999.

“It’s a possibility,” Owen reckoned.

Lloris

Tottenham Hotspurs goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, has warned his team-mates they cannot get carried away with their North London derby win over Arsenal.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side could stretch that advantage when its travels to Liverpool this weekend, but Lloris insists there is still a long way to go in the season and that nothing is settled.

“There are 10 games to go so we have to keep concentration and be focused on the end of the season,” the France international said.

Beckham inspires PSG

P

aris Saint-Germain’s inconsistency in the French league has yet to impact its Champions League campaign as the big spenders hold a 2-1 lead ahead of today’s return leg in the last 16 against Valencia.

PSG has not reached the Champions League quarter-finals since 1995 and will be favored to progress, despite coping without top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is suspended.

Ibrahimovic, who has scored 26 goals, has been masking PSG’s weaknesses. When he’s out of form, like in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Reims, the team seems short on options.

PSG has not won the league since 1994, and aside from winning the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996, it has not won anything in Europe, although it did reach the Champions League semifinals in 1995.

“We have to score away, there is no doubt about that and we must avoid conceding a goal. They have got important players missing, but they also have big players that can come on, like David Beckham” Aly Cissokho said.

Ancelotti may need a cool head in midfield if Valencia starts to get back into it, and the 37-year-old former England captain is raring to go-six years after his last appearance in the competition with Real Madrid. Beckham is even confident enough of playing in his old position on the right flank.

“I think I can still play on the right. I played in that position for many years.

My strengths have always been passing and crossing,” Beckham said.

Ramires

Chelsea midfielder, Ramires, insists his side is ready to prove doubters wrong once more and end the season with a flourish.

Ramires is convinced the squad can rally round, prove their critics wrong and add more silverware to the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet.

“It was around this time last year that everybody was telling us the season was lost already and we wouldn’t win anything.

Well we all know how that ended,” the Brazil international said.

Tiote

Newcastle midfielder, Cheick Tiote, believes his reputation alone gets him in trouble with officials.

Tiote picked up his 11th yellow card of the season during last weekend’s defeat to Swansea even though television replays appeared to show he made no contact with Nathan Dyer.

Beckham

J

uventus play maker, Andrea Pirlo, fears a draw against Manchester United in the next round of the Champions League.

Juventus will reach the quarter-finals of the competitions barring a super shock against Celtic today, having beaten the Scottish side 3-0 in the last-16 first leg at Park-

Lampard

Blues in Fran Lampard de

C

helsea has den in talks with m Frank Lampard extension to his contra The 34-year-old’s cur is up at the end of the sea his time at Stamford Brid ingly drawing to a close.

He has been in impres recently though, with t hierarchy understood to sidering opening talks o contract.

But Chelsea insisted that Chief Executive R lay was misquoted at a p ference in Bangkok wh about Lampard’s futur club.

Mancini vie ‘tough week

Efe Ambrose

Ambrose, others seek Turin ‘miracle’ M C eltic trailed Juventus 3-0 going into today’s second leg of the round of 16 tie in Turin, with the challenge more daunting than a lungbursting run up through the Alps with a backpack full of gold.

But Neil Lennon-managed side will face the Italians hoping for a minor miracle.

History, though, is not on the Scottish side, coming closest to this with the nerve-shredding ties against Artmedia Bratislavia in 2005.

Thumped 5-0 in the first leg in Gordon Strachan’s first game in charge, Celtic won 4-0 in Glasgow and failed to progress.

Against Juventus in Glasgow three weeks ago, Celtic was shorn of the talismanic presence of Georgios Samaras.

But the galloping Greek has reserved some of his most impressive displays for the Champions League, scoring five goals during Celtic’s run to the last 16, in addition to scoring important goals on the road for Celtic this season, and

his return offers a sliver of hope.

Samaras nodded home the second goal in the 2-0 third qualifying round victory against Helsinki and was also on target in the play-off win over Helsingborgs.

In the group stages, he found the net in the 3-2 win away to Spartak Moscow and the 2-1 away defeats by Barcelona and Benfica.

However, Lennon will hope that the pace of James Forrest and Samaras will provide the Italians with a sterner test today and provide ammunition for Gary Hooper up front.

Celtic will however be without injured captain Scott Brown, who continues to struggle with a hip problem.

“We want to make it look like the scoreline at Celtic Park was a little bit flattering to Juventus,” Lennon said yesterday.

“We felt there wasn’t that much between the teams although they did have a lot of class in their side. We’d like to go, compete and try to win the tie.”

Pirlo dreads Man United head.

United’s chances of making the last eight remain in the balance as the Old Trafford side headed into second leg with Real Madrid last night tied at 1-1.

But World-Cup winner

Pirlo insists United is a stronger side than Juve, who he believes does not have the quality to be crowned champion this season.

“We’re not ready to win the Champions League, even if we are still in there and

anchester City er, Roberto was left admit needs need to win all 10 ing Premier League if it is to snatch the ti from bitter city rival M ter United.

Mancini, who was spe ter his side had snatched over struggling Aston Monday, added United, w a 12 point lead over the also have to lose several if the club was to retain it won in thrilling fashio final day of last season.

“It is difficult. We hav points to play for and w try to win. We will see w pens at the end. Anyt happen in football,” Man stressing, “We need to w matches and they lose five.”

Villa, meanwhile, re 18th and were once aga rue a costly lapse of conc from one of their player moment.

giving it a go,” the 33-year-old said.

Pirlo’s contract is up in the summer and he is yet to make up his mind over his future beyond the end of the season.

Today’s fixtures Juventus

vs

Celtic

PSG

vs

Valencia

Mancini

nk enial

ied it is midfielder about an act. rrent deal ason with dge seem-

ssive form the club’s o be conon a new

yesterday Ron Gourpress conhen asked re at the

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y ManagMancini, tting that 0 remainmatches itle away Manches-

eaking afd a 1-0 win Villa on who holds em, would l matches n the title on on the

ve 30 more we need to what hapthing can ncini said, win all the e four or

emain in ain left to centration rs at a key

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

CAS strips Sudan of W/Cup win

W/Cup 2014: Zimbabwe enlists young squad AFOLABI GAMBARI

WITH AGENCY REPORT

W

arriors Coach, Klaus Dieter Pagels, has taken a huge gamble, naming a youthful and weakened Zimbabwe side to face Egypt in a 2014 World Cup qualifier later this month.

The crunch tie will be Pagels’ second match in charge of the Warriors since taking over from Rahman Gumbo-the first ended in 2-1 victory over Botswana in an international friendly match at Rufaro in February.

But with supporters expecting him to beef up the midfield that was evidently lacking against Botswana by calling in Willard Katsande from Kaizer Chiefs, Pagels has stuck to his youngsters, retaining Denver Mukamba, Ronald Chitiyo, Black Leopards’ Abbas Amidu and Ajax Cape Town winger Khama Billiat.

Lincoln Zvasiya, Mathew Rusike, Simba Sithole from Supersport and Rodreck Mutuma from Bloemfontein Celtic are also in the squad.

Big defender Gilbert Mapemba was the biggest casualty of Pagels’

new style of player while, for the umpteenth time, Ovidy Karuru, was been overlooked.

Karuru, who last played for the Warriors last June in the 0-0 draw against Mozambique in a World Cup 2014 qualifier when he was upbraided by former coach Gumbo for missing a clear chance inside the box, had been thought would be given a chance by a new coach, but Pagels said Karuru and Bradley Pritchard, who plays for Charlton Athletic in England, did not fit in his style of play.

The availability of striker Cuthbert Malajila also meant that the duo ofTerrence Mandaza and Takesure Chinyama failed to make the squad.

29

S Chairman, Police Sport Planning Committee, CP Abimbola Macaulay (left) with the Permanent Secretary, Police Affairs Ministry, Aliyu Isma’ila, at the on-going Police Games in Port Harcourt

T/tennis: Minister hails Pastor Adeboye YEMI OLUS

S

ports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has commended the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, for the organisation and sponsorship of the Adeboye U-20 Table Tennis Championship whose final was held at the Redemption Camp last weekend.

Abdullahi, who graced the final, commended Pastor Adeboye for investing in sports development.

“This championship will not only help discover new talents, but it will also keep our youth in good shape for future championships,” the minister said.

Abdullahi describe the developmental plan of the church as being in line with the sports ministry’s resolve to lift the country’s sports.

“Table Tennis is one of the sports we are determined to transform and a lot of efforts and investment are being directed toward transforming the sport and I am glad that the RCCG has teamed with us,” he added.

Warriors Coach, Pagels

udan on Monday lost top spot in its 2014 World Cup qualifying group after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) stripped the country of its victory against Zambia for fielding an ineligible player.

CAS rejected the Sudanese Football Association’s appeal against a FIFA ruling to award Zambia a 3-0 win by default, saying the Sudanese officials claimed they were not properly informed that Saif Ali was suspended, yet “couldn’t not be aware of the fact that” the player was ineligible for the match last June.

Ali scored in Sudan’s 2-0 win in Khartoum, four months after being sent off when the same teams played an African Cup of Nations quarterfinal. Zambia’s complaint provoked a FIFA investigation.

The court’s ruling puts Zambia top of the four-team group with six points from two matches, three ahead of Ghana. Sudan falls to third place with one point, and last-place Lesotho also has one point.

Qualifiers resume on March 22 when Sudan plays away to Ghana and Lesotho hosts Zambia.

Eaglets have not arrived yet – Garba …Peters preaches against cheats

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hief Coach of the U-17 National Team, Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, has said that the team is still work in progress in spite of thrashing Botswana 9-0 on Monday in their second warmup match.

“First and foremost, we thank God for what we have been able to achieve with this team, but we are not going to rest on our oars. This team is still in progress and we pray that God should crown our efforts in the end,” Garba said.

Monday’s victory was the team’s second friendly since

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he family of South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murder, has distanced itself from his father’s comments that guns are needed because of high crime levels.

Henke Pistorius told the UK’s Telegraph newspaper that his son needed guns because of the government’s failure to protect the white community.

The governing African National Congress (ANC) said his comments were racist.

Oscar Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He says he mistook her for a burglar when he shot her dead on 14 February.

Ms Steenkamp died after he

the Eaglets resumed camping on February 2 in Calabar in preparation for the 2013 African Youth Championship taking place in Morocco from April 13 to 27.

The Eaglets had, on Saturday, defeated the visiting Botswana team 3-0 to amass 12-0 aggregate win.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football and Other Sports Supporters Club says it has started processing visa for its members to travel to Algeria for the Africa U-20 AYC. The competition will hold between March 16 and 30.

YEMI OLUS

T

echnical Director of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association, John Peters, has appealed to coaches not to field over-aged players in age-grade competitions to avoid the menace of cheating in sports.

Peters, who is an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) certified blue badge umpire, made this call during the Pastor Enoch Adeboye U-20 Table Tennis Championship which took place

last week at the Redemption Camp along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

Although he commended the tournament sponsors and organisers, Peters however noted that some players who participated appeared to be above the age limit.

“The championship was meant for players under the age of 20 but some of those who took part appeared to be older,” the LSTTA director contended.

“There is also no means of verifying their documents.

So, I appeal to the coaches to

encourage their players to be open and honest so that the purpose of the competition is not defeated.”

Onaolapo Ojo won the boys’ singles while Akinwale Fagbamila came second, as the duo of Olajide Omotayo and Ahmed Bello placed joint third.

Funmi Ajala emerged the surprise winner of the girls’ singles, after beating favourite Fatimo Kazeem to second place. Lagos State athletes, Funke Hassan and Ayo Udoh finished in third position.

Pistorius’ family disowns dad’s comment fired multiple shots into the toilet of his top floor apartment in a gated housing complex in Pretoria.

Oscar Pistorius was released on bail on February 22 and is due to appear in court again in June.

He is charged with the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp.

The Pistorius family owned 55 guns, the local Beeld newspaper reports.

“Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection, the hand guns. It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels [sic], why pro-

tection is so poor in this country, it’s an aspect of our society,” The Telegraph quotes Henke Pistorius as saying.

The family was “deeply concerned” about his comments, the family’s publicist said in a statement, AFP news agency reports.

Family spokesman Arnold Pistorius said “The Pistorius family own weapons purely for sport and hunting purposes”, it reports.

“The comments doesn’t [sic] represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family,” he is quoted as saying.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said the party “rejects with contempt” Henke Pistorius’s claim that the government was not willing to protect white people.

“Not only is this statement devoid of truth, it is also racist.

It is sad that he has chosen to politicize a tragic incident that is still fresh in the minds of those affected and the public,” he said.

The ANC welcomed the family’s decision to distance itself from the comments, Mr Mthembu added.

“We call on South Africans to desist from wild and prejudiced

Pistorius

speculation,” he said.

“Let us give our courts a chance to deal with this matter.”

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Sport

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Legends of tennis…

‘Federer has more aces’

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Federer

orld number two, Roger Federer, can still win Grand Slam titles.

The Wimbledon champion has been a near lock for the semifinals the past decade and his astonishing records and numbers have spilled gallons of ink about his tennis immortality.

But winning is only part of the Federer legacy.

Electronic and social media feature fan blogs and discussions about how Federer wins. Never mind the technical analysis and tactics. His artistry and style has inspired tennis appreciation with reverence usually reserved for poetry and classical music.

Perhaps, the apotheosis for Federerolatry was most famously penned by the late David Foster Wallace, who crafted the masterpiece “Federer as Religious Experience” in Play Magazine. For those who are new to tennis, or to future generations of Federer fans, this article must be read and passed on to others in order to more fully understand what it is like to watch Federer play.

It’s impossible to completely describe Federer’s tennis beauty.

“None of it really explains anything or evokes the experience of watching Roger play,” Wallace said.

Though Federer is no longer in his prime years, he has continued to mesmerize fans with his aesthetically pleasing tennis. There are still those Federer moments when he can turn back the clock to when the ATP tour was his personal dominion.

For many fans, this is important. Federer is the embodiment of tennis form and beauty that have been seen for generations. He is in part the heritage to the intelligent shot making of Rod Laver, the quiet perfection of Bjorn Borg and the efficient athleticism of Pete Sampras. He is the bridge from tennis past to future legacies.

Federer is also original and tennis fans understand that this will not be replaced.

By contrast, Federer’s chief rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are often accused of playing a blander, more blunted expression of tennis. They have cornered the market on tenacity and baseline

Djokovic rides all comers, sights glory

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fter a record-breaking 2011 and a 7512 singles campaign in 2012, Novak Djokovic continues to elevate his game to new heights.

The 25-year-old Serb has gone a perfect 12-0 in singles play in 2013, winning the Australian Open and, lately, Dubai.

Djokovic took care of number four seed Juan Martin del Potro and number three seed Tomas Berdych in the semifinals and final, respectively, beating both of them in straight sets. Indeed, he didn’t drop a set all tournament.

Djokovic’s stats after Dubai show that he’s still a masterful returner.

According to ATPWorldTour.com, he’s ranked fourth on the tour in first-serve return points won, third in second-serve return points won and fifth in return games won.

It’s a well-known fact that Djokovic has one of the sweetest return games in the business, though. The question is: What is he doing to improve in his overall game?

In all honesty, he will do more than a bit.

In 2012, Djokovic ranked 13th in firstserve points won, fifth in second-serve points won and sixth in service games won, according to ATPWorldTour.com.

This year, Djokovic ranks third in first-

serve points won, second ond in second-serve points won and third in service games won.

Granted, this is a small mall sample. Djokovic has only played singles gles in two tournaments thus far in 2013.

Still, there has been a significant rise in his percentages. The fact ct that a player primarily known for his sterling erling return game is serving like this is scary ary. While Djokovic may never equal what he did in 2011 again, he’s becoming a more well-rounded player on the court, and that’ss not good news for the rest of the ATP field. d.

In just over two years rs on tour, Djokovic has posted a combined d 157-18 singles record with 18 singles titles. itles. That includes five Grand Slam singles es titles during that span (he has six for his career).

He has also gone 7-3 against Roger Federer, 7-3 against nst Rafael Nadal and 7-4 against nst Andy Murray in that at time.

Djokovic is the unnquestionable number one playerr in the world in the rankings as well as common mmon sense and he’s only getting better.

Culled from www.ESPN.com

Djokovic

grinding, but their usual dose of groundstrokes is more relentless than creative.

This has led many fans to bemoan that tennis is increasingly less art and more warfare. Per example, Nadal and Djokovic dueled for nearly six hours in the 2012 Australian Open final, and it drew consideration by many to be one of the greatest matches of all time.

But there were also detractors who claimed it was an offense of predictable patterns and monotonous returns.

This is the Federer effect. He has created a particular standard of style as well as winning. It differs from Agassi or Borg, but their common denominator is they created a presence of personality as well as tennis style. Fans hope the Federer effect will retain its beautiful existence long after the creator has hung up his racket.

Federer wins are typically hailed with as much discussion about his feathery touches, changes of spins and opportunistic mentality. He is one of history’s rare players who can paint a masterpiece with his performances as much as his results.

It’s a peculiar kind of fascination, like watching a master paint rather than exclusively enjoy his paintings. It’s understandable given Federer’s style and success.

In the end, there is more to enjoy than wondering if or when Federer will win another Grand Slam title. He is a technician setting up patterns and improvising with his talents. There is always another potential great shot carved from his vision, discovering new edges of the outer limits.

So Federer plays on, filling up arenas and delivering more wonderful tennis to delight fans of all allegiances. Even when the results may be uneven, he is the sole reminder of his former greatness. To appreciate his career is to anticipate that the artist can produce just one more classic original. His next great scene could be a few strokes away.

Predictions aside, Federer’s upcoming matches are a gift to tennis fans.

Culled from www.ESPN.com

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Business & Finance The beer war is really hot in Nigeria Corporate Relations Director /Company Secretary Board of Guinness Nigeria, Sesan Sobowale

Our accounts are audited by two reputable external auditors.

No government agency or department even come near our contribution to the budget CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR, SANUSI-LAMIDO-SANUSI

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BPE warns Afam, Kaduna power firms bidders on transaction terms TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

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he Acting Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, has warned the 49 applicants that expressed interest in the privatisation of Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Distribution Company to comply with the terms of the Request for Proposals (RFP), for the transactions.

Dikki gave the advice at the pre-due diligence conference in Abuja for the re-tender of Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc held in Abuja on Monday, adding that the bureau would not condone any act that did not conform to the laid down guidelines on the privatisation of the entities and that, “bids that are submitted late will be rejected immediately and proposal not submitted in substantial compliance to the RFP will also be neglected”.

The BPE boss, who

stated that the bureau was committed to ensuring that only the best bidders take-over the two companies at the conclusion of the exercise, pointed out that in spite of the enormous challenges facing the nation’s electricity sector, the Federal Government was committed to resolving them; hence its commitment to the implementation of the power sector

reform.

While noting that a lot of experience had been gained in conducting the earlier transactions for the other five generation and 10 distribution companies, the acting Director General added that the, “transaction will definitely benefit from that experience.

Some of the challenges already addressed include a new tariff

order that is more costreflective than before, improvement in gas supply and gas infrastructure, finalization of industry agreements covering gas supply and transportation, electricity transmission and distribution and bulk power purchase.”

On what he considered as the constraints to the growth of the sector which, he noted, was not out of the woods, Dikki

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he International Air Transportation Association (IATA), has rated Africa’s accident in 2012 as the worst worldwide.

IATA said 3.71 per

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L-R: Glo postpaid subscriber, Mr. Ogboru Elmoni; Head, Corporate Sales of Globacom, Mr. Kamal Shonibare; Glo ambassador, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha; another postpaid subscriber, Rajiv Tiwary and Glo ambassador, Desmond Elliot, at the commencement of sale of the BB Z10 handset to customers in Lagos recently.

IATA rates Africa’s accident worst in 2012

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

listed the challenges to include, low generation capacity, inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructures, poor operational performance, poor revenue collection, inadequate metering, poor billing and electricity theft. Others are poor maintenance culture, inappropriate industry and market structure, unclear delineation of roles and responsibilities.

Arik Air

cent of flights originating from Africa were involved in accidents saying that the overall safety performance was far from satisfactory.

The Director-General, Mr. Tony Tyler said it should be as safe to travel by air in Africa as it is in any other part of the world, but noted that the reverse was the case in the continent.

According to IATA, total airline accident fatalities globally stood at 414 in 2012, down 14.8 per cent from 486 the previous year.

Also, there was one hull loss for every five million flights of Western-built jet aircraft in 2012, the lowest accident rate for a single year ever, the International Air Transportation As-

sociation (IATA) has said.

In terms of accidents as measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jets, the 2012 accident rate was 0.20, 46 per cent lower than 0.37 in 2011.

There were six hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets in 2012, down from 11 in 2011, IATA said. There

were three fatal hull loss Western-built jet accidents last year, down from five in 2011.

IATA’s more than 240 member airlines had no Western-built jet hull losses in 2012.

“The industry’s 2012 record safety performance was the best in history,” Tyler said in a statement. “Each day, approximately 100,000 flights arrive safely at their destinations.”

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2.3GHz spectrum: Telecoms firms oppose fresh auction

Cybercrimes: Visa lists tips for secure online shopping

FG, other stakehodlers move to tackle oil theft, vandalism

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Business Finance

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

2.3GHz spectrum: Telecoms firms oppose fresh auction KUNLE A ZEEZ

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hree telecoms operators currently occupying the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum and other concerned stakeholders have opposed fresh auction of the remaining portion of the 40MHz bandwidth in the band to a new telecoms firm.

Instead, the telecoms firms, Spectranet, Direct-On-PC and Mobitel Limited, have asked the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), advised the commission to allot 10MHz extra each to the three existing operators who have expressed willingness to negotiate and pay for this additional spectrum frequency.

The remaining 10MHz, the mobile operators said, will be used as guard bands to stop interference - a major technical issue significantly impairing delivery of efficient broadband services.

Additional spectrum, according to these operators, would provide them with the needed capacity

to deliver efficient and affordable broadband services to consumers, stressing that this would further assist in deepen internet penetration in the country.

In a presentation made on behalf of the operators at a stakeholders’ forum on 2.3GHz band held in Lagos on Monday, the Chief Operating Officer of Spectra net, Mr. Atul Ojha’s, said fresh auction of 30 MHz was not advisable in order to move the industry forward and increase service efficiency to Nigerians.

Ogiha noted that globally, wireline networks provide primary network reach and wireless as secondary reach but said in Nigeria; no significant primary wireline network was on ground, making wireless network the primary network with extra capacity requirement.

“There is negligible non-existent fixed wireline infrastructure in the country. It’s not viable to build a wireline network due to the exorbitant cost of Right of Way and other bottlenecks. International bandwidth cost is very high

in comparison to other parts of the world”, Ojha said.

He also noted that in Nigeria, huge portion of Internet Service Providers’ revenue goes towards connectivity charges and tower rentals.

“Therefore, it is our suggestions that the 2.3GHz Spectrum should be increased from 20 MHz to 30 MHz for existing three operators; Guard band 10 MHz between 2.3GHz and of 2.4GHz should be provided; while existing operators should adjust Test-Drive Development (TDD) ratio synchronization, provided the allocation is increased from 20 MHz to 30 MHz to manage throughput degradation and interference.

Speaking in the same vein, Chief Executive Officer, Mobitel, Mr. Johnson Salako, warned that if the commission sticks to the direction of auctioning additional slots on the band, it would further compound the problems of the current operators.

Managing Director, Swift Networks, Mr. Charles Anudu, said, “Currently, no operator is provid-

LR: Assistant Sales Manager, Lucky Fibres Plc, Mrs. Bunmi Odunoye; Assistant Sales Manager, First Rainbow Carpets, Akure, Mr. Alex Folorunso; Assistant Sales Manager, Patosa Carpets, Lagos, Mrs. Patience Taiwo and National Sales Manager, Lucky Fibres Plc, Mr. Hemant Nahar, at the 2013 Distributors’ Summit held in Dubai, yesterday.

Works Ministry plans to save N500m on road design DAYO AYEYEMI

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n order to save Nigeria a whooping N500million yearly through road and bridge designs consultancy outside the ministry, the Federal Ministry of Works has inaugurated a design office in order to reduce cost.

According to the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, the newly established Federal Highway Design office with modern equipment is located in the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters in Abuja.

Onolememen stated that when he came in as the minister piloting the affairs of

the ministry, he deemed it necessary to ensure that a full-fledged road and bridge design office is established, pointing out that an engineering ministry needed to be self-sufficient on road and bridge design which the ministry has the capacity to carry out.

He stated that before the establishment of the office, engineers of the ministry had gone on training in various institutions abroad and have already been posted to the Design Office in order to demonstrate their level of competency in the field.

He added that the newly employed engineers also have opportunity of being trained in the design office.

Expressing satsifactio over the new development in the ministry, Director of Highways (Roads), Mrs. Josephine Nnoruka, an engineer, thanked the minister for the approval of the design office which, she said had never existed in the history of the Federal Ministry of Works.

She added that the ministry could now be designing various road projects internally which is another expression of the agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in transforming the road sector in the country.

The event was attended by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abubakar Koro Muhammad and directors of the ministry.

ing true broadband services in Nigeria and this is also a function of available spectrum.” He stressed that additional spectrum to the three operators would help them provide better broadband services to the customers.

Technology experts from Qualcomm and Huawei who also made input into the subject said there are alternative frequency planning schemes that may help service providers to optimise the available frequency resources.

Earlier in his address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said the objective of

the forum was to provide an avenue for stakeholders and users of the 2.3 GHz band to discuss, technically criticise, exchange ideas and proffer options that will help the Commission in arriving at a decision on the further licensing of the remaining 40 MHz bandwidth in the band for the benefit of all Nigerians.

According to him, “With global development centered on availability of broadband services, the Commission is on a regular basis inundated with several requests for frequencies to deliver the services.

This has posed severe challenges as the frequencies sought for are scarce.”

Diamond Bank trains 200 SMEs owners on profit making OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

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ver 200 Micro, Small and Medium business owners have undergone training on how to manage their ventures on the path of profitability.

The training programme which was organised by Diamond Bank Plc in Abuja under its 27th BusinessXpress Enterprise Series, is aimed at helping to train and educate businesses in the category on the various best practices in entrepreneurship.

Speaking at the forum, the Head, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Diamond Bank, Mr. Chima Nnadozie, stated that the initiative was part of the bank’s offering to businesses in the MSME sector.

He said the bank offered financial and non-financial ser-

vices.

“The non-financial services include trainings like this, business clinics, networking as well as access to market events.”

“At the end of the training, we issue a certificate to individuals who have attended these trainings for about four times, when they borrow from us, they will get at least four per cent discount on the current lending rate,” he added.

He stated that this was because the bank believed that individuals that had gone through the trainings were better equipped in terms of managing a business, adding that this would make the bank more comfortable to lend to such business.

Nnadozie added, “We do this because we’ve found out that there is always a lack of capacity in the MSMEs business category.”

5O% Nigerians can’t access clean water –Survey UDO ONYEKA

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OI Polls has revealed that access to clean water in the country remains a major challenge to almost half of the populace.

According to the survey, 83 per cent of Nigerians source their drinking water privately, while only about 9 per cent is connected to the public sewerage system.

NOI Polls Limited is Nigeria’s leading opinion polling and research organisation, which works in technical partnership with the Gallup Organisation (USA), to conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria.

These were findings from the Access to Clean Water Snap poll conducted in February by NOI Polls.

“The Nigerian government

in January 2011 launched the ‘water road-map’, a blueprint that describes the government’s objectives in developing the nation’s water resources between 2011 and 2015. The plan includes the promise that 75 per cent of Nigerians will have access to clean water by 2015. Increasing access to safe drinking water is a key millennium development goal (MDG).

“Lack of access to water leads to a high prevalence of waterborne diseases, and all over the world, approximately 3 million children under five years old die yearly from diarrheal illnesses, mostly acquired from contaminated water. With the just concluded Presidential Summit on Water which held between the 18th and 19th of February 2013, NOI Polls sought the opinion of Nigerians regarding access to water and sanitary facilities,” the survey said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Business Finance

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Cybercrimes: Visa lists tips for secure online shopping KUNLE A ZEEZ

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isa, a global payments technology company, has enumerated strategies that can be employed by consumers who go online for shopping to shield themselves from falling into the antics of online fraudsters.

The Country Manager, Visa West Africa, Mr. Ade Ashaye, said the tips are necessary for a smart and secure shopping experience when navigating the online shopping sphere.

He said from bricks to clicks, online shopping has revolutionised and improved the shopping experience for consumers across the world, noting that some things have remained the same.

According to him, just as in the real world, criminals live on the Internet too, looking to make a quick naira any chance they can get. “While fraud rates today are near historic lows, criminals are fast moving and opportunistic, and will take advantage of any loopholes to scam unsuspecting shoppers,” he said.

Ashaye explained that in the current age, fake websites can easily be created by anyone with basic web design knowledge and used to gain access to your personal information. These websites, he said, often look legitimate too.

He said to guarantee a secure shopping experience; a number of precautions need to be taken when making online purchases.

Explaining, he said: “First

of all, know who you’re dealing with. Shop at online stores you know and trust. Be cautious when visiting unfamiliar sites offering deals that seem too-good-to-be-true. Secondly, do your homework by comparing products and prices before you buy, click around to find your item at the best price. Be sure to look out for testimonials and customer reviews if you are visiting a site for the first time.

“As an online shopper, don’t forget to check your URL. You’ve ascertained the website is legitimate and you’re about to make the purchase. Before you share your payment details, doublecheck the website’s URL. Be certain that the URL begins with “https://”. The “s” at the end of the “http” confirms that the site has a secure connection.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Airtel rolls out mobile HD voice service in Africa KUNLE A ZEEZ

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harti Airtel has announced the launch of the mobile HD voice service for its subscribers in Africa. The development comes as the first step in Airtel’s ambition to make mobile HD voice accessible in all its operations across the continent, a company statement said yesterday HD voice is the most significant improvement in voice communications in the past two decades. Mobile HD voice offers crystal clear audio quality and will enhance user experience on Airtel mobile networks.

“Surveys confirm that customers place a high value on HD Voice”, Andre Beyers, the Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa said. “The new service will enrich end-user experience for Airtel subscribers”.

Mobile HD Voice enables high-quality voice calls be-

cause it reduces background noise often heard on a regular call.

Airtel customers on 3G networks will experience a significant improvement in their voice communications as the new service will enable them to hear better in noisy environments.

To enjoy the maximum benefits of this new technology, both the calling and the called party need an HD-Voice compatible mobile phone. However, improvements in call quality are also perceived when using an HD voice-enabled phone to call a non-HD Voice phone.

Mobile HD Voice based on AMR (Adaptive Multi Rate) Wideband technology (WAMR) operates with nine different bit rates, providing high-quality voice calls. Compared to the current narrowband speech codec, the W-AMR speech-compression algorithm doubles voice bandwidth and produces better results.

APBN wants FG to embrace PPP MESHACK IDEHEN

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Head of Oyo State Office of Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Mr. Afolayan Agboola (right) presenting NIS Certification to Dr. Muritala Odesola, the Chief Executive Officer, Allah’s Will Steel Construction Company, Ibadan, recently.

FG supports Kogi’s accelerated rice project with N100m TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

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he Federal Government has pledged N100million support for the Kogi State initiative on rice production as part of its ongoing Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), targeted at achieving food security and making Nigeria net exporter of agricultural produce and processed foods in the near future.

Making the promise when he visited Kogi State for a land breaking ceremony said he was delighted at the amount of work done on rice production in the state, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the gesture would help in actualising the target of ending rice importation to the country by 2015 through adequacy of local production capacity.

A statement signed by Mrs. Idowu Jokpeyibo on behalf of the Ministry’s Assistant Director

Press, Mrs. Toyin Baker, quoted the Minister Adesina, as saying that the N100 million promised to the State is to support the land clearing efforts and the agro-based micro financing in the state, 30 per cent of which should be given to women.

Adesina, who also approved immediate supply of 1, 000 (50Kg) bags of rice seeds and 6, 000 bags of fertilizer to the state, commended the state government for its commitment to rice production despite formidable challenges being contended with, adding that if the abundant agricultural lands in the state are fully utilized, the state alone could meet the food needs of the country.

While restating that the ATA was designed to add 20 million MT of food to the domestic food supply and create 3.5 million jobs by 2015, the minister said in order to meet the target, government was doing everything reasonable to make agriculture a business in which all genu-

ine stakeholders could be involved.

“We now treat agriculture as a business, to generate wealth. If each state of the federation takes agriculture as a business and invests heavily in agriculture, we will unleash the economic revival of all our rural areas, feed ourselves, put our youths to work, and become food self-sufficient. Nigeria must produce what it eats, eat what it produces, and if it is not produced in Nigeria, it is not good enough for Nigerians”, Adesina said.

He disclosed that plans were at an advanced stage for the importation of 100 large scale integrated rice mills, which would make Nigeria to be self-sufficient in the processing of rice at industrial scale. The mills amongst which four had been allocated to Kogi State, the minister disclosed, would be owned and operated by the private sector and would be supported through financing from the China Exim Bank.

he Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, (APBN), the umbrella body of professionals in the country has urged government to partner with professionals in to accelerate growth and economic development.

The President of APBN, Mr. Bala Bawa Kaoje said on Tuesday that the association was ready to actively partner with the government in promoting and enhancing the status of professional bodies by advocating the maximum utilisation of the skills, knowledge and expertise of Nigerian professionals for national and international development.

He added that the association is mindful of the key roles and contributions that it can make to key policy thrust and programmes of the government, particularly now and in the future.

The ABPN president said through regular interface, professional and proper technical advice will be given to the government on matters affecting professionals and their practices, as well as those affecting public interests with implication for national development.

According to him, the place of professionals in nation building is strategic, considering that professionals have undergone prescribed training and certified as competent or proficient to render service in a vocation or field of study.

FAAN commissions remodelled Benin Airport on Friday OLUSEGUN KOIKI

T

he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), yesterday announced that it will commission the newly remodelled Benin Airport Friday this week.

The agency said top government officials and aviation stakeholders are expected to attend the commissioning ceremony.

An online statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati stated that the airport would be the third to be commissioned among the 11 airports listed under the first phase of the airport remodelling project in

the last five months.

The two already commissioned terminals are the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 1, on October 22, 2012 and the General Aviation Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on January 21.

The remaining eight airports under the first phase, are: Kano, Yola, Kaduna, Calabar, Enugu, Jos, Owerri and Port Harcourt, which he said are at various stages of completion and would soon be commissioned in quick succession.

Dati informed that the second phase of the project involving the remaining 11 airports in the country is expected to commence by mid 2013.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

35

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Energy Week

udemea@rocketmail.com 07031546994

FG, other stakeholders move to tackle oil theft, vandalism The vandalism of Arepo and other pipelines across the country, has, at various times, affected fuel distribution to many parts of the nation. UDEME AKPAN reports that efforts are being made to tackle the monster.

A vandalised pipeline

F

or too long, vandals have descended on the Arepo pipeline without much difficulty. For instance, they launched a major attack on the pipeline on January 12, 2013, thus, crippling the entire process of fuel distribution in the nation. The pipeline was their helpless victim in August 2012. The same facility was also attacked at Ijeododo community in the suburb of Lagos in December 2012, barely a few weeks after rehabilitation.

These and other attacks made very negative impacts on the oil and gas industry as well as economy of the nation.

First, commercial quantities of petrol were stolen in the process. Second, the environment was left polluted. Third, the entire nation was starved of supplies following the disruption of the facility which delivers product from Atlas Cove to Ejigbo, Mosimi, Ore, Ibadan and Ilorin depots.

More than that, life was snuffed out of three engineers of the Nigerian Na-

THE REPAIR HAS HIGH COST BENEFIT EFFECT CONSIDERING THAT WE WERE LOSING ABOUT N600 MILLION WORTH OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS TO OIL THEFT IN ONE WEEK.

BUT WITH WHAT WE HAVE

NOW, THE COST IS NOT UP TO WHAT WE WOULD HAVE LOST IN TWO WEEKS

tional Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), assigned to effect rehabilitation. This deteriorating state of affairs made many people and institutions to give up hope that the vandals would ever be caged.

But this was not to be. The government seems to be launching an attack to shield the pipelines from vandals through the apex oil firm. The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu who put the cost of rehabilitating the pipeline at N1.2 billion stated that: “the repair has high cost benefit effect considering that we were losing about N600 million worth

of petroleum products to oil theft in one week. But with what we have now, the cost is not up to what we would have lost in two weeks.”

The GMD unfolded short-term and long term measures targeted at rescuing Arepo from the hands of vandals. The short term measures included immediate mobilisation of engineers to fix the ruptured points while the long term plans include the deployment of innovative measures to prevent future attacks.

He stated that: “In a bid to bridle the incessant pipeline vandalism of the NNPC

system 2B artery in Arepo, Ogun State, the corporation, has deployed state- of –the-art technology to maintain comprehensive surveillance of the pipeline. Yakubu, disclosed this while on a one day working visit to ascertain the extent of work done by the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps code named SAPA on the clearance of the pipeline right of way at Arepo.

The GMD remarked that an indigenous engineering firm, ENIKKOM, has been mobilised to redirect the pipeline from the reach of vandals with modern technology to monitor the pipeline on a regular basis. As he puts it: “The engineering firm is bringing modern technology to bear on the system by burying the pipelines much deeper. New pipelines will be used to change the configuration in order to keep pipeline vandals away from the critical infrastructure.

Yakubu, who expressed the determiCONTINUED ON PAGE 36

36

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG, other stakeholders move to tackle oil theft, vandalism CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 nation of the corporation to improve the right of way of the pipelines, stated that NNPC has also built a watch tower, police post and would ensure that the hot spots would be secured, adding that this would also prevent the loss of lives.

He made it clear that NNPC will also build a long wide platform that will ensure easy access at anytime for the security forces over the swamps while noting that the project has a very high cost benefit to the Corporation saying that the Corporation records a loss of six hundred million naira every week that the System 2B is hacked down by vandals.

Yakubu stated that the project has the full support of President Goodluck Jonathan and the top leadership of the security agencies and appealed to state governments, local government, communities and other stakeholders to join hands with the NNPC to stamp out pipeline vandalism for the growth of the economy. The GMD confirmed that the refineries were running at different levels of effectiveness, noting that TAM for Port Harcourt Refining Company has been scheduled for April this year.

The Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Haruna Momoh, stated that with the two hundred and 58 tanks in the 21 depots and a holding capacity of 2.6 billion litres of petroleum products and with the over 5,000km network of pipelines across the country, NNPC is ready to constantly wet the nation with products.

He assured Nigerians that NNPC would continue to do all within its ability to ensure that fuel queues remain a thing of the past. Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Brig. Gen. Emeka Okonkwo said it is the duty of the army to support civil authority and that the army is in Arepo to re-establish the right of way of the NNPC pipeline from Mosimi to Ibadan within 90 days assuring that the military engineers would deliver on its mandate. The management of the NNPC mobilised the Nigeria Army, Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp to the NNPC System 2B artery in Arepo after the January 12th pipeline break to check the tide of pipe-

Alison

line hacking in the area.

A visit to Arepo showed that the swampy terrain has been opened up, making it possible for security and other personnel to police the area than in the past. Some facilities, including police post have also been erected to enhance monitoring of the pipeline which has suffered countless attacks, especially in the last three years.

This has attracted the comments of some stakeholders. For instance, the National President of Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSAN), Mr. Colman Obasi said in a telephone interview that the measure promises to assist in tackling vandalism in the area. He stated that: “We in OGSPAN believe that the latest intervention would go a long way to tackling vandalism of Arepo pipeline.

Obasi tasked the NNPC to extend the measure to other locations. He remarked that: “Most of the nation’s pipelines are located in remote areas which makes effective monitoring difficult. Where it is possible, it is advisable that such locations should be opened up to pave way for effective monitoring.”

The National President tasked the corporation to also consider burying its pipelines much deeper as Shell’s example showed that it can be effective.

Yakubu

Jonathan

EVEN BETTER FOR NIGERIA IS THAT

The feat was achieved through the deployment of horizontal directional drilling, a technology used to burry pipelines underground at levels deep enough to thwart saboteurs.

Authoritative report stated that: “Horizontal directional drilling in the Nigerian pipeline sector was first used on a route from Escravos to Warri in the Niger Delta, as a part of which a 17.-kilometre section of 24-inch-diameter pipeline was laid under the Escravos River. It stated that the pipe, partially owned by

Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s subsidiary Nigerian Gas Company, will be used to transport natural gas extracted by Shell and Chevron for processing.

The report stated that: “Even better for Nigeria is that the company that provided the technology is an indigenous one, Fenog Nigeria, making this an example of local content and capacity building, which is another high-priority area for the country.”

It stated that Fenog’s drilling rig, a $15 million piece of equipment imported from Germany and customised for local usage, has the capacity to burry pipes as deep as 60 metres underground. The report stated that this is despite the fact that oil bunkerers are generally not able to dig more than just a few meters below the ground in order to tap existing pipes.

It maintained that: “An additional benefit for those dependent on the river is that going underneath it instead of over it means that the waterway did not have to be shut down for the duration of construction, which could have been for as long as nine months.”

These and other suggestions should be taken seriously, particularly as the nation may likely continue to rely on pipelines to move crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products from one part of the nation to another.

different parts of the country.

The NNPC GED averred that these improvements in gas supply and power availability are a testament to the holistic approach of this administration in resolving the power crisis in Nigeria permanently.

He stated that the nation is on its way to achieving gas export parity, a development that would encourage greater investment by the private sector in the gas exploration and production.

He disclosed that domestic gas usage has been increasing, noting that 300 taxi drivers have converted their cars to run on gas in Benin city.

He applauded the organizers for the award and said it would spur him and the

NNPC to record more milestones in the gas revolution agenda of the Federal Government.

Speaking in similar vein, the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Osten Olorunshola commended the organizers for their painstaking efforts adding that the nation is moving forward as production of crude oil has stabilized in the country.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Ernest Nwapa applauded the publishers for showcasing Nigeria in positive light aimed at transforming the economy of the nation through the Oil and Gas Industry.

THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDED THE TECHNOLOGY IS AN

INDIGENOUS ONE,

FENOG

NIGERIA, MAKING THIS AN EXAMPLE OF LOCAL

CONTENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING, WHICH IS

ANOTHER HIGH-PRIORITY AREA FOR THE COUNTRY

FG reassures on gas revolution CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

T

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has reassured that the country would become the regional hub of petrochemical and fertilizer by 2017.

The Group Executive Director of Gas and Power, Dr. David Ige, made this disclosure in Abuja while receiving the prestigious Man of the Year Award from the Oil and Gas Year book that chronicles the Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry.

Ige said that the gas development reform and capacity in the country were being redoubled and that a few years from now the

entire nation would be wired up for gas.

“All that we need to make Nigeria a regional hub of petrochemical and fertilizer is in place and by 2017, Nigeria clearly will become the regional hub of gas in Africa,” Ige affirmed.

He noted that the dedicated major Gas Infrastructure Development initiated by the Jonathan administration is designed to create flexibility of movement of domestic gas nationwide.

Ige revealed that the Ajaokuta-KanoKaduna gas line is at an advanced stage of design to supply gas to the northern part of the country for power generation and gas-based industries, stressing that similar gas infrastructure projects are ongoing in

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Energy Week

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

37

Nigeria’s oil output rises to 2.8m bpd UDEME AKPAN

WITH AGENCY REPORT

T

he nation’s oil output has risen from about 90,000 barrels to 2.8 million barrels per day in February, this year.

The development is attributed to as increased rehabilitation of production facilities, including pipelines after flooding which crippled output and export a few months ago.

Reuters which documented this in its recent survey stated that: “Nigeria’s output climbed 90,000 barrels to 2.08 million barrels a day in February, the survey showed.

The agency noted that the feat was the second- biggest production advance. It also stated that: “The country’s production is recovering after flooding in September and October shut oil fields in the Niger River Delta.”

The increased output is expected to boost foreign exchange generation for the execution of the 2013 budget which is based on $79 per barrel.

However, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC basket of 12 crudes stood at $108.62 per barrel over the weekend, compared with $109.69 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

The cartel stated that it will bolster crude shipments through to the middle of next month to meet rising demand in Asia, according to tanker tracker oil movements.

Oil vessel

uled to meet in May. OPEC crude output rose for the first time in six months as rising Libyan production outpaced a cut by Saudi Arabia, which has implemented a program aimed at curbing excess supply and supporting prices, a Bloomberg survey showed.

Output in the 12-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries increased 97,000 barrels, or 0.3 percent, to an average 30.699 million barrels a day this month from a revised 30.602 million in January, the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts showed. The January total was revised 123,000 barrels a day higher, mostly because of a change to the Kuwaiti production estimate.

Brent crude for April settlement dropped 49 cents, or 0.4 percent, to end the session at $111.38 a barrel on the London- based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Brent is the benchmark contract for more than half the world’s oil.

West Texas Intermediate oil for April delivery fell 71 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $92.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest settlement since December 31.

The group that supplies about 40 percent of the world’s oil will export 23.56 million barrels a day in the four weeks to March 16, up 120,000 barrels or 0.5 percent from the previous period, the researcher said today in an e-mailed report. The figures exclude Angola and Ecuador.

“The only possible explanation is relatively strong eastern demand,” Roy Mason, the company’s founder, said by phone from Halifax, England. “There’s also a slight uptick in western movements, reflecting the fact we’re past the trough” in seasonal consumption, he said.

Middle East shipments will increase by 0.3 percent to 17.22 million barrels a day in the period, compared with 17.16 million in the four weeks to February 16, according to Oil Movements. That figure includes non-OPEC members Oman and Yemen.

Crude on board tankers will average 464.19 million barrels, up 1.3 percent on the previous period, the data show. Oil Movements calculates the volumes by tallying tanker bookings. Its figures exclude crude held on vessels for storage.

OPEC comprises Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The organisation is next sched-

Source: Oilprice.com

Oil spills: Shell says remediation has reached advanced stage SAM OLUWALANA

A

nglo-Dutch oil giants, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), has said it has reached advanced stage in the

remediation of oil spills.

This is a fallout of its operations in Ogoniland, especially in Ejama and Bomu manifold even as Niger Delta activists expressed doubt over the company’s sincerity.

The welcome news that the company has finally capitulated to the yearnings of

the people of Ogoniland was revealed in a statement on Monday by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Bukola Saraki .

Sakari said Shell is committed to completing the remediation process before the end of 2013 and that this was communi-

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

cated to the senate committee via a letter of assurance from the company. ‘’After the public hearing, the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology had with Shell Petroleum on January 30, 2013, on the way forward to clean-up and commencement of proper remediation of oil spill sites, the committee is delighted to receive a letter of reassurance of commitment from Shell, that they will complete the remediation of Ejama and Bomu Manifold oil spill sites in 2013’’, the state read.

Saraki on behalf of the committee acknowledged the commitment and efforts of management of Shell for charting a new course by reassuring the committee and Nigerians that it will re-mediate these sites.

The committee assured Nigerians of their relentless effort in ensuring that other oil spill sites in the Niger Delta get due attention and remain oil spillfree. Saraki urged Nigerians to join the committee in monitoring the exercise.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oil thieves threaten export, revenue UDEME AKPAN

WITH AGENCY REPORT

N

igeria’s oil thieves are back in action, sabotaging pipelines to rob Africa’s biggest crude producer of more than a 10th of its daily production.

In the first two months of this year alone, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and other oil companies have declared three force majeures, a legal clause that allows them to miss contracted deliveries due to circumstances beyond their control. The thefts threaten to outpace the worst year, 2009, at the height of the insurgency by militants in the Niger River Delta.

Bloomberg quoted the Country chair/ managing director of Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu as stating that: “The situation in the last few weeks is unprecedented.”

He said: “The volume being stolen is the highest in the last three years; over 60,000 barrels per day from Shell alone.”

The agency stated that Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Chevron Corp, Total SA and Eni SpA run joint ventures with state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that pump most of the country’s oil. The West African nation was the seventh-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries last month, with output at about 2.1 million barrels a day.

It stated that Exxon Mobil ended a supply warning on Qua Iboe oil exports it made on Feb. 7 after two weeks. Shell’s Feb. 5 force majeure on gas supplies to Nigeria LNG Ltd., after thieves ruptured a pipeline, is still in place, Precious Okolobo, a Lagos-based spokesman, said.

Bonny Light crude, Nigeria’s top export grade, rose 0.4 percent to $113.29 a barrel as of 2:17 p.m. in London.

In 2009, during the insurgency by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, companies declared force majeure 12 times. The figure, which dropped to four in 2010 after the government declared an amnesty for MEND fighters, was back up to 11 last year as

Oil terminal

GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LEAKAGES, A MORE PROACTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH IS PROBABLY NEEDED TO CURB OIL THEFT thousands of former rebels who gave up their weapons returned to a life of crime.

“There have been growing opportunities for some of these organized criminal syndicates to operate with greater impunity,” Roddy Barclay, an analyst at Control Risks, a London-based business consulting group, said in a phone interview. “Certainly some of the ex-militant actors that were engaged in the armed attacks against the oil industry are now also involved in the more criminally lucrative” theft.

President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking international help by approaching countries that receive stolen crude from Nigeria or where the proceeds are laundered to help close the loopholes, Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke said on Feb. 19.

While Jonathan gave the navy “a specific mandate to curb” oil theft, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, said in Abuja, the capital, on Feb. 21, it’s difficult to eradicate because of the expanse of pipelines covering a 70,000 square-kilometer (27,027 square-mile) region. That is bigger than the U.S. state of West Virginia.

As many as 250,000 barrels of crude are stolen daily, according to former Nigerian diplomat Patrick Dele-Cole, who has started a “Stop the Theft” campaign.

His estimate is similar to one contained in a Nov. 2 Petroleum Ministry report prepared for Jonathan.

The thefts cost the government $7 billion in revenue in 2011, about a quarter of this year’s national budget, according to the central bank.

The armed gangs are tapping crude from pipelines either for local refining or to move it in barges for sale to tankers waiting off the country’s Atlantic coast.

The ships then take it to destinations as far flung as the Balkans or Singapore, says Dele-Cole, whose son Tonye Cole runs Sahara Energy Field Ltd., a Lagosbased oil exploration and trading company.

To refine the oil, gangs boil the crude

in large, open cauldrons, a process that often results in burning down large patches of the Niger River delta’s mangrove and rain forests and polluting its rivers. Their gasoline grade, known locally as Asari, after former militant leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, is sold at filling stations in the region, according to Sam Dike, a taxi driver in the southeastern city of Owerri.

“We believe that criminal syndicates control the vast majority of crude oil theft in the Niger delta,” Dele-Cole said in an interview. “The Nigerian government and its international partners have not focused their attention on gathering the evidence required to clearly indicate who these people are.”

Nigerian prosecutors charged 22 people, including 10 Indian nationals, with oil theft in the southern city of Yenagoa on Jan. 23. A 15-man Russian crew is also facing charges of weapons smuggling after their vessel was seized in waters in the oil region in October, with authorities alleging links with the oil gangs.

At least 7,000 improvised refineries dotting the delta were destroyed by troops in the past two years, Joseph Okogie, a navy spokesman, told reporters last week.

“Given the magnitude of the leakages, a more proactive and comprehensive approach is probably needed to curb oil theft,” Samir Gadio, a London-based emerging-markets strategist at Standard Bank Plc, said today in an e-mailed response to questions. While an Islamist insurgency in the country’s mainly Muslim north has captured the government’s attention in recent years, “there seems to have been less focus on the Delta lately, even though this region generates an overwhelming share of government revenue.”

The former rebels are turning to crime because the government failed to follow up the amnesty by meeting their demands to end poverty and grant the region more benefits from crude production, said Anyakwee Nsirimovu, executive director of Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, based in the oil industry hub of Port Harcourt.

NERC pledges effective power sector regulation

T

he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC has pledged to guarantee commensurate wages to labour in the electricity sector through effective regulation.

The Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi made this known at the National Executive Council meeting of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE in Abuja.

In his goodwill message, Amadi commended the NUEE for the peaceful conduct of their struggle in light of the ongoing privatization. He said “I must commend labour for a violence free struggle unlike what we have seen happen in some other countries where privatization has occasioned massive unrest”.

Amadi urged them to continue to exercise restraint as government implements agreements they have reached with inves-

tors. “As a regulator, NERC is committed to ensuring that operators in the new electricity industry pay fair wages to workers and provide a safe and healthy working environment that promotes productivity”.

The Commission NERC has also said it will soon issue regulations on national content to ensure that the Nigerian electricity industry gives priority to indigenous operators and workers.

Assistant General Manager, Media, Maryam Yaya Abubakar, in a statement, said the regulations, which is billed to be released by the third quarter of 2013, would set out guidelines to ensure that Nigerians are given first consideration in the areas of project execution, employment, training and technology transfer, among others.

“There will be a need for skilled manpower and the regulator has the responsibility of ensure the delivery of manpower

needs” the statement quoted Commissioner in charge of Legal, Licensing & Enforcement, Steven Andzenge, as saying.

Abubakar, said the regulation is necessitated by the need to better position the electricity industry at this critical stage in its development, drawing valuable lessons from the local content initiatives of other sectors in Nigeria.

Also, Commissioner in charge of Market, Competition & Rates, Mr. Eyo Ekpo, said: “I believe strongly that we should do everything possible to avoid the pitfalls experienced in the Oil & Gas and Telecommunications sectors.

The Commission has developed business objectives that are mapped to each of its key goals and has ensured that the objectives are aligned to its objects and functions as defined in the EPSR Act, 2005

Amadi

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Energy Week

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Group moves to boost investment in oil, other sectors

F

ederal Government determination to stimulate the nation’s economic growth may witness a boost as a group moves to promote investment in oil and other sectors of the economy.

The project, involving conference and exhibition will be attended by entrepreneurs who have expressed their intentions not only to participate but also invest in major sectors of the economy, including petroleum, power, environment, maritime and commerce when the event opens from April 22-27, this year.

AOC Biocycles Limited and Hillcrest Energy, the organisers of Nigeria’s International Integrated, Energy, Environment, Maritime Technology, Trade and Investment Expo who confirmed the development in a statement stated that investors and potential investors look forward to the event, particularly as it will create the opportunity for them to know new policies as well as network and share relevant information and data with others.

Specifically, the Coordinator of the event, Sir Aiyegbeni Omonhinmin stated that: “NIGEEM is Nigeria’s international annual exclusive and specialized offshore oil and gas, electricity, alternative energy, environment, maritime technology, trade exhibition and investment expo targeted at showcasing made in Nigeria equipment and services.

He maintained that the expo enjoys the support of relevant Federal and State Government ministries, departments, agencies, institutions, trade and

Pat Utomi

professional associations and driven by the organized private sector.

Omonhinmin stated that NIGEEM is a business to business networking platform that attracts global players, professionals, investors, designers, fabricators and development experts and institutions, thus creating the right atmosphere for the formation of partnerships and alliances needed to expand various investments.

Already, many government and other institutions, including Nigerian Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, National Business and Technical Examination Board, National Office of Technological Acquisition and Promotion, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Nigerian Entrepreneurs Forum, National Universities Commission and Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria have risen to support the

programme, especially because of its expected impact on the nation’s economy.

For instance, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR who has the mandate to supervise all petroleum industry operations as well as enforce safety and environmental regulations have expressed interest play active roles to bring about success.

The statement quoted DPR director, Mr. Augustine Olorunsola as stating during a courtesy call that: “We are pleased to associate with your Organisation in hosting NIGEEM, an epoch making event expected to create a networking platform for entrepreneurs, professionals, investors and allied businesses etc, to show case their products and services, share technology, as well as engender economic growth and human capacity development, in various aspects of the economy.

39

SON endorses Conoil lubricants

S

tandards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has certified four of Conoil’s lubricant brands as high performance engine oils that provide maximum benefits to the users of modern vehicles and machinery.

The correct usage of these lubricants ensures prolonged and trouble free vehicle and machine operation.

The lubricants - Golden Super Motor Oil SAE 40, Tro Tro Golden Super Motor Oil SAE 40, Golden Super Diesel SAE 40 and Quatro Heavy Duty Generator Oil 15W40, met the specific requirement of relevant Nigerian industrial standards after series of rigorous and extensive tests of their content and production procedures.

Golden Super Motor Oil gives adequate protection to petrol engines, with good detergent and adequate viscosity retention with temperature.

Golden Super Diesel engine oil is a top quality oil specially formulated to give reliable allyear-round service in light and medium duty, naturally aspirated engines.

Infused with a comprehensive additive package and good anti-wear properties, Quatro Heavy Duty Generator Oil is the ideal choice for generating sets.

Tro-Tro Golden Super Motor Oil is a quality multi-grade lubricant suitable for major light and medium duty vehicles that are fuelled by petrol or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The Company, in a statement, described the latest SON certification as an attestation to its relentless effort to adhere to global

best practices, produce high quality lubricants comparable to international standards and to provide excellent service that meet consumer satisfaction, in line with its objective of becoming the preferred marketer of lubricants in Nigeria and the West Coast.

It would be recalled that SON had previously certified Conoil’s lubricants, Quatro HDX, Okada Golden Super 20w50w and Quatro Ultra 20w50, confirming their status as world-class quality lubricant brands.

Conoil boasts of highly skilled and experienced engineers capable of developing high quality lubricant products, using modern technology.

The company’s major lubricant plant in Apapa, Lagos is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for testing lubricants, greases as well as upgrading existing products on continuous basis.

Conoil stated that: “We are engaged in the marketing of refined petroleum products and also in the manufacturing and marketing of high-quality lubricants and chemicals for domestic and industrial use.

The company is reputed for its unwavering commitment to excellent products and service delivery for maximal customer satisfaction.

It maintained that: “As the first and largest indigenous oil marketing company in Nigeria, we have over the years gained a unique understanding of research and quality control, which we continuously apply in all our businesses in order to offer the best propositions to customers.”

Enugu Chamber of Commerce woos government CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

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he Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (ECCIMA), has solicited the active participation of the mines and steel development ministry in the 24th Enugu International Trade Fair holding between March 15 and 25, 2012.

The President of the Chamber Dr. Theo Okonkwo, who led a delegation of the top management of the chamber on a courtesy visit to the ministry in Abuja, said reiterated the need to expand information of flow on the nation’s solid minerals potentials.

He called on the minister to avail himself of the opportunity which the fair would provide to enlighten potential investors about the investment opportunities which abound in the sector.

According to Okokwo, both local and international investors have inundated the chamber with enquiries concerning the investment in the sector.

He noted that if the ministry participates in the fair this year, it will be able to provide first hand information to these potential investors who are eager to learn about the business prospects available in the sector.

“Last year you promised that your ministry would participate but that could not happen, perhaps the circumstances that made you not to participate may have been beyond your control, let me hope that this year would be different because mines and steel occupies a very strategic position in economy and social development of the nation” he said.

The Director General of ECCIMA, Mr. Emeka Okereke, also

added that there are a lot of potentials solid minerals and enlightenment is needed to really showcase prospects by the ministry, adding that the fair is a suitable ground for such clarifications.

“Today we have continued to receive a good number of enquiries from people who want to go into mining, particularly coal that is domiciled within our area, and incidentally, one of our foreign members has requested that we guide him on how he can get license cold mining in Enugu, they are already operating somewhere in Abakaliki, and we want to use this opportunity to plead that facilitation should be given to him, if he calls to your ministry for guidance, because they are very serious investors, they have the capacity in terms of finance and technology to add value to our mines vision in the country

Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Olusegun Aganga

There are a lot of investors who would want to tap into the solid minerals but even though the information is available but we need to expound on this information and that is why we are pleading that solid mineral ministry should participate in the Enugu international trade fair” In his response, the minister

of mines and steel development, Musa Mohammed Sada, said the ministry was set to participate in this year’s fair not only in Enugu but all other fairs across the country.

He said the ministry was hitherto working on some regulatory framework which is very necessary for the smooth running of the mines sector.

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Energy Week

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Oil makes the wars go round (1) Ossie

Esiemokai

THE PIPELINE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPOSED TO THE

E-mail: anthonyossie52@yahoo.com Tel: 08023021212 (SMS only) here used to be this old school saying that money makes the world go round. That was before the advent of the oil entrepreneurs. We had earlier in this column discussed some of them at length. We will soon resume a serial on some of the more colorful ones we omitted to cover then. It is meant for firing the imagination of our young generation; to learn of the ingredients of wealth-making and keeping. It is one thing to create or chance upon wealth, it is another thing to know how to multiply and sustain it. The Ibos of the world have a saying: “I get am before, no be property” When we resume this promised series, it will start with Mr. Hess then go on to James Musselman the Rock Star of the Gulf of Guinea oil finds. We won’t forget to bring up the grass to grace fortunes of Baba Aristotle Onassis, the Greek oil-tankers owner. Oh! We nearly left Dr. Armand Hammer. This one lived to be 92 years and headed Occidental Petroleum, some say, for more than 60 Years!

Well, in more recent decades it is oil that makes the world go round. It is consequent upon this that we, here, have come to the conclusion after watching oil geo-politics, the inter and intra-national cause and effects of the oil industry. For more than two decades, that Oil also make the Wars go round.

When the company known as Triton Energy, which had received mention in this column in the past, was sold for 2.67 billion dollars to Hess Oil of New York, the analysts in Wall Street griped very much aloud that Hess bought a bad apple or at best overpaid. Their reason? Triton had at that point a huge tract of concession in Colombia that was yielding sizeable flow of crude petroleum, nearly 200,000 barrels per day. But, between the field and the port of evacuation was a

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FARC COLOMBIAN REBELS AND HAD BEEN HIT IN PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT SABOTAGE, ONE OF WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL AND CAUSED A BRIEF SHUTDOWN vast distance.

The pipeline was significantly exposed to the FARC Colombian rebels and had been hit in previous attempts at sabotage, one of which was successful and caused a brief shutdown. The question Wall Street analysts, including Michael Brick in an article New York Times on July 11, 2011, had was why spend such a heavy amount to buy a company with such a huge asset in a volatile and conflict-ridden neighborhood which could jeopardize Hess’s ability to access and exploit its enormous reserves. The lesson of this was that prudence requires that a corporation must not buy oil assets in a theater of armed conflicts. This is a tough one, a quintessential catch-22 situation, because if there was no conflict the discovery and production of oil would create one. In fact, Triton’s other reserves, gas reserves were in the FarEast in territorial waters between Thailand and Malaysia or is it Indonesia, with some incipient boundary demarcation disagreement.

In January the world was shocked by the armed attack on the In-Amenas gas plant in the Tigentourine regions of Algeria. When this writer met with senior officials of the Algerian national petroleum and gas Corporation Sonatrach -

Militants at work

at an international conference in 2001, they proudly showcased their gleaming gas production, pumping stations and streaming facilities he became green with envy. In very graphic terms they expounded on the existence and plans for this their national asset called - Gas. They were doing both LNG and LPG. And their plans were big but their selfassured confidence in their figures and their technological and financial possibilities were very disarming and convincing. They had planned for 11 mammoth units for LPG extraction.

Count them again, eleven! At that point in time, in the autumn months of 2001, five were completed and kicking.

Of these the one at Hassi R’mel was the one they were most proud of. It was then doing 3 MT per day but with a capacity to do 10.263 MT per day. Other completed and functioning projects were OuedNourmer (1.2MT); Alrar-West and Hassi Messaoud (6.36MT). The one at Hamra was in partnership with the French giant Total and the plant at Tin-Fouye was a tripartite between Sonatrach-RepsolTotal. There were two plants under construction at Hassi R’mel South and Rhourde-Nouss phase B. The gas plant hit by the terrorists at In-Amenas along with Ohanet, Gassi-

Touil and Rhourde-el-Baguel were then under what technically they told us was ‘maturation’ This writer left that forum sad that his country – Nigeria – was still flaring away unperturbed. He also remembered the hiss of contempt a visiting Vice-President from New York had made when he saw a succession of flare points in the Ogoni land abutting the Port Harcourt –Aba expressway, after Onne Junction, in 1989. The Mid-West American could not reconcile a nation flaring away its precious gas and sending out 8 able-bodied young men, with nail spikes on wood and forcefully stopping motorist at dangerous highway road bends for car radio levy!

When he asked how much in US dollars this levy was, he was told it was the equivalent of eight cents! This writer, who had picked up this top shot right on the Port Harcourt tarmac was in the car with him and did the conversion. He had come in one of the Pfizer corporate jet planes and as a law abiding citizen we had prior applied for and obtained the permits and clearances from the Nigeria Police (Port), the State Security Chief out there and the NAA. That hiss of Mr. William Stemfl had echoed in our ears until Bonny LNG made their first shipment in1996 or thereabout.

TCN commissions 2nd Onitsha-Benin 330KV transmission line

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lectricity supply may improve in Edo, Anambra and other parts of the East as the transmission line serving the area has been energised.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), that confirmed the development stated in a statement that said that the new second 330kv Transmission line from Benin, in Edo State, to Onitsha, in Anambra State was successfully energized from Onitsha end with an initial load of 131mw.

It stated that by this commissioning, Benin and Onitsha transmission substations have been linked with a double circuit transmission line for the first time.

The Assistant General Manager (Public Affairs) Mr. Dave Ifabiyi who signed the statement quoted the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Engr.

Olusola Akinniranye, as saying that

Transmission line

this landmark achievement of meeting the International N minus 1 (N-1) criteria, means that apart from the ability to wheel more power, the grid system will remain stable in the event of loss of one of the lines.

This feat, he said will further enhance the nation’s grid stability and wheeling capacity. Akinniranye also

reiterated that upon the completion of on-going Alaoji -Owerri - Onitsha; Alaoji – Ikot Ekpene – Ugwaji – New Haven and Ugwaji – Aliade – Makurdi – Jos as well as Osogbo - Benin 330kV transmission lines projects, the nation’s transmission grid will be more robust and stable.

In the same vein, one of the 2 x

150 MVA, 330/132KV transformers at Calabar was energized on Sunday, 17th February 2013 by turning in and turning out of the Itu – Calabar 132kV transmission line into Calabar 330/132kV transmission substation to energize the 132kV busbars. Consequently, the 330kV transmission line from the sub-station to the Calabar Power Plant is now alive on potential.

The Power Plant will now have available power to run their pre- commissioning tests.

One of the 2x75MX Reactors was also commissioned the same day.

TCN thanked the government and good people of the states in the Eastern Region of Nigeria for their understanding, support and cooperation as they had to cope with power outages during critical stages of the construction of the second 330kV Transmission line from Benin to Onitsha.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Executive Discourse

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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The beer war is really hot in The Corporate Relations Director and Company Secretary to the board of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Sesan Sobowale, in this interview with ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI explains how the company invested huge funds to sponsor the Super Eagles’ participation at the just concluded African Cup of Nations and what the campaign meant for the company’s marketing strategy.

Guinness Nigeria just recorded a success in its marketing campaign in support of the Super Eagles at AFCON 2013 despite cynicism from some brand experts that it might be the biggest marketing investment blunder as a result of uninspiring performance of the team in the last 10 years. How do you describe the challenges Guinness Nigeria faced while making the marketing decisions to support the team?

I think it speaks to our foresightedness. Obviously, we are managing this business for our investors. And Guinness Nigeria is not a new kid on the block. Guinness has been in Nigeria’s for 62 years. So, when we manage and while we keep an eye on returns for today, we also look at long-term about preserving values for the company and getting return on our investment over a long term. That said, I think it speaks to our willingness to take risks where required because Nigerians will agree that backing the Super Eagles as at the time that we did was a big risk. This sponsorship goes back to about five years. At that time, the Eagles while playing their matches, they would win today and loose tomorrow. People had lost confidence in the team but we saw in that team an embodiment of the Nigerian spirit. We saw for instance, that because Nigerians play and love football that if we get our football management right, we can have a football team of young men and women who are world beaters and can take on the best in the world. It was that potential that we saw that no one else did, that made us to put our investment in a team that no other brand will back. It speaks to our foresightedness, confidence and they believe in the Nigerian spirit and we are glad that we have not disappointed.

Was there any opposition at the board while the marketing investment on the Super Eagles was debated at the Guinness management level?

We put a significant effort behind our sponsorship of the Super Eagles, just in general sponsorship. And when Nigeria was preparing for this African Cup of Nations, the debate was whether we should invest a huge amount of money behind the competition. As you can image, given the size of the investment, there was heated debate even within our management as to whether it was a right marketing decision or not. But I think that we were a able to quickly reach a consensus that this is the right thing to do for Nigerian and for our brands that is leading the support for the Super Eagles. Obviously, we had a debate because it was a huge amount of money, we had a debate, because we venture that we can’t predict the certainly. We have a debate about investment whether it is to expand capacity or introduce a new product because it is venturing into the unknown but we were able to reach a consensus on time.

The Beer Sectoral Group, of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria recently stated that the capital investments of the sector are in excess of $3bn. What is Guinness capital investment in Nigeria given that it was reported that Nigerians are the biggest consumers of your brand in the world?

Let me put the statistics in context. The correct position is that Nigeria is the biggest Guinness market by net sales in the world, which isn’t quite the same as saying we are the biggest Guinness market because in

PEOPLE HAVE LOST

CONFIDENCE IN THE TEAM, BUT WE SAW IN THAT TEAM AN EMBODIMENT OF THE

NIGERIAN SPIRIT. WE SAW FOR INSTANCE, THAT BECAUSE NIGERIANS PLAY AND LOVE FOOTBALL THAT IF WE GET OUR FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT RIGHT, WE CAN HAVE A

FOOTBALL TEAM OF YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE WORLD BEATERS AND CAN TAKE ON THE BEST IN THE WORLD one or two other markets they sell more Guinness but it’s just that by the time you multiply the volume per the value then you get the net sales, then there is no other market that beat Nigeria. So, we are the biggest Guinness market. About the value of the business, I can’t come up with a figure. There are many ways to value a a business. It’s something that financial advisers will sit down and estimate. But you can use many indices. But based on the size of our current investment that we are making, two years ago, we announced an investment of about £225 million to expand our capacity which we expect to complete next year. We can also use market capitalisation to value us. Fortunately, Guinness Nigeria is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. If I take the pricing at the close of business yesterday (…) which was at N275 for 50 kobo share, the market cap today will be about N415billion. That is another index. I am not saying the company is worth N415 billion.

It was reported Guinness Nigeria had spent about N5.5bn on product advertising, including the Flying with the Eagles campaign, unveiling of the world largest Jersey which broke Guinness Book of Records, what has been the market response on your net sales and profitability?

I think that Nigerians love Guinness. They have celebrated the success of the Super Eagles at the African Cup of Nations in South Africa with Guinness.

But that said, you know that when you make an investment, you have a gestation period before you get your ROI. But I will not be able to give you a figure that as a result of our investment in the AFCON, this is what it has translated to on our net sales. But obviously, we expect that it has impacted on our sales and profitability but you begin to see that in months and years to come.

But another index is that it has increased our brand equity. But we are very confident that the investment will begin to yield returns in months to come.

Looking at your brands in the competition and market outlook, your Harp brand obviously still toe behind Star Larger in the market positioning

Sobowale

while your Guinness stout is a clear leader above your competition’s Legend. What really defines your competition level?

We operate in a competitive environment. Obviously, all the big global brewers are in Nigeria. Diageo is here represented by Guinness Nigeria, Heineken is here because it’s a global brand with might, SABmiller is also here. And they don’t just bring in products made in other markets. They have set up shops here.

They have invested in facilities and market infrastructure. So, as many people will like to say, the beer war is really hot in Nigeria. Now, when you look at market share for instance, Guinness is a clear leader in the stout segment and there is really no doubt that.

Obviously, a few upstarts are trying to make inroads into that market share and you know it’s a competitive market, we wish them the best of luck. But we know that consumers are discerning, they know best quality when they see it. We are confident that Guinness Stout will continue to be the market leader for the foreseeable future. We are not complacent and will continue to win the consumers in that segment. But when it comes to larger, if look at history itself on when was one product launched, you will find that our product was launched many years after the leader. But if you look at how Harp has performed in the last couple of years, it’s been really, really been re-engineered and closing the gap between it and the market leader. And we are confident that will continue with the level of investment in the brand, we will make a significant inroad into that larger segment. We are confident about our strategy and we remain undaunted that one brand has been for so long but we have confidence that Harp will move up the leader as the market leader soon.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Executive Discourse

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Nigeria - Sobowale

I THINK THAT NIGERIANS LOVE GUINNESS. THEY HAVE CELEBRATED THE SUCCESS OF

SUPER EAGLES AT THE AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH GUINNESS

THE

In 2005, Guinness Nigeria relaunched bringing Wycliffe Jean, to unveil the brand. Then, it appeared the company was making a huge investment to promote in the entertainment industry but suddenly, you made a detour into sport promotion leaving your competition to take over with mega jamz with the like of 50 cents brought to the country by Nigerian Breweries as a reaction to your earlier show. What informed the detour in your promotional strategy?

We have many brands in our portfolio and each of them has a key brand benefit. They have different character. Our strategy for stout will be different from largers, Smirnoff or SNAPP because they appeal to different market. While it was appropriate to bring Wycliffe to Nigeria to launch stout, it was what the Nigerian Guinness consumers wanted at that time. It was said that Guinness Stout is a brand with spirit. So, it wasn’t as if we have abandoned music to our competitor. We have only chosen a different strategic approach. In a number of years, Harp has been the branded sponsor of Rhythm Unplugged. Entertainment is what Harp

has been supporting for many years, that is the property that activate music, comedy and all. You will soon begin to see more activities defining the character of Harp, Stout, Smirnoff and SNAPP. What is the total ad spend of Guinness in the last half year?

Looking at the whole of financial year for 2012, our total ad spend for advertising and promotion in 2012 is N11 billion. A year before that is almost N10billion.

Guinness recorded a profit after tax of N6.42bn for the half year ended December, 2012, a decline of 15.7 per cent compared to N7.62bn recorded in the same period of 2011. Could this be due to investment in new brands and infrastructure?

Due to a number of reasons. Number one; there is some pressure of discretionary income. So, if you look t Nigeria in the past year, in January last year, there was subsidy removal, which means, government is taking money from the system. Now, Nigeria has traditionally been a case where government is the biggest spender. Government will spend on infrastructure etc.

If you follow discussions in Abuja in the last one year, it has been about what is the per cent performance of the budget. It’s been like tight management of government expenditure and that impacts on a number of things. So, government is removing subsidy but it is getting better with tax administration. More people are paying their taxes which bring more money for the government. Also, a lot of people have no jobs. People want to pay for housing cost, their children school fees, transport cost which has gone up because of subsidy, people will charge their phones and as a result

consumption has actually declined across all sectors not just Guinness. Secondly, even those who are consuming beverages are trading down. Instead of buying Guinness premium brand, they buy other cheaper brands. There have also been challenges on infrastructure, there was flooding last year. All of these have contributed to a slowdown in the top line. In those six months, we still grow net sales about five per cent. But obviously we would have loved to grow the net sales it alongside or more than possibly double digit but because of these factors it was not easy. But if look at the other lines in the profit and loss, you see the factors that was responsible for decline in profit. Obviously, when you produce you have to get them into the market, the distribution expenses, our finance charges due to our current capacity expansion are what contributed to reducing that profit. We know where the issues are. We believe we are doing the right thing. We are very confident that we will close the year at the level our shareholders will be happy with.

How do you treat competition?

We believe competition is good for the country. If people compete fairly, the consumer will get the best.

We treat competition with respect and we collaborate with competition on number of things. We have an industry association. It is part of Diageo DNA to obey the laws and operate with best practice and corporate governance. Will also respect competitions that also obey the laws without underhand dealings either with trade or consumers. Guinness Nigeria in terms of market share is number two in this market but really Guinness is part of Diageo, which is number one in the world and as result, when you come to Nigeria we behave like number one.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Global Business

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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Spanish unemployment to swell as public jobs vanish

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erez de La Frontera, a Spanish town of 214,000 in southern Andalusia, is negotiating with unions to fire 13 percent of the 2,000 government workers who absorb 80 percent of its budget. “It’s not easy because these are people and families,” said deputy mayor Antonio Saldana.

With a quarter of Spain’s workforce already jobless, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s efforts to retain investor confidence by shaving more than two-thirds off the nation’s budget deficit by 2014 will worsen the highest unemployment rate in the European Union. Ten-year yields at 6.86 percent mean “we can’t finance ourselves,” Rajoy said on September 1.

“There’s going to be less hiring and more firing for the spending cuts to be made,” said Ricardo Santos, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in London who sees unemployment climbing to 27 percent next year from 24.6 percent currently. “The more unemployment persists, the more difficult it’ll be for the government to meet budget goals and implement reforms.”

Television stations, airports, hospitals,

schools, fire brigades and social services from Spain’s southernmost tip to the Balearic islands in the east are reducing headcount as Rajoy tasks regions and municipalities with shouldering 60 percent of the cuts needed to reduce the budget shortfall to 2.8 percent of gross domestic product in the next two years.

The euro area’s fourth-largest economy may lose access to markets after shrinking for a fourth quarter, and economists forecast Spain will miss its deficit target this year.

The 10-year borrowing cost was at 6.68 percent as of 11:36 a.m. in Madrid, which compares with a 2012 low of 4.85 percent at the start of February, and a 2011 average of 5.45 percent. Moody’s Investors Service said August 30 it may downgrade the sovereign’s debt to junk should it seek further aid from European rescue funds.

Weeks after clinching as much as 100 billion euros ($126 billion) in loans for the nation’s banks, Rajoy said he may request a second bailout once the European Central Bank details a proposed debt-purchase plan. The budget plan he sent to the European Commission last month shows

BOJ’s $267bn JGB buys spur record win streak

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apanese government bonds are headed for the longest run of annual gains on record, buoyed by central bank purchases almost equivalent to Malaysia’s economic output.

The bonds have returned 2.1 percent on an annualised basis in 2012, set for a ninth year of gains that’s the longest streak since at least 1986, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch index shows.

Ten-year yields have declined 22 basis points to 0.76 percent. U.S. Treasuries are poised to post a third annual gain with a 2 percent return, while the benchmark rate has fallen 10 basis points.

The Bank of Japan (8301)’s JGB holdings increased 22.6 trillion yen ($267 billion) in 2012 as it sought to pump funds into a deflation-plagued economy that contracted for two quarters through September 30. With incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe planning a “large-scale” extra budget to bolster growth, analysts forecast the 10-year yield will rise to 0.99 percent by the end of 2013, a Bloomberg survey shows, which would still be the third lowest globally.

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reducing public wages is key to one-third of cuts worth 151 billion euros, or 15 percent of annual gross domestic product, by 2014.

U.K. services growth accelerates as demand strengthens

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Shinzo

“Public-works spending will kick-start the economy” under an Abe administration, said Koichi Kurose, chief economist in Tokyo at Resona Bank Ltd., which oversees about $178 billion.

Fed faces explaining billion-dollar losses in stress of QE3 ederal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s efforts to rescue the economy could result in more than a half trillion dollars of paper losses on the central bank’s books if interest rates rise abruptly from recent levels.

That sum is the difference between the value of securities in the Fed’s portfolio on Dec 31 and what they may fetch in three years, according to data compiled

by MSCI Inc. of New York for Bloomberg News. MSCI applied scenarios devised by the Fed itself for stress-testing the nation’s 19 largest banks.

MSCI sees the market value of Fed holdings shrinking by $547 billion over three years under an adverse scenario that includes an economic contraction and rising inflation. MSCI puts the Fed’s

Rajoy

mark-to-market loss at less than half that, or $216 billion, if the economy performs in line with consensus forecasts of gradually rising growth, inflation and interest rates.

The potential losses are unprecedented in the Fed’s 100- year history, and Bernanke has never used congressional testimony to give a detailed explanation of the consequences of shifting hundreds of billions in interest-rate risk from private portfolios onto the Fed’s balance sheet. Bernanke appeared before senators who oversee the Fed and may face questions on how the $3.1 trillion balance sheet will affect an exit from the stimulus programme remittances to taxpayers, and its ability to stabilise inflation expectations.

“Given the levels of deficit we have reached, the government has to dig into current expenditure because reducing public investment and increasing taxes aren’t enough anymore,” said Sara Balina, an analyst with Madrid-based consultant firm Analistas Financieros Internacionales, or AFI, that counts public administrations among its clients.

Registered unemployment rose in August for the first time in five months as the country’s peak tourism season started coming to an end, the Labor Ministry said yesterday.

The number of people registering for jobless benefits rose 38,179 from July to 4.63 million That compares with an increase of 51,185 in the same month last year.

State employment has doubled in 30 years in Spain compared with a 50 percent increase in the private sector, according to a report published in December by the business lobby CEOE. By shedding 200,000 jobs, local governments would be eliminating positions created between 2009 and mid-2010 to counter the recession, AFI’s Balina said.

nited Kingdom services unexpectedly accelerated last month as demand strengthened, indicating the economy may stave off a recession this quarter.

A gauge of activity increased to 51.8 from 51.5 in January, Markit Economics and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply said yesterday in London.

The pound rose after the survey. A separate report showed that euro-area services shrank less than initially estimated last month.

Bank of England policy makers begin their monthly meeting tomorrow after they split on the need to expand quantitative easing in February. While a slump in a manufacturing gauge last week raised concerns the economy may succumb to a triple-dip recession, Markit said its indexes now point to 0.1 percent expansion this quarter.

“This release is not strong enough to take the prospect of more QE on Thursday off the table, but it certainly muddies the waters somewhat,” said David Tinsley, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in London and a former BOE official. “Overall, there remain arguments for doing more.”

Economists had forecast that the U.K. index would drop to 51, according to the median of 29 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The pound extended its gain against the dollar after the report and was trading at $1.5148 yesterday in London, up 0.2 percent from Monday.

U.S. services probably maintained expansion last month, economists said before a report today. The Institute for Supply Management’s February non-manufacturing index, which covers almost 90 percent of the economy, was 55 compared with 55.2 the prior month, according to the median estimate in a survey.

In the U.K., optimism among services companies rose in February even as inputprice inflation accelerated to a 14-month high, Markit said. New business increased at the sharpest pace for nine months, while employment also rose.

“This modest underlying improvement suggests we might be heading in the right direction at last,” CIPS Chief Executive Officer David Noble said in the statement. “Whether this trajectory can be maintained, however, is another question entirely, given other sectors have not performed as well.”

Markit’s gauge of U.K. factory activity plunged to 47.9 in February from a revised 50.5 in January, it said on March 1. A construction measure also declined. The U.K. economy contracted 0.3 in the fourth quarter.

Noble

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Capital Market

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

NSE to witness improved regulation –SEC chairman JOHNSON OKANLAWON

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he Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday assured the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Central Securities Clearing System Plc of its support and cooperation in order to move the Nigerian capital market forward.

The Chairman of the SEC, Mallam Sulleyman Ndanusa, said this during a visit of the board members to NSE and CSCS in Lagos.

According to him, the visit is part of the strategies of the new board to collaborate with all stakeholders in the market with aim of ensuring high level of regulation and protection of investments in the Nigerian capital market.

The SEC team, which included its Director-Gen-

eral, Ms Arunma Oteh, other commissioners and top management, held separate meetings with management of the NSE and CSCS. Speaking during an interaction with the board and management of CSCS, Ndanusa said that the market would witness improved regulation following the coming in of a new board.

According to him, the absence of a board in SEC for about six months delayed some actions, noting that many things left undone would now be taken care of.

He expressed excitement over the innovative efforts of the new management of the NSE and the CSCS in ensuring that the market become attractive to investors, assuring that SEC would support those efforts so that the

aspiration of making Nigerian market gate to investments in Africa is realised.

“Our visit today is to see what you people are doing and assure you of our support. The new board of SEC believes in working with all stakeholders, listen to the challenges and find solutions to them.

“We all have learnt our lessons from the downtown and moving forward we need to work together. It is no longer possible to work in isolation. Our mission is to show that it is new paradigm and we are excited with what we have seen,” Ndanusa said.

He added that the CSCS, is very critical and strategic for the Nigerian market given the function its plays.

“The operations of CSCS are very critical in ensuring transparency,

integrity and accountability in the market. No matter the level of technology, without a strong depository the market cannot grow,” Ndanusa said.

In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of CSCS, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said the visit of SEC team was historic and was a sign of good things to come. He said the board comprisedof experienced professionals capable of moving the market forward.

The Managing Director of the CSCS, Mr. Kyari Bukar, said the system was being transformed into a leading depository that can compete globally.

He said with the support of the board, the management of CSCS is working with market stakeholders on market issues especially dematerialisation.

Nigeria’s Eurobond yields drop most in nine months on growth

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igeria’s Eurobond yields fell the most in almost nine months after reports showed the economy accelerated in the fourth quarter and foreign-currency reserves rose.

Yields on the $500m of debt due January 2021 dropped 17 basis points, or 0.17 per centage point, to 4.144 per cent, the biggest decline since June 6 on a closing basis and the

lowest since February 6, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The naira retreated less than 0.1 per cent to N157.45 a dollar.

The National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday that the economy grew by 6.99 per cent year-on-year in the fourth quarter, compared with 6.48 per cent in the third.

The foreign-currency reserves rose to $47.39bn,

the highest level since at least 2010, the Central Bank of Nigeria said.

The reserves have increased seven per cent this year.

“The current position of Nigeria’s reserves and trend in gross domestic product adds to the positive investment outlook of the economy,” Kunle Ezun, a Lagos-based analyst at Ecobank Transnational Incorporation said.

The nation’s inflation rate fell to nine per cent in January, from 12 per cent in December, according to the statistics office.

The yield on the country’s 16.39 per cent domestic bonds due January 2022 declined two basis points to 10.60 per cent in the secondary market, according to data compiled on the Financial Markets Dealers Association website.

ABC Transport assures shareholders on information disclosure JOHNSON OKANLAWON

A

BC Transport Plc has assured the shareholders of the company to make information available, particularly to the stockbrokerage community.

The Managing Director of the company, Mr. Frank Nnaji, stated this in Lagos yesterday during the management visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

According to him, making information about the company available to investors and stockbroker will enhance the share price of the company.

He re-affirmed the commitment of the com-

pany towards maintaining its position as the leading coach operator in the country and in the West Coast of Africa.

Nnaji stressed that the company’s commitment to continue to deliver on its promises on offering viable incentives and substantial investment returns for every shareholder.

He also expressed his delight over the enduring support, which the company enjoys from its shareholders and customers alike, and the faith in the company, as demonstrated by the public and Nigerians.

“The company has made more incursions into the haulage busi-

ness to diversify its portfolio as a result of the prevailing challenges in the passenger transport business resulting from heightened insecurity and the poor nature of many federal highways,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of stockbrokers, Mr. Dipo Williams urged the management of the company to take information sending to the market serious.

He pointed out that information is very important in examine the status of a company, as it’s the only raw material broker can work with and if there is no information on a particular stock it will remain where it is.

ABC Transport is cur-

rently celebrating seven years of listing on the floor of the Exchange and 20 years anniversary of the company.

Meanwhile, trading in equities continued on bearish note on the Exchange yesterday, as more investors sold their holdings.

The All Share Index appreciated by 0.49 per cent to close at 32,784.56 points, compared to the decline of 0.71 per cent recorded the preceding day to close at 32,947.13 points.

Market capitalisation dropped by N5bn to close at N10.5trn, lower than the dip of N7bn recorded the preceding day to close at N10.5trn.

Source: NSE

Source: Afrinvest

Market indicators All-Share Index 10,756.2 points Market capitalisation 33.7 trillion

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

AIRSERVICE

4.23

4.65

0.42

PRESTIGE

0.85

0.93

0.08

NEM

0.83

0.87

0.04

ETERNA

3.80

3.98

0.18

MANSARD

2.15

2.25

0.10

ABCTRANS

0.51

0.53

0.02

FTNCOCOA

0.57

0.59

0.02

IKEJAHOTEL

0.90

0.93

0.03

ZENITHBANK

20.90

21.49

0.59

OKOMUOIL

53.55

55.00

1.45

COMPANY

OPENING

LOSERS CLOSING

CHANGE

RTBRISCOE

2.37

2.16

UNITYBNK

0.90

0.85

0.21 0.05

NEIMETH

1.00

0.95

0.05

WAPIC

1.22

1.16

0.06

JAPAULOIL

0.82

0.78

0.04

JOHNHOLT

2.10

2.00

0.10

CUTIX

1.99

1.90

0.09

LIVESTOCK

2.31

2.21

0.10

CADBURY

35.50

34.00

1.50

MULTITREX

0.79

0.76

0.03

Primary Market Auction TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

91-Days

32,488.72

11.95

7-Mar-13

182-Days

20,000.00

13.80

7-Mar-13

364 -Days

57,119.37

15.57

7-Mar-13

Open Market Operations TENOR

AMOUNT (N’mn)

RATE (%)

DATE

364-Days

37,849.00

15.57

7-Mar-13

350-Days

84,443.71

15.38

7-Mar-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$250m

N/A

$234m

4-Mar-13

$200m

N/A

$200m

27-Feb-13

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at March 5, 2013 1st Tier Securities

Sector

Company name

1st Tier Securities No Of Deals Quotation(N)

Sector

Company name

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

47

Cocktail

48

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

FOR YOUR SUCCESS

WITH DR. DEJI FOLUTILE

Today's Tonic (106) “I picked up one person - maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person I wouldn’t have picked up 42,000.”

–Mother Teresa * * * Never Be Afraid To Start Small A journey of a thousand miles, they say, begins with one step. Little beginnings are powerful if you will just keep at it and keep at it. Start something no matter how small is the story of most rich people today.

When we wait for big things to happen before we will make a move towards fulfilling our destiny, we will wait for ever.

What will you do if it is impossible to fail? What will you be doing if you have only 3 months to live?

These are pointers to your purpose in life. Get busy!

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

Oddities

Mother offers $500 to get daughter a job

A

California mother spent Friday afternoon on the side of a road with a sign promising $500 to someone who could help her daughter land a job.

Linda Smith, 61, said her daughter, Lisa, has been looking for work for months to no avail. After the younger Smith spent years caring for her mother following a debilitating car crash, Linda Smith said the sign -- and

the money -- was the least she could do to help.

The elder Smith was struck by a drunk driver on her way to work in 1996 and the force of the impact

left her with what doctors termed a mild case of dementia. She no longer could recall dates, places and had trouble with her motor skills, making her unable

Couple near 80 years of marriage

A

North Carolina couple preparing to celebrate their 80th wedding anniversary said their advice to young couples is to “be humble and have patience.”

Robert Gerald, 97, and Virginia Gerald, 95, of Goldsboro said they married when Robert was 17 and Virginia was 15 and they are now preparing

for their 80th wedding anniversary April 12, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Monday.

The couple, who the Observer said may be the longest-married in the state, had their first child within a year of being married and eventually had a total 11 children and Robert and Virginia could not agree on whether they had 36 or 40

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

grandchildren.

The couple said they have advice for couples seeking to reach the 80year mark in their relationships.

“Love one another till death do you part,” he said. “Remember that God is in charge. Be humble and have patience. Behind every cloud, the sun will rise again in your life.”

High-heeled shoe made from Ghana-Must-Go sack

to work.

The younger Smith returned to California from a stint in South Korea as a commercial model to care for her ailing mother. The pair got by on what money the younger Smith could earn part time, the elder Smith’s disability and a federal stipend the daughter was granted for serving as her mother’s caregiver.

Recently, The Riverside Press-Enterprise said the pair had a good news-bad news scenario when doctors said Linda Smith had recovered enough that she could live on her own. Improved health was a blessing, the pair said, but it also meant Lisa Smith lost the stipend for caring for her mother.

That led to months of looking for work.

“I’m trying to keep the faith that it’s only temporary,” Lisa Smith said.

And in turn, Linda Smith’s roadside sign.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

49

Community Mirror “Security matters are not discussed in public.”

Police nab suspects for alleged kidnapping

ENUGUS STATE GOVERNOR; SULLIVAN CHIME

50

One killed, another injured in auto crash HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE

A

t least one person was killed and other seriously injured, when an articulated truck lost control at First Bank area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

According to an eye witness, the accident occurred when the driver of the truck lost control and rammed into a building

The truck, with registration number Lagos FKJ 944XA, was conveying newsprint to Abuja from Lagos.

It was gathered that while driver of the truck sustained serious injuries, the conductor, one Alfa Kabiru, lost his life on the spot.

The eyewitness said “the truck was moving at top speed from Oba Adesida end and the driver was unable to control it when it got to the First Bank roundabout, and

swerved off the road, killing the conductor while the driver sustained injuries.”

It took the state fire service and the police command two hours to rescue the driver from the wreckage, as he was later rushed to the state Specialist Hospital, Akure, while the remains of the deceased was deposited at the mortuary.

A colleague of the deceased, said they were travelling to Abuja from Lagos to deliver some goods

and was shocked to learn of the accident.

He said, “We were travelling from Lagos to Abuja to deliver some goods. We left Lagos at the same time, but my vehicle overtook them when they went into a filling station to purchase petrol. When I reached Owo, I called Kabiru only hear the voice of a police officer who told me of the accident and the death of Alfa Kabiru”.

A collapsed portion on the Badagry expressway at Trade Fair bus stop in Lagos.

Anambra halts multiple levies on sanitation NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

T

he Anambra State Government has directed the sanitation firms handling refuse disposal activities in various parts of the state to stop imposing multiple levies on the residents in the guise of sanitation fees.

The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Robert Okonkwo, who disclosed this to the Bridge-head market traders association, said government has been able to stop emblem payment of N500 and other levies associated with sanitation, thereby streamlining payment to N200 per trader.

Okonkwo noted that government would not allow contractors to exploit the traders due to the present economic situation in the country, adding that once a trader

pays sanitation fee of N200 and another N6, 000 to cover traders’ tax, development levy and stallage fee, any one asking for any other levy should be regarded as illegal.

He, however, cautioned them against paying money to any contractor or person, other than into government designated bank account, adding that they should pay only to their market executive which will in turn pay into the government designated account.

He noted that the measure was to ensure that unauthorised individuals and groups do not enter the markets under various guises to collect money from traders, thereby causing confusion between the government and traders.

The Commissioner also disclosed that a contracting firm, LAGA International has been appointed by the government to take

over the clearing of refuse in Onitsha North and Onitsha South Local Government areas, including the markets.

He called on the traders to cooperate with the contractor in order to ensure an all-year round cleanliness in the markets by paying their sanitation fee in good time.

On the postponed election for traders at Bridge-Head Market, the commissioner told the traders that government would soon lift election ban as soon as adequate logistics were put in place.

He said he had directed members of the executive in the market to remain in office, pending when the government would be ready to supervise their election.

In his speech, the director of LAGA International, the contractor handling sanitation exercise in

Onitsha North and Onitsha South Local Government areas, Chief Lawrence Uboh, appealed to the traders to always drop their refuse into the LAGA buckets and not on the ground, to avoid over-labouring his workers.

Uboh assured the traders that LAGA would henceforth be sending two trucks on Thursdays to clear their refuse dumps, as against only one truck which was being sent on weekly basis, before now.

Also speaking, the PresidentGeneral of Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATAS), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, advised all the market sectional leaders to always deduct the 10 percent meant for the running of the market offices at source before paying the rest into the designated state government bank account.

Bayelsa disbands association over taxes EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

T

he Bayelsa State House of Assembly has disbanded the state butchers’ association for improper registration and non-payment of taxes.

Against this background, the Ministry of Health was directed to constitute a team to certify the fitness of slaughtered meat for consumption.

This was contained in a five point resolution, alleging that the association had not been paying taxes and levies to the government as at when due.

The House had invited the association, commissioners in the ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment, Trade and Investment Industry, including the State Environmental Sanitation Authority to throw more light on the association’s activities in regards to tax payment.

The Assembly also resolved that staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, be constituted to ascertain the amount owed the government by the association.

It also ordered that outstanding taxes and levies be paid within 30 days, even as the association’s chairman,Chibuzor Onyia,alleged that government agencies and ministries were competing to collect revenue,noting that the group was cautious to avoid double taxation.

He said: “The association had approached the Attorney General’s office to streamline the activities of the various government agencies to avoid double taxation.

The veterinary doctors have since joined the scramble for levy, thereby abdicating their primary duty of certifying livestock fitness for consumption.”

Earlier, Speaker of the House, Konboye Benson, said the invitation was not meant to witch-hunt anybody, noting that the Assembly had received complaints that the association and livestock dealers were not paying appropriate revenues from the government owned abattoir.

In his submission, Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Thomas Commander, alleged the association had ignored several invitations to sort out issues with the ministry, even as he alleged the butchers’ were owing the government N1.54m.

50

Community Mirror

Aspirant empowers youths FRANCIS SUBERU

A

n Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN chairmanship aspirant in Surulere, Motunrayo Akintomide has donated working tools including generating sets, grinding machines, chest freezer and UTME forms to women and youths in Surulere Area to empower them to be self employed.

Motunrayo, who stepped down as a chairmanship candidate at the last local government elections, said the gesture was meant to alleviate people’s sufferings and extend the dividends of democracy to them.

He said: “When I look back, I discover that so many of our people have suffered with this government. So, I thought of giving back to them; the same community that produced me.

“This is just the beginning of what we want to do.

By next month, there shall be training for youths on how to make soaps and other things that will help them stay independent of their parents and also stay out of social vices.”

Motunrayo also hinted that those who could not get any materials now, would be considered for the next edition of the empowerment programme.

He also pointed out the fact that youths would be taken through leadership training sessions, even as some of them would be given start-up capital for their businesses.

“This is the first phase and we’re moving from ‘Ward G’ where we had this one to every other ward in Surulere until every life is touched.

Those who did not get anything today will definitely get something next time.

More so, we are partnering with Daystar Leadership Academy to help us train our youths to become future leaders.”

One of the recipients of the grinding machine, Mrs. Omolara Ogunyemi, was short of words as she could not hide her joy ; saying “God bless you and reward your labour. Thank you so much.”

Other recipients include Elliot Adigwe who got a big generating set; Alhaji Fashola, Mama Williams who got a refrigerator, among others.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Police nab suspects for alleged kidnapping RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

T

wo suspects, Dominic Ekanem and Clement Sunday, both indigenes of Akwa Ibom State have been arrested by the Odukpani Division of the Cross River State Police Command for attempting to kidnap three children belonging to one Mrs. Eno Etim Akpan, a petty trader at Odukpani.

The children, Jeffer Effiong, Destiny Effiong and Dorathy Effiong were taken away from their residence along Odukpani/Akamkpa area of Calabar-Ikom highway by the

suspects with the intention of kidnapping them for reasons yet to be established.

Eye witness account said that the prime suspect, Dominic Ekanem, a 53 year old indigene of Ediene village Akwa Ibom State and his accomplice, Clement had held the kids hostage and were only apprehended when Dominic was about taking a cab at Odukpani junction.

The source maintained that the kids were walking hand in hand with Dominic, while the toddler, Dorathy was carried on his shoulder as if she was his child.

Fortunately, the suspect

was accosted by a woman who demanded to know where he was taking the children to; as she found it strange for a man to walk along the road alone with three children without their mother around.

Hence, she demanded to know the whereabouts of the toddlers’ mother.

The suspect replied that he wanted to cross to the other side of the road to buy bread for the kids.

Luckily, the mother of the children, Eno Etim who had earlier gone out to hawk oranges had arrived and she quickly raised an alarm, leading to the arrest of the sus-

WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY... some motor boys converting a police cubicle to resting place at Oshodi Lagos.

pects.

Investigations by the police revealed that the other accomplice, Clement had made initial arrangement for the kids to come to his residence from where he handed them over to Dominic.

The Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at Odukpani Division, DSP Olatise Stephen who led the crack team that nabbed the suspects praised his Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Mr. Emmanuel Ugim for his intelligence in handling the investigation; urging members of the public to always report incidence of crime in their areas to the police.

PHOTO: OLUWASEGUN IJABIKEN

Katsina to organise agriculture show Auto mechanics get marching order JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

A

s a way of encouraging the use of biotechnology in agriculture, the Katsina State Government is to organise a show for Agriculture Research Institutions, ARI, to display their research work to farmers.

The agriculture show which is to be held in coming days is expected to be attended by ARI officials from the 36 states of the federation.

There will equally be local and foreign stakeholders in attendance.

Briefing newsmen on the issue, the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Musa Adamu said the agricultural show is to serve as forum

for stakeholders to meet and share ideas on bio- technology.

Adamu said the show, which is the first of its kind, is going to be a three-day event that would be attended by farmers from neighbouring Niger Republic.

He said the state government had set aside enough funds for the show and that efforts would be made to plan and ensure success in hosting the event.

On measures to boost farming in the state, the commissioner said the state government has provided new improved seeds to farmers at subsidised rates; adding that the use of the seeds has gone a long way in boosting food production in the 34 council areas of the state.

ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

A

uto mechanics operating along the main roads in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have been ordered to relocate with immediate effect or face the wrath of the law.

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ado Local Council Area, Hon Tope Olanipekun, yesterday warned that henceforth, any auto-mechanic found operating on the main road in the capital city would be arrested by security operatives even as and their equipment would be seized.

The new council boss, who spoke during an inspection tour of the projects of his predecessor, Mr Sunday Ibitoye, added that activities of the auto mechanics along the road negate the urban

renewal programme of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Olanipekun charged the Director of Administration in the local government, Comrade Ayodeji Aluko to issue warning letters to the affected auto mechanics, saying the measure was necessary to protect public utilities.

The council boss who praised the level and quality of work done on the mandated five-kilometre road project in the state capital, assured that the ongoing first phase of the council’s secretariat located on Igirigiri Road would be completed and commissioned before the end of the month.

According to him, arrangement had been concluded for the inclusion of a crèche in the secretariat to allow nursing mothers watch and take care of their children while at work.

Wednesday March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

51

World News

Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, dies at 58

53

“President Barack Obama is not bluffing when he says the U.S. will go to war if necessary to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon” –UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT, JOE BIDEN

Kenya polls: Kenyatta in early lead PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

K

enyan presidential hopeful Uhuru Kenyatta gained an early lead as the east African nation counted ballots yesterday in an election that brought out millions of voters despite pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people.

The deputy prime minister, who faces international charges of crimes against humanity linked to the last election, was ahead of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

But Kenyatta could still be overhauled as the count goes on in a vote Kenyans hope will restore their nation’s image as one of Africa’s most stable democracies after the bloodshed five years ago.

Although voting passed off broadly peacefully with a big turnout, the real test will be whether the candidates and their backers accept the result, after the disputed 2007 vote touched off ethnic blood-letting that killed more than 1,200 people.

“Nobody should celebrate, nobody should complain,” election commission chairman Isaac Hassan told journalists, saying work was going on to resolve glitches and speed up the count. “We therefore continue to appeal for patience from the public.”

Ki-moon condemns Somalia reporter’s sentence

B

an Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has welcomed Somalia’s release from jail of a woman who told a journalist she was raped by security forces, but expressed regret the journalist she spoke to would remain behind bars.

A Somali appeals court dropped charges on Sunday against the woman, who had been sentenced to a year in jail for “offending state institutions”.

The sentence for Abdiaziz Abdinuur, the reporter, was cut in half to six months.

Abdinuur had also been found guilty of offending state institutions, as well making a false interview and entering the house of a woman whose husband was not present.

The commission says provisional results may not be tallied until Wednesday, meaning an official declaration will not come until then or later.

Kenyatta’s lead has held overnight but more than 60 percent of polling stations have yet to report.

Odinga’s camp said counting in their strongholds had not been completed yet and a debate over the fate of a sizeable number of rejected votes could help shift the balance.

The United States and Western donors have watched the vote closely, concerned about the stability of a nation seen as a regional ally in the fight against militant Islam.

They also worry about what to do if Kenyatta wins, because of the charges of crimes against humanity he faces at the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the violence five years ago.

With memories still fresh about the lethal mayhem after the last election and its dire impact on the economy, many Kenyans are determined not to see a repeat and, like their candidates, have pledged to accept the outcome.

“People want peace after what happened last time,” said Henry Owino, 29, a second-hand clothes seller who voted in Nairobi’s Kibera slum where violence flared five years ago. “This time the people have decided they don’t want to fight.”

Kenyan presidential candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, casting his vote at the Mutomo Primary School near Gatundu, north of Nairobi, in Kenya on Monday. PHOTO: AP

Investors breathed a sigh of relief after voting passed off broadly calmly, strengthening the Kenyan shilling against the U.S. dollar. Analysts said a firstround victor would be preferred to a run-off, which would prolong uncertainty.

The inspector general of the Kenyan police, David Kimaiyo, told a news conference he would not allow demonstrations anywhere in the country over the delay in releasing the election results because of concerns protests could turn violent.

Senegal’s President to close unsafe Koranic schools

S

enegal’s President Macky Sall says the government will close down Koranic schools that fail to meet basic safety standards.

His comments came after nine children were killed by a fire at a school near the centre of Senegal’s capital, Dakar.

The blaze broke out as 45 chil-

dren aged from six to 12 slept inside a single room with wooden walls and zinc roofing in the Medina district, witnesses said.

A candle is thought to have caused the fire, which began late on Sunday.

After visiting the scene, Sall, a Muslim, said Koranic schools that exploited children and failed to en-

Quranic students memorizing verses in the Quranic school where they live and study, in Dakar, Senegal.

PHOTO: AP

sure they were safe would be shut.

The children would be sent back to their families, he said.

BBC says human rights groups have repeatedly warned of the poor conditions in which children are housed in Koranic schools, and some teachers have been accused of abuses.

Most of the pupils - known as “talibes” in the local language, Wolof - end up begging on the streets for money and food which they have to take back to their teachers, our correspondent adds.

Fire engines were reported to have struggled to drive down the narrow road leading to the school, hampering efforts to extinguish the blaze.

Dakar’s mayor, Khalifa Sall, told local RFM radio that the ramshackle development of densely populated residential areas in the city made it impossible for the emergency services to operate effectively.

WORLD BULLETIN

15 militants killed in Mali fighting –France About 15 Islamist militants were killed by French and Chadian troops in fighting overnight in northern Mali’s Ametetai valley, French Defence Minister JeanYves Le Drian said yesterday.

He said some 1,600 French and Chadian troops in that area continued to search for Islamist rebels, seven weeks into a campaign to drive al Qaeda-linked fighters out of Mali’s north.

“Our forces fought terrorist groups last night, still in the same area, the Ametetai valley region, where there is a strong concentration of them. Around 15 militants were killed,” Le Drian told BFM TV. “It’s not over yet as after the Ametetai valley there are other valleys ... Given the ferocity of the fighting over the past fortnight, we can see there is a hideout there.”

Chad’s President Idriss Deby overnight reiterated that two key al Qaeda commanders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid and Mokhtar Belmokhtar, had been killed. Le Drian, however, said France is still not in a position to confirm that they had been killed.

Deby said the two bodies had not been displayed out of respect for the dead. “I say to Minister Le Drian, who is asking for proof: as Muslims, we do not put on show the bodies of the dead,” Deby said on state television late on Monday.

“In the days that come, we will see that these terrorists have indeed been killed in fighting with the Chadian forces.”

Shown a photograph published in French media of a partly shrouded corpse said to be Belmokhtar’s, Le Drian said it would be good news if it was the jihadist leader but that he was not convinced by the image.

Deadly riot erupts in Madagascar after killing of nun

Police in Madagascar say two protesters were killed in a riot at a prison holding the alleged killers of a French nun. The government is investigating reports that security forces fired on the crowd.

Police Lt. Col. Lala Rakotonirina said yesterday that the unrest happened when a crowd, angry at the death Sister Marie Emmanuelle Helesbeux, converged on the prison in the northern town of Mandritsara.

Authorities say one of the three suspects owed money to Helesbeux, who was strangled. Her body was found Saturday in the Mandritsara marketplace.

Interior Minister Florent Rakotoarisoa and other government officials traveled to Mandritsara. The interior minister said on national radio that “popular justice” and revenge will not bring peace to the town, and that the suspects will be harshly punished if found guilty.

52

World News

Wednesday March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nuke test: US, China agree UN sanctions on North Korea

T

he United States and China reached a deal that “significantly expands” U.N. sanctions on North Korea for its third nuclear test, eliciting a renewed threat by Pyongyang yesterday to scrap an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea also said it would sever a military “hotline” with the United States if South Korea and Washington pressed on with twomonth-long war games.

China’s U.N. ambassador, Li Baodong, told Reuters the 15-nation Security Council was aiming for a Thursday vote on a draft sanctions resolution, which was agreed to by Washington and Beijing

after three weeks of negotiations.

China is North Korea’s closest ally and has a history of resisting tough sanctions on its neighbor. The Chinese envoy made clear that Beijing was displeased

by North Korea’s February 12 nuclear test - its third since 2006 - though he cautioned against responding too harshly.

“We support action taken by the council, but we think that action should be proportionate, should be balanced and focused on bringing down the tension and focusing on the diplomatic track,” Li said.

“A strong signal must be sent out that a nuclear test is against the will of the

international community,” he added.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said after a closed-door meeting of the Security Council that the new draft resolution “builds up, strengthens and significantly expands the scope of the strong U.N. sanctions already in place.”

“The sanctions contained in this resolution will significantly impede the ability of North Korea to develop further its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” she said.

She said the new sanctions would target “the illicit activities of North

Korean diplomatic personnel, North Korean banking relationships, (and) illicit transfers of bulk cash.”

“North Korea will be subject to some of the toughest sanctions im-

posed by the United Nations,” she told reporters.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was quoted by Russian media as saying Moscow welcomed that the draft

resolution leaves the door open to a renewal of the stalled six-party aidfor-disarmament talks between the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

‘Armed police break up Zimbabwe PM’s meeting’

A

rmed riot police broke up a meeting called by Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday, his spokesman said, raising tensions in a fragile power-sharing government ahead of elections this year.

Former opposition chief Tsvangirai went into government with his rival

Space For Sale

President Robert Mugabe after a violent and disputed vote in 2008.

The two have had a stormy relationship and Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe of using the security services to intimidate his supporters in the past charges Mugabe denies.

Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said around 40 heavily armed

riot police arrived at public meeting about a proposed new constitution in a Harare township on Tuesday evening and ordered the audience to leave before the prime minister arrived.

The officers said the debate had not been authorized, said Tamborinyoka - all public meetings have to be cleared by the police by law.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

WORLD BULLETIN

Afghanistan jails exbank chiefs for fraud Two of the former heads of Kabul Bank, Afghanistan’s first private bank, have been given five-year prison sentences by a tribunal investigating charges of fraud and embezzlement.

Al Jazeera’s reporter in the Afghan capital said there was anger and disbelief in the courtroom as the verdict against Sher Khan Farnood, the bank’s founder and chairman, and Khalilullah Ferozi, chief executive of the bank, was announced yesterday.

Turton said some people in the courtroom felt there was a mishandling of the investigation into the multi-million-dollar fraud that caused the collapse of the Kabul Bank in 2010.

Shamsul Rahman Shams, the judge, said that Farnood and Ferozi must pay back the money, more than $700m, they gained from the corruption described as a “Ponzi scheme” by international investigators.

In court, Farnood accused Haseen Fahim, the brother of Mohammad Qaseem Fahim, first vice president, of being one of the key organisers behind the scheme.

“The real thieves in Kabul Bank are Haseen [Fahim] and Ferozi,” he said, telling the court that he had already paid his debts since his properties in Dubai and Kabul had been confiscated.

Saudi Arabia postpones executions of seven juveniles

A Saudi security official says executions of seven Saudis sentenced to death by crucifixion and firing squad have been postponed for a week.

He said King Abdullah would review the sentences. He met families of the seven on Sunday.

The official said yesterday that the ruler of the south-western province of Asir, Prince Faisal bin Abdel Aziz, ordered the postponement.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The seven were juveniles at the time they were arrested for armed robbery, a capital offense in Saudi Arabia. One told The Associated Press by telephone from prison that they were tortured to force confessions and barred access to lawyers.

Russia marks 60th anniversary of Stalin’s death

Devotees of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, whose brutal purges killed millions of innocent citizens and made his name a byword for totalitarian terror, flocked to the Kremlin to praise him for making his country a world power yesterday, while experts and politicians puzzled and despaired over his enduring popularity.

Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov led some 1,000 zealots who laid carnations at Stalin’s grave by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, praising him as a symbol of the nation’s “great victories” and saying that Russia needs to rely on this “unique experience” to overcome its problems.

Stalin led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953.

World News

Wednesday March 6, 2013

53

Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, dies at 58

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ugo Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a “21st century socialist” and foe of the United States, has died, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.

Chavez, who had long battled cancer, died yesterday at 58.

Chavez’s democratic ascent to the presidency in 1999 ushered in a new era in Venezuelan politics and its international relations.

Once a foiled coup-plotter, the swashbuckling former paratrooper was known for lengthy speeches on everything from the evils of capitalism to the proper way to conserve water while showering.

He was the first of a wave of leftist presidents to come to power in Latin America in the last dozen years.

As the most vocal U.S. adversary in the region, he influenced other leaders to take a similar stance.

But the last months of Chavez’ life were marked by an uncharacteristic silence as his health condition became “complicated,” in the words of his government. Chavez underwent a fourth surgery on December 11,2012 in Cuba, and was not publicly seen again. A handful of pictures released in February were the last images the

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havez was born in the plains state of Barinas, in southwest Venezuela, on July 28, 1954, the third of the seven children of two educators.

As a child, he was an altar boy who went on to develop a great love of baseball. Recently, even as questions arose about his health, the media-savvy Chavez sought to reassure the public by playing catch with his foreign minister on state television.

As a young man, he enrolled in the Military Academy of Venezuela, reaching the rank of sublieutenant in 1975. He joined the parachute corps of the army and rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel.

His first political steps came when he founded the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement, or MBR-200, in 1982. A decade later, on February 4, 1992, he led a failed military rebellion against thenPresident Carlos Andres Perez.

He also made his first public appearance in front of the television cameras.

“Compatriots, sadly for now the objectives that we proposed were not achieved in the capital city,” he said. “That is to say, we here in Caracas did not succeed in gaining power. You did it very well out there, but now is time to avoid more bloodshed. Now is time to reflect and new situations will come.”

Chavez served two years in prison before then-President Rafael Caldera granted him am-

Chavez

public had of their president.

Chavez’s ministers stubbornly maintained a hopeful message throughout the final weeks, even while admitting that the recently re-elected president was weakened while battling a respiratory infection.

Chavez launched an ambitious plan to remake Venezuela, a major oil producer, into a socialist state in the so-called Bolivarian Revolution, which took its name from Chavez’s idol, Simon Bolivar, who won independence for

many South American countries in the early 1800s.

“After many readings, debates, discussions, travels around the world, etcetera, I am convinced -and I believe this conviction will be for the rest of my life -- that the path to a new, better and possible world is not capitalism. The path is socialism,” he said on his weekly television program in 2005.

Chavez redirected much of the country’s vast oil wealth, which increased dramatically during his tenure, to massive so-

cial programs for the country’s poor. He expanded the portfolio of the state-owned oil monopoly to include funding for social “missions” worth millions of dollars.

That helped pay for programs that seek to eradicate illiteracy, provide affordable food staples and grant access to higher education, among other things.

But Chavez also leaves a legacy of repression against politicians and private media who opposed him.

He concentrated power in the executive branch, turning formerly independent institutions -such as the judiciary, the electoral authorities and the military -- into partisan loyalists.

Through decrees and a judiciary tilted in the president’s favor, many political opponents found themselves barred from running in elections against the ruling party. Even former allies, like Chavez’s onetime defense minister, Gen. Raul Baduel, faced accusations that critics called trumped-up corruption charges.

Chavez’s government similarly targeted opposition broadcasters, passing laws and decrees that forced at least one major broadcaster and dozens of smaller radio and television stations off the air.

Hugo Chavez (1954 - 2013) nesty.

Chavez went on to form a new political party, the Fifth Republic Movement, which carried him to a presidential election victory in 1998. His fiery campaign speeches blamed the traditional parties for corruption and poverty.

Chavez married twice and divorced twice. He had three children with his first wife, Nancy Colmenarez: Rosa Virginia, Maria Gabriela and Hugo Rafael.

Years later, he married Marisabel Rodriguez, with whom he had a fourth daughter, Rosa Ines. He divorced in 2003; Venezuela has had no first lady since then.

Upon taking office, Chavez made rewriting the constitution one of his first orders of business. A July 2000 referendum affirmed the new constitution, which the government printed as a little blue book that Chavez used regularly as a prop during speeches.

In the following years, the charismatic Chavez rattled off a string of electoral victories that made him seem almost invincible.

He won re-election in 2000, survived a recall election in 2004, and won another six-year term in 2006.

Chavez secured another reelection victory in October, describing his win as “a perfect battle, and totally democratic.”

He vowed to “be a better president every day.”

A turning point for Chavez came in April 2002, when a coup

briefly removed him from office.

But the interim government couldn’t consolidate power, and within 48 hours, with the help of the military, Chavez returned to power.

While short-lived, the coup had a profound effect on Chavez, who took a more accelerated authoritarian and leftist turn afterward.

Human Rights Watch wrote in 2010 that the coup provided a pretext for policies that undercut human rights.

“Discrimination on political grounds has been a defining feature of the Chavez presidency,” the report concluded.

“At times, the president himself has openly endorsed acts of discrimination. More generally, he has encouraged his subordinates to engage in discrimination by routinely denouncing his critics as anti-democratic conspirators and coup-mongers -- regardless of whether or not they had any connection to the 2002 coup,” the report said.

Consolidation of power in the presidency -- to the detriment of separation of powers -- became a theme in Chavez’s policies.

Another challenge to Chavez’s rule followed the coup. From December 2002 to February 2003, a crippling general strike pressured the president. The economy took a hit, but Chavez outlasted the strikers.

The following year, in 2004, the opposition gathered enough signatures to hold a recall refer-

endum on Chavez, but again, the president survived.

Chavez’s vitriol toward the United States also increased in the period after the brief coup because Washington had tacitly approved it.

In one of his most memorable insults, Chavez said of Bush in 2006 before the U.N. General Assembly: “The devil came here yesterday. And it smells of sulfur still today.”

In 2007, Chavez tasted defeat for the first time, in a referendum seeking approval for constitutional reforms that would have deepened his socialist policies. Nonetheless, thanks to a National Assembly friendly to him, Chavez achieved some of his goals, including indefinite reelection.

That same year, Chavez created a new political party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which merged his party with several other leftist parties.

His detractors accused him of being authoritarian, populist and even dictatorial for having pushed through a constitutional reform that allowed indefinite reelection.

Abroad, Chavez was also known for his colorful -- if sometimes strange -- statements.

Last year, after several Latin American leaders were diagnosed with cancer, himself included, he wondered if the United States was behind it.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Appeal Court dismisses suit against Suswam HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

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he Court of Appeal, Makurdi division, yesterday dismissed an appeal brought before it by Mr. Terver Khaki, a defeated governorship aspirant who lost to Governor Gabriel Suswam during the PDP primaries against the decision of a Federal High Court, Makurdi, for want

of merit.

Khaki, who had shortly after the PDP primaries for the 2011 governorship elections in Benue State, approached the court challenging the conduct of the primaries and the constitutional disqualification of Governor Suswam by reason of his nonpresentation of his school certificate, told the court that he was denied fair hearing by the trial court.

But ruling on the appeal, Hon. Justice John Okoro, who read the lead decision, upheld the preliminary objection raised

by Jibrin Okutepa, lead counsel to Governor Suswam and the PDP that Khaki has no appeal.

According to the decision, the question of nomination and sponsorship of candidates is an exclusive party affair that has been settled by

the apex court, affirms the decision of the high court that it has no jurisdiction to entertain same.

On disqualification, the court held that the appellant had admitted under cross examination that he did not present his credentials and should not expect otherwise from another party.

The court noted that the appellant sought for

evidence but found himself in troubled waters and abandoned same.

“There is no evidence of disqualification as found by the trial court.

On the whole, I hold that there is no merit in the appeal and I so dismiss.”

However, the sum of N50, 000 was awarded as cost to both the first and fourth respondents.

The decision was conceded to by all members

of the five-member panel that was constituted to hear the appeal.

Okutepa, who hailed the decision of the court, however, cautioned politicians from making unguarded statements that are capable of demeaning the image of leaders by bringing unsubstantiated claims just for the sake of malice and hatred which should henceforth be stopped.

ASUSS demands release of detained members EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

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L-R: Deputy Director, Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Folashade Oludara; a mother, Opeyemi Abodunrin and Senior Sales Manager, Multipro Enterprises and makers of Hypo bleach, Mr. Jude Nzeata, during a National Immunisation Plus Days campaign exercise at Ifako Ijaiye Primary Health Centre in Lagos, yesterday.

LG poll: Kogi PDP commences screening of aspirants

WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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head of the local government council election in Kogi State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commenced the screening of over 133 chairmanship and several councillorship aspirants, who are jostling to contest the election on May 4, 2013.

The aspirants, who were drawn from the 21 local government areas, are expected to pass through this important screen exercise to enable them participate

in the party’s primaries that will come up when delegates will elect the chairman and councillorship candidates for the election.

Kogi East senatorial district, with 52 candidates, has the highest number chairmanship aspirants from the nine local government areas, while the West senatorial district trailed with 50 chairmanship aspirants and the Central senatorial district has only 31 aspirants.

In a list that contained the name of councillorship aspirants from the central district that was made

available to journalists in Lokoja yesterday, a total of 222 aspirants are expected to participate in the screening exercise which started yesterday.

A total of 60 councillorship aspirants merged from Okene Local Government, Ogori/Magongo 45, Okehi 43, Ajaokuta 38, Adavi 34 aspirants, while the other two districts were not left out.

As part of the preparation for the council poll, the state governor has dissolved the interim arrangement at the 21 local government areas to pave way for

the elected council chairmen and councillors.

From the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, state Chairman, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, said his party was ready for the election. Ametuo called on the state government to allow SIEC conduct a free and fair election May 4, 2012.

He also admonished the Chairman of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Abraham Ayo Adeniran, to ensure early release of election materials so as to allow voting commence on time.

Bishop calls for more prayers against insurgency A ZA MSUE KADUNA

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he Bishop of Zaria Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Cornelius Bello, yesterday called on Christians to intensify their prayers to end the Boko Haram insurgency in the north.

Bishop Bello stated this at the handing over of a block of four classrooms

built by St. Michael Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria, for the relocation of Maiyanka Primary School within its premises, he said government should be more decisive in tackling the sect’s activities.

He said visible signs on ground indicated that with prayers, Boko Haram would become history, stressing that Christians faced terrible incidents in the past, but overcame it.

Commenting on the rot in education, the bishop called on government at all levels to re-double its efforts towards quality education, saying the present learning environment has remain a mirage.

Bishop Bello while commending the peace existing between the church and host community in Sabon Gari, explained that Maiyanka Primary School in the church premises should not be an

opportunity for the devil to create confusion among the people.

He, however, called on the state government to relocate the pupils from the church premises; hence the church fulfilled its own part by building classrooms in another location.

He said the diocese would continue to do evangelism and also provide social amenities in rural areas of the state.

rked by the illegal detention of some of the striking secondary school teachers by the police in Bauchi State, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, have demanded for the immediate release of their members from detention.

The group also accused the state police commissioner, the attorney-general of the state, the chief registrar and the commissioner of education, of conniving to frustrate the teachers.

ASUSS Chairman in the state, Comrade Mohammed Badullahi Tanko Ningi, said the union, through its counsel, was going to file a suit in court to bail out its detained members and write a petition against the commissioner of police, the attorney-general, the chief registrar of the state and the commissioner of education.

The group said it will not rescind its decision on the strike embarked upon by its members because the union is fighting for a just cause even if it means sacrificing their lives.

Ningi, who made the position of the union known in Bauchi yesterday, alleged that the state government, in its bid to get some of the striking teachers back to work, decided to detain some of its members.

His words: “Initially, five of our members were invited by security operatives. When they got there, they were detained and asked to write a statement. Some of their col-

leagues, who did not see them, decided to follow them to inquire about the matter.

On reaching the station, they were also detained by the police, making 11 of them. They were all transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID. ASSUS officials were taken to Magistrate’s Court 11 and 2, where the presiding magistrates were not on seat. They were taken back and remanded in prison custody.

“The union is not against the security operatives arresting anybody for committing any offence, but when that person is arrested and detained unlawful, then it is wrong. The arrest of our members is illegal, unlawful and a clear case of connivance between the Bauchi State commissioner of police, the state attorneygeneral, the chief registrar of the state and the commissioner of education,” he said.

Comrade Abdullahi said the striking teachers from 11 local government areas of the Bauchi Emirate and nine local government areas from Katagum Emirate will converge on the Emir of Bauchi’s palace and stay there until their members are released.

The chairman expressed optimism that it will surely win the fight, saying; “It is certain we will emerge victorious in this fight because of the calibre of leadership in the union. If others have failed in the past, we will not fail. Someone has to make the change and we must make the change even if it means sacrificing our lives.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

55

WORLD RECORD

Most consecutive goals scored in an ice hockey match Vol. 03 No. 571

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

2014: A centenary of woes

hundred years in a nation’s life is a monumental achievement by all standards. But unlike human beings, a country’s life span is not discussed strictly in biological terms. This is why the existence of such ancient civilizations as China, India, Iran (Persia), Greece, Iraq (Babylon) and Egypt is measured in millennia. Incidentally, these countries are not only progenitors of the modern world, their collective histories helped shape world civilization in all ramifications, either in politics, religion or science and technology. That they survived long after other ‘pretender-civilizations’ that came after them had become footnotes of history, says much about the enduring lures of their cultures. Incidentally, nations rise and fall and even disappear from all memories and consciousness, depending on the roles they played in the course of their existence and the strength of forces arrayed against them.

Thankfully, today’s world needs more na-

G

N150

The most consecutive goals scored by an individual in a senior ice hockey game is 10 and was achieved by Ralph DeLeo (United States) for Boston Technical against Roxbury Memorial in the Greater Boston Senior League, at the Boston Tech Arena, Boston, United States, on 10 January 1953.

overnor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State yesterday said team work, diligence and result-oriented approach aided the Super Eagles’ recent triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in South Africa.

Yuguda, who spoke while receiving the team at

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

tions to occupy the earth’s vast geographical space, no matter their relevance. It is a case of the more the merrier, informed more by the national interests of powerful countries that have come to see the weaker ones as territories to be conquered for their economic and geopolitical interests. It was such thought that informed the mandarins at the colonial office in London, when they recalled a retired army officer and mercenary, Fredrick John Lugard, from Hong Kong, where he was governor to Nigeria, where he once was High Commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, to amalgamate two distinct geographical territories earlier known as Northern and Southern Nigeria, into one entity to save the financial burdens to the British of administering them as separate enclaves.

So, on January 1, 1914, Lugard in company of his journalist girlfriend, Flora Louisa Shaw, who had earlier coined the name from the River Niger, decreed a new country known as Nigeria into existence.

Since then, the history and architecture of their experimentation in nationhood has followed the same Byzantine trajectory. Earlier, the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885, had given its blessings to the rampaging colonial forces, to take effective control of those pieces of the African continent under their control and rule them to their hearts’ content. To make his impact felt, Lugard introduced a mish mash of laws, rules and ordinances that most times were at variance with the customs and traditions of the na-

NIGERIA IS A STUDY IN PARADOX. SHE IS A POTENTIALLY RICH COUNTRY, BUT WITH POVERTY STRICKEN CITIZENS tives he met in place. And in the bid to enforce British imperial hegemony, he created ‘Frankenstein monsters’ that have continued to haunt the polity till this day.

The country’s journey to the present state of dysfunctional politics, owes its origin to the buccaneering adventurism of the Lugard era. That Nigeria has remained a perpetual underperformer and pathetic middling in an age when its contemporaries are reaching for the moon, is traceable to that amalgamation. The legacy of his imperial diktat, succeeded not only in creating a culture of nihilism, it elevated the struggle for political power as the ultimate end in ethnic supremacy. Hundred years on, and in spite of large crude oil reserves, Nigeria remains one of the poorest countries on earth, where the average male life span is 47 years and that of his female counterpart is stuck at a miserable 51 years. Pathetically, they fall below those of Burkina Faso and at par with war ravaged countries like Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Nigeria is a study in paradox. She is a potentially rich country, but with poverty stricken citizens, where health workers are mindlessly gunned down for volunteering to administer polio vaccine. For all accusations of imperious brigandage and political naivety levelled against Lugard, he would surely be turning in his grave to discover that his experiment has gone awry. Never in the history of mankind, has such mass of humanity been trapped in a vicious cycle of underdevelopment, strife and squalor. In 1962, Malaysian officials arrived in Nigeria and took some palm oil seedlings home for experimentation in their country. Today, Malaysia is not only the world largest palm oil producer, it exports the product and more so, sophisticated refining equipment to Nigeria. Sadly, the total local production of palm oil is not enough to go round the cooking pots in many Nigeria homes.

One reason for Lugard’s amalgamation, was to bring harvested cotton and groundnuts from the far north, cocoa and palm oil from the west and east respectively, to the Lagos coast to feed the voracious appetite of industrial mills in Liverpool and Birmingham. To achieve this, he built Victorian era railways in the country. Ironically, Lugard’s stone-age rail lines remain the only functional platform on which the country’s coaches travel, long after countries like Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Libya and Algeria are operating 21st century trains on standard gauge. The curse is even worse in the power sector. With an estimated population of 160 million, Nigeria generates a paltry 3,800MW of electricity, not enough to feed a mega polis in the United States of America or China.

In contrast, South Africa, with 48 million inhabitants generates 48,000 MW and is responsible for supplying constant electricity to Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana. The flaw in Lugard’s amalgamation was not creating a sense of nationhood in the natives he forcibly brought together. Interestingly, nothing has changed and the way we are carrying on portends a life in the wilderness till 3014.

Sport Extra

AFCON success, reward for team work –Yuguda Governmernt House, Bauchi, also said the triumph indicated that a lot could be derived from peace and unity.

“I wish to recommend to the three arms of government–executive, judiciary and legislature–the

same spirit of team-work, because that is the surest route to success,” the governor remarked.

He urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to strive to bring more glory to Nigeria at international level, even as an-

nounced the naming of a major street in the Bauchi State capital State after the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.

Members of the Bauchi State Executive Council, Maigari, NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa

Amadu, and Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach Daniel Amokachi, were among the dignitaries at the reception.

Champions League Results Man U

1-2

Real Madrid

B/Dortmund

3-0

Shakhtar

Governor Isa Yuguda

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