Monday, March 11, 2013

FG pays N81.7bn for Customs software EXCLUSIVE FRANCIS EZEM Dikko

Vol. 3 N0. 574

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he Federal Government has paid N80.7bn to an international technology company, Webb Fountaine, the service provider in charge of the Automated System

SANs, CNPP reject Reps’ immunity proposal

for Customs Data, ASYCUDA, under the destination inspection scheme which took effect January 1, 2006.

The firm, with headquarters in Dubai, United Arab CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Tambuwal

Monday, March 11, 2013

Hostage killings:

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Britain vows to hold terrorists responsible Italy, Greece confirm report, deny rescue attempt Search for French family of seven intensifies

PAUL ARHEWE AND OMEIZA AJAYI

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ritain has condemned the killing of seven expatriates by the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist sect, Ansaru.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the killings,

describing it as “an act of pure, cold-blooded murder”.

Britain vowed to work with the Federal Government “to hold the perpetrators of this heinous act to account.”

Italy, Greece and Britain also yesterday confirmed the killing of the seven forCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Jonathan’s visit to Borno, Yobe, colossal failure –ACN, CPC

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BUSINESS SECTION CBN’ll provide framework for corporate governance in banks THE

N55.6bn gas plant ready for inauguration –Akpabio

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Pakistani Christians protesting yesterday in Islamabad against the burning of their houses and killing of their members after Muslims accused a Christian of blasphemy, an offence punishable by life imprisonment or death penalty in Pakistan.

PHOTO: AP

2015: PDP begins reconciliation with govs Set to review South-West exco dissolution E XC L U

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Afenifere condemns patchwork on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SANs, CNPP reject Reps’ immunity proposal EMMANUEL ONANI AND FELIX NWANERI

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ome Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, have condemned the bill seeking to give legal immunity to members of the House of Representatives.

The bill, which passed its second reading on the floor of the lower chamber last week, was described as unconstitutional.

It will be recalled that the House last week passed for second reading a bill sponsored by Hon. Ali Ahmed (PDP, Kwara) titled: “A bill for an Act to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) by providing immunity for members of the legislature in respect of the words spoken or written at the plenary session or at committee proceedings.”

The bill seeks to guarantee that freedom of speech, debates and proceedings in legislative houses are not impeached or questioned in any court or place out of parliament and for related

matters.

The amendment bill was, however, consolidated with that seeking for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution to guarantee freedom of speech and legislative actions of members of the National Assembly.

It was sponsored by Hon. Raphael Igbokwe (PDP, Imo).

While describing the development as “provocative, null and void”, the senior lawyers warned lawmakers against testing the will of the masses, whom they said would protest such action, if it scaled legislative hurdles.

They advised members of the chamber to deploy their energy towards making laws and resolutions that would better the lot of the common man.

The senior lawyers, who spoke to our correspondent, included Chiefs Mike Ahamba, Chris Uche, Solo Akuma, Yusuf Ali, Rotimi Jacobs and a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo.

The legal practitioners agreed that it was regrettable that members were proposing immunity at a

time when concerned Nigerians were advocating for the abrogation of Section 308 of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

The section confers immunity on the President, vice-president, governors and their deputies.

Expressing a unanimous opinion, the lawyers said that it was the constitution, not an Act of parliament that could facilitate their

them.

Ansaru said at the weekend that it had killed the hostages seized on February 7 because of alleged attempts by Nigerian and British forces to free them.

The group published photos along with the statement showing the bodies of a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers abducted from the Lebanese firm, Setraco, after killing a security guard.

But the Federal Government said yesterday it had no information on such killing and doubted the veracity of the group’s statement.

However, a statement from an Italian Foreign Ministry said: “Our checks conducted in co-ordination with the other countries concerned lead us to believe that the news of the killing of the hostages seized last month is true.”

The Greek Foreign Ministry said: “The information we have shows that the Greek citizen is dead.”

It added that the ministry had informed his family.

“We have launched a full

investigation to find out what has really happened, but for now we really cannot know whether this report is true or not,” police spokesman for Bauchi State Hassan Mohammed Auyo said on the phone.

And British military said yesterday its warplanes recently spotted in Abuja were there to move soldiers to aid the French intervention in Mali and not to rescue the foreign hostages kidnapped by the Ansaru group.

Ansaru had partially blamed the presence of those planes as an excuse for killing seven foreign hostages, including British, Greek, Italian and Lebanese citizens.

Ansaru said it killed the hostages in part due to reports on the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi, the northern state where the abductions occurred.

However, the online statement from Ansaru said the airplanes were spotted at the international airport in Abuja.

desire.

The lawmakers were reminded that they possessed parliamentary immunity from statements and contributions they made during parliamentary debates.

Uche said: “It is extremely unreasonable for House of Representatives’ members to propose this at a time when there is the clamour for abrogation of the immunity for the Presi-

dent, vice-president, governors and deputy governors.

“Members of the House should not provoke the electorate; they should rather concern themselves with matters that will alleviate the sufferings of the masses.”

Ahamba, however, noted that the restricted immunity accorded the Congress in the United States of America, drew its meaning

and strength from the constitution saying, “That bill is unconstitutional, even if it is passed into law.”

He added: “The National Assembly has no power to increase the number of people given immunity by the constitution and I wish to inform them that the immunity they seek to copy from America resides in the American constitution CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Chadian army holding a service in Ndjamena for 26 soldiers killed in Mali conflict on Friday.

Britain vows to hold terrorists responsible CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

eign hostages kidnapped last month in Bauchi State.

Hague said in a statement it was “with deep sadness” that he must confirm the Briton was “likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors, along with six other foreign nationals who we believe were also tragically murdered”.

He added: “My thoughts are with his family, and the families of the other hostages, who will be devastated by this tragic loss.

“I offer them our deep condolences at this terrible time and know that the thoughts of people up and down our country will be with them.”

He said that the responsibility “for this tragic outcome rests squarely with the terrorists,” adding that Britain would work with the Federal Government “to hold the perpetrators of this heinous act to account.”

The Greeks and Italians authorities said there had been no attempt by any government forces to free

The British Ministry of Defence said yesterday that the planes it flew to Abuja ferried Nigerian troops and equipment to Bamako, Mali. Nigerian soldiers have been sent to Mali to help French forces and Malian troops battle Islamic extremists there. The British military said it also transported Ghanaian soldiers to Mali the same way.

Ansaru had said it believed the planes were part of a Nigerian and British rescue mission for the abducted hostages.

Kidnappings - including some targeting foreigners have been rife in the SouthEast for many years, but the gangs there usually seek a payout and hostages tend to be released quickly, while Islamist kidnappings in the North are often fatal.

The hostage taking in the remote town of Jama’are was the largest number of foreigners seized since an Islamist insurgency intensified two years ago.

Western security officials say growing links between Nigerian Islamists

and Saharan groups such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has led them to increasingly seek Western targets, rather than local security forces or civilians.

Ansaru declared itself a separate group from the main Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram in January, although security officials believe them to be closely linked.

Its full name is Jama’atu Ansarul Musilimina Fi Biladis Sudan or “Vanguards for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa”.

Ansaru was suspected of being behind the killing of a British and Italian hostage a year ago in Sokoto and Britain’s parliament has labelled it a terrorist organisation.

It also claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in December of a French national, still missing.

Nigerian authorities are still looking for a French family of seven kidnapped in northern Cameroun and moved over the border by militants who said they

were from Boko Haram.

French intervention in Mali has heightened the risk to Western interests in Nigeria, analysts say, and French oil major Total moved its staff from Abuja, in January to avert security risk.

Meanwhile, peeved by the spate of killing and kidnapping of construction workers across the country, the Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, has threatened to down tools, charging the Federal Government to evolve drastic measures aimed at halting the trend.

While it observed that the development continues to pose serious threats to the execution of development projects in the country, the federation warned that unless the situation is arrested before long, the country will lose its attraction to foreign investors who rate security of life and property as the first factor to be considered when investing.

The group affirmed that CONTINUED ON PAGE 10>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, March 11, 2013

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Photo News

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Monday, March 11, 2013

L-R: Chairman, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. Adewunmi Ogunsanya; Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Walter Drenth; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Managing Director, M-Net Africa, Mrs. Biola Alabi and Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, at the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Party in Lagos, at the weekend.

PHOTO: ADEMOLA AKINLABI

L-R: Presiding Bishop, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Bishop Mike Okonkwo; Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare; Glory Christian Ministries, Dr. Iruofagha James and Presiding Bishop, Vineyard Christian Ministries, Bishop John Osa-Oni, at the dedication of The Gloryland Dome in Lagos, at the weekend.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Celebrity Special Marshal inductee and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, National Mirror newspapers, Mr. Steve Ayorinde (left) and representative of the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission, Asst. Corps Marshal Dennis Terrang, at the 1st Annual Lecture and Induction of 2013 Celebrity Special Marshals in Lagos, at the weekend.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: Group Chief Finance Officer, UBA Plc, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwaghodoh; Partner, McKinsey & Company, Mr. Scott Desmarais; Group Managing Director, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), McKinsey & Company, Mr. Michael Halbye, during Halbye’s visit to UBA’s head office in Lagos, on Friday.

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Jonathan’s visit to Borno, Yobe, colossal failure –ACN, CPC OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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pposition parties have described President Goodluck Jonathan’s historic visit to Borno and Yobe states as a colossal failure and an ego trip to match that of the opposition governors.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, said Jonathan dashed the hope of the people by foreclosing amnesty for Boko Haram and with no hope of early resolution of the crisis.

Similarly, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, said the President’s tour was to observe the relics of violence unleashed on the residents of both states in the last three years.

But the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said the President’s visit was not to match an earlier visit by the progressive governors but a genuine mission for peace.

Jonathan had during the visit said that the military Joint Task Force, JTF, would only be withdrawn from Borno State if the elders of the state would accept responsibility for

• No, it was genuine mission for peace, says PDP further killings and destruction by Boko Haram.

Reacting to the President’s position, the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told National Mirror yesterday that: “The visit was meant to advance the much-needed peace and quick resolution of the crisis. The hope was that something will come out, but the President dashed the hope of any resolution of the crisis.

“The President treated Borno and Yobe people like children; dismissing every of their view. Now, the people of the two states are worse off as there is no early resolution of the crisis.”

Also, the CPC spokesperson, Rotimi Fashakin, said in a statement yesterday that the presidential media office had told Nigerians that “the guided tour had been in the plans for a long time; it is difficult to believe that the real reason was not a very infantile desire to match up the progressive governors’ tumultuous visit to Borno State in the preced-

ing week!

“The unanswered question remains: what has changed between the serial postponements of the President’s visit to these states in the last two years because of the predictable reason of unfavourable security reports and the decision to visit last Thursday?

“Was it the feat of the progressive governors in freely interacting with the people on the streets of Maiduguri (with minimal security presence) that made the President believe a trip to these hot-beds is possible, albeit with the aid of a 3,000-strong police force ably led by the Inspector General of Police, IGP? “It was obvious that the knee-jack response of the Presidency to the progressive governors’ visit did not consider the necessity of a meaningful interface with the traumatised citizenry as an integral part of such a visit!

“The antecedents of the President in courageous crisis management leave much

to be desired.”

CPC warned that the President’s visit would serve no useful purpose and indeed very meretricious if there was no cogent plan for rehabilitating the displaced and bringing normalcy to the socio-economic life of the people.

Fashakin said: “Afterall, the constitution is unambiguous in aptly declaring that the purpose of government shall be the welfare and security of the people!

“Meanwhile, it is left to be seen how the President’s visit... would help to solve the intractable issues on the ground.”

However, PDP said that Jonathan and the party fully understood and deeply shared in the worries of Borno elders on the imperative of cessation of violence and restoration of peace to allow social and economic activities, but contended that the leaders must do more than they were doing so that peace could return to the state.

The PDP National Pub-

licity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said in a statement yesterday that the President’s position clearly showed his forthrightness and great concern for the safety of Nigerians, including those living in Borno and other troubled spots in the country.

He said: “The President was not in Borno and Yobe for photo-ops and showmanship as did the governors of the opposition APC, who cooed in the streets of Maiduguri and boasted in the media to invite attention to themselves.

“The President was on a genuine mission for peace and development.”

Metuh commended the President for his well thought-out humane approach in handling the situation and for the successes recorded so far by security agencies.

He added: “We commend the President for his humane approach and for his unrelenting commitment to the improved welfare of Nigerians.

“The PDP fully aligns with the challenge of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Borno elders on their responsibility vis a vis the withdrawal of the military JTF. “The position of the President shows his forthrightness and intense fatherly concern for the safety of all Nigerians living in Borno State and other troubled spots in the country.

“This is a direct challenge to all of us, especially those from the troubled areas to rise to the occasion and re-engage dispassionate avuncular responsibilities in genuine search for peace.

“Our great party understands and deeply shares in the worries of the Borno elders over the protracted insurgency in the region and its grave implications for social and economic activities.

“However, we deem it necessary that the elders accept this challenge and reflect in-depth on their preeminent position as a cardinal portal of peace as connoted in the assertion by the President.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, March 11, 2013

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FG pays N81.7bn on Customs software CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Emirate, UAE, specialises in improving government services through e-government systems, business process reengineering and leading edge information technology.

The company provides the software management for the ASCUDA 3.0, which is the cargo inspection platform approved by the World Customs Organisation under a seven-year Build, Own, Operate and Trans-

fer contract, which expired December 31, 2012, but was extended by another six months.

In many other countries, customs administrations manage their system but this contract was entered into to make up for the inadequacies of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, as it was then claimed that it would check revenue leakages, bring about efficiency and connectivity for all port stakeholders.

Under the second leg BOOT contract, which value is still top secret, in addition to training officers of the service, who are expected to take over the scheme, Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited, SGS and Global Scan System provide the Computerised Risk Management System, CRMS, and scanning services for all imports into the country through the air and seaports as well as land borders.

A report by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs, which rated the performance of the company low, said that the Federal Government pays a whopping $6m (N960m) to the company monthly “to merely manage the ASYCUDA software”.

This, therefore, translates to $504m (N80.7bn) for the seven-year period of the contract, which now terminates on June 30, 2013.

L-R: Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Most Rev. Kehinde Stephen; Bishop of Ogbomoso, Rt. Rev. Olugbenga Fafeyiwa; Bishop, Diocese of Lagos Mainland; Rt. Rev. Oladapo Babalola and Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Ola Makinde, at the opening ceremony of the Holy Communion Synod in Ibadan, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Customs, Mr. Sabo Nakudu, had during a recent assessment visit of the DI contract performance, taken a swipe at Webb Fountaine over what he called poor execution of the contract.

Nakudu, who specifically frowned at the poor connectivity of other operators to Web Fontaine’s ASYCUDA software, alleged that its operations have been characterised by deficiencies in its service delivery.

Meanwhile, president of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Mr. Eugene Nweke, who commented on the development, noted that most operators will not be surprised at the outcome of the contract, which he said was made a top secret at the beginning.

“It is obvious that such contract cannot stand the test of time. You will agree with me that it has failed to prevent revenue leakage, failed to enhance connectivity of other port stakeholders as claimed in the

beginning. It is not stable, not robust and consistent as people were made to believe at the inception,” he said.

While commenting on the aspect of the contract that specifies the training of Customs officers, he noted that a few of the officers were trained, which he insisted was grossly inadequate to sustain the system.

It was also gathered that most of the officers trained under the scheme, who are described as privileged few, have all retired from the service.

NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said the authorities were concerned about the cost but said the Ministry of Finance was in the best position to talk about figures.

However, Mr. Paul Nwabiku, Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said last night that he was not aware of the amount being paid the company.

“I will need some time to get the information on that,” he told our correspondent on the telephone.

are provoking Nigerians. If they pass such a law without constitutional amendment, it will be null and void.

“The constitution guarantees immunity and has covered it all. The bill is inconsistent with the existing law. Apart from the legal side, on the moral side, those elected to represent the people want to shield themselves from accounting to their people.”

Keyamo called for mass protest against the passage of the bill.

CACOL Coordinator, Mr. Debo Adeniran, observed that rather than making laws to suit the purpose of those they were representing, the legislators want to constantly compete with the executive He, therefore, urged the lawmakers to jettison the idea in the interest of peace.

In his comments, Mr. Bright Ezeocha, the President, Igbo Youth Congress, described the bill as antimasses and the worst thing to happen to the nation’s

democracy.

“The bill is making Nigeria a laughing stock in the world. It is unacceptable and unimaginable that persons at that level should conceive of such an absurd idea.

“This is a simple call for Nigerians to rise up and take these men up,” he said.

Similarly, the Conference of Nigeria Political Party, CNPP, said the immunity bill is a final move to legalise corruption.

CNPP, in a statement by its Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, said that pushing ahead with the bill marks the height of insensitive and sheer disrespect for constituents at a time when the preponderance of opinion among Nigerians is for the immunity clause to be removed for the executive arm because of the corruption in the land.

The group added that it is worrisome that the legislative arm which the people recently saw as the last bastion in governance is now

SANs reject Reps’ immunity proposal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

and not a creation of an Act of Congress.

“With the nation divided substantially over immunity for chief executives as provided for in the constitution, it becomes unconscionable for somebody to now increase the number of those to enjoy immunity from prosecution.”

Akuma said: “By this move, Reps will be taking extraordinary privilege, which they are not entitled to. They are not chief executives and so cannot ask for immunity.”

He warned that “the bill will be challenged in court, if it is passed eventually, as the parliamentary immunity which they enjoy during sittings is enough.”

Ali said that it would be setting a bad precedent as it was not heard of anywhere in the world.

“Even the immunity for chief executives is so that they don’t get distracted and even at that, some of us are advocating for the removal of section 308 from

the constitution.

“It will be like challenging Nigerians. What do they need immunity for and from whom? It will appear as if it is something being orchestrated to protect their members who are being accused of corruption, from prosecution.

They should not push Nigerians to the wall, because the people have the will to fight back,” he warned.

Jacob said: “It is morally wrong for them to even propose immunity, talk less of even passing it into law.

They do not have the constitutional power to confer immunity on themselves.”

Threatening to lead a peaceful protest to the Assembly if the bill was passed, Keyamo said: “If they pass any law to expand the number of those covered by immunity, it will be unconstitutional, null and void.”

Meanwhile, the Senate has said that it is not interested in proposing immunity for senators.

The Chairman, Senate

committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, told our correspondent in a text message.

Also yesterday, the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, human rights lawyers and political groups advised the National Assembly not to pass the bill.

Messrs Fred Agbaje, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL; and Igbo Youth Congress, IYC, described the bill as provocative.

The SNG spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, described the bill as an “aberration” which should be challenged by all Nigerians.

“When Nigerians are talking of removing immunity clause completely from the constitution to checkmate corruption, the legislators are coming up with their own bill.”

He, however, said that the group was not surprised by the lawmakers’ move to get immunity for themselves to cover up their acts.

“It is only in Nigeria that

legislators will be asking for immunity which they do not need, except they have plans to contravene the law.”

In his remarks, Agbaje urged the lawmakers to disregard the bill immediately and address more fundamental issues in the nation.

“This is why there is so much corruption in Nigeria.

“Rather than putting in place laws that will enhance good governance, the lawmakers are busy thinking of laws that will shield them from corrupt charges.

“This bill is mundane and cannot enhance Nigeria’s national growth,” Agbaje said.

He said that such a bill would only engender disloyalty among Nigerians.

“If the lawmakers have no skeletons in their cupboards, they will not be thinking of such a rash law in this era of democracy and freedom of information,” he said.

Reacting to the bill, Keyamo said: “The lawmakers

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News

Monday, March 11, 2013

Crisis looms in health sector as workers demand minister’s sack OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

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he already precarious situation in the health sector may soon take a new dimension as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) at the weekend called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Beyond that, JOHESU, which comprise five unions in health sector namely: the Medical and Health Workers Unions of NIgeria (MHWUN), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Se-

nior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutions and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), the Nigeria Union of Pharmacists, Technologists and Professions Allied to Medicine ( NUPMTAM) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), had sued the health minister, accusing him of breeding discontent capable of leading to a breakdown of law and order.

The unions, in separate letters to the President and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Abubakar Haruna, entitled: “Re: Request for your intervention against black-

mail and tactics capable of fostering instability in the health sector,” demanded Prof Chukwu’s resignation or his sack.

Addressing journalists at the weekend in Abuja, Chairman of JOHESU and President of MHWUN, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said the call for the resignation or a sack of Prof.

Chukwu was predicated on his abysmal poor performance and not for any political reason.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, our demand for the resignation of Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu as minister of health has no political undertone whatsoever. We have been justified by the perfor-

mance appraisal of the minister carried out by several impartial bodies in the country.

All of them scored the minister of health’s performance as being abysmally poor.

“He should take the honourable step of resigning as he has no clue whatsoever for salvaging the health system.

Conversely, we call on Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to remove him as a minister before the health sector is destroyed.”

Wabba said the unions had lined up series of activities between now and May 1 to ensure that President Jonathan relieves the minister of his duties, if he fails to resign.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Senate to review Civil Aviation Act, BASA OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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he Senate at the weekend revealed that plans are underway by the National Assembly to review the current Nigerian Civil Aviation Act, just as it equally plans to adjust the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) Nigeria is operating.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this to journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital, shortly after the commissioning of the remodelled airport by the Federal Government.

Uzodinma said that the committee was presently looking at the entire system and how it could be used to improve the country’s aviation industry.

Uzodinma said that the senate would soon initiate a

policy to protect the national interest in the aviation industry.

On the proposed review of BASA, Uzodinma explained that the committee would ensure that the new agreement would benefit Nigeria more against the current agreement, which he said was lopsided against the country.

He said: “We are looking into BASA where royalties are being paid or where open skies arrangement is not favourable to the country. At present, we have little or no capacity for reciprocity, so we must do a deliberate policy that will also make our economy not raped by the western or other parts of the world.

“We must begin to review our policies and laws with a view to properly bringing out efficient revolution, which is expected of any responsible government.”

JTF arrests nine suspected oil thieves

SAM OLUWALANA

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Vice-President Namadi Sambo (left) and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, during a visit to the emir on his return to the country from a medical trip after an attack on his convoy in Kano, at the weekend.

he Joint Task Force (JTF) has arrested nine suspected oil thieves in Rivers State.

The vessel used by the suspects in siphoning petroleum products has also been impounded by the task force.

Parading the suspects at the weekend in Bonny, Rivers State, the JTF Commander, Capt. Chukwuemeka Okafor, said the suspects were arrested on-board the vessel on January 28 during routine patrol.

Captain Okafor told jour-

nalists that on interrogation, it was discovered that the vessel was loaded with 820 tonnes of diesel and was operating without any certified documents and permission from the regulating agency.

According to the naval officer, the vessel, EP Divine Favour, was intercepted in Bonny.

“The JTF arrested the vessel on January 28, and has finished its preliminary investigation and found it necessary that the vessel has more answer to provide as to what it was doing at the place it was arrested.

NJC, Presidency can’t rescind Archibong’s sack –SANs Nation’s petroleum industry gloomy –Stakeholders FRANCIS FAMOROTI AND KENNY ODUNUKAN

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he possibility of the Presidency or the National Judicial Council (NJC) rescinding the sack of Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court and Justice Thomas Naron of the Plateau State Judiciary has been foreclosed.

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Prof. Fidelis Odita and Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, and human rights lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, who spoke with the National Mirror at the weekend in Lagos, said that the only remedy Archibong or any other sacked judicial officer had was to go to court and not to petition the Presidency.

Besides, the lawyers were unanimous that the hope of recalling Archibong,

who wrote a petition to the Presidency on the issue, was dimmed as the NJC’s decision was final.

Odita said: “As far as I am concern, Justice Archibong behaved childishly by approaching the Presidency to resolve his ordeals.

“Why is he alleging that he was not given a fair hearing before recommendations were made? The NJC must have requested for his reactions after petitions and facts were presented before the panel for deliberation. I believe the NJC cannot act based on one side complaints without hearing his own side of the matter.”

To Pinheiro, Archibong failed to explore the proper and logical way to ventilate his grievances.

He said: “I do not think it is proper to channel your complaints through an arm of government that is not sad-

dled with that responsibility.

“The executive as an institution does not have the prerogative to decide the fate of erring judges. Only the NJC is saddled with that responsibility and if after recommendations are made, the Presidency can now act on the recommendations.”

Keyamo spoke in similar vein, but explained that the law would not allow Justice Archibong to be recalled after being compulsorily retired.

He said there was no provision in the law that after petitioning the Presidency, a sacked or retired judge could be recalled.

The Justice Aloma Mukhtar led-NJC had last month recommended the retirement of Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court and Justice Thomas Naron of the Plateau State Judiciary for misconduct.

UDEME AKPAN

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takeholders in oil and gas industry have predicted a gloomy future for the nation’s petroleum sector due to lack of investments in critical areas The stakeholders, who met at the instance of Nigeria Natural Resource Charter in Lagos, predicted a drop of 40 per cent in the United States demand for Nigeria’s and loss of 10 per cent of production and revenues as a result of vandalism in the next five years.

These, they said, would affect the nation’s economy, particularly as the downstream sector, involving refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products remained grossly undeveloped.

The NNRC project manager, Mr. Ademola Oshodi,

said: “We did not plan well to refine for local consumption and export even though there is a very big market for refined products in West Africa and other parts of the world.”

He explained why the nation is still exposed to volatility of the global oil market though Nigeria has reserves of other resources, including solid minerals and solar energy The stakeholders, however, called on the National Assembly to ensure the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is produced in a manner that would ensure the sustainable and balance development of the petroleum industry.

The stakeholders partly attributed the stagnation of the industry in the past few years to archaic laws that discouraged massive local and foreign investment.

They contended that the situation may not change much if the new PIB is passed into law in its present form because of many flaws.

For instance, the managing director of JALZ Energy Limited, Ms Lois Lareba, noted that the new PIB concentrated too much power and influence on the Minister of Petroleum Resources when it stated in Section 5 that the Minister of Petroleum Resources shall be responsible for the coordination of the activities of the petroleum industry and shall exercise general supervision over all operations and all institutions.

Lareba, who faulted many issues in the nation’s oil and gas industry, said: “Other nations have a few subsidiaries but NNPC has so many.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Monday, March 11, 2013

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Afenifere flays patchwork on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway FELIX NWANERI

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an-Yoruba political group, Afenifere, has called for the reconstruction of the LagosIbadan Expressway, saying that a mere patchwork as presently being carried out on the road, would not augur well for such a major carriageway that has claimed uncountable number of lives.

The group, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, made available to National Mirror yesterday, insisted on six lanes on each of the northbound

and southbound carriages of the road between the interchange at Ojota in Lagos and the Sagamu interchange from where it should continue with four lanes on each side to Ojoo in Ibadan.

Noting with concern that the on-going resurfacing work was against the hope of rebuilding what has become an “open grave” that was taken from the former contractor, Bi-Courtney Limited, a few months back; Afenifere lamented that motorists and travelers have faced untold hardship on the road built close to 40 years ago.

The statement reads in part: “Motorists and travelers have faced untold hard-

ship on this road built close to 40 years ago with engineering designs of a road pavement with an asphalt layer as road surface and crushed granite layer above laterite soil under. But the benign culture of corruption in Nigeria then ensured that the road was built without the crushed granite layer which led to uneven, broken and corrugated surface within few years of use.

“The culture of corruption has become a full-blown cancer over the years with billions of naira budgeted every now and then ending in the pockets of corrupt officials with the attendant consequence of daily deaths on

the trap.

“Were Nigeria a country with functional statistics, it would have been easier to compare the casualty figures on this road with the number of lives lost in major wars in human experience in recent times.”

Afenifere explained that the primary objective of the modernisation project is to unlock the economic potentials of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by redeveloping it to efficiently carry available traffic demand and in the process, create a world class infrastructure that will be the pride of all Nigerians.

“The road would boast of dawn lightening powered by

Minister of State for FCT, Chief Olajumoke Akinjide (left), administering polio vaccine on a child during the inauguration of the FCT Immunisation Plus Days in Abuja, at the weekend.

a gas fired plant, improved and new interchanges, new drainage system, recessed service area, lay-back parking area, footbridges in heavy pedestrian areas, weigh bridges, electronic traffic control and informative signs,” it said While conceding that what has been done is an improvement on the irresponsible neglect of the road by past administrations, it said that it was disturbed by the announcement by the Works

Nigeria targets 1m metric tonnes of Cocoa by 2020 OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

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he Federal Government has said that with the ongoing accelerated cocoa production programmes in the country, Nigeria is poised to triple local production from its current 300, 000 metric tonnes to 1million metric tonnes by the year 2020.

However, while this is said to be achievable, agricultural experts rue the low grinding capacity which limits the local processing of cocoa in the country.

For instance, while Nigeria is rated as the fourth largest producer of cocoa, over 90 per cent of the cocoa produced in the country is exported, thereby denying a good number of Nigerians employment opportunities

Jonathan reiterates commitment FG approves payment for electricity meters to entertainment industry by the Chairman of NERC, ters.

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ADENRELE NIYI

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xactly one week after President Goodluck Jonathan instituted aN3billion fund to support the Nigerian film industry in capacity development, film production and revamping aging infrastructure, his administration has reiterated its commitment to the growth of the entertainment sector.

President Jonathan gave this assurance at the weekend in Lagos, during the inaugural edition of the African Magic Viewers Choice Awards, AMVCA, which held at the Expo Hall, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.

Represented at the awards by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the President, in his address, said it was gratifying that this maiden

edition of the film and television award celebrating Africa’s cultural heritage was taking place in Nigerian.

“Exactly seven days ago, here in Lagos, I hosted the cream of Nigerian artistes to an evening in honour of the Nigerian motion picture industry. Nollywood, as it is popularly referred to, has entertained Africa and the rest of the world for the past 20 years…this is a thing of pride to the African continent,” he said.

Paying homage to dead icons in the industry on the one hand and congratulating the night’s winners on the other, the President said his government would remain a friend of the entertainment industry.

“Let me assure you that this government would continue to be a firm friend and supporter of the entertainment industry”, the President reaffirmed.

HIDI

ABUJA

GWU

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he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has said that the Federal Government has approved the implementation of “Credit Advance Payment for Meter Installation, CAPMI,” an alternative funding scheme for electricity me-

In a statement, NERC’s Head of Communication, Maryam Yahaya Abubakar, said the approval would boost the roll out of electricity meters, adding that there will be rapid deployment of electricity meters across the country.

According to the statement, the approval followed a presentation made

Dr. Sam Amadi, to the Presidential Action Committee on Power, PACP, at the weekend.

“The PACP has agreed with the recommendations made by NERC, and has asked for the immediate implementation of this scheme known as “Credit Advance Payment for Meter Installation, CAPMI.”

Police foil bank robbery, arrest nine suspects FRANCIS SUBERU

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combined team of policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, and the “Area G” of the Lagos State Police Command, at the weekend, foiled a bank robbery targeted at one of the old generation banks at the Osolo Way, Ajao Estate area of the state.

The policemen had en-

gaged the 13-man armed robbery gang in a gun duel that lasted for over an hour, effectively scaring off motorists and passersby from the route while the gun exchange lasted.

At the end of the gun duel, the police were able to recover five AK 47 riffles, five double barrel cut-to-size, a total of 535 live cartridges and the two vehicles used for the operation. However, National Mirror learnt from police sources that seven of

Minister, Mr. Mike Onolememen, that reconstruction design has been submitted to his office.

According to the group, “the question to ask is whether there was no design for the road over the years and including the period of phantom concession,” adding: “Given what we know of government in Nigeria, approving the design may not be completed till the end of the life of this administration.”

the nine suspects have died as at yesterday due to copious bleeding from gunshot wounds they sustained.

Police sources said the gang had infiltrated the state from Ogun State and were heading to the bank’s branch at Ajao Estate, where they had already planted three of their members to keep watch of the security situation in the bank.

Their mission was foiled following a tip off to

which could have been derived through local cocoa processing plants.

However, Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who spoke in Abuja, during a OneDay National Sensitisation Workshop on “SPS Capacity Building in Africa to mitigate the Harmful Effects of Pesticide Residues in Cocoa and to maintain Market Access,” explained that the focus of government was to ensure value addition for cocoa being produced in the country.

Aganga, who was represented at the event by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Olakunle Sogbola, recalled that the SPS Cocoa Africa Project was developed by the International Cocoa Organisation in consultation with five Africa cocoa producing countries.

The scheme was designed as an alternative for customers who are willing to advance money to their distribution companies for speedy installation of prepaid meters.”

Abubakar said one of the top priorities of the commission is ensuring that the huge number of unmetered customers is reduced as rapidly as possible, and within the shortest possible time. the state police command which laid ambush for the robbers at Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

On realising that they had been surrounded, the robbers, who were in two operational vehicles; a Toyota Sienna bus and Nissan Sunny Saloon car with registration numbers AKD 54 AG and BT 914 APP respectively, opened fire.

However, the robbers were said to have bowed to the superior firing power of the police and surrendered.

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Ex-Ogun lawmakers express readiness to monitor governance FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

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L-R: Benue State Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Abba Yaro; Osun State Governor, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; Benue State ACN Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Gyuse and the party’s treasurer, Mr. Gwazia Irimbee, during the presentation of the Staff of Office to the governor as the Mule of ACN of Benue State in Osogbo, Osun State, at the weekend.

Police, NYSC deny attack on orientation camp in Ekiti ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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he police have assured of safety of lives and property at the Permanent Orientation Camp of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in Ise Emure Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The Ekiti State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, who denied rumour of attack on the NYSC camp by an extremist group, said the place was being manned by armed military and police officers.

In a statement made available to journalists yesterday in Ado-Ekiti,

the police spokesman traced the rumour to a foiled robbery attempt on a nearby beer wholesaler in Orun-Ekiti, which culminated in exchange of gunfire among policemen and some suspected armed robbers.

According to him, the police arrested one of the armed robbers while his accomplices escaped.

Babayemi said that two double-barreled guns and a car were recovered from the armed robbers.

This is as the NYSC Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Tunde Baba-Ahmed, also debunked rumour of the attack.

Baba-Ahmed said no corps member was affect-

ed in the armed robbery attack which took place in a neighbouring community.

Eye witnesses said security men and youths foiled the attempt by the armed robbers to attack a beer wholesaler in the community.

According to them, the robbers opened fire in the air to scare away people in a bid to escape, hijacked a Toyota vehicle from a motorist and fled the scene.

They said that the police trailed the armed robbers towards Emure/ Akoko where the robbers were said to have abandoned the car and fled into the bush.

Arepo: Police arrest another suspect FRANCIS SUBERU

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even months after three members of staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were killed at Arepo village in Ogun State, the Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism has arrested a suspected pipeline vandal, who allegedly participated in the killing.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of the task force, Mr. Friday Ibadin, who disclosed this to journalists yesterday, identified the suspect as Jiperede (aka Tokiwe).

He said the suspect was actively involved in the killing of the NNPC workers at Arepo in August 2012, while the officials were carrying

Osun plans biotechnology summit on food security ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

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he Osun State Government has completed arrangement to hold a biotechnology stakeholders’ summit.

The summit is to enable farmers and industrialists tap the benefits accruable from scientific innovations for the achievement of the food security target of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Festus Agunbiade, dropped the hint at the weekend in Ilesa, Osun

State.

Urging industrialists and researchers to take a cue from the commendable decision of the management of International Brewery Plc, Ilesa, for introducing a cassava-based drink to members of the Nigerian public, the special adviser assured that the summit would hold as soon as machinery was put in place for it.

He stressed that the cassava drink was a major utilisation channel for the marketing and consumption of cassava tubers produced by farmers who have followed the invitation of Governor Rauf Aregbesola

to engage in large scale farming.

Agunbiade said: “The drink has ensured that cassava farmers now have a ready and steady market that will utilize their farm produce.

“The new product has scored the bull’s eye in the implementation of Governor Aregbesola’s six-point integral action plan to banish poverty, hunger and restore healthy living among the populace.”

He expressed satisfaction that cassava farmers in the state were ready to supply improved tuber, which had earlier been developed, tested and

ormer members of the Ogun State House of Assembly have expressed their readiness to support effort to develop the state.

The former lawmakers promised to monitor governance with a view to protect the interest of all.

The group of 15 former lawmakers, who served at the 6th Ogun State Legislative Assembly, took the decision during a meeting held at the weekend in Abeokuta, the state capital.

At a meeting presided over by Hon. Leye Odunjo, the former lawmakers resolved not to be silent again

on issues affecting governance of Ogun State, but make their feelings known regularly.

In the five-point communiqué issued after the meeting, the group described itself as an indivisible political family bound by same interest notwithstanding the political affiliations of members.

The communiqué, signed by all the members of the group, reads in parts: “That this group is more committed than ever before to protect the interest of the Ogun people and that the G-15 totally supports autonomy for local government administration as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.”

adapted by the Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSSADEP) on the directive of the governor.

Agunbiade added that the new specie developed

by OSSADEP was odourless while yielding maximum flour ratio that was higher than those of the old and conventional cassava.

This new specie, the governor’s aide, said was capable of being converted to flour within 24 hours of harvest by farmer, adding that it has created a major incentive and motivation for farmers to plant more acreage of cassava farmlands.

out repairs on a vandalized pipe.

According to him, the arrest of Jiperede would bring the number of suspects arrested in connection with the killing to 10, saying that seven of the suspects had been charged to court.

The ACP said the suspect claimed he was recruited into the illegal business by one of his friends sometime in 2007, when his business was no longer booming.

“He claimed that his friend that introduced him died in one of the pipeline fire outbreaks. He also said they decided to form an association called the Pipeline Vandalism Union in 2009, with one Jagun as the overall chairman.

“He confessed that the association’s duty was to control the sale of the product to their big buyers and training of personnel to reduce incidence of fire outbreaks; adding that some of them were trained to handle weapons and provide adequate security for their boys when they are working.

“We gathered from him that a non member of the as-

sociation can sell the product to the association at N1000 per 50 litters. He claimed he and others were not easily arrested since 2007 because of the association’s strong network of spies everywhere.

“The suspect confessed that he was arrested through one of the vandals that left his gun in the car, which he parked in his compound.

He claimed the car was stolen and parked in his compound,” Ibadin quoted the suspect as saying.

Ibadin said that detectives were gradually closing in on all the suspects that participated in the killing of the NNPC workers, stressing that policemen, led by Onaghise Osayande, were gradually tracking down those who are still at large.

He commended the efforts of NNPC management team in providing logistic to fight the suspected vandals; pointing out that with the recent mounting of several platforms, for closer surveillance of NNPC pipeline across the country, would help to reduce the activities of vandals to the barest minimum.

Ajimobi launches free transport for workers, pupils today

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he Oyo State Government will today launch ten 43-seater buses to convey workers and pupils daily.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Dr. Festus Adedayo.

The launch, which will be performed by Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the

state Secretariat by 2pm, was aimed at reducing cost of transportation and making lives easier for the workers and pupils.

According to the statement, the decision was in line with the government’s ongoing reform of the civil service and its intention of improving the workers’ condition of service.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, March 11, 2013

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Oyo, Australian firm sign mineral exploration pact O yo State government has signed a Joint Venture Agreement, JVA, with an Australian firm, Maldon Minerals and Engineering Consortium, for solid mineral exploration and exploitation and also for the provision of agricultural and agro-allied services.

The agreement was signed at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office at the

weekend by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Waheed Akin Olajide, on behalf of the state government and Dr. Dapsy Olatona, on behalf of the firm.

The partnership, when fully operational, will involve agriculture and agro-processing, educational and vocational training as well as mining and allied services.

While the consortium

will contribute 70 per cent of the total project cost, the state government is expected to shoulder the remaining 30 per cent, while the agreement will remain in force for a period of one year after which it will be subjected to quarterly review based on mutual agreement between the two parties.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Abiola Ajimobi said the develop-

ment was the result of his trips abroad last year in search of foreign investors that would partner with his administration to actualise its transformation agenda.

Governor Ajimobi described the firm as one of the foremost companies in Australia specialising in mining, agriculture and agro-allied services, and skill acquisition, assuring that the partner-

ship would also provide mass employment and ensure the growth and development of the state.

He said the infrastructure needed for the smooth take-off of the project would be put in place in the next few weeks, adding that production, exploitation and exploration would begin shortly.

In his remark, Dr. Olatona said the understand-

Oyo newspapers’ distributors get new exco

Expert blames flood on poor environmental law enforcement ABIODUN NEJO

KEMI OLAITAN

ADO EKITI

IBADAN

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he Oyo State chapter of the Newspapers Distributors Association of Nigeria, NDAN, has elected new officers that would lead the body for the next two years.

The new officers emerged unopposed through a peaceful poll held at the Oke-Padre, Ibadan, secretariat of the association, where most of the print media houses also have their sales offices.

A statement signed by the Chairman o the Electoral Committee, Mr. Samuel Mowowale, said Comrade Tunde Abimbola, emerged as the new chairman while Mr. Adekunle Omobolanle became the new vice-chairman.

Other members of the executive are; Osu Felix, who is now the General-Secretary; Tosin Faweyinmi, Treasurer; Oluranti Ogunbanjo, Financial Secretary; Taoreed Oladejo, Assistant SecretaryGeneral and Ademola Emmanuel, emerged the new Public Relations Officer.

L-R: Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed; Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; Chairman, Agboyi Ketu Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Monsuru Durosinmi and others, during Fashola’s visit to the scene of the fire disaster at Ifelodun Plank Market, Ketu, yesterday.

Ex-minister calls for removal of immunity clause

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ormer Minister of Youths Development and a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, at the weekend, called for the removal of immunity clause for the president, governors and their deputies on crimi-

nal matters.

The minister while speaking with journalists in Ode-Omu, described the clause as unnecessary, agitating for its removal immediately.

Olasunkami, who argued that all steps must be taken to discourage criminal acts in the country, said the clause is anti-people and called

on all concerned to wage war against it.

He said if not removed, it would continue to promote injustice and illegality in the country and as leaders, they have to lead by example, stressing further that the agitation for immunity clause for legislators by some members of the National Assembly is uncalled for.

“Members of the National Assembly do not deserve immunity clause for any reason.

The standing order is that they have immunity on any issue they raise or discuss on the floor of the chambers of the two arms of the National Assembly, but that should not be taken for general issues.”

New opposition party’ll wrest power from PDP –Aregbesola ABIODUN NEJO

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sun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend, said the newly proposed political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, will wrestle power from the ruling PDP government at the national level.

Speaking at a programme in Ede, Aregbesola said the new party is the only party that could give solace to the poor, and charged the electorate to cast their votes for the party, saying the emergence of the party will meet the needs of the people.

The governor, who further described the PDP ruling party as a paper weight champion, said

ing between his firm and the state government was borne out of his meeting with Governor Ajimobi in Australia last year.

He described the governor as a leader who was very passionate about bringing sustainable development to his state, expressing optimism that the partnership would be one of the long-lasting legacies that the governor would leave behind.

APC would pose serious challenge to the party at the presidential election in 2015.

“This new party, called APC is the party that will guarantee peace and development in this country as we have been witnessing in Osun.

It is clear that there is peace in Osun; otherwise, it would be difficult to successfully carry out this physical fitness exercise without any chaos. Since we all want this kind of peace to extend to other parts of the country, let us all welcome the new party that will effect the desired changes in the country.

“We are also happy that we have successfully sent away the enemies of progress in this state, but we

should not allow them to use their antics to destroy the peace we have been enjoying, either through religion, politics or some of the developmental programmes we have been carrying out, he added.

“All the programmes and policies of this administration are meant to serve the interest of the people and we advise the people to discard the confusion some people are using to discredit the party.

Meanwhile, the PDP candidate in the October 20, 2012 governorship election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, has described as erroneous insinuations that the coalition of some opposition parties into the APC has sent jitters in to the camp

of the ruling party.

Oke, who said the PDP, in terms of its spread and strength, would contain the opposition parties in the 2015 general election, added that the formation of the APC would compel the ruling party to put its house in order and restrategise its winning streaks.

The former PDP National Legal Adviser told journalists in Ado Ekiti at a programme organised by the Alumni Association of Ekiti State University that the coming together of the opposition was a welcome development.

His words: “What is wrong with it has been the acclamation that they came together to dislodge

the PDP. That is what is wrong with it. Aside, we need credible opposition in Nigeria.”

The PDP chieftain, who reiterated that his party could not be jittery over the activities of minority parties, said: “We cannot be afraid of the minority. We have 24 governors across geo-political zones.

How can we be scared of 12 governors? It will only compel us to put our house in order.

Oke is, at present, at the election petitions tribunal in Ondo State, seeking for his declaration as the winner of last year’s governorship election in the state in which the incumbent, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, of the Labour Party was returned as governor.

he Deputy Director (Evaluation), Directorate of Army Real Estate, Colonel Musibau Adeniran, has blamed the increasing effects of flood in parts of the country on lack of proper enforcement of building and environmental laws.

Adeniran, who expressed worry over the approaching raining season, however, advocated the establishment of an agency to ensure the enforcement of laws in order to avoid a recurrence of floods in the country.

The officer, who is a registered surveyor, spoke in Ado Ekiti, at the weekend, shortly after he was honoured at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti.

He lamented that there are environmental laws and there are developmental laws, but our people don’t enforce these laws.”

Adeniran identified corruption as one of the factors encouraging the construction of buildings in wrong areas such as drainage channels, canals and river banks, which in the long run, inhibits the free flow of water, causing flooding.

He said: “The enforcement of our environmental laws is poor. It is not about paying fines or levies. There are so many other ways of enforcing laws apart from fines and levies. There should be a relevant government agency that would be responsible for that and if we do that in all the states, the country will be the better for it.”

Adeniran also canvassed a change in attitude, especially the dumping of refuse in drainages and flood channels, saying the result of such actions was flooding.

He also advised on the use of environmental space, saying: “Our people should heed professional advice before erecting their structures. But generally, they do not. This is a big problem for the environment.”

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

APC can’t protect Igbo interest, says Iwuanyanwu CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

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member of Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, described the emergence of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a failed project and advised Ndigbo moving into the party to desist as it would not stand a test of time.

Iwuanyanwu, who said this when he paid a courtesy visit to the leader of the Movement for the Actualiz-

sation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, to assess the extent of damage done to the Ojukwu Memorial Library site demolished by yetto-be identified people about three weeks ago, said it would be “sheer madness for any Igbo person to move to the APC.” Going down memory lane, the PDP BoT member recalled the last visit he paid to the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, where he advised Ndigbo to always belong to the party that controls power and has spread.

According to him, every Igbo person should learn from history that such merger had never worked in the country.

He said Dr Azikiwe, who ran for the Presidency under the NCNC and NPP without success, advised the Igbo to be part of a political structure that would protect their interest and not to be part of a political party that has no spread.

“I went there to see him with Jerome Udoji and all the traditional rulers in the South-East; he said he ran for the Presidency under NCNC and NPP, he did not succeed,

He said that we should try to make sure we are part of a political party that has got spread across the country.”

Iwuanyanwu added that with the sacrifices Ndigbo had made for the development of the nation, it would be suicidal for anybody to drag them to a party where their relevance would not be noticed. “Igbo have played a major role in building this country; these sacrifices should not be wasted in a party like APC that will collapse tomorrow.”

He added that Igbo are major shareholders in Nige-

ria, saying that it would be dangerous if a major shareholder is seen at the peripheral of power play. “That is why in 1999 as chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, I insisted that all Igbo should join the PDP, where we can play a major role in the affairs of this country.

He called on Ndigbo to ignore any attempt to drag them to APC because it was formed on a wrong political ideology that cannot protect the interest of the Igbo.

“It will not work. I am a student of history, history is there for people to learn

from, and very often we fail to learn from history and it has always been bad. I say all Igbo should join PDP because that is the only way we can be relevant and achieve a common goal by being part of a party that has spread.”

Meanwhile, the PDP BoT member expressed shock at the level of the destruction of the Ojukwu Memorial Library and Conference Centre still under construction by some unknown hoodlums, describing the demolition as an act of wickedness that should not be condoned in a civilized society.

Britain vows to hold terrorists responsible CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

L-R: A worshipper, Mr. Sunday Meb; Mother of the Day, Dr. Chinenye Eluemuno; Parish Priest, St. Philip Anglican Church, Trans-Ekul, Ven. Simon Eluemuno and a church elder, Mr Emman Obi, during the special Mother’s Day service in Enugu, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Thieves burgle church’s accounts department CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

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he accounts office of the Cathedral Church of Saint Faith, Awka, Anglican Communion, domiciled in the Bishop’s Office building, Paul University premises, was on Wednesday, February 27, burgled by thieves, carting away N4.9 million.

National Mirror gathered that the theft was discovered the following morning when workers

•Steal N4.9 million reported for the day’s duty, hours after the thieves had escaped with their loot.

It was also gathered that the thieves had, after gaining entry into the accounts office, unlocked the cash safe and took away the money.

Meanwhile, less than 24 hours after the robbery incident, gunmen had, on Thursday, February 28, stormed Paul University in Awka, where they allegedly raped three female

students of the institution.

It was gathered that the gunmen, after gaining entry into the campus, dragged the girls out of their hostels and raped them. The incident, which raised tension in the campus, has compelled the management of the university to beef up security on the campus, by deploying a special security team, comprising of the police and communi-

SANs reject Reps’ immunity proposal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

seeking to get the same “criminal protection” that the executive gets under the constitutional immunity clause.

It said: “It is shameful for one to begin to have the inkling that the scandals around Lawan Farouk and Herman Hembe with many others that are yet to go public could be the impetus for this criminal legislation.

CNPP argued that in-

stead of making a legislation to grant immunity to the lawmakers who already have parliamentary immunity, members of the House of Representatives should have intensified efforts to use the ongoing amendment of the constitution to do away with immunity clause for the president and governors to at least open them up for criminal prosecution for corruption.

“Nigerians are already

wary of the official fraud that surrounds how much each lawmaker legitimately earns, what happens to the constituency allowances voted for lawmakers and other monies they allegedly corner from performing their oversight functions.

This latest effort at shielding lawmakers from being held accountable as representatives of the people will only worsen the distrust in which Nigerians hold this

ty-based vigilance operatives.

Reliable sources told National Mirror that accusing fingers had been pointed at some of the workers, who they alleged were responsible for the crime.

It was also gathered that the thieves had a smooth operation as there was no sign of any forceful entry into the accounts office and breaking of the cash safe that was usually controlled with coded numbers.

class of politicians,” CNPP said.

The group warned that the move by the House of Representatives has all the potential to worsen an already terrible situation, saying that it is now up to Nigerians whom the group will support to mobilise in droves and camp out at the National Assembly until lawmakers see reason and desist from the destructive path they have chosen.

construction companies are finding it difficult to move workers from one part of the country to the other where they are needed.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the President of Federation of Construction Industry, Mr. Solomon Ogunbusola, noted that in the last one year, 11 expatriates employed by Setraco Nigeria Limited were kidnapped in the South, stressing that seven other expatriates held in the North were killed on Saturday.

“Nigerians will still recall that an expatriate, employee of Dantata&Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited was kidnapped last year and was never released. He was killed several months after being kidnapped.

“We also recall that one Briton and one Italian worker were equally killed in an attempt to rescue them by security forces in Sokoto last year. During the same period, four expatriates working for a Chinese Construction Company were killed.

“As the list of kidnapped victims grows by the day, construction companies are finding it more and more difficult to prosecute their projects, even with the provision of security personnel on some of our sites. Pervasive sense of insecurity on sites and in the atmosphere generally is not limited to the fate of expatriates alone. Nigerians as well are not totally immune from the danger.

Companies have lost some of their Nigerian technical and support staff for the same reasons,” he stressed.

Ogunbusola called on both federal and state governments to do more in the

protection of construction workers before the construction industry grinds to a halt and throws more than 250,000 workers into the unemployment market, while infrastructural development projects are shut down.

“The negative effects of the deteriorating security situation on inflow of foreign investments should also not be down-played.

Unless the situation is arrested before long, the country will lose its attraction to foreign investors who rate security of life and property as the first factor to be considered when investing,” he noted.

In the aftermath of the killing of seven foreign hostages, Nigeria’s security operatives have swung into action to track down the killers.

Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, did not immediately respond to media enquiries but a security source in Abuja said they were in possession of the said video and were already studying it to ascertain its authenticity and determine its next line of action.

The security source said security agencies have already swung into action to bring the perpetrators to book, but added that aside the fact that their operation is covert, they (security agents) do not want to make any statement that would provoke further killing of other hostages being held by the group.

“We are studying the situation. As far as I know, no arrest has been made but operatives are definitely working round the clock to ensure that we bring those guys to book. We are studying the said video and will issue a statement at the appropriate time,” he said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South South

Monday, March 11, 2013

11

Oil well dispute not in our interest –Communities SAM OLUWALANA PORT HARCOURT

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wo communities, who claimed ownership of Oluasiri land being contested by both Rivers and Bayelsa states, have washed their hands off the dispute.

They accused both governments of playing politics with the oil wells located on the disputed land.

The communities, Odual Kingdom in Rivers State and Nembe Bassambri of Bayelsa State, also described the

Kalabari claiming ownership of the land as mere usurpers, who had been unsuccessfully scheming to excise the land illegally since 1913.

The traditional rulers of Odual Kingdom and Nembe Bassambri told our correspondent yesterday that the two contending state governments were not interested in the welfare of the owners of the land but were only using them as pawns in their high profile politics, which they said would not necessarily benefit the owners.

The Amanyanabo of Nembe Bassambri, King Ralph Iwowawiri, said his fore fathers obtained ownership of the land by proxy through the original owners, the Odual community.

He said both communities were at the time part of the Brass Division, adding that the then monarch, King Jamala of Odual Kingdom, transferred the administration of the land to the then king of Brass, King Alagoa, because of the constant outbreak of smallpox and the

fear of external aggression, as a result of frequent wars, which his people were not strong enough to contend with at the time.

Iwowawiri added that both communities were under the influence of King Alagoa of Brass who was called ‘the Administrator’ at the time.

The monarch noted that both Odual and the Nembe communities were brotherly, adding that they both shared the economic gains of whatever came out of the land.

He said: “Both communities were under the influence of my Grand Father who administered the land then.

He settled land disputes and every other thing that arose then.

“When the Kalabari people tried to snatch the land from the communities then, they sued Alagoa and Chief Igbelu as the main defendants and they both won the

2015 guber: No zoning in Akwa Ibom –Akpabio senatorial districts all TONY ANICHEBE UYO

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L-R: Mujahid Asari Dokubo; Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson and a member of the Kalabari Ekine Sekiapu Society, during the Alagba Masquerade Festival of Kalabari Kingdom at the King Amachree Square in Buguma, Bayelsa State at the weekend.

N’Delta group seeks judicial panel to probe NDDC SOLA ADEBAYO WARRI

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he Niger Delta Peace and Development Movement, NDPDM, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the activities of the boards and managements of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, from inception to date.

The NDPDM also asked the President to mandate the panel to probe the various sharp practices inherent

in the operations of NDDC from inception to date.

The group, whose position was sequel to the recent submission of the report of the NDDC’s Presidential Monitoring Committee led

by Chief Isaac Jemide, which indicted boards and managements of the main development agency in the region from 2005 to 2011, advised that such step would help to sanitise the commission.

Besides, the group, in a statement made available to National Mirror in Warri, Delta State, yesterday by its President, Mr. Okon Effiong

and General Secretary, Mr. Oghenetega Okoro, urged Jonathan to dissolve the Jemide committee for “incompetence as well as the fact that it has outlived its usefulness”.

Consequently, the body said the committee’s “belated report” be jettisoned “as it does not serve the interest of the stakeholders in the Niger Delta region”.

In the statement entitled; “The report of NDDC Presidential Monitoring Committee: A ploy to cover up sharp practices in NDDC,” the NDPDM appealed to the

President to appoint a new presidential monitoring committee for NDDC from the public and civil service in conformity with Section 21 (1) of the NDDC Act 2000.

The group alleged that the Jemide committee deliberately turned itself to an investigating panel instead of a monitoring committee.

It also said the committee submitted a report for three out of nine states covered by the commission almost two years after the third governing board headed by Air Vice Marshall Larry Koinyan was dissolved.

Bayelsa, Rivers’ll partner on culture preservation –Dickson SAM OLUWALANA PORT HARCOURT

B

ayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has reiterated his administration’s determination to work with the Rivers State Government to promote culture, development and unity among the people.

Dickson, who said this at the weekend at Buguma, during the Alagba masquerade ceremony, promised that his government

would continue to work with Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State to provide adequate security and ensure development.

The governor vowed not to allow anything to cause disunity between Rivers and Bayelsa states, stressing that the two states would continue to work together to promote unity, development and cultural heritage of the Ijaw.

He said: “We shall continue to maintain the peaceful co-existence and devel-

opment among the people and the two states.

“For this to happen, then you must work and support your Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi.”

Dickson commended the Amanayabo of Kalabari, King Theophilous J. T. Princewill, the Amachree XI, the people of Kalabari and the Sakiabo Club for making him a member.

The governor disclosed that he was accepting the membership of Sakiabo Club to underscore the im-

portance of Nigeria’s culture.

He said: “Whatever we do, those of us who are in government have a duty to support and promote our culture and traditions, preserve and transfer them to succeeding generations.”

Dickson commended the Amanayabo and his chiefs for preserving their culture.

The governor later joined in the Alagba masquerade dance, which was last displayed 20 years ago.

two cases in 1913 and 1923 on behalf of the communities.’’

King Temple Mac Donald Jamala II, who also spoke on the matter, said his people were the original settlers on the land and that they were called the SAKA at the time.

He corroborated Iwowawiri’s claims that they invited the then administrator of the area, King Alagoa, to assist them.

overnor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has disclosed that the governorship seat in the state might not be zoned in the 2015 general elections.

Akpabio, who spoke at the weekend, said he was not a product of zoning.

The governor said this while responding to questions on his succession plan during to Citizens’ Forum/Town Hall Meeting at the Government House Banquet Hall as part of the events to mark the end of the Good Governance aTour of the state.

He said: “If you ask me, I will tell you that I am not a product of zoning. I am a product of the people.

“In 2007, 58 people from Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene

contested the primaries and after the people had spent five days on the street, they finally voted who they wanted and said let God’s will be done.

For 2015, zoning is in the hands of God.” Akpabio’s statement, according to an official of the state government, who craved anonymity, is a pointer that there will be no zoning of the governorship seat to Eket Senatorial District as being agitated by the zone.

“The governor today told the world that there will be no zoning of the governorship seat in Akwa Ibom State come 2015 so that anyone who believes that he has what it takes to govern the state, no matter where he or she may come from, will be free to contest the primaries,” the official said.

Schools’ renovation: A’Ibom asks FG for N35bn refund TONY ANICHEBE UYO

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kwa Ibom Government has called on the Federal Government for a refund of about N35 billion spent on the renovation and construction of dilapidated primary schools in the state.

Governor Godswill Akpabio, made the demand at the weekend when the Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije paid him a courtesy visit at Governor’s Office, Uyo. Akpabio, who decried the deplorable state of the schools, said the renovation was embarked upon to accommodate intakes of the free, compulsory education of the state government.

The governor, who reiterated his administration’s commitment to use educa-

tion to combat social vices, disclosed that “education is not erecting physical structures but in freeing the minds of people”.

Akpabio said his administration placed priority on education, noting that even before his assumption of office, he was angry with the way the people of the state were depicted as subservient in soap operas and home videos.

He said: “Education is a social responsibility... The free and compulsory education may not be for the elite but is given for an equal opportunity to all.

“It is for all Nigerian children resident in Akwa Ibom State because if you educate your children without educating your neighbour’s children, you are preparing criminals to attack your graduate children tomorrow.

12

North

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Pray for God’s intervention, Bayero tells Nigerians AUGUSTINE MADUWEST AND A ZA MSUE

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he Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has urged Nigerians to unite in prayers and fasting for God’s intervention in the country’s security problems, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency destabilising the North.

Bayero, who returned to the country about one week ago after 38 days in London for medical attention following an attack on his convoy by suspected

•‘North in danger without amnesty for Boko Haram’ Boko Haram members, which claimed seven lives, said Nigerians, irrespective of their background, should come together and pray for God’s intervention.

Speaking in his palace while receiving Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who visited him yesterday, the emir noted that prayers and fasting should be seen as a vital option in the campaign to end violence in the country.

He said: “Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic and

religious background, should unite to seek God’s intervention in this crisis, as well as rededicate themselves to the ways of God.” Bayero told Sambo that he saw his attack as an act of God, saying that was why Nigerians must continue to look up to Him for solutions to the country’s problems.

The emir also observed that violence was not peculiar to Nigeria.

He said “It is felt in other countries of the world,

therefore, it would end one day through God’s intervention.”

In his brief comment, the Vice-President said he was in the state to commiserate with the Emirate Council, the government and people of Kano State over the unfortunate incident.

He also disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan had taken some measures to restore peace and stability to all parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the Arewa

Youth Forum, AYF, said at the weekend that President Goodluck Jonathan’s no amnesty to Boko Haram had placed the region in danger.

The AYF then called on Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, Chairman, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, to immediately mobilise governors of the region to Maiduguri for possible dialogue with the sect leaders.

Speaking with our correspondent on telephone

Elite cause of northern problems –ACN chieftain

Three killed in gun attacks in Kano AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

PRISCILLA DENNIS

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MINNA

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chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, has accused the elite and governors of the northern states of deviating from the truth and the dream of the founding fathers of the region.

In an interview with our correspondent in Minna, Vatsa said while the leaders were busy acquiring wealth meant for the people and building dynasties for their families, the people were being impoverished thereby leading to serious economic slavery.

He said: “Sar’duna died and left no kobo, likewise Tafa Balewa. They left no estates or accumulated wealth, but what do we see today from the crop of leaders -governors and elite - they have forgotten what these people did for their region. They are only making money and making their people poorer.

They have refused to develop the North.”

Vasta also expressed surprise over the constant attacks on the poor by Boko Haram members, instead of facing the northern elite and politicians who impoverished the region.

He said: “I have not seen them attack ex-presidents, governors, or senators, but the common man alone that is also facing the same problems with them.

“And the question is, is it the poor that is causing the poverty or the problems of the North? I believe it is high time the Boko Haram sect started going after those who cause the problem and leave the poor alone.”

in Kaduna, the AYF National President, Alhaji Gambo Gunjugu, advised northern leaders and elite to solve insurgency facing the region as Jonathan declined amnesty to the sect.

The group also appealed to Boko Haram members to lay down arms for peace to rain, stressing that the northern economy had already being polarised.

It urged northern leaders to adopt fresh strategies that would end insurgency in the region, saying the majority of people being killed on a daily basis were youths.

L-R: Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Mr. Yahya Miya; Governor Isa Yuguda and Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, at the Leadership Award in Bauchi, at the weekend.

PHOTO: NAN

Yerima’s arrest: PDP is scared of opposition –ANPP OBIORA IFOH AND A ZA MSUE

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he All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, said the arrest of Senator Sani Yerima was an indication that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government was scared of the coalition of opposition parties.

Expressing its unflinching belief in the rule of law and democratic best practices, the ANPP also said that no amount of intimidation from the government could diminish the resolve of the opposition to consummate the merger of progressive elements.

This was as a group, Yarima Network, said it planned to sue the Kaduna State Police

Commissioner, Olufemi Adenaike, “for acting the script of Abuja top politicians” by arresting Yerima.

The ANPP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emma Eneukwu, said in a statement the arrest of the former governor of Zamfara State was unwarranted and a clear sign that the PDPled government might result to dictatorship to muzzle the opposition.

He said: “ANPP wishes to express its unflinching belief in the rule of law and democratic best practices. We are devoted to the coming together of progressives in the emerging All Progressives Congress, APC. No intimidation can rattle us.

“And as a party, we shall not waver in playing the part history

has reserved for us in the ranks of other likeminded progressives.

We believe that Nigeria has all it takes to stand tall in the comity of nations.”

Yerima was arrested in Kaduna State over alleged ‘‘inciting’’ comments on a live programme on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Kaduna.

However, ANPP said the flimsy excuses presented by the police for the arrest sadly showed a sign of things to come from the PDP as the party was “jumpy over the coalition of progressives in readiness for the 2015 elections”.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of Yarima Network, Abdullahi Tsafe, condemned the former governor’s

arrest.

Tsafe also endorsed the leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, for presidential race ahead of 2015 elections.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna, he said: “Senator Yarima has continuously given his unalloyed loyalty to General Muhammadu Buhari and has promised to render his unfettered support so long Buhari declares for the forthcoming presidential election and should that be the reason for his arrest by PDP agents.”

Tsafe also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register APC without delay, if the party met constitutional requirements.

hree people were killed in gun attacks in Kano yesterday, while others were injured.

The attacks took place in Hotoro and Dakata areas of the city, according to the spokesman of the military Joint Task Force, JTF, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the death of the three persons.

It was gathered that two of the victims were killed in Hotoro, where three others were hit by bullet, while one person was killed in Dakata area, leaving a number of others with bullet wounds.

The JTF spokesman said information regarding the attacks was sketchy.

Iweha added that operatives of the Task Force had been drafted to the areas, which had been cordoned by military men.

He said: “I can only confirm to you that there were attacks in Sharada, Hotoro and Dakata and three persons were killed as we are waiting for JTF personnel drafted to the scene for details. Right now, we don’t have details of the attacks.”

It was learnt that the attackers stormed the areas in tricycles and opened fire on the victims.

The attacks were carried out on the heels of the controversial massacre of 13 Christians two weeks ago for which the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, had begun investigation.

The residents of Dakata, who witnessed the attack, said there was stampede as people scampered for safety as gunshots rent the air.

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

13

Politics

Will Akeredolu, Oke’s evidences sweep Mimiko out of power?

14

2015: PDP begins reconciliation with governors Set to review South-West exco dissolution

AYODELE OJO AND HAKEEM GBADAMOSI

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he leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will this week begin a reconciliation process to heal the wounds among its members who are embittered with developments in the party.

The party has been polarised with those elected on its platform fighting each other over the control of its structure ahead of the 2015 elections.

Impeccable source told National Mirror that the six-man reconciliation committee is being headed by the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih.

The committee also has three BoT members, including former Senate President Ken Nnamani and two serving governors – Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and Gabriel Suswam (Benue).

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, is also a member of the committee.

It was learnt that the committee is to reconcile the aggrieved PDP governors with the Presidency and the party leadership.

National Mirror gathered that the governors said the committee would engage the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, this week. “We will find out what his problems are and

resolve the issues at hand,” the source said, adding that the committee would also visit Lagos and Oyo states to resolve the crises at the state chapters.

It wasreliably learnt that the Presidency was also reaching out to some of the governors seen as being opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan.

A source close to the Presidency told National Mirror at the weekend that President Jonathan might meet Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, when he returns from the United States this week.

“Reconciliation process is ongoing at various levels in the PDP. The BoT is leading the process which begins this week. The committee headed by Chief Tony Anenih will meet all members who have axe to grind with either the President, the party leadership or with the governors.

“I can tell you that the essence is to have a united party and continue with the winning streak in the 2015 elections. We are not ready for any opposition party to capitalise on the crisis in the PDP to sway our members,” a member of the PDP BoT told National Mirror yesterday.

The source also disclosed to National Mirror that President Jonathan had begun a high level discussion with the PDP governors “especially those who are seen as being op-

posed to his re-election bid.”

“President Jonathan will soon meet Governor Amaechi as soon as he returns from his trip to the US this week. The president needs every stakeholder in his transformation agenda and the re-election bid. Everybody is important,” the

source said.

Meanwhile, the crisis rocking the PDP in the South-West may soon be resolved as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is set to review the dissolution of the zonal executive of the party.

This was disclosed by the Ondo State chairman of the party, Hon. Olu Alabi, while speaking with journalists

MAKURDI

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chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Dr. Terkura Suswam has described those behind the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as political jobbers looking for relevance.

The party stalwart, who spoke with National Mir-

ror in Anyiin, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, said despite the boast by those behind the new party to unseat the ruling PDP in 2015, the party is not worried by the empty threat.

Suswam asserted that rather than focus on making APC a full fledged political party, the leaders of the opposition have found it worthy to engage in

committee under the chairmanship of the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, to review the action of the party.

Alabi, however, maintained that there were no factions in the Ondo PDP, but only a minor disagreement among members.

Alabi also expressed optimism that all the issues would soon be resolved.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (left) with Aminu Abubakar Gwando, National Coordinator, Turaki Network for Change (TNC) at a one-day orientation meeting of the TNC in Kaduna, yesterday.

ACN condemns Yerima’s arrest, says opposition is under siege SINA FADARE

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned the arrest of the former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, by the police for allegedly making an ‘inciting’ comment on FRCN, Kaduna.

The party said the arrest signalled an impending siege on the opposition by

the Federal Government.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that Yerima’s arrest by the police, for his comment on the radio that there will be a mass protest if INEC refuses to register the All Progressives Congress (APC) after it would have met all legal requirements, is nothing short of clamping down on opposition.

The party pointed out

Promoters of APC are political jobbers –Suswam HENRY IYORKASE

in Akure, the state capital, at the weekend.

Alabi said that the national leadership of the party was not properly briefed on the Segun Oni-led executive, saying that the issue of the South-West PDP was one of the major issues discussed at the recent meeting of the NWC. He said the NWC of the party had set up a five-man

character assassination as well as idle away on issues which ordinarily does not concern them.

He called on leaders of the opposition to desist henceforth and further pursue an agenda that is within the confines of their purview and stop casting aspersions on the leadership of the PDP and its followers.

He said: “For the sake

of clarity, there is no way a well meaning citizen will dismiss the leadership of PDP with the wave of hand.

For instance, the party beginning with the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has had enormous achievements, one of which is the Global System for Mobile Communication and also the improved power supply amongst several others.”

that Yerima did not say anything extraordinary by threatening a protest, because protests are an integral part of liberal democracy and cannot be wished away or banned by anyone.

The party stated: “If INEC refuses to register the All Progressives Congress (APC), when all the legal requirements have been met, the protest in Tahir Square in Egypt will be a child’s play compared to what we will do at the Eagle Square.

“We say this because we are aware that the PDP, which is afraid of the rise of the APC, is behind the phantom African People’s Congress which has applied to INEC for registration, in an effort to instigate an acronym crisis and give INEC a reason, if it needs any, not to register the All Progressives Congress.”

The party warned that “if indeed INEC has not merged with the PDP, as

one of our leaders, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has brilliantly said, then we do hope that the electoral body – which by the way is not unaware of the All Progressives Congress as the authentic APC and will not succumb to the evil machinations of the PDP.’’ The party said it expects more arrests, investigations by the pliable anti-corruption agencies and other acts aimed at intimidating its leaders in the weeks and month ahead.

“The recent redeployment of Police Commissioners in the states was done in readiness for the pre-2015 clampdown on the opposition. We know the arrest of Senator Yerima is just a tip of the iceberg, as the PDP-controlled Federal Government gets ready to bare its fangs. But we must warn that fascism can never prevail over liberal democracy,” Mohammed said.

14

Politics

Governor Olusegun Mimiko, his party, the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will tomorrow open their defence at the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal against the consolidated petitions filed by the Action Congress of Nigeria, Peoples Democratic Party and their candidates. Do they have answers to issues raised against the victory of Mimiko in the October 20, 2012 governorship election?

OJO OYEWAMIDE writes.

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Will Akeredolu, Oke’s evidences sweep Mimiko out of power?

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overnor Olusegun Mimiko will open his defence tomorrow at the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal against the consolidated petitions filed by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The two petitions are challenging the declaration of Mimiko as the winner of the October 20, 2012 governorship election in the state.

The governor, within the five days allotted to him, is expected to bring in witnesses and evidences to persuade the court that his victory was not tainted with irregularities. After Mimiko, the Labour Party (LP) will have its turn to convince the threeman panel that the avalanche of evidences tendered by the petitioners is not potent enough to sweep its candidate out of the Alagbaka Government House. Also, for another five days, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will bring in witnesses and evidences to prove that it conducted a credible election.

ACN and its candidate, Akeredolu, were the first to present their case at the Tribunal. For about seven days, the petitioners strived to persuade the court that the last election was characterized by fraud and that it should be nullified. They presented 41 witnesses including the party’s candidate and one of the experts employed to obtain and analyse data from INEC, just as they brought documents in 18 Ghanamust-go-bags to strengthen their case. But it was not an easy task for the ACN and Akeredolu’s counsels to convince the court to admit some of the documents, as they had to scale several legal huddles erected by the respondents’ lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

Before opening their case, the petitioners had applied to bring the report of the inspection of the electoral materials used in the conduct of the governorship election. But counsels to Mimiko, LP and INEC, Olanipekun, Yusuf Ali and Ozaze Uzzi, vehemently challenged the application, arguing that the statements of the witnesses who would testify on the report related to the paragraphs of the petitions earlier struck out by the tribunal. Other arguments deployed to kill the application were that none of the witnesses attended the inspection exercise; that it would amount to amendment of the petition; that the issue of voters’ register was a pre-election matter and that the application was brought late.

Chief Akin Olujimi, counsel to the ACN, while trying to convince the panel, said

Mimiko

the move by the respondents’ lawyers was aimed at frustrating the petition. Olujimi, who told the tribunal that one of the witnesses, Adesina Fatai, attended the inspection exercise on December 21, 2012, said it was erroneous for Ali to have argued that none of the people listed as witnesses attended the inspection exercise.

Akeredolu’s lawyer argued further that it would not constitute amendment of the petition since the party was giving evidence on the paragraphs which were not struck out, adding that even if the court struck out all the paragraphs of the petition, it had a duty to decide the case on merit, reminding the judges that the panel had taken a decision on that in its earlier ruling. Countering the argument that the application was brought late, Olujimi said after inspection, the experts had to analyse and prepare their report which they finished on February 19. He prayed that the tribunal should allow his clients use in evidence the report of the inspection.

The chairman of the panel, Justice Aondover Kaka’an, ruled that the report of the inspection of the election materials be admitted in evidence, giving the respondents seven days to file their objections to the application.

All the ACN witnesses told the tribunal that the conduct of the election was fraught with several malpractices. But most revealing was the testimony of the party’s expert witness, Sunday Afolayan.

The graphic expert told the court that he analysed in his report that there was a total number of 164, 072 names injected into the 2012 voters’ register used in the last election.

Afolayan added that the findings further revealed that injections into the 2012 voters’ register as used for the election occurred in 2, 021 polling units and that 4,158 names that were in the 2011 register disappeared from the 2012 register.

The report signed by a six-man team of experts was admitted in evidence by the tribunal and marked as exhibits. But the court rejected petitioners’ prayer that Afolayan be allowed to demonstrate by use of electronic gadgets how the 2012 voters’ reg-

Akeredolu

Oke

THE ELECTORAL UMPIRE MUST STRIVE TO PERSUADE THE COURT THAT OVER

100,

000 NAMES WERE NOT ILLEGALLY INJECTED INTO THE

2012

VOTERS’ REGISTER AND THAT ABOUT

150, 000 PEOPLE DID NOT VOTE WITHOUT ACCREDITATION ister was manipulated by INEC. Also, the attempt by Akeredolu to further demonstrate and explain the content of the expert report was met by serious opposition by the respondents.

ACN’s lawyer, Oluwole Aina, argued that the principles that the respondents stated were not being violated including the fact the document speaks for itself. But the tribunal ruled that “While the witness in our view is entitled to relate the documents to his case, he cannot explain the documents as they speak for themselves.

We will abide by our earlier ruling in this matter to allow the witness’ testimony if only to relate the documents to his case.”

Testifying, Akeredolu alleged that there were cases of ballot hijacking, ballot box stuffing, massive multiple thumb-printing of ballot papers by the LP agents on the election day and that the election was marred with irregularities, non-compliance with the electoral act, glaring violence, malpractices and allocation of votes to LP. Almost immediately after ACN and Akeredolu closed their case, Oke of the PDP opened his own. For eight days, 45 witnesses, including Oke, testified for the PDP candidate, all of who claimed the election was rigged in favour of Governor Mimiko. Oke also tendered through his counsel some of

the documents used by INEC in the conduct of the governorship election to prove that over 100, 000 names were illegally injected into the 2012 voters’ register, that 150, 000 people voted without accreditation and other sundry allegations.

The tribunal threw out the application of Oke for the production and tendering the original copy of the 2011 voters’ register, saying it lacked merit. Oke’s counsel, Dr. Kayode Olatoke, later applied that since the 2011 voters’ register had been tendered in ACN’s petition and marked as exhibit P101-P117, the court should admit it and marked same as exhibit P101-P117 in Oke’s petition because of the two consolidated petitions. Despite the vehement opposition by Eyitayo Jegede who appeared for Mimiko, the tribunal granted the application of Oke. The panel also rejected 12 volumes of documents containing expert analysis on the 2011 and 2012 voters’ registers brought by Oke. The tribunal disallowed Oke from tendering the documents through his lead counsel, Alhaji Lateef Fagbemi, on grounds that the documents were neither signed nor were they pleaded in the petition. The documents contain details of the injected names into the 2012 voters’ register.

However, Fagbemi said the rejection of the document by the tribunal did not affect substantially the merit or otherwise of his client’s case. Oke also said his intention was to assist the court in quickly getting to know how INEC allegedly injected names into the voters’ register from units to the local governments.

He added that since the court had rejected his assistance to it, the burden of proof is now on the electoral body, INEC. As Mimiko, LP and INEC are set to open their defence, the burden is now on them to prove that the election was free and fair.

The electoral umpire must strive to persuade the court that over 100, 000 names were not illegally injected into the 2012 voters’ register and that about 150, 000 people did not vote without accreditation. If not, observers say, the outcome of the election cannot stand.

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Monday, March 11, 2013

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Our ‘come and destroy’ politics GETTING DISCIPLINED HeartBeat

PEOPLE WHO ENGAGE

CALLISTUS

THOUGHT IS AS HARD

IN DISCIPLINED

OKE

AS A CAMEL PASSING

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY)

THROUGH THE EYE OF

Continued from last Monday

S

omebody called me after reading my last piece and wanted to know if quality leadership was a function of age? He was probably alluding to my reference to our first and second generation politicians as more purposeful and altruistic in their approach to governance. I let him know that most of the rascality and chicaneries on parade in Nigeria today are products of youthful exuberance.

Let truth be told: Many of our first and second generations politicians were well tested technocrats, professionals and administrators. Pa Michael Ajasin was emeritus school principal; Bisi Onabanjo and Lateef Jakande were veteran journalists, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa was an incorruptible leftwing politician and etc. I stand by my earlier submission that compared to the situation we have today, our first and second generations politicians were saintly figures!

The faulty political recruitment template we now have in place coupled with

T

here comes a time in the life of any nation desirous of change, progress and development that difficult choices and decisions have to be made. This definitely is the time for us in Nigeria. But that choice is not for the government or the political leadership alone to make. While the buck may stop at the desk of the leader, whatever choice he makes in the final analysis, is still subject to the citizens’ approval and support. For us in Nigeria, the challenge is not really of economic dimension, even though it seems most manifest in the dismal macroeconomic indices of productivity, employment, savings, investment and consumption. Our real challenge can be located within the structure of our polity which invariably determines that the color of our politics dictates the nature of our governance and affects the stability of our economy.

The issue is we have not outlived the politics of prebendalism as we still grapple with foundational elements of nation building crisis. The attendant rejection of the removal of fuel subsidy by many interest groups are pointers to the weakness of our national cohesion, when the dominant themes of discourses in the press and the airwaves have been national restructuring, marginalization, corruption and other negativities that compromise national growth and development. In this scenario, no matter how well intentioned government may be in any reform initiative, the initiative will still be a victim of circumstance.

The combination of the structure of our polity, colour of our politics and fibre of our

THE NEEDLE the extreme monetization of our politics has burdened this nation with drug barons, 419ners, agberos, cultists and near illiterates, people without values, vision and mission beyond pursuit of hedonistic, nihilistic and philistine proclivities, as our leaders.

A friend who recently came back from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia after a short trip, was full of lamentation. “We are too far behind. Do you know, I begin to think their approach to governance is cultural.

The right values are ingrained in them, and they get it right all the time. ”We do not have the right values, so the right attitude is missing; and for this reason we work, but no positive results. We have been working all these years for nothing.

My brother, it is painful”, he shared with me.

I stared hard at him, saw the droplet of tears from his eyes. Anger welled in me.

Against the politicians, against the system that imposes this people on us. Then I had a

flash back. I remembered the late Dafe Onojovwo, my oga on the Editorial Board of this promising newspaper. Buffeted by the tawdry style of political leadership and the rapidity of policy accidents and associated political bruises, he would rush to me and painfully say: “I am tired of this thankless job; I do want to continue writing editorials that would have no impact on policy makers. This people are running this country aground…”

I cannot concur less. In serious contemplation, I comforted myself with the axiom that you can only give what you have. Many of these so called political leaders are groping in the dark. I thank my Publisher, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim (OFR), for inculcating in us the reading culture, especially exposing us to current trends in management and leadership. One of his must-read books is Good To Great, by Jim Collins. A compelling thesis in the great book is that a culture of discipline is a sin qua non for corporate success. Listen to him: “Sustained great results depend upon building a culture full of self-disciplined people who take disciplined action…A culture of discipline is not just about action. It is about getting disciplined people...who engage in disciplined thought and...who then take disciplined action.”

As it is in business, so it is in politics.

Scholars have established a nexus between economic development and culture. In line with this thinking, there is a branch of economics now known as cultural economics,

which studies the relation of culture on economic outcomes.

How many of our leaders read, and so how many of them are aware of this global trend? We have a National Orientation Agency that does not think we should conscientise and sensitise Nigerians to the dangers of corruption and the rapacious prebendal politics that is destroying the country.

Believe it or not Nigerian genre of corruption is value driven and institutional supported. Getting disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought is as hard as a camel passing through the eye of the needle. Only few Nigerians have what it takes to resist corrupt influences. Even this few will not win the approval of the society because they will be treated as nonconformists; even the members of their families will curse them for throwing away opportunities to make it!

So, the mindless rape on the nation is though explainable, it is not acceptable.

Why must we accept, for example, the action of a former governor who built a fruit juice making company for N500 million, but sold it in the name of privatization to a friend for N50 million? The EFCC arrested this same ‘leader’ for stealing more than N4 billion, prosecuted him, but using the richly corrupt plea bargain, he was made to pay less than N4 million in fines to walk away a free man!

Concluded

The road to Canaanland governance has so far been dictating how various stakeholders within and outside government support, validate and implement reform projects and policies in the country. This combination qualifies the aggregation of the elites, the bureaucrats and technocrats, the labour movement, the mass media and other interest groups on policy issues we have to address as a nation.

This being so, our nation is usually constrained, whenever any reform project is to be embarked upon, in the process of decision making, the constituent of participants, the sincerity of advisers, the range and rationality of choices and alternatives and the quality and acceptability of decision. However, does this address the foundational elements that are only manifesting in the economic realm? In this context, we need to raise a dozen questions germane to achieving success in our reform projects.

•What development must INSPIRE our government? Our post-independence experiences at policy and reform projects suggest that we are almost always responding to crises as the structure and forms of governments that have dominated our history have largely being dictated by emergencies and political misadventures. Therefore, our policies and programmes, even if they were genuine, were not been enduring. Today, we are certainly in another economic emergency. The logic here is if emergency management has not yielded for us sustainability, we must return to long-term and long range planning.

We must draw inspiration from countries with similar national experiences and best

THE ISSUE IS WE HAVE NOT OUTLIVED THE POLITICS OF PREBENDALISM AS WE STILL GRAPPLE WITH FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF NATION BUILDING CRISIS practices in governance.

•What policy must we INITIATE? At any point in time and in every situation, our concern must be delivering policies and programmes that ensure the greatest good for the greatest number of people, with least compliance lethargy. This entails rigorous identification and analysis of issues and problems, real, extant or potential. Again, this demands foresight and sensitivity from the government.

•Who must we INVOLVE? Critical to the success of any reform project is the support and legitimacy of all stakeholders and interest groups, beneficiaries or victims. Without consultation, engagement and collaboration with those to be affected, programmes and reform initiatives are justifiably misconstrued, opposed and rejected or they suffer apathy and indifference even from the intended beneficiaries. Strategic communication, wide consultation and close collaboration are necessary to carry all along and at best limit obstacles to pushing through.

•What framework must we INSTITUTE?

Mirror of the moment ABDUL-WAREES SOLANKE korewarith@yahoo.com, 08090585723 (SMS only)

In consideration of reform initiatives, experts and officials are bothered by how well or how soon a programme will yield the desired result. Such result is measured by the efficiency, effectiveness, economy and the impact of the tools and strategies adopted in the implementation process to push through the reform project. Since most reforms are bitter, painful and unusual, they are necessarily prone to rejection.

Therefore, the framework that is best suited to preventing policy shock and glut is one that gives room for learning, coping and adjustment by those likely to be affected and those implementing the policies as realities on the field may alter projections in the plan. Denoted as incrementalism, such framework gives room for maneuvering and building on experience to correct mistakes.

There are still many harsh and painful policy decisions we will still have to make and endure at all levels of our national life if we must reach the land of our dream.

Solanke, korewarith@yahoo.com, is Head, Voice of Nigeria, Ikorodu, Lagos

16

Editorial

Monday, March 11, 2013

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All the Facts, All the Sides All the Facts, All the Sides

A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR PUBLISHER BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR PUBLISHER

STEVE AYORINDE STEVE AYORINDE YELE AKINROLABU YELE AKINROLABU SEYI FASUGBA SEYI FASUGBA BOLAJI TUNJI BOLAJI TUNJI GBEMI OLUJOBI GBEMI OLUJOBI LANRE OYETADE DOZIE OKEBALAMA DOZIE OKEBALAMA ADESOYE ADEKOYA ADESOYE ADEKOYA CALLISTUS OKE CALLISTUS OKE ISE-OLUWA IGE ISE-OLUWA IGE KAYODE BALOGUN JNR KAYODE BALOGUN JNR FRANK OBOH FRANK OBOH

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MD/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MD/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ED OPERATIONS ED OPERATIONS DAILY EDITOR DAILY EDITOR SUNDAY EDITOR SUNDAY EDITOR SATURDAY EDITOR SATURDAY EDITOR GENERAL EDITOR COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CONTROLLER, PRODUCTION CONTROLLER, PRODUCTION EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF SM, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT SM, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT HEAD, GRAPHICS HEAD, GRAPHICS

Danjuma on civil war in the North

ormer Minister of Defense, General Theophilus Danjuma, stated recently that the northern part of the country was on the throes of a civil war declared by the Boko Haram violent Islamist religious sect.

Speaking at the launch of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria N50 billion Phase II Development Project, Danjuma said the unsettling mood of the moment did not warrant brooding over “what others have done or failed to do”. He said: “…Human life is very cheap and impunity has become the norm. In the case of the North, the danger is very real indeed. There is no immunity for anyone. This war is highly contagious.”

General Ibrahim Babaginda, the country’s former military president, who chaired the occasion, also stressed the need for all citizens to strive for the enthronement of peace, progress and happiness by contributing to the proper education of the younger generation or in the alternative, invite anarchy that will consume all. “… the security, peace and progress we aspire for ourselves and our families are not attainable if the majority of the citizenry remain locked in the traps of

THE NORTH HAS TRULY BECOME A HOUSE AT WAR AGAINST ITSELF AND RISKS BEING RAZED ignorance and poverty”, Babangida stated.

And while addressing Chief Judges, Grand Khadis and Presidents of Customary Courts of Appeal of Northern States at their 39th joint conference in Minna, the Niger State capital early last week, the state governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, raised the alarm that “if we allow these security problems to continue, we will not be talking of the northern states in the next two years”.

He said the North risked what he called the “North Cameroon treatment, where it is treated like cancer. Northern Cameroon was almost ostracised, they lost grip of things and until today, they have not been able to stand up”.

Indeed, the North has turned a war zone since 2009 when the Boko Haram sect unleashed a full-scale campaign of violence on the nation. As at November last year, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieuten-

ant General Azubuike Ihejirika, gave the number of lives lost to the insurgence as 3,000, a figure that has since shot up geometrically with subsequent killings.

Besides, apart from the bomb factory suspected to be operated by the insurgents very close to the Nigerian Army 1 Mechanised Division Headquarters in Kaduna, discovered last week, two others were destroyed by a combined team of security forces (police, Army and Directorate of State Security Service, DSSS) in the Rigasa suburb of Kaduna between December last year and January this year; the police in Kano, in September last year, equally discovered a bombmaking factory in the HawanHotoro part of the Kano State capital; while between December 2011 and July 2012, four bomb factories were smashed in Okehi, Lokoja, Okene and Adavi, all in Kogi State. In Yola, the Adamawa state capital, the DSSS likewise uncovered a bomb-making factory in April 2012.

Therefore, like the aforementioned northern leaders had rightly stated, the North has truly become a house at war against itself and risks being razed economic, social and

political development wise.

It is also clear that the recent purported declaration of cease fire by the insurgents was a grand ruse, given the violence they have been perpetrating on daily basis. Yet, the large scale harm to lives, property, businesses and other means of livelihood in the North needs to be halted immediately and normalcy returned. Consequently, the Sultan of Sokoto’s recent call, alongside some northern governors, for amnesty for Boko Haram members as a way out of the dilemma, should not be completely jettisoned. Northern leaders genuinely desirous of bringing the violence to an end should strive to persuade the sect members to unmask themselves for possible negotiation between them and the Federal Government to commence.

Since, like President Goodluck Jonathan had stated, the FG would not grant amnesty to a “faceless group or ghosts who refused to show themselves physically like the Niger Delta militants”, the government might shift grounds if the insurgents physically come forward to bargain for and embrace peace in the interest of the well-being of the North and the entire nation.

ON THIS DAY March 11, 2010 Economist and businessman, Sebastián Piñera, was sworn in as the President of Chile, while three earthquakes, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.9 and all centered next to Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro Province, hit central Chile during the ceremony. The mishap was specially destructive in the epicentre town, Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It also damaged the villages of La Aguada and Cardonal de Panilonco.

March 11, 2009 Winnenden school shooting: About 16 people were killed and 11 othersinjuredbeforetheassailant,TimKretschmer,shotandkilled himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.

The incident occurred in the morning at a secondary school in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen.

Kretschmer had graduated from the school one year earlier.

March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid, Spain, killed 191 people. The Madrid train bombings were nearly simultaneous, coordinated bombings against the Cercanías commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, exactly three days before Spain’s general elections. The official investigation by the Spanish judiciary found that the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell.

A2 18

Business Courage

Cover

The

By Francis Ezem

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

big Destination

A

n intricate cold war is currently brewing among major stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime sector over the impending handover of the Destination Inspection (DI) scheme from the four service providers to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

Under the existing arrangement, the NCS is expected to take over the administration of the DI scheme when the extended period lapses in June, six months after the concession was originally meant to have ended.

However, as the date draws nearer, Business Courage gathered reliably last week that some of the stakeholders may have reached for their arsenal in a bid to sway public opinion in their direction. Industry sources hinted that while the NCS has continued to proclaim its readiness to take over the duty when the new extension expires on June 30, those believed not to be on the same page with the Service are also engaging in both overt and covert moves to stripe the Service the function.

The anti-Customs elements within the sector are insisting that returning the DI Scheme to the Customs would be tantamount to reversing the fortunes which the scheme has so far brought to the maritime industry.

The Federal Government had on December 31, 2012 announced a six-month extension of the seven-year contract, which was supposed to expire at the end of last year due to visible lapses on the part of the service.

The contract extension came through a letter dated December 31, 2012, addressed to the managing directors of the various service providers and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Danladi Kifasi.

The letter with reference number F10361/S.56/VA/491 reads in parts: “I wish to inform you that the President has approved the extension of the Agreement dated 1st January, 2006, between your company and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the provision, installation, operation and management of X-Ray Scanning Equipment and Software for Inspection of goods.

The Agreement which is to expire on 31st December, 2012, has been extended for a period of six (6) months with effect from 1st January, 2013”.

“Details of the new allocation

Less than three months to the June 30, 2013 expiration of the extended Destination Inspection scheme, there is an intricate power game between the Nigeria Customs Service and the service providers, with the support of key industry stakeholders, over who controls the soul of scheme. Can the Customs truly handle the scheme which hallmark remains efficient and speedy delivery of imported cargoes? of LOTS will be conveyed in a few days time. Meanwhile you are expected to operate within the current allocation”, it also reads.

Though the letter was silent on the reasons for government’s action, a source within the ministry had hinted that the government was concerned about the well-being of the nation’s economy, stressing that the extension was meant to enable the Nigeria Customs Service perfect its operations that would facilitate a hitch-free takeover of the scheme at the expiration of the contract. “The government has been inundated with complaints and reports over seeming inability of the service to take over the scheme and no responsible gov-

ernment would sweep such reports and complaints under the carpet because the consequences of ignoring such warning, which came early enough would be grave for the economy”, the source said.

In granting the extension, the source said that the government liaised with critical stakeholders to ensure that such extension would serve the best interest of the Nigerian nation and no other interest. “The decision was to save the country from any crisis arising from her trade policies”, he further stressed.

Investigations had however showed that part of reasons for the extension was the decision of the Service to practically aban-

don the transition programme of the scheme as specified in the contract agreement between the service providers and the Federal Government to forestall possible hitches.

Prior to January 2006, when the Federal Government introduced the DI scheme, Nigeria operated a Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) Scheme from 1977, under which it hired the

Business Courage A Publication of GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, OFR  PUBLISHER SEMIU SALAMI ADEJUWON OSUNNUYI TAYO ADELEKE

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Monday, March 11, 2013

A3 19

Cover

Inspection battle

Dikko

services of Pre-Shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs). Under this scheme, all imports into the country were inspected by these PIAs at the port of origin. This system was fraught with myriads of irregularities.

For instance, several times, it was discovered that the containers inspected by these PIAs before loading are not the same that arrive at the port of destination, which then normally necessitated another round of inspection by Customs in Nigeria.

Secondly, most of the time, the Clean Report of Inspection (CRI) issued by the PIAs confirming that the consignments had been inspected before shipping, do not arrive one week after the arrival of the consignment hence the importer or his agent usually found it difficult to commence the process of clearing. This was the primary cause of delays associated with the clearing of goods then.

Therefore, the DI scheme was to address these shortcomings of the PSI scheme. Under the DI scheme, government contracted five service providers.

For instance, Webb Fountain is to provide the software for the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA + +), which is the cargo inspection platform approved by the World Customs Organisation (WCO). Similarly, the remaining four service providers comprising Cotecna Des-

tination Inspection Limited, SGS and global Scan System, an indigenous firm, are to provide Computerised Risk Management System (CRMS) and scanning services. Thus, under a seven-year Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) contract, these four service operators are to install both mobile and fixed scanners at the various air, seaports and land borders in addition to training officers of the Service, who are to take over the contract after seven years.

Under the contract, Cotecna was allocated Lot 1, which covers Apapa Ports, Ashaye Terminal of Tin Can Island Ports, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, as well as Banki and Jibia borders.

SGS and Global Scan were allocated LOTs two and three respectively, which cover parts of TCIP, Seme and Idiroko Borders.

However, with the extended date due for expiration in three months time, reliable sources hinted at the weekend that the top echelon of the Customs Service are not leaving anything to chance in the bid to ensuring that the Service takes over the DI Scheme.

Sources disclosed that the Customs-boss, Abdullahi Dikko has sworn that he would do all humanly possible to ensure that the contract period was not extended for the second time. The

source hinted that Dikko, who the ttop coniis currently tl one off th tenders for the Katsina State governorship election for 2015, wants to achieve three things before leaving the service.

One of them, according to the source is the financial autonomy for Service, which was fought for by his predecessors but was partially approved under him through the presidential consent for seven per cent cost of collection under late President Umar Ya’Adua. Another is the passage of the Customs and Excise Amendment Bill, which also seeks full autonomy for the service, while the last one is supervising the sack of the inspection agents, thus making the Service the final authority in the inspection of imports into the country.

Only recently, in what many stakeholders described as part of its strategy to prove its preparedness for the task, the Service brought an international dimension to the scramble for the soul of the scheme with the visit of the World Bank team led by the bank’s E- Government specialist, Ramesh Siva. The team visited some commands of the service in Lagos where it insisted that the service is fully ready to take over come July 1, 2013.

Siva claimed that his assessment of the facilities of the service in all commands visited indicated that they are ready to take over the scheme. According to him, of the over 150 countries visited by the World Bank team, the Nigeria Customs has shown that it has high professional and dedicated officers to confront whatever challenges that may arise when it fully takes over the scheme in Nigeria. “We are here to assess Customs’ ability to take over the destination Inspection concessions. Although they seem prepared, we are to help them identify whatever gaps they need to fill and come up with in the transition plan,” Siva said.

On the home front, the Service has equally thrown everything at its disposal into the issue. Earlier last month, in what some described as another ‘arranged visit,’ also played host to members of House of Representatives Committee on Customs which poured accolades on the Service to convince the world that the NCS is indeed ready for the task.

The visit provided the opportunity for the Committee to haul attacks on the service providers with the Chairman of the committee, Sabo Nakudu condemning the service providers, insist-

ing that the Risk Assessment R db Reportt (RAR) iissued by th them are full of controversies and irregularities.

He also alleged that there are instances whereby the document is duplicated or unutilised and other instances where report does not correspond with the value of the consignment.

Nakuku also frowned at the services of connectivity to Web Fontaine, which powers the ASYCUDA, over deficiencies in its service delivery, saying that, government pays the firm $6 million monthly, without any commensurate investment and efficiency to show for it.

President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Olayiwola and his National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) counterpart, Eugene Nweke believe that the Service should be given a chance to try but some stakeholders who spoke under anonymity last week said that the position of the two leaders may not be unconnected with speculation that Dikko has threatened to blacklist any freight forwarder, who criticises the takeover bid.

However, beyond the jostling to grab the soul of the scheme, most stakeholders are still not confident that the Customs Service is sincerely prepared to take over the scheme.

Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC) Kunle Folarin, noted that seven years after, the challenges that necessitated the introduction of DI to replace PSI are still much around the system. “From all indications, there seems to be a disconnect somewhere between Customs and the service providers, as it appears they treat one another with suspicion, a development that requires that the government must look at the system again”, he noted.

Former national president of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Inua Mohammed observed that seven years after, the cargo clearing systems is still fraught with so many documentations, characterised by poor mode of payments, which impede the success of the DI scheme. “Elsewhere, goods leave the ports in six hours, but that has not been possible with the Nigerian system despite the series of reforms done on the Customs”, he observed.

He said that an officer being posted from Maiduguri for instance to Apapa has a mind frame and has given himself a target of how much he would make in the short period he

would wo work there, noting that it i ht spell doom to ask such ofmight ficer to man the scanner.

President of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Lucky Amiwero, also faulted moves by the Comptroller General to introduce Pre-Arrival Assessment Report to replace the RAR issued by the service providers, arguing that it would portend serious adverse consequences if government does trial by error with the nation’s import policy.

Managing Director of Cotecna, Tayo Rabiu had early last year raised the alarm that the installed scanning capacity was less than 25 percent utilised.

In what appeared like a confirmation of this fact, Managing Director of Global Scan, Fred Udechukwu in a separate interview few days to the extension, hinted that the scanning installed capacity was less than five per cent utilised.

The reason for this is not farfetched. It is because the Service prefers 100 per cent physical examination with the fraudulent practices inherent in it.

Former Customs Area Controller in charge Apapa Area 1, Adamu Garko admitted that the service does 100 per cent physical examination of over 80 per cent of imported cargo, blaming the situation on the failure of most importers to make honest declarations.

National president of Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Dr. Frank Ukor, said the service constitutes the biggest threat to the success of the scheme.

Ukor Observed that the Service believes in physical examination of cargoes and so subjects cargo, destined for the green channel under the selectivity for physical inspection.

He disclosed that before now, most corporate importers, most of whom are members of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, have their consignments go through the scanning channel because of their high level of compliance are now licking their wounds because after scanning, most of their consignments are subjected to another round of physical inspection under one disguise of the other.

“These days, it is not advisable for your goods to enter green channel because it is the beginning of your problem. The intention of DI scheme is that when a consignment enters the green channel, you take delivery immediately, but today, if it enters green, that is the beginning of your problem.”, he said. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Okoroafor

CBN will provide framework to drive corporate governance in banks

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will provide the framework for good corporate governance to strive in the financial sector.

Ugochukwu Okoroafor, the CBN Director, Corporate Communications Department, who disclosed this in Lagos on Friday, said the apex bank had adopted the required measures to prevent poor corporate governance among banks He said the over capitalisation of the banks was part of the regulatory step to ensure that sanity returned to financial sector.

The CBN director also said that the creation of the new banking model from the universal system would ensure that banks focused on their core investment.

Okoroafor added that some of the banks used their subsidiaries to siphoned money.

According to him, the introduction of zero tolerance in the financial sector will enhance good corporate governance and check imbalance.

He said the post consolidation era led the apex bank to remove some managing directors of banks due to ``misuse of power’’ in their respective banks.

He said the CBN was working on micro-financial guidelines as regards policies in the financial sector.

Nigeria sells N190bn in TB bills, yields mixed

N

igeria sold N190 billion in treasury bills with maturities ranging from three months to one year, about N40 billion more than it had initially offered at last week’s auction, central bank said on Friday.

Yields on the 91-day and 182-day notes were broadly unchanged while the returns on 364-day paper edged up

marginally compared with the previous auction on February 20.

The bank sold N32.97 billion in 91-day paper at 9.2 per cent, same as at the previous auction on February 20, N40 billion in the 182-day bill at 9.44 per cent, compared with 9.45 per cent at the previous auction.

A total of N117.12 billion of the 364-day bond was sold at 9.98 per cent, higher than the 9.45 per cent at the previous auction on February 20.

Nigeria had originally planned to sell N50 billion in 182-day notes and N67.12 billion in 364-day paper at the auction.

Total demand stood at N266.11 billion compared with N529.91 billion sold at the previous auction, with demand for the one year paper the heaviest.

Offshore investors’ interest in local debt has surged since its inclusion by JP Morgan in its emerging market government bond index last October. Barclays will add Nigerian debt to its index from this month.

Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture

Feed miller wants FG to subsidise feeds inputs

T

he Chief Executive Officer, Jos City Centre Agro-Mill Limited, a feed mill processing company, Goodman Iluno has urged the Federal Government to subsidise feeds input to boost poultry business.

Iluno, who disclosed this in Jos last Friday, explained that the rising prices of feeds inputs, such as wheat offal, palm cannel cake, groundnut cake, soya beans cake and other feeds additives had made subsidy imperative. ``This will help in checking the accompanied rise in the prices of feeds and poultry in the country,’’ he said.

Iluno explained that the rising cost of feeds had reduced the profit margin of farmers and forced many to close down.

According to him, this alarming situation can only be tackled if the Federal

Government institutes that subsidy that will reduce the cost of production and make poultry business profitable. ``A 50 kg of wheat offal, for instance, has gone up from N600 to N2,500, while palm kernel cake has risen from N400 to N1,500 per ton.

Groundnut cake has also risen from N38,000 to N70,000 while soya beans cake has also gone up from N47,000 to N130,000 per ton. The feeds additives for feeds making has also jumped in price but no one seems to take note. If we appreciate the protein value and the nourishment derived from poultry products, then the Federal Government must support poultry farmers with subsidy in at least one or two of its feeds inputs,’’ he said.

Iluno argued that other sectors of the economy enjoyed one form of subsidy or the other from the Federal Government and decried a situation where poultry farmers were left at the mercy of market forces. ``The Federal Government has subsidised fertiliser prices for the crop farmers, subsidised fuel prices for car owners and subsidised education. A lot of things have been subsidised, but such gesture is yet to be extended to the poultry industry, yet the industry is expected to provide the nation’s protein needs.

We need a relief or subsidy, however, little. Without that the threat to the poultry industry will worsen,’’ he said.

He observed that the values derived in selling eggs do not cover the cost of feeds and other inputs and blamed that situation for the closure of many firms.

Iluno expressed regrets that poultry farmers could not control the price of their products because they needed the money to buy feed. ``Famers cannot allow their chickens to starve to death, so they accept lower prices for their eggs to enable then to buy feeds to remain in business. For envisage high productivity, farmers build up bills on feeds to effectively feed their birds from brooding to the laying age. The figures are usually high. But with subsidy, a stable price and good profit margin, I am sure that all the accrued cost will be wiped out in time,’’ he said.

N55.65bn gas plant ready for inauguration – Akpabio

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he Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio has said that a gas processing plant worth $350 million

important exercise to show the world that good things are happening in Nigeria.

Stakeholders advise FG to stop smuggling of textile materials

S

Akpabio

(about N55.65bn) built in the state through public-private partnership (PPP) is ready for inauguration.

Akpabio who stated this in Uyo when the Good Governance Tour team paid him a courtesy visit, said the gas plant, located in Esit Eket local government area, would supply gas to power the State Independent Power Plant and the Aluminium Smelter Company in Ikot Abasi. ``Next month, depending on when the President will have time, we are inaugurating the first public-private partnership gas plant in Nigeria,” Akpabio said.

The governor said that democracy was working in Akwa Ibom, saying a lot of development had taken place in the state between 2007 and 2013. ``We finished this governor’s office in eight months; this is an automated office and e-governance compliant; we have the best video conferencing facility,” Akpabio said.

Akpabio said his administration had completed 300 urban roads and built 28 bridges in the last six years, adding that the administration had intervened in over 200 kilometres of federal roads in the state. ``I have built brand new police secondary school and brand new mobile police base and handed over to the Nigeria Police. I have built brand new prisons at Ikot Ekpene and handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs; I have given electricity to 1,700 villages.

Our free and compulsory education is unique because we pay subvention to the principals and headmasters.

We are providing a future for our children; we have built in the last six years 2,000 classroom blocks,” Akpabio said.

According to Akpabio, the good governance tour is an

takeholders in the textile industry have advised the Federal Government to stop smuggling of textile materials into the country to achieve its aim of reviving the comatose textile industry.

Dr John Isemede, the Director-General, Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), said that smuggling of banned textile materials must be curtailed.

Isemede urged security operatives at the sea and airports to ensure that smuggled items did not find their ways into the country.

“Smuggling must be checked if the aspiration to increase the textile and apparel industry’s contribution to the GDP from its current 12 to 25 per cent must be achieved,” he said.

Stany Mutu, the Sales Executive, United Textiles Ltd., Lagos, said that banned textile materials from Asia had ruined the prospects of the locally produced textile products.

He urged the Federal Government to do all within its power to protect the Nigerian textile industry.

“What we need in the textile sector is protection from the government. Most of the banned products have littered the market through smuggling.

No matter the revival or funds that the government is planning for the textile industry, smuggling remains the major issue that needs to be addressed. No Nigerian can try what most of these foreigners are doing in Nigeria in other countries because they are well protected by their government,” Mutu said.

Segun Kuti-George, the Chairman of Lagos Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industrialists, also condemned the volume of inferior goods being smuggled into the country.

Kuti-George said that products of local manufacturers could not compete favourably with the banned textile materials which still found their ways into the country.

Prof. Vremudia Diejomaoh, a former President of Nigerian Economic Society (NES), urged the Federal Government to be firm in checking smuggling of these banned textile items.

Diejomaoh said that smuggling would continue to frustrate efforts of government at expanding and providing

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Isemede

more job opportunities in the textile sector.

It would be recalled that Dr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Trade and Investment, said that about 776, 000 jobs had been lost due to the poor state of the sector.

Aganga, at a forum in Abuja, said that the Federal Government, through the disbursement of N100 billion intervention funds, had immediately saved 8,070 out of the lost jobs.

He said that the figure would increase drastically when the funds would have been fully disbursed by December.

Yero

Electricity company woos Kaduna State govt

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he Managing Director of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Idris Mohammed, has urged the Kaduna State government to invest in the company.

Idris, who made the appeal while on a courtesy visit to Governor Mukhtar Yero ,said the company has huge potentials as a revenue earner to the government and in pushing forward its economic development agenda.

The managing director assured the governor that the electricity company would assist in the revival of dormant industries in the state. ``Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company is in

the market, and it is a great opportunity for Kaduna state to make sure that they participate in this enterprise.

And in terms of performance, it is an investors delight,” he said.

According to him, the state has over 23 water bodies that could be tapped to generate electricity, adding that the company, had in the last one year, installed over 100 transformers into the network and built three injection sub-stations at Angwan Muazu, Kagoro and Goni Gora to enhance electricity distributions in the state.

Mohammed added that a 60MVA transformer was also installed in Kaduna and a 30MVA transformer in Zaria to reinforce the electricity transmission network.

The managing director disclosed that 1,000 prepaid meters were distributed to electricity consumers in Sokoto State; while effort was on to distribute the metres in Zamfara and Kebbi States. “The prepaid meters are designed to solve many problems faced by the customers. For instance wrong connection due to non payment is eliminated through its use. It also guarantees more accurate billings of the customers and ensure the wise use of electricity,” he said.

Responding, Yero assured the company that the state government would look into the prospect of investing in the company, stressing the need for efficient power supply in the country to fast track the revival of ailing industries, establishment of small and medium scale industries and the general improvement of the economic well being of citizens.

He commended the introduction of pre-paid meters into the system, saying it would enable the company and customers to enjoy electricity services.

The governor said the administration would consider establishing smaller hydro plants to provide electricity to smaller communities in the state.

NDLEA impounds truck loaded with 72.3 kg of cannabis in Jos

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he Plateau Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said it had impounded a truck loaded with about 72.3 Kg of cannabis.

Dr. Ngozi Madubuike, the NDLEA commandant, told newsmen that the truck was loaded with about 400 bags of Dangote sugar from

Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA, chairman

Lagos to Jos, but took in the weeds (Indian hemp) at Owo, in Ogun State. ``We kept monitoring the movement of the truck right from the point it loaded the illicit weeds at Owo on Wednesday, until it arrived Jos last Friday. We received the information that the truck will be coming in and my men kept monitoring its movement. Along the way, we lost its where about, and that was when it loaded the cannabis. This is what most of these truck drivers usually do; they will go to a company and load goods, but along the way, they will add up some of these prohibited drugs which they consider an additional income. What some of these truck drivers are ignorant of, is the fact there is a law prohibiting the use of vehicles in transporting prohibited drugs, so the driver and his conductor are considered accomplices,’’ Madubuike said.

The commandant alleged that the truck had initially loaded 60 bags of of the weeds at Owo, and on its arrival in Plateau, off loaded 54 bags at Bukuru. ``The remaining six bags were to be off loaded at the terminus market when luck ran out of them.’’

Madubuike said that her officers were as yet to ascertain the whereabouts of the 54 bags of weeds off loaded at Bukuru, but added that the owner of the remaining six bags, one Mr Augustine Ibua, from Delta State, a resident of Shendam town in Plateau, has also been arrested.

On whether the owner of the 400 bags of sugar would be handed over his goods, the commandant said it would depend on the conclusions after investigation. ``If he is exonerated and found not liable at all, we will have no issues with him, but for now, no one can say he is ignorant of the crime.

She explained that the minimum penalty for convicted culprits would be life

imprisonment, and promised that the suspects would soon be charged to court immediately.

Reforms should be institutionalised to ensure continuity – Minister

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r Shamsudeen Usman, the Minister of National Planning Commission (NPC) has said that there was the need to institutionalise reforms to ensure continuity.

Usman said this at a twoday retreat organised for Permanent Secretaries by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Delivering a lecture, entitled ``Review of Public Service Reforms Efforts in Nigeria - the Way Forward’’, Usman said that the civil service would not survive if reforms were not continuously carried out. ``Public service reforms needs resuscitation and new character in terms of strong political leadership and ownership by ministers and public servants.’’

According to Usman, there is the need for the service to reinforce existing incentives for hard work as well as sanction for non performance. ``Lack of incentive structure is missing completely in the public service because high performance is not rewarded and bad performance is not penalised,” he said.

Usman listed some of the key issues and challenges in the reform process as absence of enabling policy and legal framework for many of the reform initiatives and strong institutional structure.

Others included the absence of ownership and leadership by public/civil servants, inadequate funding of reform process and lack of sustained partnership with stakeholders.

He also cited lack of capacity to implement reform initiatives in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and ineffective approach to work by public servants in most MDAs, among others.

The minister, however, recommended that performance management system should be used as a basis for promotion of officers in the public service.

He said that this should be done by identifying the top 25 per cent and bottom 10 per cent of performance in the senior public service and by ensuring that workers who performed poorly were not promoted.

Earlier, Isa Sali, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), said that the retreat became necessary due to the need for the service to constantly re-appraise itself.

Sali said that the retreat would also afford the service the opportunity to sharpen its skills through the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practice for the development of the country. ``Our natural endowments (human and capital) are so enormous to warrant our being among the modern nations of the world. That we are not there has been a cause of concern for all governments, especially this administration which has clearly shown its desire to get there without any further delay. For that to happen, the civil service, the institution charged with the responsibility of implementing government policies must be capable of shouldering those responsibilities,’’ he said.

This, Sali said, was by ensuring that the leadership was properly and constantly equipped to drive the machinery that translated policies into tangible outcomes for its citizens.

The head of service said that a lot was being expected from the permanent secretaries, hence the periodic `come together’ to share experiences and learn from each other.

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News Expert wants FG to assist local fabricators

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n Industrial Engineer, Olusola Kayode, has urged the Federal Government to assist in the training of local fabricators to enable them acquire engineering design skills, to boost their manufacturing capability.

Kayode, who made the call in Abuja, said that most of the local fabricators find it difficult to reproduce their fabricated equipment due to deficiency in engineering skills.

He said that adequate skills in engineering design would assist them to reproduce their manufactured equipment and also improve on them. ``These Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) that have taken these bold steps can be assisted to acquire skills in engineering design and they can produce drawing, so that they can reproduce what they have made. Most of the equipment are prototypes, but if you ask the same fabricator to reproduce it, he cannot because he doesn’t have the design. That is where government interventions to train them in engineering design come in, so that when you have drawing you can give it to people and you can now reproduce it in large numbers.,’’ he said.

Kayode believes that this should be an area where government intervention through TETFUND and other agencies that have fund, stressing that ``Once we can imbibe those skills in our local fabricators, they will get somewhere.’’

He also called for collaboration between the government and private sector, to support capacity building of local fabricators. ``To assist with more research and fund, government through TETFUND can partner universities and private sector, to bring some of these indigenously developed technologies to incubators centres where they can be further developed.’’

He, however, called for the patronage of local technologies, saying that though some of them were yet to be perfected; patronage would assist in perfecting them. ``When you look at some of the locally manufactured equipment, they still look crude, even though they look crude, they can be worked upon and I am an advocate of patronage for what is indigenous. After all, even China or India, when they started, their indigenous technologies, they made them adaptable. Adaptability is the answer. Even when you are even borrowing technology from overseas, if

it is not adaptable for local use, you are only buying a problem, because you will not be able to actualise and sustain it. So, the merit in indigenous technology is that it is localised and can be domesticated and this is where government comes in to assist with more research and fund,” he said.

Telecoms expert blames inadequate power supply for poor usage of computer

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he Chief Executive Officer, Teledom Group, Emmanuel Ekuwem, has advised the Federal Government to use solar and wind energy to drive computer usage by students in schools across the country.

Ekuwem told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that power shortage was the major challenge to computer usage in primary and secondary schools across Nigeria. ``We are in a tropical part of the globe, Nigeria can go for alternative power supply such as solar and wind energy to teach the students,’’ he said.

Ekuwem noted that inability to provide computers for practical teaching of students in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in rural areas was discouraging. ``Teaching students about computers without them seeing or having access to them is really a waste of time. A student that has never seen a computer cannot be compared with another student that has seen one. Students that have had access to computers are the ones that can do well with them,’’ he said.

Ekuwem noted that the challenge was not only facing schools in the rural areas, but also some in the urban areas. ``There are some private and public schools in the heart of Lagos that cannot afford to efficiently teach their students with computers.

The management cannot afford to buy generators to

power the computers for learning. Most private schools are profit-orientated; even though they want to impart knowledge, high running cost hinders them from offering some necessary facilities like computers for students,’’ he said.

Ekuwem observed that some, who had generators, found it difficult to cope with the high cost of fuelling, in view of the prevailing challenges in electricity supply.

He, however, said that in spite of the challenges, there was no alternative to the teaching and learning of ICT in schools across the country, in line with modern trends.

FG urged to build homes for workers through co-operative schemes

A

former Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners Makinde Ogunleye, has advised the Federal Government to build houses for low income earners using co-operative schemes.

Ogunleye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that the poorly designed mortgage system in the country had made it impossible for low income earners to access loans.

He said that low income earners could build decent and affordable houses for themselves if the schemes were supported by the government.

Ogunleye stressed that individuals or families could construct their homes through the co-operative platform. “This means that members will purchase building materials in bulk and build the homes in phases.

With this method, the burden of cost will be very minimal on the members,” he said.

Ogunleye said that government should encourage the scheme in work places to solve the problem of housing deficit.

He suggested that a worker must be on grade level 12 and above to benefit from the scheme.

IPMAN calls for effective rail network to aid fuel distribution

T

Ekuwem

he Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has urged the Federal Government to develop effective rail system for better distribution of petroleum products.

Kabir Yari, President , NITP

Mike Osatuyi, the National Secretary General of IPMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that effective rail network would also safeguard products.

According to Osatuyi, rail system is one of the best means of transporting bulk products and it is cost effective. ``Besides, its rate of accidents is lower than that of the road system,’’ he said.

Osatuyi said that highspeed train had the potential to solve the country’s transportation problem through private sector partnership.

He said that a robust rail system was capable of generating millions of jobs for the unemployed.

NGO advises govt to overhaul power sector, civil service to boost entrepreneurship

T

he Director of Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa, a non-governmental organisation, Joseph Yaba, has advised the Federal Government to overhaul the power sector and the civil service, to boost entrepreneurship.

Yaba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that the lack of stable electricity supply discouraged the youth from engaging in entrepreneurial ventures.

According to him, lack of electricity contributes to the increasing incidence of young people graduating from higher institutions and waiting for white collar jobs.

He observed that government established the YouWiN programme to create jobs, but said more needed to be done.

Yaba, then, advised government to make the power sector more functional and ensure people were retired and promoted as at when due from the civil service, to address unemployment.

“Young people have great skills but lack the avenue to make sure that skill is projected. Entrepreneurship is everything: there is need for government to encourage young people to go into entrepreneurship, because it has what it takes to reduce poverty and create more jobs.

Quite a lot of people want to start their own businesses, but when you think about the power sector there is no light.

Government should make sure that all the necessary tools that young people need to launch out, to start their own businesses, are put in place,” he said.

Yaba said that the YouWiN is a wonderful idea, but stressed that “when you look at it a critically it does not have what it takes to employ quite a lot of young people.”

To be able solve unemployment in Nigeria, Yaba said that the government needs to make sure that palliative measures are put in place, to make sure that young people get jobs. “Those who are due for retirement should be retired; those who are due for promotion should be promoted and thereby creating more chances for young people to be employed,” he said.

He, however, advised young people to be focused and engage in meaningful ventures to become self reliant, rather than wait for white collar jobs.

“Despite the fact that we complain there is no power; we can still do quite a lot of things, we can still go into entrepreneurship. We can still create our own jobs and employ other people. The dividends of entrepreneurship are very great, because you will become your own boss and at the same time you are reducing the level of unemployment in Nigeria,” he said.

FG inaugurates committee to verify properties abroad

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he Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru, has inaugurated an interministerial committee on the verification of Federal Government properties abroad.

Ashiru said that the committee was set up in line with the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan, who also directed that the membership be drawn from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Finance, Transport; and Aviation. ``Others are the National Intelligence Agency; Bureau of Public Procurement, and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation.”

Ashiru said that each of

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Ashiru

the MDAs was represented by three officers not below the rank of Assistant Director, adding that the Office of the Special Adviser to the President was represented by two officials of commensurate ranks.

Ashiru said that the terms of reference of the committee was to ascertain the number of government properties abroad; determine the ownership

by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of each of the properties abroad, including the costs of the properties at acquisition or at the point of purchase by the government.

Others included the evaluation of the condition of the properties as well as the volume of renovation required if any; to recommend disposal, upgrade or use of disused or vacant properties.

Others were to recommend how proceeds from the sold properties should be ploughed back to further develop or acquire properties in Missions abroad on the basis of need.

Ashiru also said that the committee would assess recently renovated properties, with a view to ascertaining that funds remitted have been judiciously applied.

It would also recommend an efficient asset and facility management system under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister charged the committee to come up with a programme which would be funded by the MDAs involved, adding that members of committee were not to embark on ``unnecessary journeys abroad”.

Manitoba takes over TCN

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he Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Olusola Akinniranye, has said that Manitoba Hydro International Ltd of Canada has ``fully taken over’’ the

company.

Akinniranye made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)on Friday in Abuja, saying: `` as of today, the company is running the TCN. It would be recalled that the Federal Government and Manitoba Company concluded the arrangement of taking over in July, 30 2012, but this was delayed due to trade dispute between the labour union of TCN and the Federal Government.

Under the deal, the company will invest about $23.7 million (N3.7 billion) and will control all key positions in the TCN for three years.

Akinniranye told NAN that the TCN would within six to seven months, commission another third power line between Benin and Onitsha, to ensure stability in power supply.

He said that the National

Akinniranye

Integrated Power Project (NIPP) has completed arrangements to “fast track” the completion of seven power stations this year, to ensure steady power supply.

Akinniranye explained that the recent power outage being experienced in Abuja and its environs was caused by a major maintenance going on at the Shiroro Dam. He gave the assurance that as soon as the maintenance work was finished, people would have stable electricity.

According to him, the TCN’s daily power generation is between 4,200 megawatts and 4,300 megawatts..

Women urged to diversify investments in capital market

By Tola Akinmutimi (Abuja)

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he Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh, has called on investing women in the country to diversify the portfolio of their investments in the capital market in order to mitigate

Oteh

their losses in the event of shocks in the market.

Giving the advice in her remarks at ‘Nigeria International Women’s Day Seminar’ organised by her Commission Friday in Abuja, Oteh said it is better for women to embrace collective investment schemes as if they save through such avenues, they would not be putting all their eggs in one basket and it also allows them to diversify their risks.

She said women should ensure that they understand the terms and investments of any proposals they are introduced to before they stake their monies on them.

“You need to be sure of any investment proposals first before you make your decisions. If you don’t understand something, please do not do it. Make sure you understand and accept the terms of an investment before you do not. Even if it is a bank official that comes to you, ensure you understand all the details before you go into it” she said.

Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, said the importance, duties and economic responsibilities of women in any society, particularly in Nigeria, cannot be over-emphasised hence the need to accord due honour to Nigerian women during the International Women’s Day for their invaluable contributions to national development.

Represented by the Director Policy Planning, Management and Research in the Ministry of Education, Ifeoma Agunwah, Rufai commended the SEC management for organising the forum, adding that the new millennium has witnessed attitudinal changes towards women stereotypes. “There are now women in boardrooms, executive, legislative and judiciary arms of government and these areas were sole prerogatives of men. In the spirit of these achievements, here is still room for

improvements especially in business and politics. But as we mark women’s day today, I want to urge that more attention be given to women health issues among others.

There should also be stringent punishment to those who perpetrate violence against women” she said.

In her lecture, the guest speaker at the forum with the theme ‘Enabling Women’s Financial Inclusion’, Nimi Akinkugbe, expressed the need to assist women manage their life as when this is done, it will serve as a pure catalyst for economic development.

Akinkugbe, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Bestman Games, urged the women to invest wisely in ventures that will yield good returns even if it drags into years as many short term investments have been found to be too risky.

“Women should not just do business, make profit and keep the money at home; they should look for good investment opportunities that would yield returns in the long run. More importantly, they should look after themselves very well as it is only when you are healthy that you will be able to make money” she added.

Akinkugbe harped on the need for women to embrace planning in financial and investment matters in their young ages since whatever they were able to do with opportunities then would invariably determine the quality of life they will live in their old ages.

She specifically counselled the children to develop saving culture and ensure that they don’t consume all they have from their parents but that they should “save from whatever is given you by your parents so as you grow old you can build on your savings and depend less on others in the future”

Enterprise Bank introduces Mastercard Prepaid

A statement from the bank said that the unique benefits of the card, which is open to both customers and non-customers of the bank alike is that the individual would have no need to open or have a bank account in order to have the prepaid card.

The card, which can be pre-funded in Naira or USD denominations, is ideal for students, corporate accounts (expense cards, estacode, and corporate travel) and travel cards among others.

The card, the bank added, also eliminates the burden of carrying large sums of money around just as it allows its holders to spend more than their approved daily spend limits since both the Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) and Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) are loadable on the prepaid card.

With the product, the statement further affirmed that holders of the Mastercard prepaid do not need to carry huge amounts in foreign currencies for foreign trips because money loaded in the card is already available, secure, safe and can be used anywhere in the world.

The bank said that the process of acquiring the card is simple. Customers can collect e-Business Application forms from any branch of Enterprise Bank nationwide and submit completed ones with required documents.

Once this is perfected, the individual will collect the card on the spot and in addition, receive a welcome letter and a user manual, which guides effective usage of the card.

With this development, the bank stressed that it continues to play a key role in advancing the implementation of the cash-lite policy as part of the effort to be the bank of choice to all Nigerians.

The bank has also strengthened its ATM and POS network as well as its Internet and Mobile banking services, which completely ensures convenient banking for its numerous customers and patrons. BC

E

nterprise Bank customers now enjoy additional convenience with the introduction of the dual purpose Enterprise Bank MasterCard Prepaid Card that is used locally and internationally.

The new addition is a multi-purpose chip and pin debit card that can be prefunded with cash. The card can then be used to effect cashless payments (like a bank debit card) on the internet, Point of Sale (POS) terminals and cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

Ahmed Kuru, MD, Enterprise Bank Limited

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Global News if the factories had worked the usual number of days.

Japan growth figures revised upwards

J

Kowalczyk

China export growth beats forecasts

C

hinese exports rose more than expected in February, adding to optimism over a recovery in its economy.

Shipments jumped 21.8 per cent from a year earlier, boosted by strong demand from the US and South East Asia. Most analysts had expected a 15 per cent rise.

Exports, which are a key driver of China’s growth, have been hurt recently by a slowdown in its key markets.

Analysts said the data may be skewed due to the Lunar New Year, but added that the trend was that of a recovery.

“Exports in January and February were both quite strong. This shows a recovering trend,” said Sun Chi, an economist at Daiwa in Hong Kong.

However, there was a big fall in imports, which declined 15.2 per cent from a year earlier.

Analysts said that the Lunar New Year celebrations, during which factories and businesses in China are shut for days, played a key role in that decline.

Last year, the Lunar New Year was celebrated in January, while this year it was observed in February.

This meant that factories operated for fewer days in February this year than in 2012.

“Since the factories worked for a [lower] number of days, they imported far less raw materials than they would normally have done,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk, senior economist with Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.

“That is why you have to combine the data for January and February to see the real picture.”

Kowalczyk said that the combined data for the two months indicated a jump of 5.1 per cent in imports from a year earlier.

He added that the the jump in exports for February might also have been much stronger

apan’s economy stopped contracting in the final quarter of 2012, figures have shown, raising hopes of a recovery.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual pace of 0.2 per cent in the quarter, the government said, up from its previous estimate of a 0.4 per cent contraction.

Compared with the previous quarter, GDP showed no growth, an improvement on the initial estimate of a 0.1 per cent contraction.

Higher than expected corporate spending and household consumption are thought to have contributed to growth.

Prior to the fourth quarter, Japan’s economy had contracted for two consecutive quarters from April to September, hindered by a strong yen, shrinking exports in Europe and economic damage from a diplomatic row with China.

Separately, the Finance Ministry said Japan recorded a current account deficit in January - which is the broadest measure of trade with the rest of the world - of 364.8 billion yen ($3.8bn; £2.5bn), its third straight month of deficit.

Analysts said the latest GDP figures suggested that the worst was over for the Japanese economy.

Hideki Matsumura, economist at Japan Research Institute, said the figures “confirmed that the Japanese economy has hit bottom and started picking up”.

Mizuho Research Institute’s Yasuo Yamamoto said: “The bottom of the latest recession was probably in November.

“Looking at the latest trade data, I would say recovery in exports will still be slow in the January-March quarter, so GDP growth in the same quarter would be also modest.

“The question is when the effects from public spending

Abe

in the government’s stimulus package will appear, and I think it will be probably in the April-June quarter.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was elected in late December, has pledged to turn around the economy by boosting prices to defeat deflation and a massive spending spree that he says will add 600,000 jobs.

He recently nominated Haruhiko Kuroda, who is president of the Asian Development Bank, to become Japan’s next central bank governor.

A strong supporter of Abe’s economic strategy, Kuroda said he would aim to achieve quickly the two per cent inflation target set by the central bank and government in January.

ECB should cut rates, allow higher inflation – Lagarde

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he euro zone may need higher inflation in countries like Germany and lower interest rates across the bloc to ensure a sustained economic recovery brings palpable benefits, the head of the IMF said on Friday.

Speaking during a visit to bailed-out Ireland, Christine Lagarde said while Europe had come a long way since last summer and financial anxieties have eased somewhat, more needed to be done to deal with “depressingly familiar” underlying issues.

Reiterating a call in January for the European Central Bank to keep its monetary policy easy, the former French finance minister said there was room for a further cut after Frankfurt kept rates at 0.75 percent this week.

“Monetary policy should remain accommodative, and we believe that there is still some limited room for the ECB to cut rates further,” Lagarde said in remarks prepared for a speech delivered in front of an audience that included Ireland’s representative on the ECB governing council, Patrick Honohan.

“Restoring a sense of balance means lower inflation and wage growth in the south (of the euro zone), but it also might mean allowing somewhat higher inflation and wage growth in countries like Germany. This too is an aspect of pan European solidarity.”

Lagarde, who has urged countries to press forward with fiscal and reform promises, said on Friday that the pace of such adjustments was crucial and the right balance was needed between putting the books in order and supporting

Lagarde

the recovery.

The IMF chief said European leaders may need to focus less on headline deficit reduction targets to avoid undermining economic growth and help their recession-hit people as well as seeking to reassure financial markets.

“Improving sentiment is not translating into higher jobs or incomes. It might be helping markets, but it is not yet helping people,” she said.

World Bank launches new gender equality, poverty alleviation programmes

By Tola Akinmutimi (Abuja)

T

he World Bank’s Africa region last Friday launched two evidence-based initiatives to step up its commitment to improve gender programmes in Africa as part of its activities to mark the International Women’s Day in the continent.

The initiatives, according to a release issued by the Bank, are the Africa Gender Action Plan, which is a five-year blueprint for the Bank’s gender informed activities while the other is the Gender.

Innovation Lab that will bring scientific solutions through rigorous impact evaluation that will transform how the World Bank will identify development solutions for some of its poorest clients.

Combined, the World Bank Africa Gender Action Plan and Gender Innovation Lab will link scientific evidence to guide gender-related lending operations in Africa.

The Bank noted that despite the steady economic growth in many African countries over the last few years, gains have not always translated into greater gender equality or poverty reduction, hence its new effort to use the two programmes to address the prevailing gender inequality and poverty in the continent.

The World Bank Vice President for Africa, Makhar Diop, noted that despite the challenges, “in the past decade, African countries

have made some considerable strides when it comes to gender equality.

“Today, we have moved from an intuitive understanding of gender programs to add the Gender Innovation Lab that will fill the knowledge gap by providing more qualitative and quantitative evidence than ever about what works and what doesn’t in terms of gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa,” Diop added.

He disclosed further that the new Gender Innovation Lab will provide development solutions to countries as it works to keep the momentum toward achieving gender equality in Africa.

The World Bank’s Africa Gender Action Plan, the institution’s regional strategy for addressing gender inequality, will advance development for both men and women using the latest technological tools that provide evidence on the effectiveness of gender programs through its funding and operations.

The Gender Innovation Lab, the first at the World Bank, brings science to improve delivery of its programs.

The Lab already has over 20 impact evaluations under way, and they are providing clear evidence of what works.

According to the Bank, The Gender Innovation Lab has received $18 million financial support from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DFID. The Bretton Woods institution revealed further that partnering with DFID and the government of Rwanda, a Lab impact evaluation showed how land title registration resulted in women increasing investments in land, at twice the level as men.

Another research by BRAC and researchers at the London School of Economics, another Lab impact evaluation showed that a programme that provided life skills and vocational training through adolescent girls’ clubs resulted in 30 percent lower fertility, a 30 percent increase in the likelihood of girls working, and a 75 percent lower chance that they had been forced to have sex again their will.

While some experts have noted that shifts in global influence from large emerging economies and the private sector are challenging the traditional development paradigm, they also explained that global private sector firms are seeking to modernize their business models to match profits with responsibility through their supply chains, suggesting a post-2015 world will need to include new voices to the development debate. BC

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A fast-paced entrepreneur Through a rare combination of strong culture, clear values, sound strategy and vision, outstanding leadership, and disciplined management execution, Orange Drugs, which Tony Ezenna started about 24 years ago as an offshoot of a chemist shop, has transformed into a multi-billion naira manufacturing giant with roots in Nigeria and tentacles in Ghana, Cameroon and still counting

By Semiu Salami

D

Ezenna

elta and Devon are two different medicated and anti-septic soaps from the stable of Orange Drugs Limited which many Nigerians may have come to admire, not necessarily for their effectiveness and tenderness on the skin but most probably because of the beautiful faces which have come to symbolise the products. Those spotless faces, including those of highly successful national and international Nollywood actresses are more or less major attractions for many who patronise the products. Yet, it’s neither Delta nor Devon that was the springboard of what is today’s Orange Drugs. Long before the coming of the soaps are the strings of pharmaceutical drugs which formed the very essence of the entire company.

Interestingly, however, behind those highly elegant faces lies the realisation of the dream of one man who through thick and thin struggled to make a meaning out of life and has thus far, created opportunity for many not only to eke out a living, but also to give meanings to their very essence in life.

Instructively, what is today’s Orange Drugs group is certainly not the biblical Manna that fell from heaven. It was a product of an industry and cheer determination of a young man’s desire to make a mark. It was the dream of the quintessential Anthony Ifeanyichukwu Ezenna, who after spending 13 years of tutelage under a family chemist shop, decided to take a plunge into the world of uncertainty, which incidentally has today, not only become a success story but a remarkable lesson in courage, passion and entrepreneurship.

Tony Ezenna, as he is often called, started out with a family chemist shop, Eastern Industrial Chemist in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State as an intern in 1975 and worked there for thirteen years before he opted to chart a course for himself. Having been well honed in the art of drug sales, the young Tony then decided to take his destiny into his own hands and on July 20th 1988, he registered and incorporated his personal company, Orange Drugs Limited.

The company started out from its office in Ikenegbu, Owerri, Imo Continued on pg A10

Business Courage

state in 1989, but the urge to play in the big league brought him to Lagos, starting off from Okupe Estate, Mende, Maryland, Lagos. It was from the Maryland base that the company, in 2001 relocated to its present Head Office at Town Planning Way, Ilupeju, Lagos.

At the early stage, Business Courage learnt that Tony gave everything to the business and never mixed pleasure with business. As the account goes, he wakes up early, makes calls to his partners in Asia, listens to the news bulletin and does physical exercises for about 30 minutes before setting out for the day.

Orange Drugs Limited started off with an authorized fully paid share capital of N5 million and engaged in the importation, marketing and distribution of drugs, manufactured in Indonesia, Italy, India, Germany and the United States of America and later joined the beauty care segment through the importation of soaps, creams and other beauty products. By 2006, the company commenced the local production of different brands of soaps in Lagos.

Earlier in his career, Tony established strong links with some of the world’s best drugs manufacturers in Indonesia and Germany, the relationship which he has optimally managed to transform Orange Drugs from a mere importer and marketer of pharmaceuticals, soaps and body creams to a high flying manufacturing group, with tentacles well spread in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Republic of Benin.

Tony’s Orange Drugs for instance, had maintained over two decades of unbroken sound and robust business relationship with PT Kalbe Farma, the largest pharmaceutical group in Indonesia and South East Asia.

Established in 1966, PT Kalbe Farma Tbk. (“the Company” or “Kalbe”) has gone a long way from its humble beginnings as a garage-operated pharmaceutical business in North Jakarta, Indonesia. Throughout its more than 40-year history, the Company has expanded by strategic acquisitions of pharmaceutical companies, building a leading brand positioning and reaching to international markets to transform itself into an integrated consumer health and nutrition enterprise with unrivalled innovation, marketing, branding, distribution, financial strength and research and development and production expertise to promote its mission to improve health for a better life.

The Kalbe Group has an extensive and strong portfolio of brands in the prescription pharmaceuticals, over the counter, OTC pharmaceuticals, energy drink and nutrition products, complemented with a robust packaging and distribution arm that reaches over one million outlets.

The Company has succeeded

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Monday, March 11, 2013

Earlier in his career, Tony established strong links with some of the world’s best drugs manufacturers in Indonesia and Germany, the relationship which he has optimally managed to transform Orange Drugs from a mere importer and marketer of pharmaceuticals, soaps and body creams to a high flying manufacturing group

in promoting its brands as the undisputed market leaders not only in Indonesia but also in the international markets, establishing such household names across all healthcare and pharmaceutical segments as Procold, Mixagrip, Cypron, Komix, Prenagen and EXTRA JOSS. Also, fostering and expanding alliances with international partners have accelerated Kalbe’s advances in international markets and sophisticated research and development ventures as well as the latest pharmaceutical and healthcare developments, including stem cell and cancer research.

The Group’s consolidation in 2005 has further enhanced production, marketing and financial capabilities, providing greater leverage to widen local and international exposure. Today,

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A10 26

Kalbe is the largest publicly-listed pharmaceutical company in Southeast Asia with over $1 billion in market capitalization and revenues of over Rp 7 trillion. Its cash rich position today also provides for unlimited expansion opportunities in the future.

For years, Orange Drugs was Kalbe’s sole representative in Nigeria but the 2004 policy shift which banned the importation of paracetamol-based over the counter, OTC products by the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC brought out a new phase in the business combination arrangement. In other to meet the new challenge, the two companies entered into an agreement to set up a joint manufacturing firm in Nigeria with the name, Orange Kalbe Limited (OKL). The Orange Kalbe

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Ltd was incorporated in 2005 as a manufacturing company but construction on its factory did not commence at the site until April 2006. The factory, which was completed in July 2008 was designed and built within good manufacturing practice, GMP specification with its highly technological equipment said to comply with the world health organisation, WHO and GMP standards The $50 million factory has a stored capacity to manufacture 2.8 million tablets per year with only one shift. There are also plans for an additional shift which will double the capacity to 5.6 million tablets. The cream gel section of the factory will produce 20 million tubes per year per shift and 40 million tubes per two shifts, the development which Tony admitted then was a move expected to boost business “and enable us to meet the increasing demand for our various products more effectively” and, in the short run, make “us consolidate our leadership position in the industry and, in the long run, expand into the rapidly growing West African market.

As business continued to grow, Tony felt the compelling need to re-focus his business to tap deeper into the growing potentials not only within Nigeria, but also and particularly, across the West Africa coastline.

As such, in October 2007, Orange Drugs Limited underwent another transformation and gave birth to Orange West Africa (OWAL), as a wholly indigenous company dedicated to the marketing and distribution of electrical products and appliances with its scope covering the West African sub-region.

The immediate beneficiary of the transformation was the electrical products and appliances arm of the business through a business combination agreement with Osram GmbH, the biggest light manufacturer in the world. The arrangement made Orange West Africa the whole sale franchise partner to represent Osram in the whole of West Africa sub-region in the area of electrical lamps and accessories.

Osram, as a company was registered in 1906 and is one of the two leading light manufacturers in the world. In its over one hundred years of operational existence, Osram has built a solid business ground around the globe with forty-nine factories located in nineteen different countries in the world, sixty-five branch companies covering a hundred countries and fortyeight countries managed by representatives (franchised partners), the category which Tony’s Orange West Africa belongs.

Tony believes that with osram bulbs, Nigeria will be better for it considering the low voltage generated throughout the country. He had noted that for a country that generates a paltry 3,000 megawatts of electricity compared to South Africa’s

45,000, Egypt’s 17,561 megawatts and the United States’ 900,000 megawatts, the best alternative for now would be for the country to resort to use of low wattage Osram bulbs.

The Orange group also partners PT Dexa-Medica Indonesia, a company established in 1969 in the province of Palembang, in the South of Sumatra Island, Indonesia to supply medicine to Palembang and its surrounding areas.

Triggered by the scarce supply of medicine, Rudy Soetikno a low profile young pharmacist with a couple of friends who then served in the army in Palembang started to produce simple tablets in a small pharmacy they jointly owned, thus marked the beginning of Dexa.

The strong demand for medicine continued to rise and by 1975, Dexa products were available across the whole of Sumatra. Confident in its ability to deliver excellent quality in its products, Dexa then took a huge step to penetrate java market through Surabaya. This turned out to be a doorway to Dexa covering the Indonesian market. By 1978, Dexa products were distributed to all parts of Indonesia.

In 1984 Dexa further strengthened its position as a nationwide player by strategically relocating its marketing office to Jakarta. Since 1994, from year to year, Dexa’s domestic sales have grown steadily higher than the Indonesian pharmaceuticals industry. In 2001, PT Ferron Par Pharmaceuticals was established to provide additional production and marketing capacities in support of this high growth, and to anticipate the global competition.

Dexa is now solidifying its excellent management team and staying focused on its core business of producing and marketing quality pharmaceutical goods. Dexa intends to maintain its position as a nationally recognized market leader. In addition, Dexa is taking up the challenges to become a regional player and to achieve a respectable global presence, like the one through which Orange Group is involved.

PT Tempo Scan Pacific Indonesia is another strong partner which Tony’s Orange Drugs maintains a long year of business relationship with. PT. Perusahaan Dagang Tempo ( “ Tempo “ ) is a sales and distribution company and one of the business units under the Distribution Division of PT. Tempo Scan Pacific Tbk - a holding company that is a publicly listed entity in the Jakarta Stock Exchange since 1994.

Tempo itself was established back in 1953 and has grown in operations until today to become one of the leading sales and distribution companies in Indonesia. It currently distributes for both multi-national and local companies, with a portfolio of product groups ranging from pharmaceutical & consumer health, cosmetics and personal

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Monday, March 11, 2013

L-R: Segun Aganga, President Goodluck Jonathan and Ezenna

form of Tempo’s commitment to further grow and make every continuous effort to be the best in everything that it does.

Today, what constitutes the Orange Group conglomerate is a three legged vibrant subsidiary which has continue to redefine entrepreneurship spirit in Nigeria. The group caters for the marketing and manufacturing of soaps, pharmaceutical products, in addition to the marketing of energy drinks and the distribution of Osram energy bulbs.

While Orange Drugs Ltd (ODL) maintains its original business model as manufacturer/marketer of soaps, drugs, cosmetics and energy drinks, Orange Kalbe Ltd (OKL), manufactures drugs and Orange West Africa Ltd (OWAL), takes care of the Osram energy bulbs Cumulatively, the group has well over fifteen product ranges.

They include the Delta medicated and anticeptics and Devon range in the soaps category. In the drugs category are Boska, one of the most popular OTC pain and fever relievers in Nigeria and Asmadex, Procold for the treatment of fever, headache and nasal congestion associated with flu and common cold including allergic rhinitis. There are also Mixagrip, Medik-55, Komix, and Cypron. In the cream category are Temprovate cream, Delta fade milk cream, Tempovate fade cream, Canex cream and Delta fade cream (Advance) One of the group’s latest additions is Passion, the first sachet soda energy drink and Extra Joss, an instant energy drink that contains Ginseng and Royal jelly.

Those who claim to know Tony fairly well says he is a long distance runner, who does not get tired until he accomplishes

his set target. At the early stage of his career, those close him say he runs his company through an unorthodox management style. At that time, his emphasis was to make profit from the volume of business but quite interestingly, he believes that if an entrepreneur does not share part of his profit with his staff, they will either leave him or steal from him. “So he amply rewards his workers who, in turn, put in their best,” said a source who also says Tony believes in collective decision making process.

Perhaps, it was that solid foundation of trust and reward with which he started with that has thus far sustained him and his business empire. Credited for his courage and strong conviction, Tony’s strong faith in the potentials of the Nigerian economy underscores his determination to continue with multimillion dollar investments even at a time when multi-national companies are closing shops and relocating outside Nigeria.

Even when the nation’s

‘

economy seems to have terribly nosedived, Tony Ezenna remains true to his vision, subsumed in the nation’s vision of becoming one of the great economies of the world over the next decade.

However, it is not that Tony finds everything quite rosy. No. He admitted recently that growing a business under intense, stressful and unfriendly business climate as is the case in Nigeria is usually a very challenging undertaking but admitted that “honestly, when we set up shop in 1988, little did we realise that within a decade, we would be one of the leaders of the industry”.

At that time, in 1988 when he set up Orange Drugs, Tony admitted that he felt as if he was walking with destiny, and that all his past life had been but a preparation for the challenge.

He decided that nothing could reproach him or dissuade him from walking down the road he thought he knew a great deal about and was sure he would not fail.

Those who claim to know Tony fairly well say he is a long distance runner, who does not get tired until he accomplishes his set target.

At the early stage of his career, those close him say he runs his company through an unorthodox management style

‘

care, household cleaning, infant formula and beverages.

It’s sales and distribution network is widespread throughout the whole Indonesian archipelago, which allows Tempo to reach its customers more quickly and efficiently - a key factor that has helped Tempo and its business partners to achieve outstanding sales growths over the past several years.

Tempo’s sales force performs direct sales coverage to almost all outlet types, ranging from pharmacies, hospitals, institutions, supermarket chain and independent stores, drugstores, wholesale and retail outlets, and a direct coverage of doctors for its vaccine products. It has sales force groups dedicated to specific trade segments, allowing it to focus more on the types of products being sold in a particular channel of distribution.

Tempo’s services to the trade aside from sales coverage include, amongst others, a competitive credit facility, customer service personnel in every sales branch, and a delivery armada of motorcycles and trucks sufficient to serve the orders of all customers.

For its business partners, Tempo also provides, aside from the sales and distribution function, account management services specifically in the areas of business analysis, inventory management, central warehousing and trade promotion planning and execution.

Tempo takes pride in its more than 50 years of experience with a proven track record, characterized by consistent sales growth year after year, an ever expanding customer base, and a growing product portfolio. All these, backed up with a solid financial foundation, serves as the plat-

Today, the story is a magnificent one. He seems to have surpassed his initial expectation.

“From small beginnings, Orange Drugs has grown in leaps and bounds. It has offices in various parts of the country and abroad, including branches in Ghana, Cameroon, Benin Republic and United States of America.

Curiously, most of its products have been victims of fakers who constantly flood the market with counterfeit of virtually all its products. Major victims in his product lines include the Delta regular soap, Tempovate cream, Tempovate gel, Neutrotone cream, Boska tablet, Medik 55 tablet, Procold tablet, Sudrex tablet, Mixagrip tablet, Exadon tablet and Hyprogel tablet.

Tony is a great philanthropist who believes in giving back to the society. He has endowed many scholarship awards for students in his native Imo State and have committed huge amount to the development of various sports, particularly, football when he instituted the Boska/LDFA football champions cup in 2007. The Boska Cup championship is today the pivot of grass root soccer development programme in the country through which talents like Philip Asuquo, Ayo Filani and Allen Asogba are believed to have been discovered.

Tony Ezenna is said to be a passionate man and his passions are his God, his family, his country, and his business.

The Orange Drug phenomenon, sources say is the result of a strong culture and clear values, sound strategy and vision, outstanding leadership, and disciplined management executionnecessary ingredients to any great organisation’s success.

Born 56 years ago in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Anthony Ifeanyichukwu Ezenna began his nursery education at Saint John’s Nursery School, Diobu, Port Harcourt but soon returned to his native town of Akokwa, Owerri, Imo State where he attended Saint David’s Primary School and later Akokwa High School, Owerri but finished in 1975, at Christ the King College, CKC, Onitsha, Anambra State.

A native of Owerre Akokwa, Ideato North local government area of Imo State, Tony immediately after his high School joined his father’s Eastern Industrial Chemist first as an intern and later as manager. Today, he is the founder, Orange Drugs Limited; chairman, Orange West Africa Limited, Orange Kalbe Limited and Tony Ezenna Foundation. He was chairman, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD; former director, Springbank Plc and Transcorp Plc. He is member, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nigerian-German Chamber of Commerce, Nigerian-Asian Chamber of Commerce. He is a Papal Knight of Saint Sylvester of the Catholic Church. BC

A12 28

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Monday, March 11, 2013

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ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

The barrier breaking entrepreneur Once derided as someone who could not understand the complexity of a modern day computer, the proverbial rejected stone has turned around to become the cornerstone of information technology, using his robust knowledge of IT to transform many lives and ultimately making big money. This is the story of Gbenga Olabisi Sesan, Founder/Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria

By Salami Semiu

T

he story of his beginning and the present status is rather intriguing. In his third year at the Federal Government College, Idoani, Akure, Ondo State, Gbenga got an embarrassing rebuke that incidentally became the turning point in his career. At that time, his school just took delivery of two sets of computers and been too excited to try his hands on the devices, he got a shocker. One of his teachers simply told him, “Sorry, you can’t understand how to use them because they are not for people like you.”

What Gbenga, perhaps, considered most embarrassing about his rebuke was that, two other students whose father was a professor in one of the federal universities were allowed to use the computer sets because they already knew how to use them.

No one seemed in anyway ready to show young Gbenga Sesan how to explore the computers.

However, rather than sulk and get discouraged, he decided to do everything within his powers not only to learn how to use computers, but also teach the skill to others. “I saw a computer for the first time during my third year in secondary school and the inability to satisfy my curiosity about the “machine” was a very big challenge to me. Instead of getting discouraged, however, I made up my mind that I was not only going to touch a computer but I would teach others how to use it to prevent the kind of embarrassment I faced each time I tried getting closer to the “magic beast,” he said in a recent interview.

With the curiosity already established, immediately after his secondary school in 1994, Gbenga enrolled in a computer training school just before he got admission to study Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State.

As at the time he got the admission, Gbenga’s understanding of computer had appreci-

ated. However, to perfect his computer skills, in his third year when he was to undergo his industrial attachment, he chose to work with Neural Technology Limited, a Lagos-based firm where he was also able to acquire skills in website designing, amongst other advanced skills.

By the time Gbenga returned to the campus, he had already become more or less a computer guru. “When I returned to campus, I was really excited about teaching others, and I started teaching website designing to students for N2, 000. For the first 12 students that I taught, I was able to pay for my accommodation and a few other needs,” he recalls.

By the time he graduated from the university, Gbenga had become a computer veteran!

Just after graduation in 2001, he participated in a competition, emerged the winner, and was, therefore, appointed the first Information Technology Youth Ambassador for Nigeria.

The idea behind the competition was to discover young Nigerians who grew up in Nigeria, understood technology, and could compete with anyone from anywhere in the world.

One of the tasks assigned to him as part of his appointment was to travel around Nigeria, teaching people how to use the computer. As fate would also have it, the Federal Government College, Idoani, his alma mater, the same school he was rebuked for daring to show his enthusiasm of touching a computer was part of his assignments. Interestingly, however, when he was invited to the school after his presentation, the same teacher who had told him he didn’t know how to use computers was actually the one who gave the vote of thanks.

Gbenga had his compulsory one year National Youth Service programme at the Junior Achievements of Nigeria, the body which spearheaded the project called Lagos Digital Village with young people and upon the completion of the NYSC; Gbenga was offered

Sesan

a full employment. He was the pioneer Programme Manager of Lagos Digital Village, the multistakeholder telecentre project that provides training, research and mentorship opportunities for under-served youth in Nige-

ria. He resigned in 2007 to focus on something he had started online- Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, PIN. Today, Gbenga’s work is built around the use of ICTs in socioeconomic transformation such

as job creation- focusing on under served groups, through his organisation known as Paradigm Initiative Nigeria.

Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects under-served Nigerian youth with ICT opportunities; with specific concern about the ill effects of unemployment and cybercrime, among other vices that limit the potential contribution of young Nigerians to the nation’s economy.

PIN’s projects are built on years of combined experience and focus on socio-economic development. Its projects include Ajegunle.org, ISSPIN and TENT. Through these projects and its allied services, PIN connects individuals, people-groups, institutions and communities with the socio-economic opportunities that ICTs provide. PIN has consulted for British Council, Freedom House, Harvard University, International Telecommunications Union, Microsoft Nigeria and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, among others.

Gbenga has often expressed his strong belief in the potential that ICT holds for Nigeria and Africa, the belief which has propelled him into been an active participant at national, regional, and international discussions on the need for Africa’s inclusion

Management Principles

Key organizational control techniques

C

ontrol techniques provide managers with the type and amount of information they need to measure and monitor performance. The information from various controls must be tailored to a specific management level, department, unit, or operation.

To ensure complete and consistent information, organizations often use standardized documents such as financial, status, and project reports. Each area within an organization, however, uses its own specific control techniques, described in the following sections.

Financial controls After the organization has strategies in place to reach its goals, funds are set aside for the necessary resources and labour. As money is spent, statements are updated to reflect how much was spent, how it was spent, and what it obtained. Managers use these financial statements, such as an income statement or balance sheet, to monitor the progress of programmes and plans. Financial statements provide management with information to monitor financial resources and activities. The income statement shows the results of the organization’s operations over a period of time, such as revenues, expenses, and profit or loss. The balance sheet shows what the organization is worth (assets) at a single point in time, and the extent to which those assets were financed through debt (liabilities) or owner’s investment (equity).

Financial audits, or formal investigations, are regularly conducted to ensure that financial management practices follow generally accepted procedures, policies, laws, and ethical guidelines. Audits may be conducted internally or externally. Financial ratio analysis examines the relationship between specific figures on the financial statements and helps explain the significance of those figures: *Liquidity ratios measure an organization’s ability to generate cash. *Profitability ratios measure an organization’s ability to generate profits. *Debt ratios measure an organization’s ability to pay its debts. *Activity ratios measure an organization’s efficiency in operations and use of assets.

Budget controls A budget depicts how much an organization expects to spend (expenses) and earn (revenues) over a period of time. Budgets not only help managers plan their finances, but also help them keep track of their overall spending.

A budget, in reality, is both a planning tool and a control mechanism. Budget development processes vary among organizations according to who does the budgeting and how the financial resources are al-

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Business Courage A13 29

Monday, March 11, 2013

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs in the Information Society.

He was appointed as the youngest member of the Presidential Task Force on the Restructuring of the Nigerian Information Technology, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Sectors in August 2006 and member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT in April 2008. A 2008 Ashoka Fellow, Gbenga was in September 2012 appointed into the membership of the Presidential Committee on Roadmap for the Achievement of Accelerated Universal Broadband Infrastructure and Services Provision.

Early last year, he was listed by the Cable Network News (CNN), as one of the Top 10 Leading African Tech Voices and as one of 40 African Legends Under 40 by Ventures Africa. He has been honoured with the 2012 National Peace Award, 2012 Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity (GNAP) Fellowship.

In 2011, he bagged the Cordes Fellowship and in 2010, he was conferred with the Santa Clara University GSBI Fellowship as well as the Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders for Tomorrow Fellowship award.

With such glory deservedly earned within a short time, many in his mould would have become complacent, but not Gbenga, who sees it all as the beginning of greater things, and has, since then, continued to strive towards excellence.

Over the years, he has received further trainings at the Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology

Personal Finance Entreprenuers major pitfalls

Y

ou have an idea for a new business and the wheels are in motion. You are certain that this is the business idea that will change your life and you are ready to take the next step. As an entrepreneur, you are aware of all the risks but are also encouraged by the potential financial reward and success.

There is no official entrepreneurial handbook to follow to ensure your idea will take off, but there are several big mistakes you can avoid when getting your business off the ground.

Sesan (2nd right) and colleagues

Transfer, Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and Santa Clara Universities. He also holds a diploma in software application, certificates in venture management and project management from the Lagos Business School.

Born on July 27, 1977, Gbenga’s later day outlook could have been the product of his upbringing. He grew up under the tutelage of a conservative teacher as father and an itinerant mother, whose profession as a nurse ensures that she frequently travels.

Early in life, Gbenga admitted learning about the need to run his own race and only compare himself with the “best possible me”. “I grew up on questions – wondering why what I saw on TV was way different from reality, among others. Quite curious, I asked questions all the way to the computer laboratory in my secondary school where I was

located.

Marketing controls Marketing controls help monitor progress toward goals for customer satisfaction with products and services, prices, and delivery. The following are examples of controls used to evaluate an organization’s marketing functions: Market research gathers data to assess customer needs— information critical to an organization’s success. Ongoing market research reflects how well an organization is meeting customers’ expectations and helps anticipate customer needs.

It also helps identify competitors.

Test marketing is small-scale product marketing to assess customer acceptance. Using surveys and focus groups, test marketing goes beyond identifying general requirements and looks at what (or who) actually influences buying decisions.

Marketing statistics measure performance by compiling data and analyzing results. In most cases, competency with a computer spreadsheet programme is all a manager needs. Managers look at marketing ratios, which measure profitability, activity, and market shares, as well as sales quotas, which measure progress toward sales goals and assist with inventory controls.

Human resource controls Human resource controls help managers regulate the quality of newly hired personnel, as well as monitor current employees’ developments and daily performances.

On a daily basis, managers can go a long way in helping to control workers’ behaviours in organizations. They can help direct workers’ performances toward goals by making sure that goal are clearly set and understood. Managers can also institute policies and procedures to help guide workers’ actions. Finally, they can consider past experiences when developing future strategies, objectives, policies, and procedures.

Common control types include performance appraisals, disciplinary programmes, observations, and training and development assessments. Because the quality of a firm’s personnel, to a large degree, determines the firm’s overall effectiveness, controlling this area is very crucial. BC

denied access. That, along with many other experiences from my childhood moved me closer to what is now my career direction – helping to connect others with the same opportunities I missed while growing up,” he said.

Besides IT, Gbenga is also into writing and his writing efforts have yielded five books and numerous published works. He is the author of “Wh@t’s Next?

The Future of the Information Society - A Youth Perspective” which was edited by Youth for Intergenerational Justice and Sustainability. He was involved in “TakingITGlobal, the book which describes what young people are doing with ICTs today, and attempts to describe the direction of the Information Society.

‘Gbenga also contributed towards the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s “Africa Networking: Development Information, ICTs and Governance”. He wrote the chapter titled, “African Youth in the Information Society”.

In November 2005, ‘Gbenga completed editorial work on “Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society”, which was presented at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. Another of his efforts, “ICTs for Development: The Challenges of Meeting the Millennium Development Goals in Africa” was published by Nigerian Communications Commission/Growing Businesses Foundation/Club of Rome in September 2006 and featured a chapter on “Telecentres in Nigeria.

He completed work on his first attempt at an autobiography, In My Own Words, in 2009 and was published by Londonbased Imprimata Publishers.

Some of his published works include Digital Lifestyle of Connected Nigerians, Echoes From Ajegunle: Stories of Transformed Lives, From Small Steps to Giant Leap, ICTs for Development: A Social Entrepreneur’s Perspective, Ajegunle.org: Changing Ajegunle, 25 Youths at a time and Social Enterprise in Africa: An Emerging Concept in an Emerging Economy. BC

Not having a business plan A business cannot survive without a detailed assessment of all of its requirements. Before launching your business, write up a business plan complete with long- and short-term goals, financial objectives and projected overhead costs. Ask and answer all of the questions you may have, such as: •What obstacles will you face? •How will you raise capital? •Where do you see your company in the future?

A business plan is the best way to flesh out all of the details before taking all of the risks. Potential investors will also want to see your business plan before making any decisions to support your endeavours. A detailed business plan will not give you a glimpse into the future, but it will help you determine if your business will have legs.

Focusing too much on your product You love your idea. You may care for it as if it was your own child, but you need to consider sales, marketing and promotion ideas once you are ready to move forward. Ask yourself: Who will buy your idea? Is there a large enough audience interested?

How will you reach them? Do you need to tweak your idea at all to give it more mass appeal?

As an entrepreneur, you need to consider all aspects of your business and not just the idea itself. Take a step away and try to look at the business objectively. Find your niche, find your audience, and get your message out there.

Making it all about the money You may have received a generous amount of funding from investors, or there may be an initial burst of interest that sparks new found cash flow. Still, you must remember to stay within your means and think before you spend. Pay your employees, cover your costs, pay yourself (enough to live and eat), and then reassess. Reassessing your business means you should consider: Hiring more employees or scaling back, looking at your overhead and see if it needs any adjustments, upgrading your technology and increase your advertising budget.

If you are experiencing good fortune, reinvest into your business so it will thrive. The new car, new house, over-the-top advertising campaigns, extravagant client parties, and lavish vacations can wait. Take care of the business so it will take care of you.

Hiring the wrong people Your good friends provide you with support, camaraderie, advice, and even good business partners. Conversely, your friends may not always be the best employees. Your best friend may know the best jokes, but does he know anything about marketing? Can he handle the finances or the advertising? The best businesses hire the best-qualified employees, so take careful consideration in how you staff your company. Starting your own business is not a game. You should be able to enjoy the process, but not at the expense of losing everything by making poor employee choices. Hire friends with the strongest qualifications, employ the right applicants for other positions, and keep your other friends on hand for moral support.

Ignoring the legal aspects Early on in your venture, you may unwittingly make legal errors. As your business progresses, these issues can snowball and create even larger, insurmountable problems that will deter success. Hire a qualified attorney at the onset and let him/her address all of your legal concerns. Your attorney will be there to answer your questions, deal with the legal problems, and navigate your business through any choppy waters.

You will inevitably have missteps along the way, but learn from the mistakes and use them to improve your business.

Know that you have done the research, made the best-informed decisions, prepared yourself sufficiently, and once in a while allow yourself to let the chips fall where they may and then react BC accordingly. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Renewed onslaught against counterf Considering the huge cost, both financial and man hour loss, involved in identifying, fixing and recovering from the negative impact of malware encountered by individual consumers and small/medium businesses using counterfeit software, Microsoft, a worldwide leader in software continues to step up its campaign against software piracy

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

U

che Okonkwo is a final year student of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Last year, when he returned from his compulsory industrial attachment programme, he purchased a laptop from the proceeds of his savings for him to be able to do most of his assignments via the internet.

However, in order to keep his laptop safe from virus attack, Okonkwo decided to get an anti virus and indeed, whenever it comes to buying the anti-virus or any other software for his laptop, Okonkwo knows where to go.

Ever since he bought his laptop about a year ago, the popular Computer Village in the heart of Ikeja, Lagos has always been his sure bet. But to him, since he could buy the software from the roadside dealers, who after all sell at cheaper rate, it does not make any sense buying from any of the big shops, as he thought, “they are all the same”.

While he could buy an antivirus for just N100 from the roadside sellers, at the shops, the same antivirus package goes for as much as N2, 500. But like the saying, “penny wise, pound foolish”, after purchasing an anti-virus package and got it installed in his system just last month, Okonkwo learnt a bitter lesson of his life as his PC suddenly crashed as a result of accumulated virus.

With the crash, he lost all the data he had saved including his final project which he had spent months compiling.

Okonkwo told Business Courage last week that he never knew those anti-viruses could be fake. “It was one engineer friend of mine that later told me that contrary to the belief that such products are anti-virus, they, on the other hands, are virus instead.”

Besides Okonkwo, many other people including businessmen and women, low-income earners, lawyers, journalists, bankers, and many others are also on daily basis, becoming victims as they patronise the roadside sellers of software

packages, programmes, games and so on across the country.

Noticeably, they all have one thing in common. In one way or the other, they have all ignorantly or out of greed, lost huge sum and vital data to this nefarious act of software piracy as a result of counterfeit software that have been found to be vulnerable to computer viruses, malware and hackers, leaving consumers unprotected against possible data loss or identity theft.

Investigations revealed that about 60 per cent of computer users always acquire software in ways that are typically illegal, such as buying programs for one computer and then installing them on multiple machines, downloading applications from a peer to-peer network such as Kazaa or Morpheus, or buying illegally copied disks from the street markets.

Expectedly, many of those who sell genuine or licensed software are having difficulty competing with pirated software that has been priced at belowmarket levels. Described as heist that has led to the lost of over $59 billion worth of PC software in the last one year, the Business Software Alliance, BSA, a global industry trade organization, defines software piracy as the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This, it said, can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers. Counterfeit software, also as defined by the BSA, is the illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted material with the intent of directly imitating the copyrighted product.

In the case of packaged software, it is common to find counterfeit copies of the CDs or diskettes incorporating the software programs, as well as related packaging, manuals, license agreements, labels, registration cards and security features.

Director General of Nigerian Copyright Commission, Afam Ezekude observed that, “Software piracy creates an unfair market environment and in the current economic climate, revenue is crucial to help spur

Computer village, Lagos

economic growth, support the legitimate IT ecosystem and create jobs.” BSA said if the world’s computer users lived up to their ideals, there would be far less software piracy but it said nearly half of them do not, adding that the software piracy is more pronounced in the developing economies. For instance, the group said that Nigeria, presently basking in the euphoria of the revolution brought about by the information and communication technology boom, has been growing the business of software piracy at par with the growth in ICT. The BSA reports says about 82 per cent of PC users in Nigeria acquire their software illegally most or all of the time, a record which makes it rank second in the world, coming closely after China with 86 per cent as first and Vietnam in the third position with 76 per cent.

Last week, in its bid to raise awareness of the dangers that come with counterfeit and pirated software and effectively educate consumers and business owners on how to avoid patronising such programs, Microsoft, a worldwide leader in software, services and solutions stepped up its campaign against software piracy through its special programme tagged “Play It Safe” day as subsidiary teams

from around the world came together to promote the use of genuine software.

With the “Play It Safe” day, Microsoft’s fifth global piracy awareness day, two-fold objectives were highlighted namely, raising awareness of the dangers that come from acquiring counterfeit and pirated software and educating consumers and business owners on how to avoid purchasing counterfeit or pirated software.

Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, noted that while the company is focusing its messaging efforts in reaching the consumers and small/mediums business audience, it had commissioned white papers from IDC that explored the risks and dangers of counterfeit software and the impact of counterfeit/piracy on their workplaces. “The theme for 2013 is “Play it Safe” and for this year’s Play it safe day, we are encouraging our customers to ask questions, investigate packaging, watch for “too good to be true” prices and always demand genuine software-to ensure they get what they pay for.

According to Onyeje, report of the IDC research which was released last week clearly shows that while the chances of consumers and businesses encountering malicious code in pirated

and counterfeit software are high, the financial cost of those encounters is just unimaginable.

For instance, in 2013, consumers are expected to lose $22 billion and 1.5 billion hours identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend $114 billion to deal with the impact of a malwareinduced cyber attack. While that accounts for eight per cent of IT labour cost, the potential costs to enterprises dealing with infected counterfeit software and data loss is expected to amount to nearly $350 billion this year.

Talking about the amount of counterfeit software/ counterfeit software infection rates, which means the percentage of downloaded programs from the internet (via Web site/P2P network) or CD/DVDs that installed malicious code onto computers, a total of 78 per cent of web site/ P2P network downloaded programmes installed cookies or spyware. Unknown to many, about 36 per cent of Web site/ P2P network downloaded programs are found out to have installed Trojans/dangerous adware while 28 per cent of web site/P2P network downloaded had download system performance issues and 20 percent of CDs/DVDs generally installed

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

eit software

malware.

Significantly, the IDC report revealed that the global supply of counterfeit software expected to be installed in 2013 will exceed more than two billion programs, more than triple the amount in 2006.

As it is, while every one out of three consumer PCs with counterfeit software installed stands the chance of being infected with malware in 2013, findings point out that there are various issues that consumers experience. For instance, when consumers installed counterfeit software, about 45 per cent always have issue with their systems being slowed down while they had to uninstall such software. For some other consumers, which account for about 34 per cent, theirs had always been that their PCs would not even run at all until such software are uninstalled. In other cases, while about 30 per cent account for their systems being overrun with pop-ups, about 26 per cent had their system affected and destroyed by virus.

According to the IDC report, consumers’ top three sources for pirated software are either through the internet (Web site/ P2P network) 45 per cent, street market, 21 per cent and those borrowed which accounted for 16 per cent.

Business Courage A15 31

Monday, March 11, 2013

Embedding counterfeit software with dangerous malware is a new method for criminals to prey on computer users who are unaware of the potential danger.

At the roundtable discourse held in commemoration of Microsoft “Play it Safe” day in Lagos, Seyi Owolabi who represented Gozie Onumonu, Head of Piracy Multichoice said “Pirates are in every industry and this can constitute a clog in the wheel of the organization.

In 2004 Multichoice had over 5,000 subscribers on their platform in Onitsha, but as at now, it is less than 500 subscribers and this can be attributed to the activities of Pirates”.

Owolabi said that enforcement is very weak and procedures very slow whilst the judiciary system is another challenge, as most of them are not aware of what piracy is all about.

The IDC white paper also explored the surprising level of end-user software installations made on corporate computers, exposing another method for the introduction of unsecure software into the workplace ecosystem. Although 38 per cent of IT managers acknowledge that it happens, 57 per cent of workers admit they install personal software onto employer-owned computers. What is alarming is that respondents told IDC that only 30 per cent of the software they installed on their work computers was problem-free. Sixty-five per cent of IT managers agree that user-installed software increases an organization’s security risks. For many in the enterprise, user-installed software may be a blind spot in ensuring a secure network.

In the same vein, Actor/ Musician Gabriel Afolayan explained that piracy thrives on poor market network and distribution, and added that making it affordable and available is key.

“As a stakeholder in the Nigerian movie Industry, we will do our own part to make it affordable and available to consumers”.

Customers are encouraged to visit www.microsoft.com/security to learn about malware and ensure their machine is not infected; if malware is present, the site offers tools to remove the infection. Customers shopping for a new computer are encouraged to buy from a reputable source to ensure they are receiving genuine Microsoft software.

According to the 2010 edition of its annual Global Software Survey of PC users Attitudes, 2010–2011, the report says though more than seven in 10 computer users globally (71 per cent) profess support for intellectual property rights and protections, yet nearly half (47 per cent) acquire their software by

illegal means most or all of the time.

Surprisingly, these behaviours and attitudes toward software piracy, BSA says, follow a similar pattern among the world’s business decision makers, a critically important group of users. The view of BSA is that, many of the world’s software pirates may not even realize they are betraying their own principles and breaking the law, which underscores the importance of concerted public- education and enforcement campaigns.

Seye Oloruntoba, anti-piracy manager for Microsoft Anglophone West Africa said as a world leading software manufacturer, Microsoft is working closely with the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), to assist them in taking enforcement action against software pirates who sell counterfeits that put consumers and businesses in Nigeria at risk.

“We’ve noticed a rising number of what turn out to be ‘accidental pirates,’ that is, people who unintentionally purchase counterfeit software from resellers and only later find out they have been duped. In doing so, they expose themselves to a plethora of risks, which in the long-run can prove extremely costly for individuals, and often disastrous for businesses.

Honest resellers, who sell only genuine software, are put at an unfair disadvantage, and ultimately the whole economy feels the effects,” he said.

Oloruntoba noted that Microsoft is actively working to ensure customers and partners in Nigeria are protected from unscrupulous suppliers, adding that “This is a responsibility we take extremely seriously. When they come to us for help, we make sure they receive the necessary support and we also alert local law enforcement authorities like the NCC.

Onyeje

There must be severe consequences for those who sell pirated and counterfeit software in Nigeria.” However, there are strong indications that the software pirates may be in serious trouble anytime soon as there has been a serious clampdown on them.

Last week, the Nigerian Police raided the premises of IPS Plus Solution Limited, a computer reseller at Veterans Plaza, located in Yaba, following a consumer tip-off, an undercover test purchase and a subsequent petition to the local law enforcement authorities by Microsoft Corporation.

The matter which has been handed to the NCC for further investigation is considered as just one example of several in recent months that has found resellers to be in possession of high quality counterfeit software that is packaged like genuine software – a trend resulting in many consumers, who believe they are purchasing software from a reliable source, unknowingly becoming victims to software piracy. IPS Plus Solution Limited has offices in both Lagos and Abuja.

A representative from Symantec Brand Protection, who wanted to remain anonymous, confirmed that IPS Plus Solution Limited was a known seller of counterfeit software in Nigeria, including Norton product titles.

According to him, “Symantec is very appreciative of the enforcement action taken to stop the sale of counterfeit software. This enforcement activity will help in our fight to protect Nigerian consumers from the known risks associated with using pirated software.”

Recently, NCC officials also raided the premises of a local software reseller in Port Harcourt, Rivers State following the complaint made to Microsoft by a consumer after he was sold counterfeit software.

The raid, which was initiated after a complaint by Microsoft to the NCC and followed an undercover test purchase of counterfeit software, resulted in the seizure of 269 units of suspected high and low quality counterfeit products, ranging from computer games, music, anti-virus software, and Microsoft Windows and Office.

However, there are growing concerns of difficulties encountered in differentiating between genuine and non-genuine software, unless consumers are discerning and know what to look out for. Some customers who make the purchases in good faith believe that what they purchase is genuine when the product is in fact counterfeit.

To avoid being misled when purchasing software, Oloruntoba suggested that before a consumer purchase Windows software, he/she should ask resellers to confirm it will pass the Windows activation test.

Activation and validation, he warned, are the keys to genuine software. He said PC users should beware of the common gateways of digital counterfeiting: websites advertising ‘cheap software’; online auction sites with links to download sites offering counterfeit software; and peer-to- peer (P2P) networks or other fi le-sharing technologies.

Advising consumers to always compare the price, he said counterfeit software is often sold at a much cheaper price, but can end up costing users huge sum.

He advised consumers to be suspicious of products that lack some form of proof of authenticity – such as a hologram, CD, DVD, recovery media, manuals and Microsoft Software License Terms (MSLT) while also saying they must be extremely careful when buying from software sellers in other countries as this complicates matters if the transaction goes awry.

According to a global Microsoft survey that addresses consumer’s attitudes on counterfeit software, more than 80 per cent of consumers had concerns about using counterfeit software. These concerns range from risks of identity theft, virus attacks, and the fact that counterfeit products fund criminal activities.

The high quality counterfeit Microsoft software currently being distributed in Nigeria includes fake hologram CDs and fake Certificate of Authenticity labels that look like the real thing and which are sold as complete software packages.

Because of this, using the Internet to actively seek out ways to download pirated software and then circumvent software activation is said to be inherently more dangerous. Businesses and IT departments that centralize procurement or have standard software asset management (SAM) practices in place are advised to help protect themselves from the risks of counterfeit software. BC

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Business Courage

Internet information reaches individuals in the community.

Given these barriers, expanding ICT in rural areas may require complementary measures such as computer and Internet skills training, web pages designed to direct users to locally relevant content,” she said.

Udoji urged government to develop policies and regulations that would reduce the barriers against the development of ICT in urban and rural areas, saying priority should be on rural ICT development.

Ime Umoh, MD, Hewlett Packard Nigeria

Hewlett-Packard tasks FG on ICT policies

H

ewlett-Packard Nig. Ltd. has advised the Federal Government to put in place policies and regulations that could boost rural-urban access to the Internet in the country.

Ifeyinwa Udoji, the Category Manager, Hewlett-Packard Nig. Ltd., who gave the advice in Lagos said ICT could play important role in the development of households in rural and urban areas with easier access to the Internet. ``Policies that will focus on reducing the information gap by reducing the cost of accessing the Internet are of central importance to the poor. Access is still very restricted and low in rural areas and it is fair to say that ICT can have important impact on rural households,” Udoji said.

She said it was possible to increase its positive impact by making ICT more accessible in rural areas, adapting new technologies to rural settings, and using old technologies in innovative ways.

The Hewlett-Packard official said studies had revealed that major regulatory impediments led to lack of private sector participation in telecommunications and consequently to insufficient competition. ``As a result, access costs are too high, interconnection between networks is problematic and infrastructure cannot be shared among operators. This has caused a number of potential barriers to the effectiveness of ICT in both urban and rural areas,” she said.

Udoji said that apart from issues of access and price, barriers to ICT effectiveness were in three principal categories. ``Barriers involving skill levels such as accessing Internet information, barriers involving ICT use for development-related purposes and barriers related to content relevance. These factors have the potential to influence the rate of adoption and the degree to which available

Etisalat partners Total to launch retail kiosks

Monday, March 11, 2013

always been the company’s strategic objective to deliver world class telecommunications services that are relevant and aligned to the needs and lifestyles of its respective customers, it was for this reason that Etisalat decided to partner with a global and reputable organization like Total with the relevant expertise and experience in delivering world class products and services.

The new experience centres are built in Etisalat’s signature state-of-the-art designs as they are expected to excite and provide the customers with the latest products and services in the market as well as give them an unparalleled retail experience.

By Adejuwon Osuunuyi

I

n order to bring its Experience Centres closer to the customers, Etisalat Nigeria has entered into a partnership with Total, a global and reputable oil and gas organization.

Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans said the launch of the Etisalat Retail Kiosks at Total filing stations would go a long way in enabling the company offer the highest level of convenience to its customers.

Through this initiative, Etisalat has increased its retail foot print and customer touch points with 45 additional experience centres through the Total partnership as Evans noted that it has also provided its customers with more access to its products and services in all the 6 geo-political zones of the country. “We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Total on the 6th of March 2012 and on the 13th of June 2012, we formalised the working relationship with the signing of a Master Lease Agreement. This partnership is another milestone for us at Etisalat in our ongoing quest to offer high quality products and services to our existing and potential customers within the country, and to make access to those services and products as convenient as possible,” Evans said.

He noted that while it has

Evans

FG receives blueprint on broadband implementation Stories by Kunle Azeez

T

he Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, has confirmed the receipt of the report on broadband implementation roadmap from the Presidential Committee on Broadband.

She disclosed this during the closing ceremony of a three-day business workshop of Broadband Expansion Programme (BBExPro) organised

by Telecoms Answers Associates in collaboration with the Nigerian Communication Commission at the weekend.

Johnson said that “Having received the report, we are currently working on it to look at the practical recommendations the Committee has put together and see how far we can actually go about the actual implementation.”

Co-ordinator of the BBExPro and former President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, Titi Omo-Ettu, commended all the participants in the workshop for believing in the broadband internet access campaign.

He also commended them for investing their time in the effort which seeks to draw attention to a significant component of the problems of broadband access, which is the problem of accessing Investment funding for a critical sector of service providers.

“Special appreciation to the Nigerian Communications Commission for being kind to my firm’s aspirations and for believing in and leading this initiative through institutional supports and collaborations in the last 10 years.

What makes this effort worthy, he said, is the fact that the government has demonstrated a clear will to transform Nigeria into a digital economy, first by converging the administration

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Johnson

of communication technology into a new Ministry.

The Ministry, he said has since its inception, defined a good future for our economy and it is for us to occasionally review these attainments and lock ourselves into them so that we can take advantage of what they portend.

“This is what a group of some players in our industry spent the last two days to review and we planned this closing ceremony to present a record of our observations and specific requests of what will make our future investments prosper and access of our people to high speed internet quickly realisable.”

sumers will enjoy the luxury of sitting back and getting genuine suppliers to work for them or get their desired products. VConnect does this with the power of its over 500,000 business database.

“VConnect Global Services is well aware of the need for its consumers to maximize time, hence they can now leave the task of looking for products/services suppliers to VConnect while they use the time for other gainful ventures. All the consumer needs to do is logon to VConnect.com and use the feature called “Get Supplier” Rustagi further stressed that using the ‘Get Suppliers’ feature on VConnect will give consumers access to thousands of businesses on its database which is powered by their search technology that automatically finds out the most relevant businesses from more than 500,000 businesses listed on its website.

Marketing Coordinator, VConnect Global Services, Ogunmola Albert, stated that one of the numerous benefits of the ‘Get Suppliers’ feature is the speed of response

VConnect introduces new feature on search engine

V

Connect Global Services, Nigeria’s largest local search engine, said it has introduced a new feature on its website.

Tagged “Get Suppliers”, the new feature allows users to get instant and specific quotes of products and services from various suppliers thereby reducing the cost and time spent to receive desired information.

The company in a statement said the new web feature is beneficial to consumers in personal and professional life.

It provides consumers/users with a platform to easily access over 500,000 businesses listed on its website while also creating massive opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to generate voluminous business transactions thus creating a win-win situation.

General Manager, VConnect Global Services, Deepanker Rustagi, stated that this feature is to support millions of people who want to buy thousands of things on a daily basis, making their lives simpler and convenient. They need to post their requirement and VConnect comes back to them with multiple options.

He further stated that through this initiative, con-

Rustagi

at which the user receives quotations or the required information on their mobile device or e-mail from suppliers immediately after submitting a request.

“Through this feature, users will get the best price while suppliers get the business. The ‘Get Suppliers’ feature gives the best of both worlds as it also enables businesses to get real time information of users looking for products and services. With ‘Get Suppliers’, everybody wins” he said The whole idea is to get multiple price options for your desire product rather than relying on price from single supplier or website.

It would be recalled that VConnect recently surpassed a 500,000 business listing mark and also unveiled its new look 2.0 website that enables users to search for information faster and more accurately. BC

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Business Courage A17 33

Monday, March 11, 2013

Reflections with Semiu Salamii 07043280449 sms only

Abuja, CBN and the cashless policy

I

deally, the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja ought to be Nigeria’s prime airports in all ramifications. Even if nothing works elsewhere, the sheer significance of these two airports as the gateways to the country makes it a fait accompli that not only must the airport facilities work, every other ancillary services that compliment the air transport business must be up and running.

More importantly, is the financial services rendered by the banks, especially since Abuja, like Lagos is pivotal to the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Quite sadly though, my experience at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport last Tuesday on my return trip to Lagos was not only unsavoury, it was also very disappointingly ridiculous.

I had departed Lagos aboard a 7.00 a.m Med-View airline flight, early enough to catch up with a 10.00 a.m appointment in Jabi (Utako District) area of the federal capital and hoped to return to Lagos early enough before the close of work that day.

Quite honestly, the Lagos-Abuja flight was very remarkable. The airline kept to faith with the departure and ar-

rival schedule and the services onboard was satisfying too. By 8.15 am, I was already in Abuja and 45 minutes after, in Jabi, ready for the appointment, even well ahead of those that reside in Abuja.

By quarter to one, I was done with Abuja and set to return to Lagos. The drive from Jabi back to the airport didn’t last up to 20 minutes and had hoped that with 2.30 flight, I should be in Lagos latest by 3.30 p.m. There I was wrong, very wrong.

Before I departed Lagos earlier in the morning, I had the option of booking a return ticket but since I had no control of when I would be done with the appointment, I had to settle for one way and had expected that with cashless policy and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) everywhere, I should be able to use my card to draw money from the machine to pay for my return trip. Because I did exactly the same at the Lagos end, I felt Abuja shouldn’t in anyway be different.

However, to my utter bewilderment, none of the ATMs at both the International and domestic wings were functional. Even, FirstBank, Wema and Eco Bank which have branches within the domestic wing couldn’t fix their ATMs which constantly flash the message “Unable to dispense cash,” “Issuer or

switch inoperative” or “Temporarily out of service.” And my bank had no branch within the airport.

Initially, I thought that must be one huge joke. Along with other “victims,” we combed everywhere, moving from one machine to the other, but the story remained constant.

I was livid with rage, even as many others cursed, wondering why an airport of that status would be without such important facility, especially with the hues and cries about the cashless policy.

The situation left us with no choice than to return to the city centre, where we were so convinced that we would get a functional ATM to use. But the journey became more tortuous than we had envisaged.

From the airport, we headed for Karu, where we had thought was a bit closer. There, the two banks, First Bank and First City Monument Bank (FCMB) had one ATM each functional but the queues on each at a point couldn’t be less than 30 people under the scorching Abuja sun.

Even if I could endure the rage of the sun like many others on the queue, especially as I was almost “desperate” to return to Lagos, I was confronted with another shocker. None of the ATMs ac-

cepted cards from other issuers.

Still, we left for Federal Housing but the experience there wasn’t in anyway different from the one we encountered at Karu. Two banks, Skye Bank and First Bank had long queues as well but still, not accepting other cards except those issued by the banks.

This time, it was already after four and my frustration had reached the peak but the cab operator kept trudging me on, assuring me, like I already know that I can still get a flight back to Lagos even at 6.30 pm.

I put a call through to my friend, Kayode Odugbemi to make online reservation for me as a last ditch effort.

Gracefully, he did, money deducted from his account but the network fluctuation ensured that the PIN with which I would use to get my boarding pass didn’t come on time.

Anyway, I finally got to Zenith Bank branch around Garki where I withdrew money with ease and headed straight to the airport almost at the time the last flight for the day was already boarding.

Curiously, it was at the point of boarding that the reservation alert came with “Issuer or switch Inoperative,” the same challenge I had encountered all day long.

What a shame. BC

ed in seven deals compared with a total of 2,681 units valued at N6.562 transacted the previous week in eight deals.

Also included in the transactions for last week were 2,536 units of FGN bonds valued at N3.096 million traded during the week in 26 deals in contrast to 1,887 units valued at N2.314 million transacted last week in 20 deals. Likewise, 1,000 units of Lagos State Fixed Rate Redeemable Bond valued at N1, 000,000 was traded in 1 deal. There were no transactions in the Corporate Bonds/Debentures sector.

to close on Friday at 32,849.11 while the market capitalization of the Main Board equities depreciated from N10.618 trillion to N10.512 trillion. Also, the Bloomberg NSE 30 Index depreciated by 12.80 points or 0.81 per cent to close at 1,572.76.

Three of the sectoral indices appreciated during the week compared to two during the preceding week. The Bloomberg NSE Banking Index appreciated by 2.58 points or 0.63 per cent to close at 414.67. The Bloomberg NSE Insurance appreciated by 4.56 points or 3.07 per cent to close at 152.86. Also, the Bloomberg NSE Oil/Gas appreciated by 3.81 points or 1.99 per cent to close at 194.94.

However, The Bloomberg NSE Consumer Goods Index depreciated by 14.64 points or 1.51 per cent to close at 954.49. Also, the NSE Lotus II depreciated by 54.61 points or 2.55 per cent to close at 2,090.74.

The Stock Market last week

A

turnover of 1.928 billion shares worth N20.990 billion in 28,832 deals were transacted last week on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 2.280 billion shares valued at N24.633 billion that exchanged hands in the previous week in 28,170 deals.

The Financial Services sector accounted for 1.510 billion shares valued at N13.532 billion traded in 17,688 deals. The Banking subsector of the Financial Services sector was the most active during the week (measured by turnover volume); with 1.074 billion shares worth N11.229 billion exchanged by investors in 11,333 deals.

Volume in the Banking subsector was largely driven by activity in the shares of UBA Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty

Trust Bank Plc. Trading in the shares of the three banks accounted for 464.928 million shares, representing 43.28 per cent, 30.79 per cent and 24.12 per cent of the turnover recorded by the subsector, sector and total equity turnover for the week, respectively.

The Conglomerates sector, boosted by activity in the shares of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc of the Diversified Industries subsector followed on the week’s activity chart with a sector turnover of 121.134 million shares valued at N299.812 billion traded in 1,210 deals.

Part of the transactions for the week included 846 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N2.035 million trad-

Index Movement The NSE All-Share Index depreciated by 334.09 points or 1.01 per cent

Summary of Price Changes A review of the equity price movements indicated that 36 equities gained while 44 equities recorded price declines and 117 equities remained constant.

When compared with the preceding week, 38 equities gained while 46 equities recorded price declines and 113 equities remained constant. BC

A18 34

Business Courage

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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2013 Audi A7: Ultimate choice for luxury T

he 2013 Audi A7 is sleek, stylish, and utterly irresistible companion for those in the market for a highend luxury sedan Audi’s contribution to this fledgling segment is the 2013 Audi A7. It’s built upon the A6 sedan (a traditional sedan), and that’s certainly a good thing.

The big difference is the A7’s sloping roof line -- unique even in this high-style segment. It makes the A7 look a bit like a hatchback, as the roof line continues to taper all the way to the tail, making the hindquarters look a bit weak from a design point of view. For most people, however, this distinctive look soon wins them over.

As with other coupe-styled four-doors, the 2013 Audi A7’s roof line comes with both benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, the big hatchbackstyle opening provides a large and versatile cargo area. Unfortunately, that sloping glass also cuts into rear-seat headroom.

But if you’re not in the business of transporting several tall adults at the same time, you’ll likely overlook this fault and revel in the A7’s potent performance, classy interior and the abundance of high-tech features that have become a hallmark of the Audi brand.

Even though this body style is relatively new, the competition is quite strong. MercedesBenz practically invented this genre with the luxury-oriented CLS-Class, and in the ensuing seven years, it has seen improvements that keep it on top of its game. BMW has also just jumped into the game with the sportier 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe, while the 2013 Porsche Panamera, in its many iterations, turns up the performance dial even further.

The 2013 Audi A7, on the other hand, is praiseworthy for its balanced blend of luxury and performance, giving the owner a healthy dose of each. It also starts out as the least expensive car in the bunch. If you find yourself in the coupe-styled luxury sedan market and you’re trying to decide among any of these cars, consider yourself lucky, as you really can’t go wrong.

Performance The 2013 A7 is powered by a supercharged 3.0 litre V6. Get behind the wheel and you control 310 horsepower alongside 325 lb.-ft. of torque, with quattro all-wheel drive securely po-

sitioned beneath your feet. The well-conditioned powertrain is controlled via an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Drivers can also tweak performance for desired effect thanks to Audi’s Drive Select, which offers Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual modes.

The combination of technology makes A7 go from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds, according to Audi.

The interior highlights As good as the A7 looks from outside, stepping inside the cabin makes you feel what Audi has accomplished in their quest for a complete driving experience. Upon first sit, style and substance can mask a comfortable experience for both driver and passengers, but it doesn’t take long to find relaxation.

Inside, the A7 is packed with technology and luxury, ranging from the “wraparound” design that gives the driver and front passenger a feeling more akin to that of a cockpit or race car.

Materials arrive in forms that simply convey a look and feel of luxury, from the colours, to the wood veneers, to the supply and contrasting leather, to the subtle metallic accents throughout.

The A7 is available with two types of leather - Milano or Valcona - which colour-coordinate with the four-spoke steering wheel and transmission selector lever. Fine grain Ash wood veneers are standard, while Dark Brown Walnut and brushed aluminium trims are optional. The seat coverings are

available in Black, Titanium Gray, Nougat Brown and Velvet Beige, while the headlining is available in Black, Lunar Silver and Silk Beige.

Being a modern Audi, the A7 is equipped with MMI, or multimedia interface, which includes an eight-inch pop-up display, a five-inch information LCD display and an optional heads-up display for the windshield. The MMI also boasts an industry first: the ability to recognize driver handwriting via the touch input pad, allowing for the input of both navigation and telephone information.

MMI also includes interfacing to control Google Earth for navigation, Google Local search and Wi-Fi connectivity for as many as eight different mobile devices.

Driver aid technologies include Audi’s adaptive cruise control system, a colour headsup display, Night vision, Audi side assist and Audi pre sense plus. If technology-based safety systems don’t tickle your fancy, Audi also offers a Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System that features 15 speakers and 1,300 watts of power to bring your music to life.

Despite a few qualms about reduced headroom, most backseat passengers should find plenty of room to stretch their legs, with 37 inches in which to do so. Luggage room is rated at 24.5 cubic feet, and A7’s power rear-hatch makes it easy to get things in & out.

Safety A luxury car wouldn’t be complete without a myriad of active and passive safety features to keep its precious occupants safe, as is the case with the A7. The A7 employs an adaptive restraint system that is integrated into the Audi pre sense safety system, which intelligently manages airbag deployment and seatbelt tensioners simultaneously in the event of a near of actual accident.

Other standard safety items include front, front knee, front side and full-length side curtain airbags in addition to traction and stability control systems and electronic brake force distribution.

Standard safety features for the 2013 Audi A7 include antilock brakes, traction and stability control, front knee airbags, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. Optional features include rear side airbags, a blind-spot warning system, front and rear collision warning/mitigation systems and an infrared night-vision display.

Extra tech is readily available in the form of adaptive cruise control, collision warning, and blind spot alert systems (Premium Plus and Prestige trims), as well as active lane assist and night vision with pedestrian warning (Prestige only).

Standard and Optional Features The A7 can be had in Premi-

um, Premium Plus and Prestige trim levels.

The Premium trim comes standard with leather upholstery, a sunroof, heated front seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, an AM/FM/CD/ SiriusXM sound system, keyless start and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Adding the Premium Plus package will swap out the standard 18-inch wheels for 19-inch units, add Audi MMI Navigation plus with Audi MMI touch and Google Earth, Audi connect with a six-month trial period, front and rear parking sensors, advanced keyless entry a seveninch colour driver information system and an eight-inch Audi MMI screen, along with HD radio, CD changer and an MP3 jukebox.

The Prestige trim builds upon the Premium Plus by adding the S line exterior styling with new bumpers and grille, adds a Bose surround sound system,, fourzone climate control, ventilated front seats, adaptive and cornering lights, power adjustable steering column and LED ambient lighting for the interior.

The Innovation Package adds LED headlights, Audio pre sense plus, adaptive cruise control with Stop and Go, Audi side assist, head up display and Night vision assistant. For the latest model year, this package adds active lane assist and corner view, which allows the driver to see around the corner on the front or rear of the car when pulling out of parking spaces or

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A19 35

Monday, March 11, 2013

Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

Autocare

sedan shoppers

Five must have car accessories

T

he best car accessories combine efficiency with style, and can make the daily commute and longer drive much more enjoyable. Options range from integrating a number of different accessories through a dock, to more elaborate remote start technology, and including pressure washers, security and air conditioning accessories. When choosing these kinds of accessories, it is important to focus on ones that actually make a car more practical, and that have long lasting uses beyond novelty value. Car dice and any purely stylistic alterations have consequently been excluded, albeit with the admission that they can be a great way to add personality to a vehicle. In terms of essential value though, these accessories should be considered:

little too light for us at cruising speed. The engine and transmission might also seem a little relaxed in Comfort mode. Dynamic mode better suited our preferences for this coupe-style car, although it made the car’s personality too intense -- an issue we’ve had with the previous calibration of Drive Select in other Audi models.

alleyways.

The Sport Packages include 19- or 20-inch wheels, a sporttuned suspension and a threespoke sport-themed steering wheel.

The Driver Assistance Package is essentially a limited version of the Innovation package aimed exclusively as safety tech, and as such adds just Audio pre sense plus, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go and Audi side assist.

The final option is the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, which adds 15 speakers with a centre channel and subwoofer, acoustic lens emerging tweets and speakers covers finished in elegant aluminium.

Driving Impressions The 2013 Audi A7 is another showcase for Audi’s excellent supercharged 3.0-liter engine.

Low-end power is abundant and readily available thanks to the responsive throttle and quickacting eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine also sounds fantastic -- smooth with just a hint of snarl -- and returns respectable fuel economy as well.

Every A7 comes with Audi’s Drive Select, which alters throttle response, shift characteristics and steering effort based on four different modes: Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual. Steering communication is rather numb in Comfort mode and the steering effort is a

Key Competitors The A7’s main rival is of course the original “four-doorsedan,” the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, though other competitors include the sleek Jaguar XK as well as the controversially-styled Porsche Panamera.

The Audi A7 is a style-focused luxury sedan intended to compete with the MercedesBenz CLS-Class. Based on the more conventionally-styled A6 sedan, this four-door coupe brings a new level of style to the segment and gives the pioneering CLS a run for its money.

While its Mercedes and BMW counterparts bring a V8 to the fight, Audi instead is relying on a supercharged 3.0-liter V6, which it interestingly refers to as a 3.0T For the latest model year, the A7 gains an engine stop/ start system that saves fuel by unobtrusively shutting off the engine when the car is coming to a standstill (the system automatically starts the motor once the driver hits the gas pedal).

While the rear of the A7 defines the vehicle from a style perspective, the front fascia and its incredibly aggressive design are not to be forgotten, including the Xenon plus headlights and LED daytime running lights as standard - with optional full LED headlights with adaptive lighting. Also not to be forgotten are the standard 18-inch wheels or available 19- or 20inch variations. BC

1 - All in One Dock It is much easier to combine a range of different entertainment and communication features into a single dock, rather than trying to integrate different ports and sensors. An entertainment dock that is either directly attached to a car stereo, or connected to wheel controls, can be used to coordinate Bluetooth devices like GPS, and enhance satellite radio. An all in one dock can similarly be used to act as a mount for a smart phone, which can run many of these features through its own operating system. More advanced docks can also be used to wirelessly connect to satellite television and rear seat DVD players, while also helping with general driving performance.

2 - Remote Start Buttons that allow you to start up a car while still at a distance can be valuable if you need to heat up the engine before approaching the car. A remote start button can also activate a dock system, and can ensure that the car is ready to go when you get into it. While the device ultimately means that you only save a few minutes of time, this can be a luxury that means you spend less time fiddling around with controls before each journey. A remote start function can also be installed through an iPhone.

3 - Improved Security Adding more advanced security features through accessories is always going to add value to your car, while providing you with peace of mind. Again, Bluetooth enabled technology can allow you to run a number of different security features through a single dock. Key security options to consider include mobile identification, as well as tracking sensors and deadlocks. Other security systems can monitor for changes in tyre pressure and car weight.

4 - Pressure Washer A hand held pressure washer represents an excellent accessory if you want to skip a visit to the car wash for a full clean, and want a quicker wash than a bucket and pad. A high quality pressure washer can be used to quickly scrub down and spray your car, and uses a range of detergents and buffers to make sure that you get a high quality wash.

5 - Air Conditioner Features Air conditioning is regularly ranked as the most important accessory that every car should have. Versatile and able to adjust to changes in temperature and pressure, a good air conditioning system can either be included as standard with a car, or can be added. Cutting edge air conditioners can deal with changes in heat and pressure in more precise ways than older models, and can also help to evaporate moisture and control humidity. BC

A20 36

Business Courage

Nigeria realised $900m from cocoa export in 2012 –Aganga

N

igeria realised about $900 million (about N144 billion) from the export of cocoa and cocoa products in 2012, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, has said.

Aganga, who disclosed this last Friday on the occasion of the National Sensitisation Workshop of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) Capacity Building in Abuja, said that the country’s cocoa export had grown over the years by an average of 40 per cent annually and a cumulative of 280 per cent from $215 million in 2006 to $822.8 million in 2010.

Aganga said the current administration consider the industry very critical to the success of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan and the Transformation Agenda. ``The strategic importance of cocoa to our national economy needs not be over-emphasised. Apart from the fact that it is the second largest foreign exchange earner after crude oil, the industry generates over two million jobs directly and indirectly along its value chain. Nigeria is the world fourth largest producer and exporter of cocoa.

Paradoxically, over 90 per cent of cocoa produced is exported,” he said.

Aganga said the non-conformity by cocoa producing countries to the regulations under the SPS will foreclose access to the lucrative markets and the consequence ``on cocoa farmers and the national economy will be disastrous’’.

Olakunle Shogbola, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment,

Aganga

said government would continue to partner with the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO).

Shogbola said this would ensure that farmers, exporters and other stakeholders in the cocoa industry benefit maximally from the project.

The Executice Director of ICCO, Jean-Marc Anga, who was represented

by Abubakar Yinusa, an official of the organistaion, said ICCO was working in cooperation with other major stakeholders, towards achieving sustainable world cocoa economy.

The SPS is operational in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire, in order to build the capacity and to effectively monitor the level of pesticide residues in the cocoa and cocoa product designated for export. BC

P

Folarin Williams, Chairman, Pharma Deko Plc

to 745kobo from 16kobo in 2011.

Similarly, shareholders’ fund moved to a positive position of N843.43 million as against a negative of N651.13 million in the previous year. However, working capital remains in the red though it improved to (N949.432 million) up from (N1.051 million).

The implication of the negative working capital is that the company is not likely going to distribute dividend for the period under review as the profit reported will have to be ploughed back into the reserve portfolio to boost its financial status. Data obtained from the NSE Daily Official List shows that the last time shareholders of the company got dividend was 2005 when it distributed 20kobo per share. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Caging the financial animal

L

Pharm Deko records improved profit margin harma Deko Plc has reported a net profit of N740.95 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2012, a whopping 4,498.1 per cent growth over N16.114 million reported in 2011. The enhanced performance came despite the 12.7 per cent decline in turnover during the period to N1.037 billion compared with N1.188 billion in 2011.

The growth in net profit according to the audited account obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was anchored on the revocation of loan liability and tax freedom. The report shows that a total of N670.80 million was added to the statement of comprehensive income under “Derecognition of loan liability and another N54.169 million due for tax was also added to the bottomline.

Prior to the addition of the two items, the operating profit of the company stood at N94.59 million which is 43.8 per cent less than N168.320 million reported in 2011.

The management lowered the cost of sales as well as cost of distribution by 10.3 and 7.3 per cent respectively during the year, as cost of sale declined to N546.71 million from N609.72 million while cost of selling and distribution was cut down to N131.34 million from N141.69 million.

Following the growth in net profit, the company’s earnings per share (EPS) as indicated in the account rose

Monday, March 11, 2013

ast Thursday, the high and mighty in politics and business gathered at the Civic Centre in Lagos for the launch of a book coauthored by former governor of Lagos State and leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Senator Bola Tinubu and former United States Consul General in Nigeria, Mr Brian Brown.

Financialism: Drawing water from and empty well, is a treatise on the alienation of the financial system from the rest of the economy, the growing tendency for profiteering and focus on nominal wealth and the far reaching consequences this has for the development of the real sector, which remains the key growth driver and creator of jobs.

Not having read the book, this is not a review, but from the summary and discussions at the event, it is clear that a conscious effort needs to be made to redirect the financial system towards performing its true function of channelling resources from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.

As the authors had noted, the 2008 financial meltdown was a fallout of the casino mentality that had engulfed bankers and securities traders on Wall Street and other global financial centres, such that in their quest to make huge profits and bonuses from merely trading paper, they created all sorts of exotic securities known as derivatives, which underlying value was pinned to the sort of loans they would ordinarily have refused to book.

It was about the financial sector rather than invest in tangible goods, in factories and industrial pursuits, chose the path of incest, investing in itself and so when the bubble burst, there was nothing to fall back on, until national governments stepped in.

The Nigerian version of such stupidity was acted out on the stock market where banks, awash with postconsolidation cash, plunged head first into the morass of share trading and manipulation, sucking in unwary citizens with their public offerings and all the rest. They lent out huge funds to individuals, stock brokers and themselves to buy their own shares and shares of other banks. This is how Intercontinental Bank (now thankfully defunct), for example ended up buying about 50 per cent of its own shares using its own stockbroking and registrar subsidiaries but with customer deposits.

Of course, when the market collapsed, having been built on air, there was blood on the streets, so to speak.

Now, after the bailout, reforms and reorganisation of the banking system,

which was imperative to prevent a really big disaster, can we truly say that much has changed in terms of channelling funds towards the productive sector?

For all we know, Nigerian banks are largely content with buying government bonds, trading in forex and on the interbank market and lending to traders rather than funding productive activity simply because government borrowing rates are high and banks pay little or nothing on deposits especially on small accounts.

While it is true that the Central Bank of Nigeria has taken steps to channel funds towards the agricultural sector, for example, it speaks volumes of the huge gap that remains when we consider the fact that bank lending to that sector only recently grew to three per cent of total portfolio even though agriculture accounts for about 45 per cent of GDP. In spite of all the talk about job creation and poverty alleviation, the banks will not touch the micro, small and medium enterprises, which provide 70 per cent of the jobs available in Nigeria today. They prefer to fund oil importation, even if they will get fried in the process.

Bankers will argue that MSMEs are risky, that they don’t keep books, that the owners are not financially literate, but they don’t say no to their deposits.

The truth is that the banks don’t care about these set of customers, which is why they were hardly factored in the plans by the Ministry of Trade and Investments to create some three million jobs in the next two years under its National Enterprise Development by largely by injecting funds into the top 25 per cent of the 17 million registered MSMEs. Instead of looking at funding from the commercial banks, the initiators are targeting government sources, multilaterals, international oil companies and high net worth individuals among others.

Yet, the banking system should be relevant to all segments of society.

Financial inclusion should not be restricted to getting people to open bank accounts and transfer money via mobile phones; they should be able to borrow to grow their businesses, raise income and standard of living including access to quality education, healthcare and housing. Most Nigerians do not require more than these basics.

The banking sector should not remain an enclave but must serve as a catalyst of industrial growth and development if this country is to be freed from the shackles of stagnation. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, March 11, 2013

A21 37

Standard Bank’s revenue up by 17 per cent

S

tandard Bank has recorded a 17 per cent rise in its revenue for the 2012 fiscal year. The bank which also trades as Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, recorded a 32 per cent growth in transactional products and services revenue, while transactional banking revenues grew by 14 per cent.

The statement by the bank said that the growth in its indices was as a result of its focus on maintaining its position in South Africa as well as the growth in chosen markets in other African countries.

It added that there was increased focus over the last few years to gain new customers, win new mandates and increase its reach.

The bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Jacko Maree, said, “Income growth far exceeded cost growth in the rest of Africa,

Maree

resulting in a lower cost-toincome ratio for the region, and allowing excellent revenue growth to translate into even better headline earnings growth of 68 per cent.

“Also, liberty results were particularly strong with headline earnings up by 42 per cent as a result of favourable investment markets and steady performance from its retail

insurance business in South Africa. We have made good progress in right-sizing our operations outside Africa.

Speaking on the future plans of the bank, Maree said as a bank servicing the real economy, it would continue to provide its customers with the financial services products and services they needed to grow.

He said, “We will continue to manage the group for longterm profitability by investing appropriately in our diverse portfolio of businesses and in the capability and wellbeing of our people, while applying a disciplined and prudent approach to risk.

“We understand that our primary aim to improve the returns we deliver to our shareholders requires that we create lasting value for all our stakeholders.” BC

NSE market capitalisation appreciates by N24bn

W

eekly transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed on a positive note last Friday with the market capitalisation appreciating by N24 billion to close at N10.51 trillion, this was against the N10.49 trillion recorded a day earlier.

Also, the NSE All-Share Index grew by 76.39 points or 0.23 per cent to close at 32,849.11 from the 32,772.72 posted on Thursday.

PZ topped the gainers’ chart with a gain of N2.38 to close at N40.40 per share.

WAPCO followed with a gain of N1.50 to close at N69 per share, while UACN appreciated

by N1.08 to close at N54.10 per share.

Oscar Onyema, DG, NSE

Northern Nigeria Flour Mills gained N1.06 to close at N22.32 per share, while Oando appreciated by N1.04 to close at N17.94 per share.

Conversely, Nestle led the losers’ chart with a loss of N13 to close at N836 per share.

NewGold trailed with a loss of

N6 to close at N2, 425 per unit while, DN Meyer lost 26k to close at N2.40 per share.

Fidson dipped by14k to close at N1.63 while, May and Baker lost 12k to close at N2.34 per share.

In all, investors exchanged 431.59 million shares worth N5.33 billion in 5,587 deals.

This was against the 350.29 million shares valued at N3.66 billion traded in 5,912 deals on Thursday.

Zenith Bank emerged the most traded stock with a total of 48.98 million shares worth N1.06 billion traded in 287 deals.

GTBank followed with a turnover of 48.69 million shares valued at N1.21 billion traded in 322 deals. BC

Dangote boosts non-oil revenue, exports 5,000 tons of bulk cement to Ghana

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ifty silo trucks from Dangote Group have exported bulk cement from its Ibese Cement Plant to Ghana.

According to Simeon Ebbah, the boss of TransRoyal Company Ltd., one of the forwarding agents handling the export, “at present, Dangote is sending 50 silo trucks as its first batch to Ghana. This action of Dangote has single-handedly boosted Nigerian non-oil export and revenue profile.”

Dangote Cement commissioned its first overseas Cement Terminal in 2011 in Accra Port in Ghana with a bagging capacity of 1.5 MTPA. The decision to opt for import terminals in Ghana was due to lack of substantial limestone deposits in the region. Ghana Cement Terminal also enables Dangote Cement supply to the neighbouring land-lock

Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Groups

nations which pay very high cost for cement due to excessive transportation cost.

This modern Cement Terminal has a dedicated berth for Cement Import equipped with high speed BHW ship unloaders, Large Fleet of Bulk Tankers to transport cement to a nearby terminal where cement is stored in silos and packed into 50 Kgs pilfer free polysacks for retail distribution.

The Ibeshe plant consists of two production lines of three million metric tonnes per annum each, and currently provides jobs for about 7,000 Nigerians.

Theplant which was commissioned on February 9, 2012, commenced production with a daily output of 12,000 metric tonnes, but it is designed with an installed capacity to produce 16,000 metric tonnes per day.

The factory is a modern plant with an installed capacity of six million metric tonnes of cement per annum and currently ranks as the largest cement plant in sub-Sahara Africa. The feat recorded by Dangote Ibese Plant remained a remarkable achievement considering the fact that the plant only came into operation last year and is now producing at full capacity. BC

Market Indicators for Week Ended 08-03-13 All-Share Index 32,849.11 points Market Capitalisation N10,511,479,381,009.13 Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

CLOSING PRICE

CHANGE

PRESTIGE

0.80

0.88

10.00

ROYALEX

0.73

0.80

9.59

PZ

38.02

40.40

6.26

OANDO

16.90

17.94

6.15

NNFM

21.26

22.32

4.99

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING PRICE

CLOSING PRICE

CHANGE

DNMEYER

2.66

2.40

FIDSON

1.77

1.63

-9.77 -7.91

MAYBAKER

2.46

2.34

-4.88

JOHNHOLT

1.90

1.81

-4.74

EVANSMED

1.75

1.67

-4.57

Inter-Bank Rates TENOR

RATE%(PREV) 01-Mar-2013

RATE%(CURR) 08-Mar-2013

CALL

11.0000 – 12.0000

10.2500 – 10.5000

OBB

11.0000 – 12.2500

9.5000 – 11.3500

Primary Market Auction TENOR 91-Days

AMOUNT (N’mn) 42057.31

RATE (%) 10.32

DATE 22-Feb-13

182-Days

60,000

10.50

22-Feb-13

364-Days

117219.06

10.60

22-Feb-13

Open Market Operation TENOR 91-Days

AMOUNT (N’mn) 32,970.71

RATE (%) 9.20

DATE 06-Mar-13

182-Days

40,000

9.45

06-Mar-13

364-Days

117,119.37

9.98

06-Mar-13

Wholesale Dutch Auction System AMOUNT OFFERED

MARKET DEMAND

AMOUNT SOLD

DATE

$150m

$150m

$150m

06-March-13

$250m

$235m

$235m

06-March-13

A22 38

Business Courage

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Neimeth Pharmaceutical: When operating cost impairs earning

By Tayo Adeleke

T

he financial performance of Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc in both top and bottom line has not been encouraging in recent time, especially as revealed in the analysis of the company financial data for year ended September 30 2012. The company recorded a loss after tax of N69.3 million compared with a profit of N113.1 million reported in the past year. The results also show a downward trend in profitability ratio and capital adequacy ratios.

Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc is the resultant Company from the Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa led Management-Buy-Out of the 60 per cent equity holding of Pfizer Inc. New York, USA in Pfizer Products Plc in May 1997 when Pfizer Inc. in pursuit of its global repositioning strategy, divested 60 per cent equity in Pfizer Products Plc. in favour of the existing management.

Before the brand name Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc.,the company had operated in Nigeria for 40 years, manufacturing, marketing, and distributing Pfizer brands of pharmaceutical and veterinary products in tablets, capsules, ointment/cream, powder, injectables, and oral liquid forms.

Business Strategies As part of its strategies to strengthen its operations, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc recently engaged stakeholders and distributors from the six-geo political zones in the country in a Business Partners Forum where issues concerning Neimeth Financial Data

improving its business strategy were discussed. The two-day event which was held in Lagos was aimed at synchronising the pricing of its products, seek distributors’ advice, make suggestions bordering on different aspects of Neimeth business, and rebuild its existing partnership since businesses will need distributors to move forward. This is coming on the heels of the company’s N715 million which it raised early 2012 from the capital market.

Ambroise Orjiakor, chairman of Neimeth, said that the company would deploy the funds to finance the introduction of new products into the market so as to enhance stakeholders’ value.

Financial Health Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Plc in its audited results for the year ended September 30, 2012, recorded a growth of 22.74 per cent in turnover over the 2011 result as turnover increased from N1.89 billion in 2011 to N2.33 billion in 2012 representing an increase of N431.7 million. However, operating profit dipped from N241.14 million in 2011 to N48.18 million in 2012.

Similarly, profit before tax decreased by 170 per cent from N123.49 million in 2011 to a negative figure of -N87.5 million in 2012 as a result of increase in financing costs, which rose from N117.7 million in 2011 to N135.69 million in 2012.

A loss after tax of N69.3 million was recorded against a profit after tax of N113 million recorded in 2011. This was as a result of the huge tax burden and interest expenses on

2012=N=(‘Nm)

2011=N=(‘Nm)

% CHG

Turnover

2,330,203

1,898,501

22.74

Cost of sales

1,028,283

791,692

29.88

Gross Profit

1,301,920

1,106,809

17.63

-87,508

123,486

-170.86 -161.29

Profit Before Taxation Profit After Taxation Total Assets Operating Expenses Distribution Expenses

-69,304

113,077

2,891,344

3,061,175

-5.55

761,564

566,311

34.48

507,506

291,948

73.83

Shareholders fund

1,576,081

1,009,987

56.05

Interest Expenses

135,692

117,700

15.29

Current Asset

2,342,313

2,523,433

-7.18

Current Liabilities

1,098,513

1,763,187

-37.7 2.24

Fixed Assets

402,981

394,163

Current Assets-stocks

1,353,448

1,436,771

-5.8

Trade Debtors

1,215,695

1,288,252

-5.63

Trade Creditors

128,808

263,393

-51.1

Profitability Ratios Return on Equity (%)

-4.4

11.2

Gross profit Margin (%)

55.87

58.3

Profit Margin(%)

-2.97

5.96

Pre tax Profit Margin (%)

-3.76

6.5

Current Ratio

2.13

1.43

Quick Ratio

1.23

0.81

0.15

Debtors(No of days)

190.42

247.68

-90.41

Creditors(No of days)

45.72

121.43

-624.08

Liquidity Ratios 0.19

liability. Similarly, quick ratio which is regarded as an acid test of liquidity for a company stood at 1.23:1 in 2012, up from 0.81:1 achieved in the previous year. This shows that the company has 123 kobo of quick assets to meet 100 kobo of its current liability. However, the number of days which debtors take to pay decreased from 248 days in 2011 to 190 days. This is a sign that the quality of the company’s debtors is improving.

Trade creditors also moved from 121 days to 46 days in 2012.

Orjiakor

borrowed funds in the review year. However, the management is optimistic that the efficient use of the funds raised recently at the capital market will reduce the company’s exposure to borrow funds and increase profitability in the coming year.

Profitability Ratios Financial analysis performed on Neimeth’s financial report for the year ended September 2012 showed a reduced performance as profitability measuring indices nosedived when compared with the previous year.

Gross profit margin dropped by 2.43 basis points to close at 55.87 per cent from 58.30 per cent in 2011 report.

In a similar development, profit before tax margin was down by 10.26 basis points to a negative figure of -3.76 per cent from 6.57 per cent while the company posted a loss margin of -2.97 per cent from 5.96 per cent in 2011. The implication of this is that the company incurred more in the review year, having recorded 102.97 per cent cost to income ratio in 2012 compared with 94.04 per cent

in 2011. A cursory look at the company’s five year financial summary shows that the cost has been on high, a situation that needs urgent attention by the management. Return on equity (ROE) which shows how much earnings is attributed to shareholders decreased to a negative figure of 4.40 per cent from 11.2 per cent in 2011.

Liquidity Ratios Liquidity ratios which show if companies have the financial power to sustain its business operation in years to come revealed a downward trend. A cursory look at the company’s liquidity position shows that despite recording healthy assets in the last two years, the company would not be able to meet its entire financial obligation if all its debtors were to come up at once. Current ratio which expresses relationship between the current liability and current assets stood at 2.13:1 in 2012 against 1.43:1 in the previous year. Meaning that, Neimeth has N2.13 of current assets to meet N1.00 of its current

Cost Management Neimeth’s direct cost of sales increased from N791.69 million in 2011 to N1.03 billion in 2012, representing a growth of 30 per cent. A point worthy of note here is the difference in growth trend between the direct cost of sales and the gross income earned by the company. It will be recalled that sales grew by 23 per cent in the review year. The variance between its growth rates is not moderate and the implication of this is that, the top line growth does not translate to the bottom line earnings, because the company has not been efficient in its cost control. As a result of the backdrop of interest on borrowed funds; the company makes provision for interest charge as interest charges increased significantly in the review period. An analysis of the interest on loan reveals that the company provided N135.7 million in 2012 against N118 million recorded in the same period of 2011, representing 15 per cent increase.

Future The management of Neimeth Plc said with recent the fresh funds, the company is fully positioned to take full advantage of the emerging potential in today’s business world.

According to Orjiakor, “We now have the capacity to bring innovative and niche products to the market for the next six quarters non-stop, and following the levels of success of our Right Issues success, the company would be looking at various product candidates from our heavy pipeline of products.” He assured shareholders that they were in for good returns as the pharmaceutical industry in the country is currently experiencing positive developments.

However, the management of the company needs to do more in terms of cost control and interest charges to bring the company back to profitability by the end of ongoing financial year. There is also the need for diversification, into business areas that are less capital intensive with modest operating cost. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage A23 39

Monday, March 11, 2013

STOCKWATCH Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, Mar 08, 2013 SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 0.56 OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 55.00 PRESCO PLC 25.29 Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. NT Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 2.21 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. NT CHELLARAMS PLC. NT JOHN HOLT PLC. 1.81 S C O A NIG. PLC. NT U A C N PLC. 54.10 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. NT CAPPA & D’ALBERTO PLC. NT Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. NT G CAPPA PLC NT Non--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. NT ROADS NIG PLC. NT Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT UACN PROPERTY DEV 14,9 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC NT UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV NT CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 0.50 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 4.15 GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. NT GUINNESS NIG PLC 265.00 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 21.85 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. NT NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 162.50 PREMIER BREWERIES PLC NT Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 47.50 Food Products BIG TREAT PLC NT DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 9.23 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 8.03 FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 76.20 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 3.05 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC NT N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. 22.32 NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 9.32 P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. NT U T C NIG. PLC. 0.80 UNION DICON SALT PLC. NT Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 32.90 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 836.00 Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. NT VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 3.86 VONO PRODUCTS PLC. NT Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 40.40 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 52.14 Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 11.50 DIAMOND BANK PLC 7.31 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 13.90 FIDELITY BANK PLC 3.21 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. 5.05 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 24.81 SKYE BANK PLC 6.20 STERLING BANK PLC. 2.59 U B A PLC 8.02 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 10.01 UNITY BANK PLC 0.84 WEMA BANK PLC. 1.20 ZENITH BANK PLC 21.70 Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC NT AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 0.94 CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC NT CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 1.05 CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. NT CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 2.00 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. NT GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC NT GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC 0.50 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. NT INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC NT INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC 0.50 INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. NT LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. NT LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. NT LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC 2.43 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. NT N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.92 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NT OASIS INSURANCE PLC NT PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 0,78 REGENCY ALLIANCE INS. COY PLC NT SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 0.51 STACO INSURANCE PLC NT STANDARD ALLIANCE INS. PLC. NT UNIC INSURANCE PLC. NT UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC NT UNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC NT Micro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NT NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 1.14 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY BUILDING SOCIETY PLC NT ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 0.50 RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC NT Other Financial Institutions CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT DEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC NT FBN HOLDINGS PLC 20.00 NIG SEW. MACH. MAN. CO. PLC. NT NIGERIA ENERYGY SECTOR FUND NT ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.80 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 12.98 HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. NT Medical Equipment UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC 0.50 Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 2.23 Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 1.67 FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 1.63 GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 50.00 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 2.34

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 08-03-13

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

Previous

2 863 548 17 746 443 490

0.64 34.01 16.15

0.50 14.53 6.40

2 200 000 000 476 955 000 1 000 000 000

0.10 6.73 2.75

N/A 2.71 -0.94

0.55 53.55 25.53

NT

4.26

4.26

60 000 000

0.00

N/A

NT

833 288

1.70

0.48

1 199 549 736

0.11

0.45

2.20

NT NT 145 200 NT 1 004 624

2.54 7.60 8.82 8.28 42.50

0.74 5.81 5.32 5.52 28.70

2 191 895 983 963 900 300 389 151 408 821 666 666 1 600 720 323

0.08 0.24 0.00 0.35 6.89

#VALUE! N/A N/A N/A N/A

NT NT 2.00 NT 50.00

NT NT

26.00 95.49

14.09 95.49

148 500 000 196 876 000

0.00 4.50

N/A N/A

NT NT

NT NT

7.97 14.46

2.46 14.46

920 573 765 125 000 000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

60 337 3 946

62.26 8.69

21.55 3.01

1 200 000 000 20 000 000

4.93 4.73

#VALUE! N/A

54.00 10.07

NT 1 246 500

7.28 20.15

7.28 8.82

1 375 000 000

0.00 1.66

N/A #VALUE!

NT 14,9

NT NT

100.00 50.00

97.00 50.00

20 000 000 250 019 781

11.75 0.75

N/A N/A

NT NT

200 000

0.50

0.50

4 772 528 415

0.00

N/A

0.50

14 000 NT 247 222 420 225 NT 4 342 058 NT

4.63 0.68 265.00 12.83 3.20 138.85 0.97

2.23 0.68 186.00 5.23 1.61 72.50 0.93

900 000 000 272 160 000 1 474 925 519 2 112 914 681 562 000 000 7 562 562 340 126 000 000

0.00 0.03 9.46 0.25 0.00 5.08 0.00

N/A N/A 1678.52 N/A N/A 0.62 N/A

4.15 NT 14.90 21.85 NT 161.50 NT

4 512

48.91

38.31

640 590 362

2.69

N/A

47.50

NT 741 518 20 885 785 126 210 2 649 072 NT 180 000 538 855 NT 86 461 NT

0.50 19.90 16.20 95.00 6.60 2.70 43.96 6.70 5.66 0.88 4.22

0.50 4.15 3.64 52.50 1.91 1.00 20.41 3.86 5.66 0.50 4.22

2 000 000 000 5 000 000 000 12 000 000 000 1 879 210 666 7 930 197 658 3 722 493 620 178 200 000

0.00 0.00 0.91 3.79 0.51 0.00 2.50 1.07 0.08 1.13 0.00

N/A -1.81 -0.25 0.09 1.33 N/A N/A 1.19 N/A 2.56 N/A

NT 9.40 8.05 76.13 3.01 NT NT 9.21 NT 0.78 NT

40 000 000 1 233 375 004 360 000 000

6 023 789 131 176

29.20 684.00

9.15 367.83

3 129 188 160 792 656 250

1.35 25.43

-7.32 -5.64

35.50 886.00

NT NT 439 700 NT

15.58 42.66 6.75 3.67

10.03 34.39 3.01 2.66

63 360 000 819 000 000 300 000 001

3.90 1.61 0.54 0.00

N/A N/A 0.26 N/A

NT NT 3.85 NT

733 734 345 634

43.50 41.60

22.07 22.56

3 176 381 636 3 783 296 250

0.70 1.44

0.00 4.28

40.40 50.00

NT

0.97

0.57

843 284 027

0.00

N/A

NT

11 876 959 23 653 488 578 092 9 675 171 5 726 696 48 683 222 4 984 966 18 062 903 17 338 056 2 644 368 16 918 579 2 752 903 48 975 835

11.70 9.27 17.05 3.20 8.30 20.30 10.17 2.91 5.21 10.07 1.92 1.75 21.10

4.76 2.01 9.97 1.14 3.04 11.64 2.73 0.97 1.64 1.96 0.50 0.50 11.70

17 888 251 479 14 475 243 105 9 873 614 567 28 974 797 023 16 271 192 202 29 146 482 209 13 219 334 676 12 563 091 545 32 334 693 693 13 509 726 273 33 675 576 085 12 821 249 880 31 396 493 790

1.42 0.90 2.81 0.43 0.60 2.10 0.71 0.54 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.09

-1.71 0.27 -0.71 0.94 2.43 -0.08 1.31 -3.72 -0.12 0.10 0.00 1.69 2.84

11.70 7.29 14.00 3.18 4.93 24.83 6.12 2.69 8.03 10.00 0.92 1.18 21.10

NT 17 001 380 NT NT 2 524 310 NT 733 600 NT NT 10 000 NT NT 127 000 NT NT NT 123 965 3 088 500 NT 6 137 827 NT NT 37 748 630 NT 23 043 521 NT NT NT NT NT

0.50 1.01 0.64 0.50 1.20 0.50 3.51 0.50 0.69 0.50 0.50 0.80 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 1.93 0.50 0.66 1.11 0.50 2.35 0.50 0.52 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 0.61 0.50 1.31 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.95 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

20 585 000 000 7 809 391 256 211 626 000 6 000 000 000 10 372 624 157 8 820 010 363 5 100 846 808 8 847 298 420 4 549 947 000 3 827 485 380 720 000 000 5 061 804 000 6 420 427 449 28 000 000 000 7 323 313 227 3 437 330 500 4 083 713 569 10 000 000 000 7 998 705 336 5 332 830 881 5 649 693 923 5 003 506 791 2 508 315 436 6 668 750 000 5 203 757 266 6 141 087 609 8 493 173 450 2 581 733 505 13 000 000 000 16 000 000 000

0.00 0.05 0.00 0.05 0.14 0.02 0.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.16 0.01 0.37 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A 0.00 13.55 N/A 8.24 N/A N/A #VALUE! N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

NT 0.99 NT NT 1.05 NT 1.89 NT NT NT NT NT 0.50 NT 0.50 NT NT 2.14 NT 0.85 NT NT 0,78 NT 0.53 NT NT NT NT NT

NT 1 345 858

6.00 1.15

0.00 1.00

NT 10 000 610 000 1

1.51 0.50 0.50 0.99

1.33 0.50 0.50 0.50

4 200 000 000 8 679 148 676 13 175 732 404 7 812 500 000

0.03 0.02 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A N/A

NT NT 0.50 NT

NT NT 11 028 748 NT NT 91 227 509 526

0.61 2.02 17.01 0.15 552.20 0.66 11.38

0.50 2.02 8.50 0.15 555.20 0.50 6.40

3 778 005 975 1 333 333 333 32 632 084 358 5 880 000 2 500 000 3 608 657 661 18 750 000 000

0.00 0.00 3.03 0.00 12.65 0.00 0.87

N/A N/A 1.01 N/A N/A N/A -0.15

NT NT 19.80 NT NT 0.85 13.00

NT

5.31

5.05

498 600 908

0.12

N/A

NT

386 456

0.50

0.50

3 553 138 528

0.00

N/A

0.50

157 327

10.54

7.39

152 178 750

0.06

N/A

2.23

279 623 3 952 872 41 900 1 921 000

1.45 3.20 39.00 5.61

0.50 0.76 19.30 1.62

486 473 856 1 500 000 000 956 701 192 980 000 000

0.00 0.44 2.62 0.20

-1.76 -4.12 4.25 -7.51

1.70 1.70 47.96 2.53

N/A=Not Avialable

0.01 0.07

NT 1.14

SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 0.95 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. NT PHARMA-DEKO PLC. NT ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.50 Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC 0.50 Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC NT IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 18.45 TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. NT Processing Systems CHAMS PLC 0.50 E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC NT Telecommunications Carriers STARCOMMS PLC NT Telecommunications Services IHS NIGERIA PLC PREF SHARES NT IHS PLC NT MTI PLC NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. NT ASHAKA CEM PLC 24.00 BERGER PAINTS PLC 9.96 CAP PLC 36.30 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 10.81 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 142.50 DN MEYER PLC. NT FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC NT IPWA PLC 0.90 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 69.00 PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC 1.76 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC NT PREMIER PAINTS PLC. NT Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC NT CUTIX PLC. 1.75 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. NT NIGERIAN WIRE IND. PLC NT Packaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS NT BETA GLASS CO PLC. 9.49 GREIF NIGERIA PLC NT NIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC 2.70 POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT W A GLASS IND. PLC. NT Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC NT STOKVIS NIG PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 7.57 Metals ALUMACO PLC NT ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. NT Non-Metallic Mineral Mining MULTIVERSE PLC NT Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. NT OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.72 Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 17.94 Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors AFROIL PLC NT BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 0.50 CONOIL PLC 25.20 ETERNA PLC. 3.64 FORTE OIL PLC. 12.88 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 125.00 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 27.55 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 148.11 SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC NT Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. NT Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 2.21 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 3.78 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. NT Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. 0.67 Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC 0.50 Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC 6.27 IKEJA HOTEL PLC 0.86 TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. NT TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 1.95 Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.50 Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 2.05 LEARN AFRICA PLC 2.03 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. NT UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 4.50 Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 0.59 Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC NT SECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC NT Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 4.75 NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 8.09 ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC 0.97 Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. 0.60 HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT ADSWITCH PLC. 1.63 NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT OIL AND GAS Petroleum & Petroleum Products Distributors ANINO INTERNATIONAL PLC. NT CAPITAL OIL PLC 0.50 RAK UNITY PET. COMP. PLC. NT UNION VENTURES & PET. PLC NT SERVICES Apparel Retailers UDEOFSON GARMENT FACT. NIG PLC NT Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT JULI PLC. 2.76 ETF’s Sector ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND 2 638.00

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

Previous

145 553 NT NT

1.96 12.91 4.28

0.76 8.59 3.50

1 925 717 268 153 786 012 100 000 000

0.09 0.00 0.00

-5.00 N/A N/A

1.00 NT NT

212 000

0.52

0.50

2 960 000 000

0.10

0.00

0.50

200

0.50

0.50

2 941 789 472

0.00

N/A

0.50

NT

0.91

0.91

4 966 666 668

0.00

N/A

NT

122 NT

18.28 3.59

13.12 2.41

108 000 000 492 825 600

0.00 0.01

N/A N/A

16.75 NT

13 873 NT

0.50 4.97

0.50 4.04

4 620 600 000 4 200 000 000

0.00 0.04

N/A N/A

0.50 NT

NT

1.47

0.50

6 878 478 096

0.00

N/A

NT

NT NT NT

2.25 3.50 0.50

0.00 2.46 0.50

4 400 000 000 4 893 594 400

0.00 0.00 0.00

N/A N/A N/A

NT NT NT

NT 2 285 093 72 412 19 754 665 620 250 774 NT NT 1 112 980 433 185 1 000 NT NT

3.32 30.00 12.57 43.98 15.49 132.51 3.51 0.75 0.99 56.50 3.36 5.28 13.40

2.86 9.10 7.27 14.50 4.20 95.00 0.93 0.50 0.91 37.00 0.52 2.27 10.93

260 000 000 2 239 453 125 217 367 585 560 000 000 1 241 548 285 15 494 019 668 242 908 200 2 109 928 275 513 696 000 3 001 600 004 792 914 256 400 000 000 75 000 000

0.00 2.14 1.09 2.28 1.47 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.10 0.26 0.23 0.00

N/A -1.56 4.84 0.00 -2.17 -3.71 N/A N/A N/A 2.22 N/A N/A N/A

NT 24.38 9.50 36.30 11.05 147.99 NT NT 0.93 67.50 NT NT NT

NT 460 049 NT NT

2.00 2.50 0.73 2.58

2.00 1.33 0.50 2.58

510 396 608 2 220 000 000 15 000 000

0.03 0.11 0.00 0.00

N/A -7.89 N/A N/A

NT 1.90 NT NT

NT NT 6 961 NT 2 717 101 NT NT

3.98 6.91 12.71 15.03 3.60 1.86 0.63

3.98 2.19 9.53 13.28 1.60 1.05 0.63

N/A N/A

42 640 000 6 215 000 000 240 000 000 199 066 550

0.00 0.05 0.05 0.90 0.24 0.22 0.00

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A

NT NT 9.49 NT 2.70 NT NT

NT NT

8.69 0.14

8.26 0.14

265 409 280 2 918 000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

NT NT

25 000 000 683 974 528

67 936

9.20

5.70

393 120 000

0.76

0.00

7.57

NT NT

7.75 12.39

7.75 10.55

75 600 000 100 000 000

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20.71 0.70 41.89 5.59 28.69 163.50 72.00 240.00

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125 487 475 3 716 976 579 693 952 117 1 249 162 828 1 080 280 628 300 496 051 253 988 672 339 521 837

0.00 0.00 0.47 0.61 0.00 6.11 3.62 14.63

N/A N/A 0.00 -4.21 0.00 -2.72 N/A -2.26

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41

Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

“On no account should courts of law be hungry or have the gluttony for jurisdiction” RETIRED JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA, JUSTICE NIKI TOBI

FG should sustain war against corruption –Kuliya 42 Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Aloma Mukhtar

Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Adoke

Retired judges should make up NJC, say Sagay, Adekoya

75 UK judges sanctioned for misconduct in 2012 43

The Itsekiri, Okere-Urhobo communal land dispute 47

One of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy is the existence of an independent judiciary devoid of errant judges. To some senior lawyers, this can be better achieved when the National Judicial Council (NJC) is restructured and made up of retired judges, writes KAYODE KETEFE, Assistant Head, Judiciary Desk.

J

udicial officers are entrusted with great responsibilities as they are arbiters of disputes and dispensers of justice.

They make pronouncement on the rights, duties, claims, obligations and liabilities of the parties before them in exercise of the Section four of the1999 Constitution, which vests judicial powers on the Nigerian courts. While Nigerian judicial officers may be said to have exercised these powers creditably, observers of the present-day justice system would admit there are still much to be desired from some of our magistrates and judges. Perhaps the most obvious criticism known to even commoners is that some judges do, at times, grant outrageous exparte injunctions.

Other vices associated with Nigerian judges include harassment of lawyers and treating them with indignity in the courtrooms, undue harassment of journalists, laziness on the Bench, granting of frivolous adjournments and sitting late beyond the conventional 9 am. Others include high handedness of judges, descent by judges into arena of disputes of the litigants instead of remaining neutral, partisanship and of course, outright corruption, which

may take many forms.

All these do hamper smooth administration of justice. The National Judicial Council (NJC), which is a body statutorily saddled with responsibilities of appointment and discipline of judicial officers, is seen in many quarters as being too conservative and lethargic in dealing with issue of discipline of erring judges.

It is only recently when the Judiciary organ is being buffeted by a deluge of criticisms over corruption that the Council seems to have been more alive to its responsibilities.

This can be seen in the recent recommendation of the Council for removal of two judges, Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Justice Thomas Naron of the Plateau State High Court, through compulsory retirement on the alleged grounds of unethical behav-

THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE NJC WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN CHECKING INDISCIPLINE BY JUDGES

iours. The recommendations have since been sanctioned by the appropriate executive authorities.

The rampancy of the indiscipline attitude on the Nigerian Bench was well captured by the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu SAN, while speaking at a forum in Abuja recently. Daudu said, “The judiciary is part of the tripod that the government of this country rests on. To effectively discharge this function, the judiciary must be fearless, industrious and honest, and, above all, shun corruption.

“It is apparent that the input of the Bar in matters concerning the appointment of judges and justices of all superior courts of this country is minimal or, indeed, nonexistent.’

Daudu also made reference to the NJC records over the past seven years, which showed that only 20 percent of judges across the country were ranked as average or fairly good.

The former NBA president further tasked the Bar’s Judiciary committee to help to identify and flush out indolent judicial officers from the Nigerian Judiciary.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

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FG should sustain war against corruption –Kuliya Mr. Umar Malik Kuliya is the Attorney- General and Commissioner of Justice, Kano State. In this interview with FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary, he speaks on the challenges in the state Ministry of Justice, constitution amendment, the recent EFCC policy requiring lawyers to disclose their briefs above certain financial limits and justice administration in the country. Excerpts. these transactions. Let them go and concentrate on their investigation of crime and leave lawyers alone.

Kuliya

How did you meet the state of the courts and the judiciary in Kano State when you assumed office as the Attorney -General of the state about a year and half ago?

Our courts structures were so woeful and they were built many decades ago, so we had to make it fit for judicial functions. Many of our courts particularly the area courts, one was operating from a garage – very small and unsuitable for courts. So when we came we decided to put a stop to that. We have constructed 27 new magistrate Courts across the state and 28 other Courts. So under one and a half years we have 53 new courts, fully furnished and quite conducive to be used as courtrooms. We have renovated other courts across the state. Up till June 2011 when we came into office, some of our courts were still using manual typewriters. So we have put a stop to that and we now use computers, each fitted with printers. Also, the welfare of judicial officers is being catered for.

What are other challenges so far and how will you address them?

The most important challenge is to change the way people work. Civil service is about service but people take civil service as a place where you go and just sit down and gossip without doing any work. People should take government service seriously, the way it should be, they should come regularly and perform their functions efficiently, particularly when what you do involves justice administration that impacts on the life of the people; so that we don’t allow people to languish in prison.

I WILL NOT SUPPORT THE EFCC POLICY REQUIRING LAWYERS TO DISCLOSE FINANCIAL DETAILS OF THEIR BRIEFS BECAUSE IN OUR PROFESSION THERE IS THE PRINCIPLE OF CONFIDENTIALITY BETWEEN A CLIENT AND HIS LAWYER Would you support the move by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that lawyers should be made to disclose all financial transactions done on behalf of their clients when the amounts involved are beyond certain limits?

I will not support this because in our profession there is absolute privilege between a client and his lawyer, and just as you cannot tell a doctor to come and disclose the illness of his patient. How can you tell a lawyer to come and disclose what he has discussed with his client?

Certainly, no lawyer will do that and it is not done anywhere so it cannot happen in Nigeria. Whatever communications you received from your client is privileged, not even a court can force you to disclose so EFCC cannot force them to disclose

Is it correct to say that the Kano State Government has finally resolved the bill board crisis with the Outdoor Adverting Association of Nigeria (OAAN)?

We are in the process of resolving the crisis and we are happy that parties are now planning out- of court -settlement.

What brought all this is perhaps our desire to force sanity on the environment because when we came in we found bill boards all over the place. Secondly is the revenue drive and thirdly, is the quality of the bill boards, some are ramshackle billboards, which turned into an eyesore because they are unfriendly to the eyes.

Billboards should improve the beauty of the place. You would have noticed that we are expanding major Kano roads, so some of the billboards will have to go.

The 1999 constitution is currently being amended and this has engendered a lot of criticisms. Some critics argued that the problem is not with the Constitution but its implementation, there are others who say the country needs a new constitution. What is the position of Kano State judiciary on this?

Our constitution is okay, we don’t need to do any amendment. Kano State’s position has always being that nothing needs to be amended. The constitutional amendment ab initio was used for other interests being pursued. Starting from the National Assembly for example, who needs a new state now? Who needs new local governments now? Who needs even State police? We are saying that we are not ripe for that.

Most of the key things that are being proposed for amendment are simply outside our concern, what we need to improve our society is good governance,

transparency and accountability and war against corruption but all these additional structures are unnecessary burdens on the treasury. So we should concentrate on strengthening the institutions.

Why is it difficult to tackle corruption in the country?

That is because people are not being punished for corruption. Look at the high- profile cases all over our courts; tell me a single governor who has been convicted out of those that are being investigated, not a single one. For everybody it is business as usual and people steal so much money. From the inception of the EFCC to date what have they done? Most of the people that are being punished, if you look closely, you will find some political undertones. It is a shame, people steal in Nigeria, they are not punished but they are arrested abroad and they are punished. So how can we say that we are fighting corruption, so we should sit up and punish corrupt leaders.

Considering the recent conviction of John Yakubu Yusuf, former Director, Police Pension Board, would you advocate the harmonisation of the Penal and Criminal Code in the country?

In crimes you cannot harmonize the laws. There are some crimes that peculiar to some states. Take the Criminal Code for example; you have bigamy, which says that you cannot marry more than one wife. If you have such law here in the North, almost everyone will be liable. That is the beauty of a federal set up; you are free to look at your peculiar circumstances to tackle peculiar problems. If you are in a place where there is so much armed robbery for example what you do is to take care of that.

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43

state govts 75 UK judges sanctioned FG, should elevate plight for misconduct in 2012 of disabled persons Foreign

Attorney-General of England and Wales, Dominic Grieve.

M

ore than 75 judges were disciplined for misconduct last year, official figures show, with some banned after being jailed for crimes as serious as blackmail and manslaughter.

According to the Telegraph, overall there were 1,615 complaints made against the approximately 30,000 members of the judiciary and magistracy in England and Wales during 2011-12.

This was a slight fall on the previous year, the Office for Judicial Complaints said in its annual report.

But almost half that is about 789

complaints were decided and 251 are still being investigated.

A further 601 complaints alleged inappropriate behaviour or comments, 34 claimed discrimination by judges, 24 were linked with criminal proceedings and eight allegations were made about professional conduct.

In all 79 members of the judiciary were made subject to formal disciplinary action while a further eight were given “guidance” or told to undergo training.

The statistics show that 30 judges were removed from office, 22 were reprimanded, one was suspended and 14 resigned while under investigation.

Details of individual cases in the most recent year show that one JP, Rashpal Chana, was removed from the magistracy in Birmingham after being sentenced to four and a half years in jail for manslaughter.

He was convicted over the death of a two-year-old daughter of a

girlfriend, who suffered serious burns from a scalding shower but was not taken to hospital for more than a week.

Robert Dell, a magistrate in Sutton Coldfield, lost his post after being jailed for seven years for blackmailing a man in order to pay a drug debt.

Beatrice Bolton became infamous when she stormed out of a court in Carlisle, as she was convicted of letting her German shepherd bite a neighbour.

The judge retired on medical grounds in January 2012 before the disciplinary process against her had finished.

Shanaz Hussain, a JP in Pendle, was convicted of a £360,000 mortgage fraud by forging her estranged husband’s signature.

A magistrate in West Suffolk, Peter Hiett, was removed from his office after a panel found “his behaviour and appearance while shopping fell below the standards expected”.

Bernadette MacDonald-Raggett, who sat on the Bench in Dorset, resigned after “behaving in an offensive manner towards another magistrate”.

The most senior judge to be disciplined in the past year was Lord Justice Thorpe, who was reprimanded in January 2012 after he was banned from driving for accumulating 12 points on his licence. He had been caught speeding and going through red lights.

Scores of improper behaviour by US federal judges

U

nder Article III of the United States Constitution, federal court judges “hold their offices during good behaviour with compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office”. This has been interpreted to give lifetime tenure to federal judges.

Federal Judges can be removed only by impeachment. The House of Representatives brings formal charges against the judge and the judge is then tried in the Senate. If convicted the judge is then removed. However, this is a very difficult and protracted process and most infrequent.

On February 6, 2008, Massachusetts U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Somma, was pulled over following a minor car accident and charged with United States Attorney-General, Eric Holder driving while intoxicated. He wore high & Lund, as senior counsel. While he heels, stockings and a cocktail dress at was not charged with ethical misthe time, and the arresting officer noted conduct, apparently his penchant for that the judge had to retrieve his driv- cross-dressing and drunk driving was er’s license from his purse. too much for the dignity of the federal Somma pleaded no contest to the courts. misdemeanour charge; his license was The resignation of another federal suspended for a year and he was or- judge, U.S. District Court Judge Edward dered to pay a $600 fine. He tendered his W. Nottingham, became effective Octoresignation two days later. However, af- ber 29, 2008. Nottingham, who served as ter more than 200 attorneys signed on the chief judge for the District of Coloto a letter of support submitted to the rado, came under fire when a messy First Circuit Court of Appeals, Somma divorce settlement with his third wife sought to rescind his resignation. revealed scandalous details about his Somma is now employed at the Bos- personal life, and his problems steamton law firm of Posternak Blankstein rolled from there.

The first of four complaints against Nottingham was related to his admission in his divorce case that he had spent $3,000 during a single night at a strip club. Complaint number two was lodged by a disabled attorney who blocked Nottingham’s car with her wheelchair after he parked in a handicap parking space. The attorney said Nottingham identified himself as a federal judge and threatened her. He was fined $100 for the incident.

A third complaint accused Nottingham of soliciting prostitutes using his court-issued cell phone and visiting an escort service’s website while at work.

He was also accused of lying to investigators about the accusations.

On October 10, 2008, a fourth complaint was filed after a prostitute testified that Nottingham was one of her clients and had asked her to lie to federal authorities investigating their relationship.

Although Nottingham referred to the issues raised in the complaints as “private and personal matters involving human frailties and foibles,” he announced his resignation on October 21, 2008. The misconduct charges were then dropped by the Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit as being moot. The Council noted that the former chief judge “may have made false statements” during the disciplinary investigation, but he was not criminally charged.

–NGOs

K AYODE KETEFE

A

coalition of two non-governmental organizations, Legal Assistance and Defence Project (LEDAP) and the United Kingdom (UK) -based Equal Rights Trust (ERT) have called on Federal Government and governments at all level to implement policies that improve the lots of the persons living with disabilities in the country.

The groups, which made this recommendation at end of a seminar last week stated that this category of persons have become endangered species in the county.

LEDAP and ERT said their conclusions were drawn from a research conducted in all the 36 states of the federation.

The seminar attracted a number of stakeholders in the administration of justice including representatives from Nigerian Prison Service, National Human Rights Commission, office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Justice.

In a statement issued to newsmen at the end of the seminar and signed by both the Executive Director of LEDAP, Mr. Chino Obiagwu and a Legal Officer of the ERT, Ms. Joanna Whiteman, the groups tasked the government to, among other things, make torture a criminal offence as well as educate law enforcement agents on the issue of the rights of the people living with disabilities.

The statement reads in part, “People with disabilities are at higher risk of torture including flogging with whips, suspension from the ceiling and beatings with machetes in police custody than other suspects. These abuses are carried out with impunity, because there is not independent monitoring of these facilities, and no accountability of staff.

“People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of physical abuse by law enforcement agents. We heard testimonies of people with disabilities who were beaten and verbally abused by law enforcement agents who used discriminatory language against them before beating them.

“The government has the responsibility to protect all people- including those with disabilities, from exploitation, violence and abuse. For example, witchcraft, stigmatisation, results in widespread inhuman treatment of children in Nigeria and children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to this an abuse as their disability is believed to be a curse.

“We heard from children who were inhumanely treated as a result of witchcraft stimatisation and who had received no adequate protection by the state from the actions of their family.”

“We found that prisons do not provide any special assistance to disabled prisoners. This means that people with disabilities in prisons are suffering even more than the other prisoners.

“For example mobility devices such as crutches are not permitted, meaning that people are left unable to walk even to the toilet facilities.”

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Monday, March 11, 2013

‘Corrupt judges have no business on the Bench’

45

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS HOW TO SAFEGUARD INTEREST OF CHILDREN IN MARITAL DISPUTES •In Nigeria today, a family is created within the confines of the legal framework provided by the institution of marriage that may be either of statutory marriage, customary marriage and Islamic marriage.

•There is in existence a Family division of the High Court of Lagos State to deal with marital disputes and issues such as child custody and adoption.

•In marital disputes, the paramount consideration is the interest of the child because the biggest sufferers in judicial separation are the children.

•When the marriage is eventually brought to an end, and the parties cannot agree, the court has to settle the issues of where the children will live and the right of non-custodial parent.

•By virtue of the Matrimonial Causes Act (MCA), the court has the power not declare a divorce absolute until it is satisfied that proper and adequate arrangements have been made for the advancement, education and welfare of the children.

Sagay

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 Concerning the attitude of judges who sit at late hours beyond the conventional time of 9 am, a former National Vice- President of the NBA, Mr. Adekunle Ojo said, “As far as I am concerned, a hardworking and disciplined Judge will sit in the court by 9 am, there is no basis for any judge to sit late, except for some protocol reasons, for example, when a Judge is stuck in the traffic jam or some unforeseen circumstances that the judge cannot control.

The truth is that what applies to the Bench also applies to the bar. It is an act of indiscipline for any Judge to sit late other than reasons that has to do with administrative and logistics.”

National Mirror sought the views of some lawyers on how to improve on the present procedure of discipline of judicial officers.

Prof. Itse Sagay said that restructuring the NJC itself would go a long way in checking indiscipline by judges.

Sagay said, “There is need for retired justices to be the main group composing the National Judicial Council. The Head, the Deputy Head and the largest number of people there should be retired justices.

Not those who are still on the Bench who could have issues and would not be able to carry out their functions properly; we don’t want those whose conduct may come under scrutiny and then would become judges in their own cases as we have seen in the past.

We need to sanctify the NJC itself ” Another lawyer, Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN, spoke in similar manner by focusing on the NJC. She said, “I believe and I think it is the position of the Nigerian Bar Association that the disciplinary functions of the National Judicial Council should be vested in retired judges, so, that there is no interest to be served, you’ve retired and you’ve left.

“If the disciplinary committee is composed of people who are retired, they have no axe to ground, they will see it and say it the way it is. The same thing, if it is an ordinary judge, if the people sitting on the disciplinary committee are fellow judges from his state, they may find it difficult to say this man is guilty. So, we have to insulate people holding the disciplinary power from the influences of friendship and fellowship.”

Chief Gani Adetola-Kazeem, SAN, lambasted the attitude of some lazy judges. He said “There are some applications that could be dealt with off the cuff while ruling is delivered immediately. A lazy or less skillful judge would adjourn such applications for

Adekoya

I THINK IT IS THE POSITION OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION THAT THE DISCIPLINARY FUNCTIONS OF THE

NATIONAL JUDICIAL COUNCIL

SHOULD BE VESTED IN RETIRED JUDGES ruling. These are some of the things that frustrate speedy resolution of cases. The skill and knowledge of the judge is also a factor on whether a case would be concluded speedily or not. This is one of the areas we should focus on if we want to improve administration of justice” Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, believes any judge that has proved himself or herself unequal, to the task or who is corrupt or unethical has no business being on the Bench. He, however, called for caution in the process of flushing out the bad eggs in order not to unduly cow the disciplined, ethical and hardworking ones. He said, “We certainly need a cleansing in the Judiciary. But this cleansing must be thorough because Judiciary, as it were, is the last hope of the common man. The removal of the bad eggs must be done against well-defined criteria so that only the judges who actually engaged in unethical practices are removed from the system.

“Again, we must be careful the way we go about it. We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater; so that we don’t create a dangerous situation where honest judges would be afraid to exercise their free and unfettered discretion on the grounds that their decisions may not be popular.”

Ojo further said, “I have always been of the opinion that the National Judicial Council (NJC) should constitute a body that monitors and oversees the activities of all Magistrates and Judges with a view to ensuring that they pay strict adherence to the practices of justice system.

“I also believe Judges shouting on counsel is improper.

Some of them do it to cover up their ineptitude and some transfer their personal aggression to the lawyers while in court. I believe Judges could correct and administer his court without shouting on lawyers.

As to granting unnecessary injunction, for me, it is a matter of integrity, although Judges are trained to grant injunction, but I believe a good judge knows which injunction to grant and which injunction he should not grant.”

•Custody is a very sensitive issue and children become the pawn in divorce. Therefore, couple contemplating divorce must think of the best interest of the children. For instance, the need to keep the siblings together.

•In addition, the court after making custody order should also make access orders to enable the noncustodial parent keep in touch with the children.

APPEARANCE

A phone call saved my day –Deborah Apampa

T

he first time I appeared in court was in January 2008, that was two years after I was called to the Bar. I was serving then as a youth corps member in Lagos. I was working for the Community Development project which was an important part of our service to the nation. So, as part of CD Apampa project I joined a group called Lagos State Serving Corps Lawyers’ Association, which was led by a coordinator from the Lagos state Ministry of Justice. The purpose of the association was to offer free legal services to indigent inmates in Lagos prisons. We were saddled with the task of finding indigent inmates who were awaiting trials in either Ikoyi Prison or Kirikiri prison.

I was eventually assigned to pick an inmate from Ikoyi prison; the inmate could not afford the services of a lawyer so I decided to represent him in court.

So I appeared in court that day at the Somolu Magistrate’s Court 10. It was a criminal matter. Before the case came up, I was fidgeting and could not compose myself very well. I knew I could not address the court in the-day to-day layman English language so I decided to phone a senior colleague to put me through. He taught me some court languages including how and what to say in defence of the defendant.

The advices from the phone call only reinforced what senior colleagues had earlier told me, nonetheless I was still very nervous but still managed to announce my appearance. The Magistrate noticed my presentation and asked which chambers I was from. I told her I was a NYSC member offering legal services to poor prison inmates.

She was impressed with my performance and even commended my style of presentation, stressing that I was courageous. That made me happy!

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Events The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch held its monthly meeting at the Ikeja Bar Centre recently. Below are some members at the meeting.

Former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Mr. Niyi Idowu and a one-time chairman of the association, Chief Oladosu Ogunniyi at the meeting.

L-R : A member of the NBA, Ikeja branch, Mr. Barth Ozoana, Mr. Layi Babatunde (SAN) and a former Publicity Secretary of the branch, Mr. Ademola Adewale.

PHOTOS: KENNY ODUNUKAN

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch held a valedictory session in honour of its former Chairman, late Mr. Akintola Akinbote in Lagos.

L-R: Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN); Justice Olusola Williams and former Dean, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Ademola Popoola.

L-R: Revd. Muyiwa Oyewole of Anglican Church of All Nations; Pastor Tokunbo Adesanya; Provincial Pastor of Lagos Province 4, Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCC), Pastor Idowu Iluyomade and former Attorney-General of Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osibajo (SAN).

Late Akinbote’s widow, Adenike and son, Akintola.

Chief Executive Officer, Pan African Lawyers’ Union, Donald Deya; Pastor Bimpe Mfon and Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN).

L-R: Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN); National Publicity Secretary, of the Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN), Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Mr. Adekunle Oyesanya (SAN).

L-R: Chairman, NBA, Lagos branch, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo; member, Body of Benchers, Lady Debbie Obodokwu and Mr. Julius Odupitan.

PHOTOS: OLUFEMI AJASA

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The Itsekiri, Okere-Urhobo communal land dispute The Itsekiri people and Okere communities in Warri have been embroiled in land dispute since about 300 years ago. The Supreme Court, in its verdict delivered in 1976 on the legal tussle over the disputed property, affirmed the decision of the lower court and also laid down five ways of proving ownership of land in Nigeria. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary writes.

T

he land tussle between the Itsekiri people of Warri and members of the Okere-Urhobo communities in Warri, in the present day Delta State dated back to about 300 years ago. Not even the progenitors of these communities could effectively resolve the land dispute until the Itsekiri people, led by the Itsekiri Communal Land Trustees during the reign of Erejuwa 11, the Olu of Warri, dragged the Olodi, Oki, and Ighogbadu families of Idimi-Sobo, Okere, Warri to the Mid-Western State High Court sitting in Warri . The case was filed as D.O Idudun and others v. Daniel Okumagba and others in 1968.

Specifically, in suit No W/48/1968, the Itsekiri people claimed against the Okere communities jointly and severally:* A declaration that in accordance with Itsekiri Customary Law, all that piece or parcel of land at Okere, Warri, described in Plan No WE.2367 filed in this suit and verged pink is the property of the Ogitsi family of Okere, subject only to the overlordship of the Olu of Warri now vested in and exercisable by the Itsekiri Communal Land Trustees by virtue of the Communal Land Rights (Vesting in Trustees) Law 1959 and the Warri Division (Itsekiri Communal Land) Trust Instrument, 1959. * A declaration that, in accordance with Itsekiri Customary Law, defendants have forfeited their rights of occupation and any other rights or estate in or over that part of the land in dispute marked Area ‘’B’ and any right they may have in or over that part of the land in dispute marked Area ‘A’ in the Plan No. E.2367 filed by the plaintiffs in this suit.

They also sought an order of injunction to restrain the defendants and their agents and any other person or persons purporting to claim under or through them from entering the land in dispute and from collecting rents.

The evidence adduced in support of plaintiffs’ claim showed clearly that the claim was based partly on traditional evidence and partly on acts of ownership. However, the evidence given by the defendants gave a completely different version of the traditional evidence. The defendants also testified as to their acts of ownership on the land in dispute.

In a considered judgement, the trial judge after reviewing all the evidence adduced by both parties, rejected the traditional evidence adduced in support of the plaintiffs’ claim.

The court declared that the evidence of the Itsekiri people that the disputed land and also Okere village were part of the kingdom founded by Ginuwa 1 were unconvincing. The court also rejected the testimony that Ogitsi owned the whole of Okere land including the disputed land.

According to the trial judge, ‘’the plaintiffs say that Ginuwa I founded a kingdom and that before Ekpen came to Okere the

FAMOUS CASES area of Okere was or would be part of that kingdom. There is no evidence of the extent or area covered by that kingdom, nor is there any evidence going to show any act or acts in history which made the area part of the kingdom founded by Ginuwa I before Ekpen came there.’’

It held further that ‘’the evidence in plaintiffs’ case only shows that Ginuwa I, when he was trying to make a settlement after leaving Benin, got as far as Ijalla where he ultimately settled, lived, died and was buried. There is no evidence in plaintiffs’ case to show that in the process of making his settlement or kingdom, he or any persons under him, settled anywhere beyond Ijalla and towards or in Okere.

I do not believe that any kingdom founded by Ginuwa I extended to Okere. Plaintiffs’ evidence and also evidence in the whole case do not prove such extent of any kingdom founded by Ginuwa I.” Impressed by the testimonies of the defendants, the trial judge dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim in its entirety.

The court accepted and believed the evidence of the defendants that three persons, namely, Idama, Ohwotemu and Sowhoruvwe, first came to Okere and founded various tracts of land that all others of the Idimisobo who came to Okere arrived after the aforementioned three persons had come.

Besides, the trial judge said, ‘’ I also accept the evidence of the defendants as to how and when Ogitsi got to the waterside area of Okere and made his settlement there, and as to how the settlement and that of defendants’ people grew until they met in Okere. ‘’ I am satisfied that the defendants’ people are not Ghaminidos in Okere and never paid tribute or rent to anyone in Okere. I accept and believe the evidence of defendants that the members of Ighegbodu family who went to Odion did so freely. ‘’ Dissatisfied with the verdict, the plaintiffs lodged an appeal to the Warri Native Court of Appeal and it was held that the communities had been living together without question of paying rents to the other.

Aggrieved further, they appealed to the Supreme Court. The appeal was heard by Justices Atanda Fatayi-Willliams, Mohammed Bello and Andrews Obaseki.

Notable among the lawyers in the case

Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 11

OWNERSHIP OF LAND MAY BE PROVED BY THE PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS OF

TITLE WHICH MUST, OF COURSE BE DULY AUTHENTICATED were Chief F.R.A Williams (SAN) , who led Chief Obafemi Awolowo (SAN) , Dr. F. A. Ajayi (SAN), and six others for the Itsekiri people while Chief Remi Fani-Kayode (SAN) was the lead counsel to the Okere communities. Others in the team are; Dr. Mudiaga Odje, A. O. Akpedeye, and A. Orioye.

After the hearing and arguments, the judgement day at the Supreme Court was on Friday, October 8, 1976.

Interestingly, the Supreme Court in its verdict laid down the locus classicus principles on land ownership in the country.

The apex court in the lead judgement read

by Justice Fatayi-Williams highlighted five ways of proving the ownership of land in Nigeria.

According to the court, ‘’Firstly, ownership of land may be proved by traditional evidence as has been done in the case in hand.

Secondly, ownership of land may be proved by production of documents of title which must, of course be duly authenticated in the sense that their due execution

must be proved, unless they are produced from proper custody in circumstances giving rise to the presumption in favour of due execution in the case of documents 20 years old or more at the date of the contract (See section 129 of the Evidence Act. Thirdly, acts of the person (or persons) claiming the land such as selling, leasing or renting out all or part of the land, or farming on it or on a portion of it, are also evidence of ownership, provided the acts extend over a sufficient length of time and are numerous and positive enough as to warrant the inference that the person is the true owner.

Fourthly, acts of long possession and enjoyment of the land may also be prima facie evidence of ownership of the particular piece or quantity of land with reference to which such acts are done (See section 45 of the Evidence Act, Cap. 62).

Finally, proof of possession of connected or adjacent land, in circumstances rendering it probable that the owner of such connected or adjacent land would, in addition, be the owner of the land in dispute, may also rank as a means of proving ownership of the land in dispute.

Furthermore, the judge rejected the evidence of payment of tribute by the respondents to anybody, evidence which the appellants sought to use to justify the respondents’ possession of land outside the disputed land.

The Supreme Court declared that the appeal had no merit and should accordingly be dismissed with cost assessed at N350.00.

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World News

“Don’t think of yourself. Don’t think of your friends.

Have firm policies and conviction and the courage to sacrifice, if you want to claim yourself a politician.”

MYANMAR OPPOSITION LEADER, AUNG SAN SUU KYI

My victory, triumph of democracy –Kenyatta

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Opponent to challenge result

PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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ewly elected Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has hailed his poll win as a “triumph of democracy” and peace.

After being declared winner of Monday’s poll by the slimmest of margins - 50.07% - Kenyatta said voters had upheld “respect for the rule of law”, and promised to work with opponents.

However his main rival, Raila Odinga, vowed to challenge the result in court.

Kenyatta is set to be tried at the International Criminal Court over violence that followed the 2007 polls.

Kibera slum is not normally considered friendly turf for Uhuru Kenyatta. Yet residents remained calm after the election of Kenya’s richest man as their

next leader. People are placing their faith in the new constitution and recent judicial reforms.

Raila Odinga is challenging the results in the Supreme Court and people say they will wait for the legal process to run its course.

Some point to the reforms as a reason for the relative calm compared with five years ago, when Kibera was a flashpoint.

“Our behaviour is being shaped by the new constitution,” said Steve, a Kibera resident.

But there are worries about the future. Many hope Kenyatta will uphold the new constitution and continue to co-operate with the International Criminal Court, where he is fighting charges of crimes against humanity.

While the mantra across Kenya is “amani” (peace), some campaigners are warning against a “peace coma” - a failure to address past injustices

Kenya’s President-elect, Uhuru Kenyatta displaying the certificate from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), declaring him the winner of the country’s presidential election in Nairobi.

Photo: Reuters

which would prevent Kenya from moving on.

He is accused of fuelling the communal violence that saw more than 1,000 people killed and 600,000 forced from their homes.

On Saturday the election commission said Kenyatta had narrowly avoided a run-off by winning 50.07% of votes in a credible and transparent poll.

It said the turnout, at 86%, was

Mandela discharged from hospital

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elson Mandela left a hospi- hands.”

Mandela, who has become intal after “successful” medical tests and returned to his creasingly frail in recent years, home in Johannesburg yesterday, was hospitalized for nearly three the spokesman for South Africa’s weeks in December. At that time, he was treated for a lung infection president said.

The former president and anti- and had a surgical procedure to reapartheid leader was admitted to a move gallstones.

Under South Africa’s white-mihospital in Pretoria, the capital, on nority apartheid regime, Mandela Saturday.

“The doctors have completed spent 27 years in prison before he the tests,” presidential spokesman was released in 1990. He became Mac Maharaj said in a statement. the nation’s first democratically “He is well and as before, his health elected president in 1994 under the banner of the African National remains under the management of Congress. He served one five-year the medical team.”

Maharaj appealed to the public term before retiring. and media to respect the privacy of 94-year-old Mandela and his family.

The African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party, had earlier released a statement saying it believed Mandela was in “capable and competent Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel PHOTO: AP

the largest ever in the country.

BBC says it was the closest of races with the tightest of margins.

After the results were announced, Kenyatta told cheering supporters he would serve all Kenyans “without fear or favour”.

Speaking at the Catholic University in Nairobi, he said Kenyans were celebrating the “triumph of democracy, the triumph of peace, the triumph of nationhood”.

Guinean court summons opposition leaders over protests

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Guinean court has summoned opposition leaders to appear at a hearing yesterday after nearly two weeks of protests in which at least eight people have died, officials said on Sunday.

Some 13 opposition leaders - including former prime ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo, Sidya Toure and Lansana Kouyate - have been ordered to appear at Thursday’s hearing after a February 27 protest march turned violent.

The opposition organized the march to protest against what it said was President Alpha Conde’s attempts to rig legislative elections scheduled for May 12.

The march ended in clashes between protesters and police, sparking 10 days of sporadic protests in the mineral-rich West African country, fuelled by ethnic rivalries.

“The opposition leaders are facing a civil procedure,” government spokesman Damantang Albert

Camara told Reuters.

Camara said the three people who signed the request for the February 27 march - minor opposition figures - were facing criminal charges.

Conde has promised to bring to justice those responsible for the violence, in which hundreds of people have been injured and scores of businesses pillaged.

Former premier Toure confirmed to Reuters that the leaders of the ADP and CPPFT opposition groups had been summoned to the hearing on Thursday.

“This is an illegal procedure for what was an authorized march: it is a manipulation of justice for political ends,” he said. “On Thursday, we will go to the hearing accompanied by all our supporters.”

Guinea is the world’s top supplier of the aluminium ore bauxite and holds rich deposits of iron ore. But political turmoil has unnerved investors.

WORLD BULLETIN Libyan parliament sessions shelved Libya’s parliament has said it will temporarily suspend its main activities due to security concerns, following an incident in which armed protesters stormed the assembly.

The Libyan News Agency quoted General National Congress (GNC) President Mohammed al-Magariaf yesterday as saying the decision was prompted by the lack of security and meetings would resume when a safe venue was found.

Legislators were forced to move from the main parliament complex in Tripoli in early February when it was occupied by wounded veterans of the 2011 uprising demanding medical treatment abroad.

On Tuesday, armed protesters stormed a meeting of the Congress at the alternative venue legislators have been using. The protesters demanded that officials linked to the ousted regime of Muammar Gaddafi be banned from public life.

Al-Magariaf’s car came under fire as he escaped the meeting.

The interior minister at the time said that gunmen in a crowd of Libyans demanding that legislators pass a bill barring former associates of Gaddafi from power, shot at the car of the GNC speaker.

Al-Magariaf, a former ambassador to India who had survived a gun attack at his home in January, was unharmed and no one else was hurt in the shooting.

Sixteen months since Gaddafi met his end, Libyan authorities are still struggling to organise effective security forces and assert their control over rebels.

Political uncertainty hits Guinea’s growth - Ministry Guinea’s economy grew by 3.9 percent last year, roughly one percentage point less than forecast due to political uncertainty surrounding the delay of legislative elections, the government said in a report.

Parliamentary elections, due to complete the mineral-rich West African nation’s transition to civilian rule after a 2008 coup, are required to unblock hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid.

However, they have been repeatedly delayed by disputes between rival political camps.

Electoral authorities have earmarked May 12 for the long-delayed legislative ballot but President Alpha Conde has missed the deadline for a decree to start the electoral process, after 10 days of violent opposition protests.

“Real GDP growth reached 3.9 percent in 2012 versus 4.8 percent initially forecast, due in part to delays in the political transition and the slowdown in economic activity in industrialised countries,” an economy ministry report said.

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Monday, March 11, 2013

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NDLEA arrests 65-year-old grandmother, 50 others WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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he Kogi State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested no fewer than 51 suspected drug dealers, including a 65-year-old grandmother, her daughter and an herbalist.

The agency also seized 2,193.889kg of dried weeds

suspected to be cannabis sativa in the last two months.

The NDLEA Commander, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Bello, who stated this at the weekend while parading the 65-year-old grandmother, Madam Regina, her 31-year-old daughter, Mrs Edith Aniama, and her six-year-old son in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, said that the agency would not rest until the activities

•Seizes 2,193.889kg of cannabis sativa of dealers in illegal drugs are stopped.

Bello said that Madam Regina and her daughter were arrested by the NDLEA officials during a stop-and-search operation on Lokoja-Abuja Road.

He added that the suspects were arrested with two big bags filled with 43kg of cannabis sativa on their way to Kaduna.

The NDLEA boss said the herbalist, Mr. Adewumi Reuben, was arrested with 10kg of weeds suspected to be India hemp and five live ammunitions in his residence in Ben Thomas area of Kabba.

Answering questions from journalists, Madam Regina, who hails from Delta State, said that she and her daughter engaged in

the illicit drug business because her daughter lost her husband a few months ago and as a result, life became difficult for the family.

But the daughter, Edith Aniama, claimed that one man asked them to assist him drop the two bags with one Adamu in Kaduna, adding that that the man met them at Owo junction in Ondo State and did not

disclose the contents of the bags.

Reuben, who claimed to be an alternative medicine practitioner, said he was using the Indian hemp to prepare medicine to cure his ulcer.

Bello, however, said that of the 51 arrests made, eight accused persons were convicted by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja and 14 vehicles were confiscated by the NDLEA.

Tofa urges CJN to clean up mess in judiciary before 2015 AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

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s the preparation for the 2015 general elections begins with the merger of opposition parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Murkar, has been urged to clean up the country’ s judicial system to ensure emergence of a credible democratic government in the next dispensation.

This plea was made yesterday in Kano by presidential candidate in the aborted Third Republic on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa.

The renowned politician, who was immediate past Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Elders Committee, said in a chat with National Mirror that corrupt politicians had been positioning themselves to contest the 2015 poll, saying: “It is only a disciplined judiciary that can stop them from further destroying the nation.”

He said: “It is time to revolutionise the country’s electoral process to usher in good governance with the judiciary as a vital partner in this process.

“The current Chief Justice of Nigeria has already demonstrated the charac-

ter and zeal required to clean up the mess inherent in the judiciary with the sacking of some judges perceived to be corrupt.”

He urged Nigerians to support the CJN to restore the credibility and public confidence in the judicial system.

Tofa said: “The CJN has shown that she is a woman with integrity, who wants to bring a change and this is the a chance for her to write her name in gold by entrenching discipline in the judicial system, and she has to do this within the next one year so that the Bench will not be party to any action or actions that will mar the next general elections.”

The Elder statesman, however, said that corruption is more pronounced among young politicians who perceive power as a mean of amassing wealth.

Stressing that age should not be a barrier in political office contest, Tofa said: “What is important is candidates’ credibility and the ability to do the right thing at the right time.

“Look at the composition of the government today, those in government are mostly young men and what is the result, how old is President Goodluck Jonathan? How old are the governors? Well, we leave the public to judge.

L-R: National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); Principal Secretary to the President, Amb. Hassan Tukur; Chief of Defence Staff, Vice-Admiral Ola Ibrahim and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, at a town hall meeting during President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Maiduguri, at the weekend.

Crisis: Victims seek govt’s assistance IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

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ictims of the November 2012 Agyaragu crisis in Jenkwe Development Area of Nasarawa State are lamenting their lack of accommodation.

The victims claimed that all their residences and other property were burnt in the crisis in which many people were killed.

Speaking at the weekend during the inaugura-

tion of the Migili Youth Association (MYA) at the Zhe Migili’s palace, the national president of the association, Mr. Emmanuel Zhebago, called on the Nasarawa State Government and other stakeholders “to come to the aid of the victims through immediate compensation and provision of roofing sheets, ply woods and other building materials.”

The MYA president said: “It is our desire as a well

Teachers’ pay: Group asks CP to probe Kogi accountant-general WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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group, Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN) in Kogi State has petitioned the police to investigate the state Accountant-General, Mr. Paul Audu, for his alleged failure to pay some primary school teachers.

BESAN Secretary, Mr.

Adoga Umar, told National Mirror at the weekend in Lokoja, the state capital, that many teachers were not paid their 11 months salaries last year by the accountant-general.

Umar said that up till now, some of the teachers have not been paid their salaries, despite the accountant-general’s claim that he had saved huge amount of money for state after the last

screening of primary school teachers carried out by the government.

He said that effort to ensure that all the outstanding salaries of the affected primary school teachers were paid failed.

Umar said: “We have been told that the money saved has been used to pay teachers salaries. We also heard that the money has been returned to the cof-

fer of the local government councils and we were later told the money was not in cash, but only on paper.

Then what happened to the salaries of the affected teachers?

“Our group has just submitted the petition to the Commissioner of Police with a view to ensure justice is done. BESAN will not relent in its efforts and may still drag the accoun-

known ethnic nationality that has no history of violence to continue with this inherent value by supporting the present government’s policies and programmes towards realising its mandate for the common good of all in Nasarawa State.”

Zhebago promised that members of the association would continue support the state government to achieve its desired goals of protecting lives and property.

tant-general before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for proper investigations.

“What we are saying now is that the money must be used to pay the outstanding salaries of the affected teachers across the 21local government areas of Kogi State.”

Ilorin maximum prison lacks power supply for one year WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

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he Mandala Maximum Prison in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has been without power supply for over one year now, the prison’s Controller, Mr. Olarinde Bolanle, has said.

Addressing journalists at the weekend, Bolanle said officers had been left with no other option than to work with hurricane lamps at nights.

The controller disclosed that what led to the pitiable situation was a faulty transformer that supplies the prison and the adjoining villages with public power.

He said that the prison, which has 135 inmates, found it difficult to carry out vocational activities for the inmates since the blackout began in January 2012.

Bolanle said that he had reported the matter to the Kwara State Government and the House of Assembly.

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Community Mirror “The Boko Haram insurgency surfaced because of those who felt that they should always inherit the presidency. ” FORMER SENATE PRESIDENT; BARRISTER AMEH EBUTE

Ladipo Market: Traders decry LG boss’ interference STORIES FRANCIS SUBERU

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raders at Ladipo Market under the aegis of Aguisi Ironsi Traders, AIT, have decried what they allege is undue interference in their affairs by the Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area, Adepi-

tan Olatunde, vowing that any attempt at imposing a leader on them would be vehemently resisted.

They, therefore, appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to call the council boss to order and allow them to elect their own leaders. The traders warned that continued inter-

ference from the council boss could lead to break down of law and order in the market.

The traders who staged a peaceful protest along major streets in Isolo at the weekend following what they alleged was the persecution of their president, Mr Jonathan Okoli by the council boss, reiterated

Some of the affected traders milling around the shut Ladipo market at Mushin, Lagos

that they were being punished because they are non- indigenes.

During the protest that lasted for several hours, the traders accused the council chairman of an alleged plot to impose a non- trader as the “Babaloja” of the market, describing the plan as ungodly and unacceptable.

PHOTO: MURITALA AYINLA

How we escaped death from oil vandals –survivors

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ome of the survivors of the attack on staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, by suspected vandals at Arepo village, Ogun State seven months ago, have revealed how they cheated death.

It was reported that the vandals killed and buried three NNPC officials who had gone to effect some repairs on the ruptured pipeline at Arepo.

One of the survivors, Joseph Abua, who was severely injured, said he escaped after crawling into the bush where he was saved by a farmer.

“I am a casual worker with the NNPC and was posted to the maintenance department.

On September 5, 2012, the Deputy Maintenance Engineer Ag-

bako, including Ernest Ngene, Ikechukwu Ekeneme, Shade, Tunde and I left for Arepo to repair a ruptured pipeline.

“Few minutes after we arrived and started working on the pipeline, we saw an approaching speed boat. The security man, Taye, also known as ‘Deadman’ advised us not to be afraid, as he was capable of handling any situation that could arise. He then spoke to the suspected vandals in the Ijaw language. I also over heard him telling them in English, that they should go and come back later, as we were there to effect repairs on the damaged pipeline.

Later, they started shouting at Taye, and at that point, Agbako asked Shade who was already

in the river to swim ashore, as he sensed imminent danger.

Just as Shade was about getting out of the water, the hoodlums opened fire,while the security men fired back at them. Two bullets hit me before I jumped into the river and swam to the bank.

I overheard Engineer Agbako pleading with them to stop firing, even as he walked to them.

At that point, they opened fire on him and the others. I crawled into the bush and stayed there for eight hours, before being rescued by a farmer who took me to the NNPC medical unit at Arepo. Those vandals were heavily armed; there was no way anybody could have survived.”

Another survivor, Eruobodo Sade, claimed it was the charm

he wore around his waist that prevented bullets from hitting him, even after being shot at several times.

“I have been working with the NNPC for the past 10 years at the Mosimi Depot. On that fateful day, Engineer Agbako asked that we go and seal a ruptured pipeline at Arepo. Because the terrain is very dangerous, he arranged for some armed Ijaw natives to escort us to the place.

When we arrived there, I went into the river and started plugging the ruptured pipeline.

Some 20 minutes later, a speed boat approached with heavily armed men brandishing their weapons. I wanted to jump out of the river, but Agbako advised that I stayed back as there was no cause for alarm.

They further accused him of invading the market at night and arresting private security operatives on trumped up allegation of being “Bakassi boys” who were in the state to unleash terror.

Some of the placards carried by the protesters read “No imposition of leader on us…… Aguiyi Ironsi Traders “, Mushin LG Chairman and C P. Sherifat Fapohunda Disu are the problems”, “Leave our president, Jonathan Okoli alone” and “We will hold the chairman responsible for anything that happens to our president”.

They further appealed for immediate re-opening of the market which was recently closed by the state government for being dirty, saying further delay could lure some of the traders into vices and other criminal activities.

Two of the traders, Mr. Chizzy Ihefu and Ejike Okoafor, who spoke with journalists during the protest, described the action of the chairman as part of clandestine moves to sack them from the market in spite of the huge investment and contribution to the growth of Lagos State.

Ejike Okoafor said; “this is ethnic cleansing. We voted the council boss at the last election, only for him to turn against us. Adepitan should leave us to elect our leaders. We have confidence and trust in our president, Mr. Jonathan Okoli”.

As the hoodlums came closer, they barked out in the Ijaw language, while some natives with us replied in same manner. Suddenly, they started shooting at us, while we jumped into the river. I was able to swim to the river bank despite the heavy firing, and I was closely followed by two other engineers who had bullet wounds.

Unfortunately, Engineer Agbako, Ikechukwu and Ernest did not come out alive. I was the only one who swam to safety due to the charms I wore around my waist”.

The third survivor, Ayotunde Adekunle said: “I thank God I survived; it was like a war movie. They had an argument with the local security man,Taye before opening fire on us.”

Monday, March 11, 2013

Nigeria a vs Kenya: tion delights Invitation uo Omeruo

- KENYA COACH, ADEL AMROUCHE

Battle of Calabar: New boy Ogu vows to impress Keshi

OBJ hails Kanu’s cardiac hospital

F

ormer president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has commended the resolve of former Nigeria international Nwankwo Kanu to launch a heart hospital in the Federal Capital.

Obasanjo, who hosted Kanu at his Abeokuta, Ogun State hilltop resident last weekend, extolled what he called the former player’s commitment to humanity.

“Giving back to the community that made us is virtuous and I want to ask all those who have benefitted from this country to emulate Kanu,” Obasanjo said.

The elder statesman, however, pledged to be Father of the Day at the launch of the N5billion Kanu Heart Foundation Cardiac Specialist Hospital scheduled for Abuja on Thursday.

Among other dignitaries expected to attend the launch is former military president, General Ibrahim

Babangida, former Army Chief of Staff, General TY Danjuma, businessmen Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chief Arthur Eze, former UBA managing director, Tony Elumelu and Chairman of Globacom, Chief Mike Adenuga, who will be Chief Launcher, as well states governors, heads of multinational companies, members of the diplomatic community and international footballers.

Meanwhile, Aero Contractors airline, Diamond Bank Plc and some print and electronic media have declared partnership support for the launch.

Coordinator of the event and Executive Director of Kanu Heart Fondation (KHF), Pastor Onyebuchi Abia, told National Mirror yesterday that efforts had been geared towards a successful outing.

“We are ready to stage the launch and we are equally happy for the caliber of guests expected,” Abia said.

Delta, Ekiti dominate Olukoya athletics YEMI OLUS

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elta State teams won the boys and girls 4x100m relay events to cap a brilliant outing at the 3rd edition of the Dr. D.K.Olukoya National Under-18 Athletics Championships that ended at the weekend in Lagos.

After earlier winning the boys’ 100m event, Divine Oduduru of West End Mixed Secondary School, Asaba, led the Delta quartet to also pick the gold medal of the 4x100m in 42.77secs. Ekiti State (43.12) placed second while FAPP Track Club settled for the bronze in 43.84secs.

Oduduru clocked 10.51secs to win the 100m while Ekiti State runner, Ismaila Yusuf (10.61secs) denied another Delta athlete, Charles Okezie (10.83) the silver.

Cecilia Francis of Greater

Tomorrow Athletics Club ran 11.96secs to surge ahead of Ese Brume in the girls’ 100m while Amusan Oluwatobi of Buka Tee placed third with 12.06secs.

In the boy’s 200m, Ekiti State’s Ismaila Yusuf (22.00secs) and Adeyombo Adeniyi (22.30secs) won the gold and silver respectively, leaving the bronze for Charles Okezie (22.47secs) of Delta State.

Director of Grassroots Sports Development at the National Sports Commission, Alhassan Yakmut, commended the sponsor Dr. D.K. Olukoya for aiding in the search for fresh talent in the country.

“It is exciting to see so many school children turned up here for the competition,” the NSC director who represented the sports minister at the closing ceremony, remarked.

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I will work with passion to prepare my team for Nigeria and I am certain I will achieve success

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AFOLABI GAMBARI

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

John Ugochukwu Ugo leaps for a ball during a recent match in the Portuguese Primera Liga

IKENWA NNABUOGOR

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uper Eagles’ first-time invitee, John Ugochukwu Ogu, has exclusively told National Mirror he was surprised at his national call ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Kenya in Calabar on March 23.

The Portugal-based midfielder, however, said he was determined to impress Coach Stephen Keshi.

National Mirror gathered that the national team opened camp in Abuja yesterday with players in the domestic expected to start

training today.

The Academica Coimbra player was one of the surprise inclusions alongside previously uncapped Ukraine-based winger Babatunde Michael in the 15-man foreign-based players list released

by Keshi last Thursday.

According to the former Uniao Lieira youngster, he had no previous contact with Keshi prior to his invitation.

“I’m still surprised at this invite and I didn’t know until I got home from training on Thursday evening to read about it on the internet,” Ogu revealed.

“My club is yet to intimate about the development but I know I would get the formal invitation this week.

“It is a dream come true for me because I had always haboured the ambition of playing for my nation from my early days in Nigeria.

“I don’t have any choice than to prove myself and I hope to get selected in the game to impress Nigerians and the world at large.”

Ogu, who started his European career in Slovenia four years ago, has not been capped at any level before now.

Nigeria loses CAF seat to Benin AFOLABI GAMBARI

WITH AGENCY REPORT

D

espite the late rally from the Nigerian government for the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari, who vied for the vacant Executive Committee seat in the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Nigeria still lost to Benin Republic’s Moucharaf Anjorin by 19 to 35 votes in yesterday’s election in Rabat, Morocco.

The CAF seat became vacant in 2011 after the occupant and Nigeria’s Dr. Amos Adamu was suspended following his alleged bribery scandal over the FIFA executive committee’s voting for the hosting rights for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup finals.

Nigerian government had believed that the country could still retain the seat, as the Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said in Abuja last week that Maigari would be fully supported, even as Abdulahi said he got

NFF boss, Maigari

assurance from CAF President, Issa Hayatou, that Nigeria had a bright chance at the poll.

Meanwhile, Hayatou was re-elected unopposed, extending to almost three decades his tenure in charge of African football, although South African Danny Jordaan, who built up a strong international profile after organising the World Cup in 2010, failed again to get a place on the CAF executive committee.

Curiously, however, Mali’s Amadou Diakite, who was banned for two years in November 2010 by FIFA after allegations of bribery in the vote-buying scandal, returned to the committee, notwithstanding that his action had further tarnished CAF’s fragile image as he was one of five incumbents who kept their places on the committee, including CAF Vice President Suketu Patel of the Seychelles who retain his seat from the Southern African zone.

The other seat from the region was won by Madagascar’s Ahmad, who uses only one name, in a run-off with Jordaan.

Anjorin was also arrested two years ago on allegations of embezzling sponsorship money and spent more than six months in jail.

Meanwhile, CAF said yesterday that it would hold its next congress in Brazil on the eve of the 2014 World Cup and new elections will be due again in 2015.

54

Sport

Monday, March 11, 2013

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NTTF boss revels in tourneys

Taekwondo: CCSF targets six zones

AFOLABI GAMBARI

YEMI OLUS

P

T

resident of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Hon. Kayode Abdulwahab Omotose, has expressed delight in the increased number of tournaments since the inauguration of his administration in 2009.

Omotose, who spoke to National Mirror in Lagos yesterday, said his regime had inherited only the annual Asoju Oba tournament but worked in close contact with stakeholders at arriving at several championships which include the maiden Pastor E.A. Adeboye U-20 that ended in Lagos last week.

“Today, we have seven championships in all comprising four regional and three national championships,” the NTTF boss said.

“But the joy I derive in seeing the young boys and girls getting engaged in competitions has motivated me and members of the board over this period,” he added.

Omotose, who listed resuscitation of the National Stadium knock-up hall as one of the major achievements recorded by his administration, however stated that the NTTF would not rest on its laurels until table tennis regained its rightful place in the nation’s hierarchy of sports.

“As always, we will continue to count on the National Sports Commission and the corporate community to attain our targets,” he further said, even as he also highlighted the efforts of individuals on the NTTF board towards creating a sustainable platform for Nigeria’s table tennis.

“We have a number of local and international events, as well as foreign training programmes that we will participate in this year and we cannot but call for more support at this juncture.

“I believe that table tennis have better prospects than even football, provided we are well motivated to attain our goals.”

Omotose further disclosed that the NTTF had resumed relationship with equipment sponsor TIBHAR after an earlier MOU was signed with the company.

“We desire that our players’ kits are appreciated wherever they play,” he submitted.

Omotose

Kenneth Omeruo

Nigeria vs Kenya: Invitation delights Omeruo AFOLABI GAMBARI

S

uper Eagles’ AFCON 2013 gold medalist, Kenneth Omeruo, has expressed delight at his latest invitation for the March 23 World Cup 2014 qualifier against Harambee Stars of Kenya in Calabar.

Omeruo, who displaced Eagles’ captain Joseph Yobo in the team’s central defence at the Nations Cup, got rave review for his brilliant pairing with home lad Godfrey Oboabona and earned Coach Stephen Keshi’s confidence.

But the 19-year-old Chelsea defender currently on loan at Dutch

Eredivise side ADO Den Haag told National Mirror yesterday from his base that he was overwhelmed at being called again for national assignment.

“The coach made each of us believe that the team is a work in progress and whoever fails to measure up to his standard would be discarded,” Omeruo said.

“It is a measure of satisfaction for me that the coach was impressed with in the past few games I played and that could have informed hi decision to invite me again,” he added.

The player, however, admitted that the reception he got at Den Haag after the AFCON finals

made him believe he acquitted himself well at the continental competition where Nigeria started as underdog but ended up as the champion.

“You don’t get such recognition if it is not deserved,” Omeruo remarked, stressing, “Looking back at that time really makes me want to do more for my country and I think the upcoming game with Kenya will bring the best out of me.”

Nigeria tops Group F of the Brazil 2014 World Cup with four points after two games, with Namibia (three points), Malawi (two points) and Kenya (one point) trailing.

he Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) has concluded plans to organize taekwondo training exercises across the six geo-political zones of the country before the end of this year.

According to the founder of the foundation, Chika Chukwumerije, the training tagged “Drill Them Fit” (DEF) is one of the long term plans to groom African and Olympics champions for the country.

“The vision of the CCSF is to produce educated champions and to inspire the future. The DEF is geared towards achieving the vision. It aims to make history as it is fresh.

“We at the CCSF have dared to dream, and have dared to become a willing tool to drive the change we all seek. The effect of DEF will reverberate during the All-African Games and World Championships in 2015 as well as at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Its success will however be dependent on our harmonious working relationship.”

Over 60 participants took part in the exercise held in Owerri, Imo State last week while like Kebbi, Edo, Rivers, Kaduna and Lagos states will host the other programmes.

Devils move for Ronaldo

M

anagement of Manchester United has hatched a plan to meet Cristiano Ronaldo’s demands and lure him back from Real Madrid before the end of the season.

Reports yesterday revealed that both parties are open to the possibility of a summer transfer.

However, United must overcome Real’s plans to begin contract talks with Ronaldo at the end of this season if the Old Trafford side is to have any hope of re-signing the player.

With United currently negotiating a new kit deal with Nike,

whose current contract expires in 2015, the opportunity for the American sportswear giant to restore its leading football player to a Nike-wearing team has given both parties common ground for discussion on the possibility of funding a move for Ronaldo.

While other sportswear manufacturers such as Adidas and Warrior could attempt to outbid Nike for the right to supply United’s kit, Nike is currently in a period of exclusivity with United which enables them to thrash out a new deal before its rival.

Chukwumerije

Results EPL Newcastle Liverpool

2-1

Stoke

3-2

Tottenham

FA Cup Millwall

0-0

Blackburn

Man Utd

2-2

Chelsea

NPFL

Ronaldo

ABS

0-0

Kwara

Sunshine

1-0

Kaduna

3SC

2-0

Gombe

Wikki

0-1

Pillars

Akwa

1-0

Dolphins

Nasarawa

0-0

El-Kanemi

Heartland

1-2

Nembe

Sharks

2-1

Wolves

Bayelsa

1-0

Lobi

Rangers

1-0

Enyimba

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Monday, March 11, 2013

55

IKENWA NNABUOGOR

I

n England, Victor Anichebe was involved with his Everton side in the infamous 3-0 English FA Cup quarter-finals loss to unfancied Wigan on Saturday. Anichebe, who has battled injury worries this weekend, was introduced at the start of second half, replacing captain Phil Neville as the Toffees easily went down before their disappointed home fans. Anichebe has thus far netted five times in 16 league appearances for Everton.

Still in England, West Brom striker Osaze Odewmiwgie made his second straight appearance for the Baggies since his bust up with the Black Country side over his botched summer transfer to QPR, but only saw nine minutes of action in his side’s 2-1 victory over Swansea on Saturday. ‘Osaz’ replaced free-scoring on loan Romelu Lukaku, who fired in his 13th goal of the season. The former Lille striker who appears to have shut himself out of Super Eagles’ reckoning with his outbursts towards coach Stephen Keshi and the NFF, was playing his 20th game for Baggies and only netted five times.

In France, John Utaka was not lucky with his resurgent defending champions side Montpellier as they lost 2-0 at Nice on Saturday. The former Pompey striker was as usual from start to finish to finish as Montpellier faltered for the first in as many as games since their indifferent performance at the start of the current season last August. Having netted five goals so far in the league, the former RC Lens star is hard pressed to increase his goal tally from the 22 league games he has so far played. He started in 20 of them and he has also been cautioned just thrice.

In Belgium, young Nigerian striker Imoh Ezekiel returned from a short injury layoff to hit his 14th goal of the season as his side Standard Liege hammered OH Leuven 4-0 on Saturday as the Belgian Juliper League gradually hit the closing stages. The former 36 Lion striker, currently attracting interests from top spenders in Europe only saw just 45 minutes of minute before he made way for Ghana defender Daniel Opare, but had fired his side in front after just one minute. The 18-year old had fitness concerns heading into the game but was certified fit just before the game. He has so far made 22 league appearances.

On the losing side was another young Nigerian striker Derek Ogbu who saw 90 minutes of action in the painful 4-0 loss before their home fans. The Enugu-born striker was eyeing his eighth goal of the season, having netted two weeks, but failed to hit the target. He was playing his 29th league game in the game. He has so far been in the referees’ books four times.

All is still not yet good for the big Nigerian striker Michael Uchebo and his embattled side Cercle Brugge as they continued their free fall suffering a 3-1 home loss against Mons on Saturday. Uchebo was on from start but was

pulled out at the start of the I n Rus-

Mike Eneramo

Imoh Ezekiel (centre)

Ahmed Musa (left)

Ezekiel nets season’s 14th goal in Belgium ...Musa also on target

second half. The former VVV Venlo striker has so far played 26 times for his new club, scoring just on two occasions. But he has continued to keep a blemish-free season, without any card.

Still in Belgium, another Nigerian, who was on the losing side was on loan striker Kennedy Nwanganga, who could not save his side from a 3-2 away defeat at fellow strugglers Waasland-Beveren on Saturday. The former Inter Turku of Finland playmaker started from the bench as he was introduced in the 60th minute..

Nwanganga has so far made five appearances since his loan switch from RC Genk in January.

sia, Super Eagles winger Ahmed Musa flagged off his Russian league resumption in style by scoring in log leaders CSKA Moscow’s 2-0 away victory at Krylya Sovetov on Saturday.

Musa made victory safe for the Moskovites netting the winner off a assist from returnee Brazilian striker Vagner Love in the 72nd minute, to increase his goal tally to nine. He was also on for 90 minutes. He was playing his 19th league game of the season.

He has also been cautioned just twice.

Still in Russia, Victor Obinna Nsofor was only good enough for 11 minutes of action for his side Lokomotiv Moscow as they were beaten 1-0 at Dinamo Moscow in the fierce Moscow derby on Saturday. Nsofor has so far

scored two goals in 18 league outings for his side. He has seen yellow only once.

In the Netherlands, Super Eagles new boy Kenneth Omeruo was on for 90 minutes as he was hand his second straight full time appearance, as ADO Den Haag were beaten 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar on Saturday. The former youth international was in commanding role at the rear for mid-table side, further compounding the woes of the two-time Dutch champions currently languishing on 14th place on the log.

The Super Eagles revelation has so far played 20 games so far this season and gone into referees’ books five times.

In Turkey, Istanbul BB new signing Simon Zenke continued his futile search for his first goal for his new side with yet another goalless draw with visiting Kayserispor on Saturday.

The former AS Nancy striker was on for 90 minutes in the stalemate. He has so far appeared in five league games following his winter transfer move from AS Nancy. He had earlier played for Samsunspor in both the Turkish top flight and first division.

Michael Eneramo was on for 90 minutes for Sivaspor but failed to find his scoring range in their 2-1 victory over visiting Antalyaspor on Sunday.

The former Esperance hit man has now gone four games without scoring.

He has so far netted seven times in the league in 22 outings and seen yellow five times.

Promise Isaac starring for Antalyaspor was also on for 90 minutes as he failed to save his side from a 2-1 defeat at Sivaspor. Isaac, also on seven league goals failed to re-enact his fine scoring form in last week’s 5-2 demolition of Gazientespor. He has played 20 times in the league, seen red once and got cautioned once.

Earlier on Friday, Forgotten Eagles striker Ekigho Ehiosun was in action for Genclerbiligi in their giant-killing 1-0 away victory at log leaders Galatasaray. Ehiosun was introduced in the 66th minute in the famous victory that shot them to ninth position on the log. The former Warri Wolves hit man has found games hard to come by but has had to manage cameo roles for his new team. He has only made eight league outings this season, spending most of his time on the bench as an unused sub.

WORLD RECORD

Largest potato salad Vol. 03 No. 574

I

Monday, March 11, 2013

N150

The largest serving of potato salad was made by Spilva Ltd, Latvia and weighed 3.277 tonnes (7,224 lb 8 oz) and was exhibited at the International Exhibition Centre of the Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia, on 1 September 2002.

North’s cornering of oil blocs

would have wished the title of this piece be: Northern control of oil bloc: daddy not our brothers cornered our meat. Elsewhere a title like this would be unfamiliar if not completely surreal to an average citizen for it is not common for people in modern countries to use family terms when talking about politico-economic relations of a country. That, however, is not the case in Nigeria where we have developed a modern state in which those in charge of public affairs are by virtue of their offices considered and regarded as fathers and mothers rather than mere servants and representatives of the country, or at most accountable leaders.

There are times when one struggles

...WOULD THAT GIVE AUTOMATIC

NOTES FROM CAMBRIDGE Anthony A. Kila

anthonykila@mail.com to keep a straight face when confronted with the spectacle of fathers of families thumping the chests over their potbellies as someone else’s boys and proclaiming allegiance to their public father, in his presence of course. Amusing scenes apart, one of the dangerous consequences of this mode of conceiving power is that those that get into office are then easily tempted and allowed to exercise power in an arbitrary way up to the point of abusing their roles and positions.

It is in line with this dangerously absurd mode of conceiving power that I suggest we examine the bombshell recently dropped by Senator Ita Enang that 83 percent of oil blocs in the country are owned by northerners. We should, however, hasten to note that the main problem and the ultimate responsibility of such lopsided distribution are not of our northern brothers, but that of those that ruled the country.

Before then, we all, northerners in primis, however, have a duty to understand the deep sense of grievance that this kind of information can provoke in those that come from the oil producing areas and those from other parts of the country that feel shortchanged by this askew distribution. Understanding these grievances needs a bit of common sense, goodwill or empathy.

Still harmed with our common sense, goodwill and empathy, it is easy to understand that any Nigerian that knows what

CHILDREN ARE STARVING AND THEIR PARENTS ARE OBESE an oil bloc is will want one, though not every Nigerian can get one. The question then is: In a country of millions, who gets the limited oil blocs that all want? The answer to this question from those that have ruled the country are already in front of us.

If those in charge of public affairs in Nigeria were filled with enough republican ethos and devotion to merit the status of leaders or had enough care to deserve the title of fathers or godfathers, they would have before answering such question added more questions and factored in some considerations crucial to the wellbeing of the people and country on whose behalf they profess to rule and manage power. They would have asked themselves why do we need to allocate oil blocs? What do we, as a country, want from this oil? How do we do this allocation in a way that reflects its nature of being a commonwealth? The same people that fill their mouths with the importance of a united Nigeria and introduced the concept of federal character should have remembered and considered that this is a country of different cultures, nations and ethnic groups. They should have remembered that their main duties as rulers are to ensure security, justice

and to aid development.

It is obvious our leaders have clearly neither asked themselves these questions nor considered these crucial elements.

They have instead resorted to allocating what they should be managing for all to themselves and their friends. To compound matters, the country and the people they rule have little or nothing to show for it. Children are starving and their parents are obese.

The worst offenders in this case are those that had state power and then proceeded to help themselves with what they should be managing and regulating for the common good. Regardless of how common this malpractice is and how many people engage in it, we must say shame on them. Regardless of their performance in office or their method of gaining entry into office, once in power, every dullard, every lackey in Nigeria is guaranteed a place in history textbooks.

They are given one of the highest salaries in the world and offered lifelong deference and opportunities in the country, but no, that is not enough. They want economic in addition to political power.

With their greedy and corrupt actions, these people are not only guilty of abusing power, they are also responsible for the desire of many to go into politics to loot rather than serve. They are killing diversity of ideas and aspirations, elements necessary for a dynamic and prosperous country. It is because of the way they manage power that we have a weak middle class in Nigeria.

We shall be deceiving and destroying ourselves if we limit this to a North vs. South matter. What have they done for the North in whose name they loot?

Everywhere in the country people are feeling the same pains. It is a matter of leadership not geography or ethnicity. Today it is oil, tomorrow it may be contracts, electricity or nominations.

These rulers called fathers are the ones cornering our meat.

Sport Extra

F

ormer Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, has described his recent deal with United Kingdom cricket club Surrey as a dream come true.

Ponting, 38, who was signed as initial cover for captain Graeme Smith-

Cricket: Surrey deal excites Ponting

who is likely to be involved in the ICC Champions Trophy-and is available for the county in all formats through June and July, played his last Test for Australia in December

last year, has scored 27,483 runs for his country across all formats, notching up 71 centuries in a golden era of Australian cricket.

In his most recent appearance for Tasmania, he

hit an unbeaten 200 and is also due to represent the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL. “It’s exciting to be playing for Surrey this season as they are a forward think-

ing and historic club who play at one of the greatest grounds in the world,” Ponting said yesterday, adding, “I hope to contribute a significant amount to theNFF clubPresident, Aminu Maigari on and off field.”

Ricky Ponting

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