Daily Times of Nigeria Newspaper

NSE GAINERS AND LOSERS AS AT 17th March 2015.

EXCHANGE RATES AS AT 17th March 2015.

Currency

Buying(NGN)

Central (NGN)

GAINERS

Selling(NGN)

LOSERS

US DOLLAR

196

196.5

197

ACCESS

6.58

0.60

9.12%

SEPLAT

388.08

-20.42

POUNDS STERLING

289.2176

289.9554

290.6932

GUINNESS

126

0.32

0.25%

ZENITHBANK

17.96

-0.84

-4.68%

17.25

-0.55

-3.19%

9.5

-0.50

-5.26%

EURO

208.25

SWISS FRANC

208.7813

195.6478

196.1469

209.3125

FIDSON

3

0.04

1.33%

INTBREW

196.646

COSTAIN

0.67

0.03

4.48%

UBN

https://twitter.com/DailyTimesNGR

www.facebook.com/dailytimesngr

ABUJA Low 25°C High 44°C

dailytimesng

https://plus.google.com/+DailytimesNgr/posts

NIGERIA

-5.26%

N150

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015 VOL. 1. NO.68

ENUGU Low 27°C High 36°C

KANO

LAGOS

Low 23°C High 42°C

MAIDUGURI

Low 27°C High 35°C

P/HARCOURT Low 23°C High 34°C

Low 27°C High 41°C

Amosun’s convoy stoned at rally for Sambo’s wife Ï dƅ ƏƆ ƈ ƉƑƏƆƗè Ɠƈ Ɨ ƅƏƆƆ ƌ ƆƗ

Abiodun Taiwo Abeokuta

ÏÏÏSome

supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Tuesday during a rally CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

INSIDE

Life&

TIMES Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Ezinne Akudo L3 On

P

life as Miss Nigeria L6

P

APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun (left), Presidential Candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and party chieftain, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at a media parley in Abuja...on Tuesday PHOTO: Tope Balogun

Trending: Icy grey hair colour L5

P

PACQUIAO

Swiss govt to FG:

Abacha loot must not 6 be relooted

I have clues to Chibok girls’ location – 67-yr-old escapee Electricity tariff cut by 50%

6

X4

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME

X5

PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Full name: Date of birth: Place of birth:

Poster!

UNDERGOES DRUG TEST AHEAD OF X6 BOUT

Height: Playing position:

Sunday Oliseh Oliseh Sunday Ogochukwu (age 40) 14, 1974 September State, Nigeria Abavo, Delta ft 0 in) 1.83 m (6 Midfielder Defensive

Senior career 1989–1990: 1990–1994: 1994–1995: 1995–1997: 1997–1999: 1999–2000: 2000–2004: 2003–2004: 2005–2006:

Teams managed 2007: 2008–2009: Honours Gold:

About Sunday Oliseh

X4,5

Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh (born September 14, 1974 in Abavo, Delta State) is a former Nigerian footballer and coach, who, in his active playing career, played as a midfielder. He now lives in Belgium.

A physical, technical defensive midfielder, Oliseh played for wellknown clubs such as AFC Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus F.C. Oliseh played 54 international matches and scored two goals for Nigeria, and played at the Football World Cups of 1994 and 1998. He also participated in the Olympic gold medal winning team of 1996.

He is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2. A throw-in deep in the Spanish half was headed clear by a defender – Oliseh ran and fired an explosive shot from 25 yards and took Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta completely by surprise.

Despite captaining Nigeria during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Oliseh was omitted from the World Cup squad later that year for disciplinary reasons. After missing out on World Cup selection, Oliseh retired from international football in June 2002.

In March 2004, Oliseh was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after punching team-mate Vahid Hashemian while on loan at VfL Bochum.

In January 2006, at the age of 31, Oliseh retired from professional football after playing a half season for Belgian top club K.R.C. Genk.

Julius Berger RFC Liège Reggiana 1. FC Köln

AY SUND

H OLISE

team National 1993–2002:

SUNDAY OLISEH

Ajax Juventus Dortmund Borussia (loan) VfL Bochum Genk

Nigeria (54

caps)

Eupen (Sports Verviétois

director)

1996 Atlanta

Olympics

(Men’s soccer)

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Tom Garba Yola

SERENA returns to Washington Kastles X6

ÏÏÏA

woman abducted

by Boko Haram insurgents along with her grandCONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Atiku supporters defect to PDP

DIOLA GUAR TO WATCH Y BARCA,ECRIT CRACK

X8

Hart set for

6

Suarez, onslaught X3

Juve, Dortmund clash at Signal Iduna Park X3

2

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Politics Page Three

3

s

Editorial Protecting Internally Displaced Persons

O

ne of the tragedies of war, famine and natural disaster is the incidence of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are trying to flee affected zones to safer areas. All through human civilisation, people have always been victims of man-made violence and even of nature. Therefore, it is expected that the society should treat such victims with respect, care and compassion through providing them with alternative accommodations and taking care of their immediate daily needs.

Unfortunately, Nigeria in the past five years has been caught in the vortex of violence resulting mainly from the raging Boko Haram insurgency and frequent inter communal clashes between Fulani herdsmen and their host communities. Recent United Nations report estimates that there are 3.3 million IDPs in Nigeria and 470,500 of these were displaced in 2013 alone.

On a global scale, the country is only ranked behind Syria with 6.5 million and Colombia with 5.7 million IDPs. Incidentally, majority of these victims are women and children who are also the most vulnerable. Sadly, most of these people are being housed in very inhuman conditions and even left to their fate by those with the responsibility of looking after them.

For example, it has been established that most of the camps lack basic sanitary facilities such as toilets and bathrooms, thereby forcing these refugees to defecate in surrounding bushes with all the attendant hazards to their health.

Even at that, the inclement weather

condition, especially during the harmattan season is another challenge the displaced persons have to face. Another are reports of frequent incidences of rape against women and young girls, including child trafficking which have become commonplace in these camps. Moreover, reports of corruption and financial regularities are also rife. Only recently, the Borno State Government said it spends more than N600 million per month on the internally displaced persons, even as the victims deny seeing any evidence of such huge expenditure.

Much as the federal and state governments of the affected areas have been making efforts to ameliorate the sufferings of IDPs, it is pertinent to remind the authorities that the affected persons are only victims of circumstances beyond their control and should therefore be treated with respect and dignity.

We make haste to add that as Nigerian citizens, there is every need to protect their fundamental human rights at all times. We are saying so because Nigeria was a signatory to the 2009 Kampala Convention that provides regional legal framework with regards to IDPs, as defined by the African Union.

Above all else, the only lasting reprieve for internally displaced persons is their eventual return to their homes to pick up the pieces of their lives.

And, the quickest way to achieve this is the defeat and extirpation of Boko Haram from Nigeria and finding ways of ending the constant attacks by Fulani cattle herders on hapless communities.

More info: www.dailytimes.com.ng https://plus.google.com/+DailytimesNgr/posts https://twitter.com/DailyTimesNGR

Who’ll rein in these outlaws?

Sam Nzeh ÏÏÏHow would you feel if

you woke up one morning to find several members of your community slaughtered and others maimed by strangers who, out of benevolence, were allowed to live in your community’s ancestral land to carry on their business of cattle rearing?

Mad with anger, of course! This is the situation some communities in Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa states among others have found themselves in recent times, no thanks to Fulani herdsmen. These cattle rearers are currently on the rampage in some communities across Nigeria, killing

and maiming people at will as well as raping women.

Just last Sunday, persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen slaughtered no fewer than 95 persons, mostly women and children in Egba, Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

Also on February 11, 2015, at least 30 persons were killed when Fulani herdsmen attacked 24 communities and villages in Logo council area of Benue State.

On and on the list goes.

But the sad thing is that leaders of the North and the Fulani ethnic group in particular keep mum on the atrocities of their members.

They pretend as if those being killed and maimed courtesy of the herdsmen are not human beings or that the communities did wrong in playing host to the herds-

Words On Marble :

dailytimesng

men and their cattle.

This is unfortunate and well-meaning leaders of the North must rise up and say no to the carnage being perpetrated by herdsmen. Leaders of the North and the Fulani in particular must rein in the outlaws among the herdsmen before things go out of hands. Northern leaders must not make it look as if the murderous acts of Fulani herdsmen are the best way to reward their host communities.

The Federal Government must also stop playing the ostrich with these matters.

When herdsmen stop using bows and arrows to fight and begin to use highly sophisticated weapons, it leaves the realm of Rocket Science to know that there are sophisticated, well-heeled sponsors of the murderous acts.

STATEMENTS BY THOSE WHO MATTER

www.facebook.com/dailytimesngr

Publisher

Fidelis Anosike

Group Managing Director

Editor, Standard, Archives and Special projects

Chief Commercial Officer

Deputy Editors

Noel Anosike

Doyin Awomosu

Group Managing Editor Gabriella Osamor

Editor

Yinka Olujimi

Tunji Okegbola

Yemi Ogunsola Sam Nzeh

Bureau Chief, Northern Operations Celestine Okafor

Group News Editor

Online Editor

Editorial Page Editor

Business Editor

Sports Editor

Head ICT (Shared Services)

Segun Adio Okay Osuji

Andrew Ekejiuba

Head of Operations Innocent Nwankwo

Adetayo Adelaja Emmanuel Ogbonnaya

Banjo Ayorinde

Head Graphics King Ododoru

The opinions expressed in the articles published in this newspaper are solely those of the authors. Articles may be reproduced, provided that the original source is indicated.

Marcus Garvey

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Marian Anderson

There is a great deal of work to do and it calls for sacrifice and determination on the part of those who are leading, and if men believe that money should be the only consideration for leadership, then there can be no successful achievement.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus.

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.

4

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

5 News

GEJ, Jega, service chiefs meet Monday Agu Jnr

ÏÏÏ President Goodluck Jona-

L-r. Author, Dr. Bola Olaosebikan; former governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande;, his wife, Abimbola and Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef ibirogba, at a public presentation of a book titled: “Jakande Leadership is action” held in Lagos ...on Tuesday.

Photo: Taofeek Babajide

Only unity can stop terrorism - Soyinka, Okonjo-Iweala Jonathan Eze The Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka have said that only a united effort by Nigerians can stop terrorism.

They spoke at a National Rally Against Terror, organised by the Nigerians Unite Against Terror (NUAT), a group co-coordinated

by Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, on Tuesday.

Okonjo-Iweala, who lamented the continued shedding of blood of innocent Nigerians, said of the terrorists: “they will not win. We will defeat them”.

Police kill robbery gang leader, arrest three others

She, however, commended the organisers of the rally, saying that such effort was what Nigeria needed.

“This is what we need for Nigeria. We are one Nigeria, we should not be bombing each other”, she said, while commending the Nigerian military for their sacrifice and pledged the Federal Government’s continued support for security operatives to conquer insurgency.

“When I went to Chibok, I saw the devastation wreaked on the parents from the loss of their children. The spirit of Chibok should be the spirit of Nigeria, for, although, the parents were in pain, they continued to go on. I am most touched that, in spite of

the widows, orphans, internally displaced people, we are here together to say terrorism will never work”, she added.

She urged Nigerians to stand united and support their troops with one voice.

In a message read on his behalf

by Okei-Odumakin, Prof. Wole Soyinka said that a people united could never be defeated.

“I regret my absence at the rally. However, I urge Nigerians to shun those things that tend to divide them. Despite recent successes by our Army, we must understand that the battle is yet to be over. Every citizen must be on the front burner, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political leanings”, Soyinka said.

Sodiq Adekunle

involved in regular robbing of passengers on the Ife/Akure Expressway.

A source close to the state police command said, “Preliminary investigations revealed that Abbey, who was also called Iku, was the leader of a six-man gang of robbers that had been terrorising motorists on Ife-Akure expressway.”

Osogbo

ÏÏÏ Men of

the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) of Osun State Police Command have killed the leader of a six-man robbery gang on Tuesday while three others were arrested.

It was gathered that the notorious armed robbery gang was

than has held a closed-door meeting with the heads of security agencies and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega over preparations for the upcoming general election rescheduled for March 28 and April 11.

The whereabouts of the over 200 school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State, were also uncertain as there was “No news for now”, according to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who spoke to the Press after the meeting.

The meeting kicked off at about 11: 45am and was still on when Jega left around 2:42pm but in a brief chat with State House correspondents, he refused to give details of his presentation at the meeting, saying “I believe it went well”.

He also said preparations for the elections were going on well.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah, who addressed State House correspondents after the meeting, said it reviewed the North East operations, particularly, in the last three weeks and renewed its confidence in the Nigerian Armed

Forces and commended them too.

“You know Yobe and Adamawa State have been liberated, completely, and we look forward to the reinstatement of structures of government and governance.

I am also sure you know that in Borno State, out of the 27 Local Government Areas, we have three remaining to be liberated, Abadam, Kalabaldi and Gwoza, and we are optimistic that, with time, we will liberate them too”, he said.

How soon? I don’t know”, he added.

Asked whether the military would conclude its operations in the North East before the March 28 date for the polls, the Army Chief noted that “war is war”. “It is our wish and we pray God gives that to us, but war is war. War, sometimes, is not fought on some platforms of permutations”.

On the whereabouts of the over 200 school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State, Minimah said “No news for now. In all the liberated areas, we have also made enquiries, but, the truth is, when the terrorists are running away, they also run with their families, and those we have come in contact with, have not made any comments suggesting that the Chibok girls were there and taken away.

Yoruba groups condemn Lagos OPC rally Eberechi Obinagwam

ÏÏÏ The Coalition of

Oodua Self Determination Groups, (COSEG), has taken a swipe at the leadership of the Oodua People’s Congress, (OPC), over what it tagged “brazen disregard for law and order and naked display of political ignorance, uncharacteristic of the Yoruba.”

The group was reacting to the Monday rally of the OPC in Lagos, to mobilise support for the (President Goodluck) Jonathan administration as well as call for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Elec-

toral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

COSEG, which accused the Federal Government of complicity in the fuelling of the provocative rallies engulfing the country, said the recent developments were signals that Jonathan was bent on perpetuating himself in power, against the wishes of the people.

The group took the stand in a release signed by its Chairman, Ifedayo Ogunlana and Secretary, Rasaq Olokooba, after an emergency meeting to evaluate the mayhem caused by the OPC in Lagos on Monday.

Teenager arraigned for stealing N5m jewellery Titilope Joseph

ÏÏÏ An 18-year old girl, Mary

Ogah, has been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, in Ikeja, Lagos, for stealing jewellery valued at over N5million, belonging to one Mrs. Folashade Ogunnaike.

Mary, and one other person at large, conspired on March 9, 2015 at Alausa secretariat, Ikeja in the Ikeja Magisterial District to commit felony to wit stealing thereby committing a criminal offence punishable under the criminal code laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Amosun’s convoy stoned at PDP rally Electricity Continued from page 1 in honour of the wife of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

Mrs Jonathan was represented at the event by the wife of Vice President Namadi Sambo, Hajiya Aminat Sambo.

The clash left several people injured and personal property worth millions of Naira destroyed. It occurred when the convoy of the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, drove through the Presidential boulevard where the PDP was playing host to Hajiya Sambo.

It was gathered that as the convoy was passing, some miscreants began pelting one an-

other with stones, sachet water and other dangerous weapons.

The situation worsened as the miscreants began to smash the windscreens of some vehicles while many people also suffered varying degrees of injuries.

In the speech read on her behalf, the First Lady urged the people of Ogun to vote for continuity, sustainability and transformation in the coming general election.

The First Lady’s address was read at a women rally in support of President Jonathan’s reelection bid, held at the PDP’s secretariat in the town.

She advised the people not to vote for any politician who would not support women in his government and urged women

to vote massively for President Jonathan and all PDP candidates in the elections.

“This administration has been gender-friendly; the president has met the 35 percent affirmative action for the appointment of women into political positions in the country and I believe it can still be moved to 50 percent,” she said.

Mrs. Jonathan continued: “We have women that are capable. We can contribute our quota to the development of the nation.

“I am very sure you are aware of the transformation that has been going on in the transportation system, the railways are now working. Our schools are now with new infrastructures.

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (left) presenting a special souvenir to the PDP National Vice Chairman, SouthSouth, Chief (Dr.) Cairo Ojougboh during a courtesy visit to the Governor in Yenagoa… on Tuesday

Our health sector has improved; the President has done a lot to tackle the developmental needs of the nation.

“The women should come out en-masse to re-elect the President for a second tenure. PDP is coming back to Ogun State.”

Mrs Jonathan thanked the Ogun State people for the love showed to the president, saying that they did not come to campaign but to celebrate the women.

Earlier in his address, former Governor of the State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, promised the people whose houses were demolished by the Amosun administration that the incoming governor from the PDP, Mr Gboyega Isiaka would build another one for them in other locations.

He recalled that his administration embarked on low cost housing scheme which the civil servants benefited from, saying that the present administration had neglected the civil servants.

Daniel said the PDP still remained the party to beat in Nigeria, adding that the people should come out en-masse to vote President Jonathan in the elections.

Also speaking, Isiaka said that Jonathan’s administration recognised women and the youths in his government “This country has moved forward and we need a president that will continue with the infrastructural development of the country, we should not go backward.

“Ogun State is ready to deliver the state to President Jonathan and I want to assure you that the PDP will take over Oke Mosan in May,” he said.

tariff cut by 50%

ÏÏÏThe Federal government has

announced a reduction in electricity tariffs by half.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission yesterday announced the reduction after it said it was bombarded with series of complaints from various classes of electricity consumers.

It noted that the reduction was for some power distribution companies after it removed the collection loss component of the Multi Year Tariff Order 2.1 of the affected Discos.

Chairman, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, who spoke in Abuja, said the addition of the Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection losses to the reviewed tariff that was implemented on January 1, 2015, were responsible for the skyrocketed tariff.

The addition, according to the commission, was done after it conducted a fact-finding tour of the Discos and noted that it was aimed at ensuring a cost reflective tariff by passing the bulk to ‘paying’ consumers for losses incurred from ‘non-paying’ consumers.

“Although increment in residential tariff was pending till June, 2015, the total removal of the collection loss applied to all consumer categories, including the industrial and commercial consumers, who were affected,” NERC said.

The reviews, he noted, were in line with the provisions of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act 2005 and the Business Rules of the Commission’s mandate, which allow such a decision on a petition by an interested party within 60 days.

We’ll withdraw $380m Abacha 120 pro-Atiku groups defect to PDP loot if re-looted – Swiss govt ÏÏÏSwitzerland

on Tuesday warned that the $380 million siphoned off by the family of Late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, which it agreed to return to Nigeria, will be withdrawn if the funds were re-looted.

In sounding the warning, the Swiss authorities said the confiscation order “allows for, among other things, that the funds restituted to the Federal Republic of Nigeria are monitored by the World Bank”, adding that if the monitoring is not effective, the funds will be withdrawn.

The Geneva public prosecutor’s office which said this further disclosed that with the return of the funds, the file on the affair which has been ongoing since 1999 will be closed.

The prosecutor’s office said the move comes on the heels of the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the Abacha family.

Daily Times recalls that the Federal Government has long been seeking for the return of the funds siphoned off by the Abacha family while he was in power

from 1994-1998.

The Abacha family is believed to have diverted a total of about $5 billion from the Nigerian treasury with much of it ending abroad.

The $380 million in question was seized in Luxembourg in 2006 on the orders of the Geneva justice authorities. The funds were under the control of various companies controlled by the Abacha family, which is considered a criminal organisation, the Continued on page 12

Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

ÏÏÏAbout 120 Atiku Abubakar Support Groups formally defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday in Abuja.

This came barely 24 hours after former members of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) joined the PDP. The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Affairs, Professor Rurfai Alkali, while speaking at a cer-

emony where the support groups were welcomed to the PDP, said the former vice president was on sabbatical in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Alkali pointed out that Atiku is a core PDP members and that the defection of his supporters to PDP was an indication that Atiku would soon return to the ruling party.

He said: “Atiku is a PDP man to the core but he has gone on vacation and I believe one day he too Continued on page 12

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Council of the Wise visits Obasanjo, condemns calls for Jega’s sack ÏÏÏ A group, the Council of the

Wise, has condemned all ethnic militias’ calls for the sack of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega.

The council, who visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, at his Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, described the protests staged by armed ethnic militias in some parts of the country as "unfortunate" and "partisan".

The Daily Times recalled that the Movement for the Survival of Biafra (MASOB) had last week carried out a violent

protest in Enugu, Enugu state, against Professor Jega while the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) staged theirs on Monday in Lagos state.

But speaking with journalists after emerging from the closed door meeting with former President Obasanjo, Coordinator of the group, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, said those calling for the sack of Jega ought to know that it is not the proper thing to do at this critical period.

Gambari who was the Nigeria's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), explained that the council

was visiting Obasanjo as part of the mission of the Council of the wise, established by Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development's concern about the year 2015 general elections "like many Nigerians".

He lamented the sheer ignorance being displayed by the ethnic militia, stressing that "you don't change a referee at the middle of a game."

According to him, "We have been visiting past presidents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil societies, security forces and INEC of course".

"The objective is to have cred-

ible and violence - free general elections and Nigerians want this. The International community are watching, we have five elections to be held in West Africa alone this year and Nigeria is number one and five elections in Africa this year.

"As the most populous black country in Africa and the one with the largest economy, all of these place on us a greater responsibility to conduct our elections as an example for others.

So, free and fair election is important peace is important and a reason Nigeria should show a good example.

Lagos appeals judgment on monthly sanitation ÏÏÏThe

Lagos State Government has asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment, which declared as unlawful the restriction of citizens’ movements during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state.

Justice Ibrahim Idris of a Federal High Court, in Lagos, had, on Tuesday, declared that the movement restriction policy was a violation of the citizens’ right to personal liberty and freedom of movement, as protected by Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

But Lagos State Government, through the state’s SolicitorGeneral, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), is contending that Idris was wrong to have made such a declaration.

Pedro, in the notice of appeal filed on Tuesday, insisted that the judge did not consider all other relevant provisions of the law before making his decision.

He listed Sections 24 (d), 34(2) (e) (i) and 45 of the 1999 Constitution and the Environmental Sanitation Law (Edict No. 12 of 1985), as those other relevant laws that Idris failed to consider.

“The court is deemed to know and is obliged to consider all relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and existing laws before arriving at its judgment.

7 News

I’ll respect the Constitution - Buhari

ÏÏÏ

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, assured Nigerians that he was ready to subject himself to democratic norms and principles if elected later this month.

The former Head of State said this during a parley with media executives in Abuja.

Gen. Buhari, who pleaded for understanding for the roles his military regime played with respect to Decree 4, during his first stint in power, however, assured his audience that he would upheld to the letter the Constitutions of the country.

Said he, “, I want to give you my full assurances that in this democratic dispensation, I will ensure that the Nigerian constitution is upheld.

“This includes respect for the media, respect for the right to free expression and freedom of speech. Page 1 of 2 any of you are aware of Decree 4 of 1984, which was heavily criticised.”

Describing himself as a converted democrat, the APC standard bearer said he was ready to face the rigours of democratic challenges so as to better the lot of the country.

He also assured the gathering that if elected into power, he would eradicate corruption from the land and usher in prosperity.

Polls: Fulani people won’t be biased –

Sunday Isuwa Group Executive Chairman, Jagal Group, Mr. Anwar Jarmakani (right), conducting the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Joseph Dawha, round Jagal Exhibition Stand, at the opening of the 15th Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference, in Abuja . . . on Monday.

Photo: John Baba

Senate okays N59.7bn diaspora bond for 2nd Niger Bridge, others Celestine Okafor & Sunday Isuwa Abuja

ÏÏÏ The

Senate has approved N59.7 billion diaspora bond to be borrowed from the international capital market for the construction of key capital projects in priority sectors of the economy, including: the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the infrastructure for the Abuja Mega City.

Also, the Senate, on Tuesday, joined their House of Represen-

tatives counterparts to adjourn plenary till the March 31, to enable them participate in the campaigns of their respective political parties.

This followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Joint Committees on Local and Foreign Debts and Finance, which increased the amount to be borrowed from the international capital market from N19.9 billion to N59.7 billion.

President Goodluck Jonathan had, through a letter to the Senate

President, David Mark, requested the Senate to increase the amount to be borrowed.

According to the report of the Joint Senate Committees, the increase will accommodate a greater number of Nigerians in the diaspora, who intend to invest in the development of the country.

The report noted that Sections 41, 42, 44, and 47 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, prescribed conditions for borrowing and verification of compliance limit, which the joint committees con-

Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, said, on Tuesday, that his kinsmen would not express tribal sentiment against President Goodluck Jonathan, in the March 28 election.

Jonathan is faced with stiff opposition from the All Progressive Congress (APC)'s Presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani man.

But Badejo, said that the Nigerian Fulani were not known to be tribal in choices, arguing that they were out to give their vote to a leader who would help the cause of national development.

Badejo stated this shortly after he met the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed.

8

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Politics Kayode Ajulo

s

Politics Editor: Akinjide Akintola E-mail: akinjide.akintola@dailytimes.com.ng

Why we Adopted Jonathan –LP National Secretary

National Secretary, Labour Party, Barrister Kayode Ajulo, in this interview speaks on what informed the decision of his party to adopt the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan in the forthcoming presidential polls. REMI OLADOYE was there. Excerpts: How did your party arrive at the decision to endorse the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan in next week’s presidential election?

I must say that virtually all the presidential candidates in Nigeria today have been wooing my party. I believe that this is not unconnected with the fact that Labour Party is the only party. For you to win any election, you have to associate with the people. We are the one that always identify with the people.

The party, as you know comprises the workers, not godfathers.

We have no godfathers. Giving anybody our endorsement should not be just like that. We must discuss, the people have

to be carried along. I can stand as Kayode Ajulo, National Secretary of the party, to say that we are going this way. But, if we believe that our backbone is the people, everybody must be carried along.

And that is why we had to call the National Executive Committee (NEC). Some parties could get one or two persons then call the press to announce endorsement of a candidate. We do not do that in Labour Party. EveryCONTINUED ON PAGE 9

KOLAWOLE TAIWO

PDP has messed up the country He is referred to as the most experienced and the legislative encyclopedia of Lagos State House of Assembly. Hon Kolawole Taiwo known as HKT is the Deputy Speaker of the House and the longest serving state lawmaker in the country, having been elected into the house since 1999 and still gunning for another term. In this interview with AKINJIDE AKINTOLA, Political Editor and ALADE TASMA at his Alausa office, he speaks on his staying power and the new phase of smear campaigns in the polity amongst other issues. Excerpts: Election campaign is on now and we have continued to see different kinds of things which were never seen before in the history of electioneering campaign in the country.

Where would all these things lead to as we approach the elections?

I did not see it as a new thing, I’m a politician and politicians

Duhu

are usually ready for the unusual things when it comes to electioneering campaign. We prepare unusually for election but the surprising thing is that the ruling party is the one leading the smear campaign. I think it should be the other way round, the opposition should be the party leading this campaign and doing all sorts of things. As the main opposition, we resolved to engage in an issue-based campaign and to tackle the issue from an idealistic point of view, to discuss what Nigeria needs as well as to expose the inefficiency of the ruling party.

I’m particularly not surprised, immediately after the postponement of the election they started all these smear campaigns and we know one of the reasons they struggle for the postponement of the election was because according to the information at our end, they hired a consultant to handle their election campaign who told them the time is short but

instead of them to face the reality, they pushed for a shift in the date of the election. You know this type of thing has happened before in America but it was not as porous and as dirty as this, because over there, when they accuse you, they are able to prove it because the electorate over there are highly informed and keep records.

Take for instance, several things that were said about Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that could not be traced to him. They said he owns Oriental hotel but I can tell you that Asiwaju has nothing to do with the hotel but when they continue to say these things they made them look as the truth but you can easily verify these things from the Corporate Affars Commission. Again they said Asiwaju dashed and shared state houses to his former commissioners and some people shouted oh! this is ridiculous and terrible

Duhu: Its hell campaigning in communities ravaged by insurgents

Dr Umar Duhu is the immediate past Interim National Vice Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the North- East. He is seeking election for the Michika/Madagali Federal Constituency of Adamawa State. In this interview with SUNDAY ISUWA, the former ANPP Chairman in FCT said they faced hell campaigning in

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Taiwo

communities ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents and other issues. Excerpts: The 2015 elections are here. What is the fate of the Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) from communities captured by Boko Haram?

I am from Adamawa State and my constituency, which I am

vying to represent, falls within the local governments initially captured by Boko Haram. But we thank God our Armed Forces have recaptured my local governments.

Be it as it may, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are spread across and within the state. Its normal when you visit them, you sympathise with them CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

9

Buhari too old to govern Nigeria –LP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

body, the NEC, National Working Committee (NWC) must put it to vote, before we chose a preferred candidate, which is President Goodluck Jonathan. Then we presented such decision to the National Working Committee (NWC) and the entire NEC members across the nation to arrive at a resolution. What we have done is not just endorse a candidate, but also the entire party constitutes a campaign committee. The campaign for the office of the President of Nigeria is a serious matter beyond parties just endorsing and going to bed.

Labour Party will determine who will rule Nigeria; who will be the President of the country.

What criteria influenced this decision?

We considered a lot of things.

As God would have it, the two leading contenders are General Muhammadu Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan. Two of them have been in the saddle; one has been there before and the other is there currently. So, the two of them have been tested.

It is the antecedents that we considered: How did you come into being? We know for a fact that one once scuttled the democratic government of this country. You cannot deny that the regime of one of them was a nightmare in the history of this country. Evidently, he ruled Nigeria with an iron hand. These are the things we considered.

And, let us be sincere with ourselves, age is a factor. As a party, we talk about dynamism; we talk about being a workers’ party.

And for you to bring a pensioner, then we know we have an issue.

These are some of the things we have to consider. I am a young man. Then you introduce a 72year old, or someone we are not even sure of his age, because he does not have certificate. If you have a certificate, then I could do some arithmetic to know your age. It will be a great disservice to this democracy to introduce someone who clearly scuttled democracy to be the beneficiary of the same democracy particularly when such person, all these years has not been put to test on democratic experience. Senate President, David Mark was a soldier but since 1999, we can see his movement on the democratic scene. Mark, going by his experience, can be considered for such position, not a Buhari that is yet to have such experience to be foisted on Nigeria. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo was crisscrossing the country, you would agree that during his first four years, he had to learn the ropes. Can we afford another Buhari to use his first four years to experiment?

As a lawyer, I know what the law says about age. Once you are above 70 years, you cannot hold the position of a company director, that is, a public quoted company, unless there is an exception and you have to provide some documents, file affidavit, make declaration, swear to an oath to all the members of the board so that they know the person’s exact age. We can say that our law in Nigeria forbids holding certain positions once one is 70 years. If our law can be so

Buhari

“Endorsing Buhari means Nigeria will be one of the conspirators for someone committing suicide because if you allow an old man hold such position, you have just assisted such person to commit suicide.”

Ajulo

“The campaign for the office of the President of Nigeria is a serious matter beyond parties just endorsing and going to bed. Labour Party will determine who will rule Nigeria; who will be the President of the country.”

emphatic on the issue of directorship of company, what about Commander-in-Chief ?

When Governor Ayodele Fayose talked about his mother using diapers, my mother would soon be 80 years. Once my mother clocked 70 years, I had started to give her special treatment because she is someone we need to pamper, even check the way she thinks.

Even, as a young man, the daily stress is killing, not to talk about a 70-year old man. Endorsing Buhari means Nigeria will be one of the conspirators for someone committing suicide because if you allow an old man hold such position, you have just assisted such person to commit suicide.

Some Nigerians argue that President Jonathan lacks the competence to fight corrup-

“As far as I am concerned, the person that can save the face of the democracy we practise is President Jonathan.

Everybody is talking about change. Yes, Nigerians want change, but not a change in personalities.”

Politics tion squarely and address the issue of insecurity among others?

I am not in a position to address such things, members of his cabinet and his appointees will be in a better position to address such issues. But, we must understand that during electioneering campaign periods like this, people could accuse the President of lacking the competence to fight corruption. This election is to authenticate most of these claims. This election will ascertain whether President Jonathan is competent or not.

We hear of Buhari/Idiagbon regime; Even when Abacha established the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Buhari ran it through a consulting firm. We heard of Alison Ayida. If he wins, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will also be in charge. That is why sometimes what Femi Fani-Kayode says is not far from the truth. Buhari should tell us one single remarkable thing he did. When people talk about corruption, Is it not during Buhari’s regime that Idiagbon sent his son abroad while other youths were arrested? People were killed then; our law was messed up. Even, he committed the supreme crime of truncating the country’s democracy. He banished our constitution.

Just because you led a coup in this country and became Head of State, which is the only qualification he has, then you want to become President, it can never happen. If the alternatives are wrong, one will be better than the other. And as far as I am concerned, the person that can save the face of the democracy we practise is President Jonathan. Everybody is talking about change. Yes, Nigerians want change, but not a change in personalities. What happened in Libya should not happen in Nigeria. When the Arab spring started, everyone was in frenzy.

They kept saying Gadaffi is bad, we need change. The question the people of Libya failed to ask themselves was, “what kind of change is it?” And, because they did not ask that question, today Libya regrets. Hence Nigerians must ask, “What kind of change do we desire?” If it is change to Buhari, Nigeria will regret it.

For Buhari to win the election, God forbid.

Jonathan

Politics 10 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

but they forgotten that it’s the monetisation policy of the same PDP-led federal government under then President Obasanjo and the argument was that why must government continue to spend money on the houses it gave to its functionaries even at higher cost when it can be used to accommodate the same functionaries. They now said okay, let’s monetise and in doing that they gave offer of first choice to the officials and several of the ministers bought those houses. But when you now beginning to paint these picture and make them look like the truth one is surprised. And that was the difference between Al-Gore/Bush campaign and our own in Nigeria. Although they look like same because over there they also used vulgar languages and did several other things and America was sharply divided into two between the Republican and the Democrat.

We thought economic indices debate was going to be the bedrock on what they are going to base their campaign for the election, you know this is their second coming and the APC was just coming to dislodge them for their incompetency and we are talking of integrity, we are talking about our ability to solve the economic problems of the country, we are talking about our ability to give Nigerians infrastructures that would last for years. That was the thrust of the campaign before the PDP began to turn it and wanting to drive the people away from the reality of it simply because they are bereft of ideas on how to tackle the problem, if not, how could a President be talking of tarring roads which should ordinarily be the job of a local government chairman.

When Jonathan was coming to power, we were clamouring for uninterrupted power supply, improvement of the standard of living of average Nigerians but at the end of the day, we got worse for it because the megawatt being generated now has continued to drop, the naira value has also continue to fall and our micro economy is sick but they continue to say they have grown Nigeria economy to be the largest in Africa. I kept wondering about

‘During campaigns, we saw corpses littering the ground’

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Taiwo: Lies against Tinubu can’t stop APC

what this administration meant by leading economy. You don’t appreciate someone by the quantity of the activities he engages in but by the success he achieves from it.

Even when they were unable to make any success out of these, yet they kept claiming that we are the leading economy in Africa. Like when they said they performed in agriculture and went ahead to put it on paper by saying grain importation is falling but information from the farmers on ground rubbished their claim. Even at that, I started to think why would fall in grain importation be as a result of their activities in the ministry

of agriculture and I arrived at the theory of a sharp reduction on the purchasing power of average Nigerians which led to changes in their eating habit. For instance, some people now engage in formular 1-0-1, 0-0-1 etc. With this adjustment, there is bound to be fall in the importation of grains contrary to the government claims.

There is no way we can perform in the area of agriculture without electricity, a typical farmer will go into the bush and cultivate lands for cassava for instance and for him to be able to get to the optimal profit margin, he must get to the finish or semi-finish line and to turn the cassava to garri. For instance, he will need electricity and if he decided to go on diesel, there can never be profit and if he decided to sell on the farm, N30,000 is what they pay for a cabstar -load of cassava. How many cassava loads would such farmer sell to make a million naira?

These are the problems.

There was a standing order specifically in Cross River State that whoever clamours for change be stoned. What is your take on that?

If change is not popular nobody would say they should stone anyone clamouring for change, it is because change crusade is getting to those unexpected areas of the country. Take for instance: they said they do not want card reader, PVC but TVC. We know why they are saying all these, go back and check the history of Presidential elections in Nigeria. Bayelsa State has always turn out over a million votes, but this time, after the registration and sorting, INEC has come out to say the total number of votes expectd from Bayelsa State is about 600,000 and change crusade is now in Bayelsa. People want change in Bayelsa even more than we in Lagos because their son being the president has not resulted in anything positive

for them therefore, the clamouring for change in Bayelsa is louder. So, you should not be surprised if someone said stone whoever clamours for change. The fact remains that they are being threatened to their root but this hate campaign is not logical just an expression of idle minds.

I was in Abuja recently and i realized that the PDP is not tolerant at all, you can never see the posters or flex of the oppositions hanged on electric pole on major roads, it’s mostly of the PDP. But look at what they are doing on Lagos roads, they would use soldiers to come and hang them up at night and I said: you could only paste your poster at night where you are not popular, if you are popular you will do it in the daytime.

Still talking about smear campaign, the PDP led federal government had been accused of corruption and they have never come out to deny the accusation rather, they have turned around to say the opposition is also corrupt which is a matter of saying we are all corrupt. How do you see this reaction?

They are changing tactics, they realised that going ahead with their unidealistic based campaign would be their greatest undoing, they decided to change tactics.

This is also their political style to paint others bad but it’s left for Nigerians to look at the two and see which one is correct. Are we talking about Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who left government about eight years ago? And for once he has not been arraigned for corruption. When he was in government, they said he has immunity but now he did not and nobody has taken him to court for corruption. They forgot that Asiwaju was a treasurer at Mobil before he became governor of Lagos and he

the damages is horrible. What is utmost now is how they can also be moved from those displaced camps to voting centers for them to exercise their franchise. We cannot disenfranchise them because of an offence they did not commit or knows nothing about. They must not be disenfranchised because it is not their doing. The government ought to have protected them and their properties. They must vote for leaders of their choice. They

must vote for leaders who they believed will better their lives. We will move them to their voting centers and bring them back safely. Let their votes count. INEC should as a matter of fact make sure that this internally displace person move on Election Day by providing security, logistics or vehicles so that they can move to polling unites where they can vote.

Do the displaced persons have voting centers already?

Yes, according to INEC, People under my constituency will vote at the IDPs camp at Modibbo Adama University of Technology.

But presently, some of them are displaced in Yola North and some are in Yola South. Some are spread across the local governments in Adamawa State. We just have to be sure that they move from where they will pass the night to where they will vote and be brought home safely. They should be able to

Tinubu

“When Tinubu was in government, they said he has immunity but now he did not and nobody has taken him to court for corruption.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

over the incident before talking to them about the need to vote in the 2015 elections. So, we have moved round, sympathise with them on the situation which made them to flee from their ancestral land to take refuge elsewhere. We are putting that behind us now. What we’re doing is to see how we can move many of them back to their houses within a short period but

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

11

Politics

‘Nobody can take Lagos from APC’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

had a lot of investment home and abroad before coming into government.

He was part of those sponsoring of NADECO activities abroad which was why NADECO gave him 100 percent support for the governorship of the state.

The PDP forgot that this man, Asiwaju can smell investment some killometres away and he had proved it as governor. For instance, when Econet came into Nigeria when Obasanjo liberalised communications, when other governors were busy buying beautiful and expensive telephones for their girl friends, Asiwaju was thinking of making investment for Lagos and invested in Econet. Some few years ago, the N5b investment turned N19b, if somebody had used his money to invest N5b and made N19b, what do you think he would become? He can buy the entire Lagos, is it not possible?

If he (Asiwaju) could smell investment for government, just think of what he might have smelt for himself. You can not compare Asiwaju with Jonathan.

Jonathan was nobody before he came to government, imagine Tinubu financing his own election as governor of the State you know how much he would have spent all alone, therefore, you don’t paint people just for political reason. But I’m not surprised, if they could query the certificate of General Muhammadu Buhari, somebody that started as nobody in the army and rose to become the Head of State, if somebody that was a former minister, a former governor and a former Head of State of this country is not educated, then who is educated?

“When Fashola came on board in 2007, they called him an actualiser because he actualised the projects and the blue print of Asiwaju but I call him actualiser 1 because we are going to have actualiser 2 in Akinwumi Ambode who will take it from Fashola to the next level, therefore, Lagosian would stick to APC.” You now begin to imagine what is going on. They are just exhibiting their ignorance and senseless nature; I hope Nigerians would be wiser.

Again, the electoral law stated that there must be maximum amount on what you can spend on election, what do you want to say on the executive recklessness on the part of President Jonathan who has been going round the country dolling out money even in dollars, are you saying those spending would still be within the expenditure permitted by the electoral law? We are deceiving ourselves but I know with the sign I’m seeing, Nigerians are determined for change and that is why you are seeing this unusual quietness and people are particularly waiting for the election date to effect the change.

In 2011, people particularly from the southern part of the country supported Jonathan to see if he will be able to perform,

Taiwo but after close to four years he had exhibited enough inefficiency and inability to really tackle the challenges of the country.

Imagine as a President, a single person in your government bought N250m car, someone in your government decided to be flying a rented jet which is costing the nation billions of naira and you keep quiet that will surely rub on you, Nigerians are not fools and to make it worse, the President himself now started sharing cash even in dollars

round the country among the traditional rulers to gather support for his re-election bid. Would any Oba come out to say vote for a particular party or candidate?

It’s not possible.

The election is barely two weeks and the opposition particularly the PDP has declared that it would take over Lagos from the APC at all cost the more reason the President has been frequent in Lagos in the last three or four weeks.

Do you see APC retaining the

state considering the fact that Musiliu Obanikoro is back as minister?

Lagos is everything to Nigeria and it can not afford to lack behind in development, the state is the economic hub of the country and therefore, when you are talking of Lagos you are talking of the state that has the largest concentration of intellectuals and knowlegeable people and APC had turned around the state the fact nobody can controvert. In the last 16 years, we have turned around Lagos and it’s only those who don’t know where we are coming from that would not be able to appreciate us. I remembered my first motion as a member of the State Assembly is for LAWMA to get rid of the state of heaps of refuse and called on the government to reform LAWMA. Look at our roads now unlike when we first came to government, we construct roads that would last for years, let me give you an instance, look at Kudirat Abiola road here at Oregun, it was constructed by Tinubu about 10 years now and ever since there has not been any repair work on the road and you know how busy the road use to be, look at Badagry road now and imagine what it will look like when finally completed, these are the kinds of infrastructural development we are talking about.

When Fashola came on board in 2007, they called him an actualiser because he actualised the projects and the blue print of Asiwaju but I call him actualiser 1 because we are going to have actualiser 2 in Akinwumi Ambode who will take it from Fashola to the next level, therefore, Lagosian would stick to APC.

NGO condemns Patience Jonathan’s hate speech Kwasu Alhamdu An NGO known as Voting Right Movement has condemned the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan on her speech at a campaign rally at Ikom Cross River State where she called on PDP supporters to stone anybody that shouted “Change”.

A statement signed by leaders of VRM, Florence C. Ozor, Barr.

Okoi Obono-Obla, Sesugh Akume and Daniel Olatunde said the group was totally and passionately committed to the protection of the integrity of electoral process

in the country.

The group described Mrs. Jonathan’s speech as outrageous, mindboggling and unbecoming of a woman of such exalted position.

“It is worthy to note that “Change” is the slogan of the opposition, All Progressives Congress. We make bold to say that the speech by Mrs. Patience Jonathan amounts to an instigation and inciting supporters of the PDP to attack those of the APC. It is completely unbecoming of Mrs. Jonathan to make such a hate speech that is calculated

to arouse passion and cause violence.

“There is absolutely no need to resort to use of such intemperate language that is capable of causing a breakdown of law and order

by Mrs. Jonathan; who as a woman and the first lady of the country should be in the vanguard of the crusade for a peaceful election”, VRM stressed.

The NGO called for restraint among politicians in the country on the use of language that is capable of being misinterpreted by their supporters and used as a plank to unleash violence on

those who belong to the other side of the political divide.

“It must be underscored that the use of such hate speech is prohibited by the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and is therefore a criminal offence” it said adding: “It is disheartening and a huge disappointment that neither the Presidency nor the PDP have deemed it prudent to disassociate themselves from the inflammatory speech of Mrs. Jonathan”.

The group said such studied silence obviously sends wrong signals of acquiescence or support of the radical approach of

Jonathan Mrs. Jonathan that those on the other side of the political divide deserves nothing but death by stoning.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

‘I have clues to Chibok girls’ location’ Continued from page 1 daughter has returned with tales of horror--- and a possible clue to the location of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

According to the 67-year-old woman, Maryamu Bala of Madagali, Adamawa State (now in one of the Internally displaced persons camps in the state), she could still locate one of the camps she was taken near Sambisa Forest because she used to fetch firewood in the area in her younger days.

She also disclosed that she saw both Arabs and “pure white men” holding regular meetings

with Boko Haram commandants and helicopters dropping heavy equipment in one of the camps.

“My son,” she told our correspondent, “I saw devils, I saw cannibals and people who can do anything in the name of religion.

“My first three weeks in that camp also opened my eyes to the fact that the place is for training recruits as foot soldiers. We saw helicopters dropping things in cartoons; heavy objects were always being uploaded using the captured victims under very hash instructions.”

After about a month in one of the camps, during which she was separated from her granddaugh-

ter, she noticed “people every day going into the other part of the building amidst tight security.

Some of the people resembled Arabs with long hairs, while some are pure white coming around having series of meetings.

“A girl who is one of the maids confided in me, ‘Mama, you see the other side of the camp is where Abubakar Shekau and top commandants are living. There are many girls of our age there, even me, they don’t allow me to go there’. When that young girl said that to me, I quickly remembered the story of the abducted Chibok school girls. Though I did not see them, my spirit told me

L-R: Executive Director Operations Jaiz Bank, Mr. Hassan Usman; representative of British Standard Institute, Mr. Ahmad Rafiq; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jaiz Bank Mr. Mohammed Islam; Chief Executive Officer Digital Jewels, Mrs. Adedoyin Odunfa and Executive Director, Business Development, jaiz bank Mr. Mahe Abubakar during the presentation of Certificate to the bank in Abuja… on Tuesday Photo: Temitope Balogun

Pro-Atiku groups defect to PDP Continued from page 6 will come back to the party.

“My only prayer is that he comes back before the general election this year so that he can support Mr. President fully to ensure our success”.

Alkaki accused the APC of opportunism, stressing that the party takes credit for some reforms and executive decisions taken by the Jonathan administration.

He said: “In 2007, this government initiated electoral reforms and you recall various opposition parties opposed the reforms. When Justice Mohammed Uwais was appointed the chairman they opposed it, most of them refused to submit memoranda, most of them refused to appear in person to make any proposal for the reform.

“But once the Electoral Act was brought in they were the same people who started jubilating that

they were part of the process for the electoral reforms. I think this is sheer opportunism.

“When Mr President appointed Prof Attahiru Jega as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission again the opposition fought against Jega. They said this man has come to do the bidding of Mr President. Today they want to claim Jega as their own man, they want to dictate to him what he is to do today and what he is going to do tomorrow. Again this is evidence of opportunism.

“We are dealing with desperate politicians and we should not be part of that”, he added.

He commended members of the 120 Abubakar support groups for dumping the APC for the ruling party and implored them to ensure they obtain their permanent voters cards.

“You have moved away from darkness to light. There is a big

difference between a man moving around with brooms from a man who is living under umbrella, a colourful umbrella for that”, he said.

Also speaking, the Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who received the group on behalf of the party`s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu assured them of equal opportunity with other members of the party.

Secondus said: “You are all in the right place, and I want to assure you that you have equal right with those who had been here for long. You are free to involve and engage in all the party activities and especially at this time when we are on the campaign and election is coming,’’ he said.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, described the APC, as a party that was made up of characters that were not compatible.

they are in that camp.

The woman who said she was abducted while on the farm with her granddaughter, said for several months she did not know the whereabouts of her daughter, but that when they were eventually reunited, her granddaughter was in such a bad state that she knew the young woman had been “defiled” by the insurgents.

The grandma, who was forced to convert from Christianity to Islam, noticed many strange things in the brand of Islam practiced by the insurgents commenting that it was very different from that practiced by her relations at home.

“They gave us Muslim veils and told us we were no longer Christians. They taught me to be meditating on a portion of the Koran daily... It surprised me so much that their kind of Islam is different with the one I know many of my relations are practicing in Madagali. They taught us to be worshiping at periods different from those I used to see my people observing when they are to pray.

At times, East is not a compulsory direction of worship.”

But deliverance came the way of the woman and her granddaughter one day through a stranger who had witnessed her emotional reunion with her granddaughter the previous day: “In the night, a man I never met walked up to where we were sleeping and told us, ‘I saw you crying yesterday and it touched my heart. I was kidnapped just like you for more than four years.

But don’t worry, I will help you to escape ---you and your daughter this night.”

The man came back later in the dead of night, woke the woman and her daughter and led them out of the camp.

“My brother, we trekked in that evil forest until my strength failed me. When that man noticed I no longer had strength, he backed me. We trekked close to 30km till we got to a fenced place… from where the man said goodbye and we trekked for five days to reach Yola Adamawa State.”

‘We’ll withdraw $380m Abacha loot if re-looted’ Continued from page 6 Geneva prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The repatriation and confiscation of the Geneva funds followed the conclusion of an agreement in July 2014 between Nigeria and the Abacha family. This set out the confiscation of the assets and their return to Nigeria, as well as the Federal Government dropping its complaint against one of Abacha’s sons, Abba.

According to the prosecutor’s office statement, the confiscation order “allows for, among other things, that the funds restituted to the Federal Republic of Nigeria are monitored by the World Bank”. If the monitoring is not effective, the funds will be returned to the Geneva authorities.

The statement also said that the file against Abba Abacha was now closed, based on an article in the penal code which allowed criminal proceedings to be abandoned once the defendant had made amends as much as was possible.

In 2012, after a legal back and forth, the Geneva Police Court gave Abba Abacha a one-year suspended prison sentence for

belonging to a criminal organisation. Abba Abacha, however, was absent from the court room.

The Federal Court in Lausanne, Switzerland’s highest instance, quashed the sentence in May 2014.

The Geneva public prosecutor’s statement reads in part: “The Public Ministry has confiscated some $380 million to the Abacha family and allocated them to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They will be returned to this country under the control of the World Bank.

“The confiscation order provides inter alia that the funds returned to the Federal Republic of Nigeria will be a monitoring of the World Bank, on terms to be set up. As this monitoring will not be effective, the funds remain in the hands of the Geneva justice.

“On the basis of Article 53 of the Criminal Code, which allows to drop the charges if the defendant repairs as possible the damage, the prosecution then closed the case, ongoing since 1999 and finally against the single Abba Abacha. The latter, who served 561 days in custody between 2004 and 2006, has been denied any compensation as such, due to the proven existence of a criminal organisation”.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL CHAIRMEN OF FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

RESOLUTION OF COUNCIL OF CHAIRMEN MEETING HELD ON 13TH MARCH, 2015 AT NCCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA. The Chairmen after careful evaluation of the Education Sector under the Transformation Agenda of the present administration come to realized that this administration has transformed tertiary Education in all ramifications which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria since independence.

The Chairmen expressed satisfaction with Federal Government intervention through TETFUND in the provision of infrastructural, instructional, physical and human capital development of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The chairmen further expressed their satisfaction with President Goodluck Jonathan style of Administration in the course of his Transformation agenda.

To this end, the Chairmen unanimously endorsed the candidature of the for the Second TERM and urge all Nigerians to vote massively for the PDP from Presidential election to the election of Honorable members of the State of Assembly in the forth coming elections.

LONG LIVE OUR IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL SECTOR, LONG LIVE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

Signed Senator Emma Anosike Chairman Committee of Chairmen FCEs

13

International 14

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

US, Cuba resume talks amid Venezuela tensions

ÏÏÏ US and Cuban officials met

Monday in Havana for new talks on restoring diplomatic ties, but their historic rapprochement was strained by tensions over Venezuela.

The top US diplomat for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson, met her Cuban counterpart, Josefina Vidal behind closed doors for a third round of talks on normalising relations, but the atmosphere of reconciliation was marred by protests over Washington's stance on Venezuela.

As Jacobson touched down in the Cuban capital late on Sunday, thousands of people attended a concert and rally to "support the Bolivarian [Venezuelan] people and government" in their mounting row with the United States.

US relations with Venezuela, a key Cuban ally, have been on a downward spiral since President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington in February of sponsoring a coup attempt against him - a claim Washington denies.

After President Barack Obama slapped new sanctions on seven senior Venezuelan officials accused of an opposition crackdown in the wake of the coup

S’Sudan rebels confirm heavy fighting ÏÏÏSouth

Sudan's rebels confirmed on Tuesday they were engaged in renewed heavy clashes with government forces in the country's oil-rich north, but accused their rivals of initiating the fighting.

The statement came the day after the government claimed it had killed scores of rebels after they attacked around the town of Renk in Upper Nile State, in what appeared to be some of the worst violence since peace talks broke down earlier this month.

Rebel military spokesperson Lony Ngundeng, however, accused government troops of launching an attack on their positions. He said the government troops suffered heavy losses, including "many fighters" who drowned in the White Nile river.

Aid sources have confirmed fighting in the area close to the border with Sudan, but could not give any further details.

A Cuban gives the thumbs up from his balcony decorated with the US and Cuban flags in Havana.

allegation, Maduro responded by recalling Venezuela's envoy to Washington and lashing out at

the "imperialist elite”.

The elected socialist then ordered 10 days of "defensive

South Sudan's civil war started in December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar, who had been sacked as vice president, of attempting a coup.

The two sides have been locked in sporadic and often intense fighting since, leaving tens of thousands of people dead, two million uprooted from their homes and 2.5 million in desperate need of food aid.

Regionally-brokered peace talks in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa collapsed earlier this month, with diplomats now warning of the possibility of targeted sanctions against military leaders from both sides.

Israeli PM seeks new term in tight race

Kiir

ÏÏÏVoting is under way in Israel

in what is expected to be a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party and a centre-left alliance. The centreleft Zionist Union promises to repair relations with Palestinians and the international community.

Mr Netanyahu, whose party has trailed in opinion polls, vowed on Monday not to allow the creation of a Palestinian state if he wins a fourth term.

Under a sunny Jerusalem sky, voters have been turning out at a polling station surrounded by election posters, party volunteers on hand for a last-minute push.

Among them is the banner of Likud, the right-wing party of Benjamin Netanyahu, with the slogan "It's us or them… only Likud".

But Israel's prime minister for the past six years knows it could well be "them" after today's vote.

Behind in the last opinion polls, he faces the political fight of his

military exercises" and asked Venezuela's National Assembly to grant him the power to rule by decree on defence and public safety matters - a request voted through by his legislative majority Sunday.

The row threatens to blight the goodwill Obama cultivated throughout Latin America by moving to restore ties with Cuba.

It has also exposed the gaps that still remain between the United States and Cuba, which has relied heavily on Venezuelan oil money since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Havana called Obama's new sanctions "arbitrary and aggressive”.

A senior State Department official said Washington was "disappointed" with that stance, but that "it will not have an impact on these conversations moving forward”.

Unlike the previous two rounds of talks held since the historic US-Cuban rapprochement was announced on 17 December, no press conference was scheduled for this week's meetings between Jacobson and Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat on US affairs.

life. Even if he loses to the opposition Zionist Union, though, he still stands a better chance of building a coalition. The centre of gravity of Israeli politics is largely on the right - the Zionist Union could struggle to find the partners needed for a 61-seat majority.

Mr Netanyahu has campaigned on his core issue of security, shoring up his right wing vote by effectively ruling out a Palestinian state. But for his opponents - and for the majority of voters - the number one issue here is the cost of living that has soared under his watch. And that is where they believe his weakness lies.

No party has ever won an outright majority under Israel's proportional representation voting system, and neither side is expected to get more than a quarter of the votes in Tuesday's election.

Mr Netanyahu, 65, called early elections late last year, in an attempt to form a more stable coalition. Opinion polls published before the weekend suggested that the Zionist Union was likely to win the most seats, though it may still be possible for Mr Netanyahu to form a coalition government even if his Likud party fails to top the poll.

Tunisia open to EU migration plan discussion ÏÏÏTunisia is open to discuss a

European Union request to step up migrant reception centres in the country as part of a wider EU initiative to cope with an influx of asylum seekers.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday the EU plan "will have to be discussed, to see how it could be put in place, and to what degree it might be applicable".

More than 276 000 migrants entered the EU illegally last year, and Tunisia's conflict-torn neighbour Libya is the main starting point for people headed to southern Europe.

The EU is looking to prescreen migrants in the countries they leave or transit because its border agencies can't cope. The EU's top migration official will travel soon to Tunisia to discuss the project.

Cameroun says president not ill ÏÏÏ

Cameroun's Communication Minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, told reporters Tuesday that President Paul Biya, who has been out of the country since March 3, is on a private trip in Europe and not seeking medical help in a Geneva hospital, as has been reported.

"The head of state, his Excellency Paul Biya and wife, are currently in a short private stay in Europe and their state of health is no circumstance to be worried about. The president of the republic and wife are doing good and fine," Tchiroma said.

The allegations, according to the communications minister, were first made by the French newspaper Le Monde. He called the report part of a smear campaign against Biya. "Cameroonians are not ignorant of the open, ill-fated, and malicious conspiracy underpinning these repeated attacks perpetrated against our country through the media. But these denigrators and other prophets of doom should be aware that they will never jeopardize the determination of the Camerounian nation and its leader to lead our country toward its destiny and growth," he said.

In June 2004, rumors circulated that Biya had died in a Swiss clinic. When he returned to Cameroon, he said on state television that those who wanted him dead must wait another 20 years.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

15 Opinion

Nigeria at the crossroads of history

W

Franklin Otorofani

ITH the dark and dank, treacherous hour stealthily creeping up upon us, and menacingly casting its dark, foreboding shadows and silhouette on the jittery nation dying for some relief, it is perhaps time to sound the final warnings, and perhaps share some advice and home truths, too, with both the government and the Nigerian people whom Democracy has already savagely ripped apart and thrown into two deadly warring camps.

If there are reasons at all, what are they? Why has nobody cared to tell us why we must destroy one another and ourselves and everything our glorious ancestors had laboured to build for a 100 years and bequeathed to us for the sake of democracy?

Nigerians, just like other peoples all over the world, for the most part desire to live together in peace and harmony as citizens of one nation for which a civil war was fought and millions sacrificed their lives.

For no reasons at all, it has turned the North against the South, Northeast against Northwest, North Central against North-

east and Northwest; Southwest against Southeast and South south, and Southsouth against Southeast, Southwest and the North and vice versa. It has not spared neighboring ethnic groups either.

And even within the same ethnic groups it has set one section against another, resulting in blood feuds that take forever to heal, if at all. Not yet done, it has even gone further and trespassed into sacred family territories and turned husbands against their wives, parents against their children and vice versa. Democracy is the harbinger of chaos and disunity and Nigerians must be wary of her alluring seductions. However, the Nigerian people, knowing full well that there is far more to be gained from peace and unity than war and disunity, must in one accord, rise above their sentiments and resist these artificial divisions.

It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the right thing to do. And this position is informed by the fact that cumulative experience has shown conclusively that those who were dumb enough to fight and died for politicians fought and died in vain.

Therefore, against all temptations or sentiments predisposing and directing them otherwise, it is not in their place to hang around polling stations looking for trouble

after casting their votes in order to “protect and defend their votes” as the candidates would have them do. That is not their job, but that of INEC, security agencies and the party agents. Save for a few in the past, politicians are not even worth a-dime-a-dozen and, therefore not worth dying for.

If anyone wants to die and be remembered doing it, there is a place for it and it’s called the military. Go die for your country while defending it, not for some politician. I don’t care whether your country made you rich or poor, educated you or not, or gave you free cellphone or healthcare or not.

Or for that matter, whether it has good roads, first class healthcare and educational institutions, electricity or water supplies or not.

Those are mere conveniences and utilities, which cannot be equated with your country.

It is unconditional love and I would commend to you the memorable words of an iconic American President JFK contained in his oft-quoted inaugural speech.

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

Amazing, isn’t it? Just pause and think about it for a brief moment.

What a remarkable statement and

an inspiration!

What can you do for your country? That is the question being asked of you not what can your country do for you, which you have been asking all along since you were born. Citizens build a nation, which in turn conditions and protects them. It is not the other way around. And that’s why we’re supposed to pay our taxes and do our own bit to build her up collectively, and in turn protects us against internal and external aggressions.

Incidentally, those who do not perform these civic responsibilities are the ones who demand heaven and earth from their nations. I have no idea why those who don’t work and pay taxes to the government complain the most about this or that not working or government not doing this or that. They are the dregs of society.

When I emigrated to the US and was confronted with the high costs of higher education running into tens of thousands of dollars that required a student loan albeit guaranteed by the US government with monthly interests payable upon graduation, it immediately occurred to me just how much debts I owed Nigeria for the higher education I had acquired all through Law School for a tiny fraction of the costs.

Constitution, Jega and PVC distribution

T

Aloy Ejimakor

his piece has nothing against Jega as a person or an umpire but is merely a bonafide legal commentary on his insistence that the only voters he will allow to vote are those possessing their PVC. That is well and good; but in such event, Jega must also be mindful of the following provisions of the law: First, the Constitution or even the Electoral Act does not mandate the PVC regime. What the law clearly requires is simple registration. Jega is the one creating this unlawful and disagreeable situation of upgrading this notion of PVC to such an infamous extent that is now threatening the stability and good order of Nigeria.

To be sure, instead of these runarounds, to vote just requires you to be a Nigerian of at least 18 years of age; and then stepping up to any designated INEC centre to register. Once you have done that, you have done your part, preparatory to ultimately performing your civic rights to vote and be voted for.

Conversely, INEC has a legal duty to oblige you with due reg-

istration, and then publish your name in the voters register 30 days to the date of the pertinent election. Mr Jega has, for reasons best known to him, single-handedly brought a whole nation to infamy by introducing these burdensome rules of his own.

So, what Nigerians are now dealing with is Jega virtually legislating that you won’t be allowed to vote unless you present PVC. Nonetheless, despite its pitfalls, failed tests, discriminatory distributions, warts and all, Nigerians now appear helpless and verged on playing along with this patent illegality. But shouldn’t that be on the proviso that Jega must demonstrate, before the elections, that he has achieved 100 percent PVC distribution? If, however, before the elections, Jega fails to achieve 100 percent PVC distribution, he must postpone the elections to allow time for that, otherwise the courts will surely invalidate any election result issuing from such willful disenfranchisement of voters. Alternatively, Jega can save the nation all these troubles by simply abiding with what the black-letter law says, and that is: allow all registered voters to vote.

I might add that Jega’s inex-

plicable absolutism with this PVC and the hideous dangers it portends for our country are clear enough to every patriot, except the duplicitous few who have decided that they will win the elections only when Jega has deliberately excluded millions of voters. If Jega, in deference to the secret forces that are said to be pushing him to this perfidy, ultimately decides to proceed with the elections sans distributing PVC to all voters then he must be prepared to be held responsible for all the terrible consequences that are sure to follow. Those consequences are better imagined than stated.

Further, in the making of this inferior administrative rule, which suddenly requires PVC as the sole ticket to vote, Jega must ensure that no single voter will be turned away or otherwise willfully or even negligently frustrated from collecting his PVC. And while Jega is at it, he must also be guided that to refuse a voter his PVC on grounds of his partisan affiliation is as evil as it is also grossly unconstitutional. Such refusals have been widely and credibly reported to be happening, with impunity, in Lagos and other parts of far Northern Nigeria. As

of now, whether these millions of mistreated compatriot-voters later collected their PVC remains to be seen..

Finally, there’s this little discussed but important matter of Jega restricting voters to vote only in states of their registration. While this may be administratively convenient for a tardy umpire, there’s nothing in our laws that expressly supports such strange policy. Under the Nigerian Constitution, Nigerians have but a single citizenship, and thus should be legally able to cast their votes from any location or state in the country. If Jega had cared to think about this retrograde policy carefully, he would have been minded that the following unsavory scenarios will surely result from it.

First, it will mean that all Nigerians will be restricted to places of their usual domicile throughout the election period. Second, if you have to travel for whatever good reasons, you will thereby be automatically disenfranchised.

Third, millions of Nigerians who are now justifiably afraid of voting from certain locations in the country are fleeing, and thus will never be able to vote from their new locations; thanks to Jega and his many bad rules.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

bgl capital | bgl securities limited | bgl asset management | bgl private equity

www.bglgroupng.com

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Business Times

s

17

Business Editor: Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Email: emmanuelogbonnaya@dailytimes.com.ng

NAHCO hails Customs over provision of enabling environment Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo Chairman of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, (NAHCo Aviance), Mallam Suleiman Yahyah, has commended the Customs Area Commander (CAC) at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos Command, Mr. Folorunso Adegoke, for the command’s efforts at providing the enabling environment for increase in cargo revenues.

Yahyah, who gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the CAC, in the latter’s office, said the CAC has been a blessing to the command and to the ground handling company.

He said: “The kind of senti-

ment being expressed by everyone as it concerns you is a pointer to the fact that you are a game changer, and we are proud of you. Your team has changed the game plan. This will help revenue to increase and the customer satisfaction will be achieved”.

The NAHCo boss stated further that for two months the company had recorded a zero theft level, a feat he attributed the success to the ongoing collaboration between all the parties concerned, especially employees of NAHCo and the Nigeria Customs Service (NIS) at the airport command.

Yahyah stated that in the past two months, there had been no reported case of theft, attribut-

ing it to measures put in place

by NAHCo and the Customs.

He advised the Adegoke to regularly sit down with his team to align them with the overall objective of the measures put in place. He said this would reduce tension in the system.

On his part, the Custom boss said the reduction in the incidence of theft arose from the fact that appropriate capturing is being carried out by Customs officials and that this has greatly helped.

“We have a system that captures everything and everything is being recorded accordingly,” Adegoke said.

He further explained that what the Customs does now is to capture the details of the

person(s) to whom consignments are delivered, adding that if after the consignment had been delivered, it was discovered that other goods were concealed under the delivered cargo, the Customs goes after the consignee.

He said that anybody who pays or is willing to pay the required fees had no issues with Customs, adding that a lot of importers are yet to get used to the fact that the game had changed.

In his words: “Once a particular trader is compliant, he has no issues with us. Once there is compliance, there won’t be any issue; it is non- compliance that can alter the peace. Kindly report anyone with issues”.

Yahyah

BoI pledges smart technology support to local manufacturers Emmanuel Ogbonnaya The Bank of Industry (BoI) has pledged support for the adoption of smart technology by local manufacturers in order to compete effectively with imported goods.

Making the commitment in Lagos on Tuesday, Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, disclosed that the development institution was collaborating with technology researchers across the country to further the use of smart technology to prune down cost of locally produced goods.

Speaking as guest of honour at the Stephen Oluwole Awokoya Foundation for Science Education (SOAFSE) 20th Annual Lecture, Awards of Honours and Post Graduate Scholarships, the BoI helmsman noted that the rest of the world was moving in the smart technology direction and Nigeria ought not to be left behind.

“The BoI has engaged with top research institutes like FIIRO, PRODA to link them to our industries. We may not be cutting edge but we have the basics;

and given the rights that come with their research results.

“A lot of developed countries are adopting smart manufacturing and robotics while most Nigerian manufacturers are using outdated equipment causing their products to cost more than imported ones.This is a challenge we need to address,” he said.

Olaoluwa congratulated the honourees: Engr J. J Akpieyi, Senator Daisy Danjuma and Dr. Adewunmi Desalu and charged the seven science post graduate scholarship recipients to use their opportunities to develop themselves as innovators who would put Nigeria on the world map of scientific innovation.

He noted that there was so much talk on resources whereas the emphasis ought to be on resourcefulness, using little to achieve much.

He noted that some of the

Olaoluwa

if our hundreds of researchers are encouraged, we have a good base we can build on,” he said.

He stressed that no country

will develop technology and give it away just like that rather Nigerian engineers, scientists and technologists must be protected

learning points drawn from the life of Late Prof. Stephen Oluwole Awokoya were his creativity, innovation and resourceful-

ness for successfully initiating and seeing through the free basic universal education, which was an enduring legacy bestowed on Nigerians.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, stated that the common denominator for the award of scholarships by the foundation was a record of excellence in science, while the honours awards were predicated on impeccable achievements to others and the society.

“Prof. Awokoya, whom this foundation is in his name, inspired and positively touched the lives of many Nigerians hence the rationale for immortalising his memory by widening the intellectual capacity for leaders in the African horizon,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria was on a silent revolution towards industrialisation of which the Bank of Industry represented the engine room for the change, stressing that it was the same path that brought countries in Europe and America to their enviable economic positions today.

ICT 18

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Endorsing tools of validation: ICT and 2015 election Tony Nwakaegho Nigeria’s 2015 general election is now only weeks away and the election umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured Nigerians in particular and the world in general of a credible election, on the strength of modern technological devices which have been deployed towards authenticating and ensuring that every valid vote counts.

Indeed, it has become apparent that accuracy and validation of the voting process cannot be achieved without the application Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools.

ICT can be described as enabling key functions of democracy, including how they help people to access and share relevant news and information, organise and coordinate activity; generate and utilize data bearing in mind that there are currently 135 million active telecom subscribers as at December 31, 2014 as reported by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Nigeria and nearly 50 per cent of that figure linked to internet subscription.

In achieving the desired success in 2015, experts in Information and Communications Technology have strongly recommended to the government the use of e-voting machines during the election among other tools that will help curb malpractices in election.

However, in the run-up to the polls, INEC intends to fulfil the promises with the use of the Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) and card reader. INEC has introduced card readers to checkmate the

Jega, INEC chairman

activities of those who may wish to hijack the PVCs by financial inducement to gullible electorate.

INEC’s has maintained that card readers are another major innovation in 2015 in its work for the election to ensure that “every vote would count, every vote would be counted, and every vote would be taken into account.”

Pundits are also quick to ask why PVCs are still stolen. Why are politicians, the supposed beneficiaries of the thefts, investing in unprofitable ventures and acquiring PVCs meant for others, thus questioning INEC credibility of the PVC and card reader

as the electronic architecture for free and fair election.

Cynicism is high because the system has not been used. These pieces of ICT devices are to be operated by human beings and no matter how perfect they are, human beings will operate them.

What is INEC plan, suppose the technology fails during the election? INEC is said to be notorious for attributing its lapses to endless experiments on improving the electoral processes. The new system would indeed be the game changer in the 2015 elections only if it works.

Firm unveils ‘Getaway’ Opeoluwani Akintayo Barely six months after its epoch-making entry into Nigeria’s mobile phone market, the Wiko ‘Getaway’ has been unveiled as the latest addition to the extensive Android smartphone line-up in the market by Europe’s fastest growing mobile phone brand, Wiko.

The company has also collaborated with Jumia, a top-tier online shopping platform, to further build the Wiko brand and deepen its penetration.

Country Sales Manager for Wiko, Mr. John Peters, stated that Wiko is committed to consistently offering varieties, freedom and quality to everyone in Nigeria.

“The Getaway is stylishly crafted to feel amazing in the hand – the combination of the stylish aluminum bezel with the soft touch back. It is a smart device that offers you freedom to enjoy communication and exciting interaction on various social media platforms. Wiko is positioning the Getaway as a device which is the best of both worlds i.e. ‘Style and Performance you will be proud to show off.’ The Getaway is the latest Wiko smartphone that fulfils our promise of delivering the best of stylish design, combined with the latest technology and fantastic quality at amazing prices,” he said.

The new Wiko Getaway is a premium smartphone designed with features that offer users unique viewing experience with its 5.0 inch LCD screen. It runs on Android KitKat with 1.3GHz Quad core, has an excellent 13MP auto flash rear camera and 5MP front camera with a 16GB in-built memory which gives users the luxury to install more apps and save content.

Speaking on the partnership between Wiko and Jumia, Channel Marketing Manager, Wiko, Mr. Adebayo Adams, said the robust relationship between Wiko and Jumia was achievable due to the clear focus of both parties in terms of objectives and target audience.

He said: “Wiko as a brand has emerged to become the game changer in Nigeria’s mobile phone market. Particularly, Wiko targets the youth segment of the market and Jumia has as good reach to the younger generation, which is one reason why the partnership is strong and we are able to do a lot of things in common.”

Making a statement for Jumia Nigeria on the coming together of both companies was Managing Director, Miss Fatoumata Ba, who stated that Jumia has always been in the habit of engaging in win-win partnerships that turn out favourable for both parties and that this would be yet another confirmation of this.

According to her, Jumia employs the ‘let’s-grow-together’ strategy where they build the brand partnered with at the same time and in the same way as they would build theirs.

The Wiko brand launched in Nigeria in October last year with its array of phones which includes Highway, its flagship, Highway Signs, Rainbow, Bloom, Lenny, Sunset, Fizz and Goa, along with feature phones, Kar3, Riff and Lubi-3.

All the Wiko models are approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Peters

Validating the tools of validation: ICT and 2015 elections Tony Nwakaegho

Omobola

Nigeria’s 2015 general elections is now only weeks away and the election umpire Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians in particular and the world in gener-

al of a credible election, on the strength of modern technology devices which have been deployed towards ensuring that every valid vote counts.

Indeed, it has become apparent that accuracy and validation of the voting process cannot be achieved without the application

Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools.

ICTs can be described as enabling key functions of democracy, including how they help people to access and share relevant news and information, organise and coordinate activity; generate and

utilise data bearing in mind that there are currently 135million active telecom subscribers as at December 31, 2014 as reported by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Nigeria and nearly 50 per cent of that figure linked to internet subscription.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

19 Labour

Oshiomhole urges Wabba to provide dynamic leadership Stories Joy Ekeke joy.ekeke@dailytimes.com.ng The Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has urged the new president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, to provide a focused and dynamic leadership for the labour movement.

Oshiomhole made the remark in a congratulatory letter addressed to the new NLC President.

His comment is not unconnected with the negative criticisms that trailed the administration of the immediate past President of the Congress, Comrade Abdulwahab Omar, particularly the housing scandal that runs into hundreds of millions of naira.

He said: “It must be obvious to you by now, that the Nigeria Labour Movement, and in particular, the Congress has lost a significant amount of prestige and influence in the eyes of the Nigerian working people and the Nigerian public at large. The Nigerian people no longer see the Congress as the “voice of the voiceless” and a bulwark against socio-economic and political oppression and injustices in the polity. The Congress is essentially

viewed as either being complicit or at best indifferent to the cries of the poor working class people and the middle class citizens who are daily at the receiving end of an unjust social order.

“It is against this background that your leadership must see its historic role beyond the “bread and butter’ issues, to re-assert its independence, re-connect with grassroots workers, including the forgotten rural majority and position itself as a major player in shaping Nigeria’s polity, economy and society consistent with the true traditions of the Congress and the interests of the Nigerian working families.”

Furthermore, Oshiomhole said: “There is no appropriate moment than now to also work assiduously to reposition the Congress and brace up to the expectations of the affiliates of the Congress and Nigerians as a whole, while also providing a focused and dynamic leadership that will chart a new course for the Nigerian labour movement as vanguard in the struggle for good governance, democratic consolidation and social justice.

“Concomitantly, there is also the challenge of re-uniting and rebuilding confidence amongst all the affiliates of the Congress

Oshiomhole

TUC charges NLC to be united The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has congratulated the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on the successful conclusion of its 11th Triennial Delegates Conference held in Abuja on March 12, 2015, urging the new leaders of the congress to ensure unity of the labour movement.

The TUC gave this charge in a statement made available to newsmen, adding that the outcome of the election is a testimony that no matter the differences, the congress could arrive at an agreement.

In its congratulatory letter, the TUC charged the new leadership of the NLC led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba to be united in order to tackle the challenges facing workers in particular and

Kaigama, TUC president

the masses in general.

The letter reads in part: “To the new leadership of congress,

in the spirit of unity and solidarity that the Nigerian Labour Movement shares. In the same vein, there is also the important task of deepening the strategic connection between the Congress and the Nigerian civil society.

“It is also crucial that we all recognise the urgent need to lift the Congress above the divisive and primordial differences now surreptitiously creeping into the Congress, and restore the pre-eminent position of the Congress as the foremost pan-Nigerian institution it has always been, capable of uniting all Nigerians around critical issues of development and good governance, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or regional background.

The former NLC president also appealed to those who feel aggrieved by the outcome of the Congress election to resist the temptation of convening a factional congress, just as he asked them to sheathe their swords and extend a hand of fellowship to the new president to help reposition the Congress.

“Let me seize this opportunity to appeal to my Comrades, in particular, Comrades Joe Ajaero, Issa Aremu and Igwe Achese to resist the temptation of convening a factional congress either on Friday or at any other date.

we charge you to guard your energy for the task ahead. The only way we can overcome our challenge as workers in a turbulent political terrain is to be united in purpose. Election has come and gone. It is not a do-ordie or a winner takes it all affair.

Nor is it a case of the victor and the vanquished. We all have won and that is the attitude we need to put up now if we must overcome the obstacles ahead of us.

“Finally, we assure the new leadership led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba of the cooperation of our congress even as we charge all pre-election factions to dissolve into one united Nigeria Labour Congress for all purposes. The new leadership needs everybody. Once again, we say Congratulations”.

ASCSN threatens to cripple Defence Ministry over unpaid salaries The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has stepped up planned industrial action against the Ministry of Defence over lingering issues of unpaid workers’ salaries and other labour matters.

The union also insisted that activities of the ministry would be crippled once its ultimatum to the management of the ministry expired without positive response.

The union had last week issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Defence to convene a meeting to address lingering issues on workers’ salaries and welfare or face industrial action.

ASCSN threatened to cripple operations of the Ministry unless it paid thousands of its ci-

vilian employees their allowances, including promotion arrears outstanding since 2011.

Wabba, NLC president

20

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

21 Energy

NDPR enters gas joint venture with South Sudanese firm Stories by Tony Nwakaegho

Amoda

Eko Disco plans massive acquisition of meters The Chief Executive Officer of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Dr. Oladele Amoda, has disclosed that company has set aside $15 million for the acquisition of both maximum demand metres for industrial users and another N20 billion for residential and commercial customers in order to improve electricity supply.

Amoda said the company is making efforts to improve electricity supply to its customers by reinforcing its network and exploring embedded generation to complement supply from the national grid.

He disclosed that the company has signed on some power generating firms to provide EKEDC electricity and listed some of the companies to include Ijora Power 13MW, Apapa Power firm 30MW and Parax, a power firm in Ogijo, Ogun State 40MW. According to him, the Eko Power firm is targeting about 170MW from off-grid or embedded supply in the next few years.

He lamented that before privatisation, the company was owed N10 billion, and mostly by the military and government agencies, adding that these debts have now been inherited by the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company Limited (NELMCO).

Commenting further on the debt issue, the EKEDC boss revealed that from November 2013 to date, customers owe the company N700 million, stressing that these debts are chiefly owed by the military and government, while the management is discussing with the military on modality of payment.

Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR) has formed a joint venture with Nile Petroleum Corporation, the South Sudanese state hydrocarbon company, to “fully monetize and commercialize the entire Gas Reserves of The State of South Sudan.”

NDPR’s Chief Executive, Layiwola Fatona, who made this known to guests at the Lagos Oil Club Question and Answer session, noted that the agreement for collaboration was signed in 2014 to also “support Nile Petroleum Corporation to achieve production optimisation from all existing brown fields in the country”.

Fatona said that the journey to East Africa is part of the company’ strategic work to build the future of NDPR, the first Nigerian company to officially operate a marginal field.

“We are exporting the Ogbele development model to Sub Saharan Africa. We are also investigating opportunities in Uganda. The Champion is ready to flourish as a Pan African corporate vehicle for oil and gas regional development,” Fatona said.

Fatona has spoken about the model of Ogbele field development at four different forums in Nigeria alone in the last 24 months and is about taking a fallow, neglected, undeveloped discovery estimated at two million barrel of crude (ultimate oil recovery) and creating an integrated oil and gas business out of it, consisting a crude oil production line currently producing 3,900

barrels of oil per day, a mini refinery delivering 120,000 litres of diesel per day and a gas processing plant outputting 48 million cubic feet of gas every day to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) system.

“In between first oil in October 2005 and February 23, 2015, the Ogbele marginal field has yielded “10million barrels of crude oil, 45 million litres of diesel, largely sold in the domestic market and 19.024 billion cubic feet of gas delivered to the NLNG system,” he added.

Fatona

Oil refinary

IPMAN inaugurates new Ore depot caretaker committee The leadership of Western Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has assured Nigerians of effective distribution of petroleum products during and after the general election across the hinterland of the country.

Chairman, Western Zone of IPMAN, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, gave the assurance during the inauguration of Caretaker Committee to steer the affairs of the Ore Depot pending when proper election is conducted.

According to Ahmed, following the expiration of the tenure of Ore Depot Executives and shift in the general election, the leadership of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has inaugurated a Caretaker Committee to ensure affective distribution of products in Ore among members.

While administering the oath of office to the Caretaker Committee members, the Legal Adviser, IPMAN Western zone, Prince Doyin Ajidagba, urged them to discharge their duties without fear or favour but with justice and equity to all members of the

Ore Depot.

The setting up of a Caretaker Committee becomes imperative due to shift in date of election originally slated for March 24, 2015.

Ahmed, the zonal chairman said: “IPMAN Western zone hereby constitutes a Caretaker Committee for Ore Depot to pilot the affairs of IPMAN Ore Depot for the next three months effective from Friday, March 13, 2015 at the first instance.

“The Zonal Executive Council took this decision on the grounds that the IPMAN Ore Depot election had earlier been fixed for March 24, 2015 without envisaging shift in Nigeria’s general election slated for March 28, 2015 and the security situation usually accompanying the period of general election.”

He said that the sensitivity of petrol product supply at that period gives the Zonal Council no alternative than to shift the election, adding that the shift in election cannot afford the Depot administration to be left in a vacuum hence the constitution of the caretaker committee which is constitutionally allowed.

South Africa electricity target paves way for gas import President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and the office of the Independent Power Producer (IPP) have declared separately that the country expects to generate close to 8,000MW of gas fired electricity by 2019.

This quantum of power will require at least two billion cubic feet of gas per day, which with the country’s current gas reserves status, will have to be imported.

“Given the high cost of diesel“, the president told the country’s Parliament, “Eskom has been directed to switch from diesel to gas

as a source of energy for the utility’s generators”.

Later in the state of the nation address, Zuma declared that the “procurement process for 2,400 megawatts of new gas-fired generation will commence in the first quarter of the new financial year that starts April 1, 2015”.

The February 13 speech officially ended the tone of anxiety in the public discussion about gas imports to South Africa. The country has little proven gas resource, but until now had dithered about gas imports; preferring to spend

billions of dollars on diesel to fuel four of Eskom’s 27 operating power plants: Acacia, Ankerlig, Gourikwa (in the Western Cape Province) and Port Rex (Eastern Cape), all of which were designed to utilise natural gas.

At a gas conference after Zuma’s address, the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office announced it would release a request for information (RFI) in March 2015 for domestic gas to power projects, to preface a possible 3,000 MW tender that should arise before end of 2015.

Zuma

22

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Today in History Compiled by ‘Tunji Okegbola

s

Cartoons from our Archives

1937 Natural gas explosion kills Nearly 300 students in Texas were killed by an explosion of natural gas at their school on this day in 1937.

The Consolidated School of New London, Texas, sat in the middle of a large oil and natural gas field. The area was dominated by 10,000 oil derricks, 11 of which stood right on school grounds. The school was newly built in the 1930s for close to $1 million and, from its inception, bought natural gas from Union Gas to supply its energy needs.

The school’s natural gas bill averaged about $300 a month.

Eventually, officials at Consolidated School were persuaded to save money by tapping into the wet-gas lines operated by Parade Oil Company that ran near the school. Wet gas is a type of waste gas that is less stable and has more impurities than typical natural gas. At the time, it was not completely uncommon for consumers living near oil fields to use this gas.

1962 On March 18, 1962, France and the leaders of the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) sign a peace agreement to end the seven-year Algerian War, signaling the end of 130 years of colonial French rule in Algeria.

In late October 1954, a faction of young Algerian Muslims established the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) as a guerrilla organization dedicated to winning independence from France.

They staged several bloody uprisings during the next year, and by 1956 the FLN was threatening to overrun the colonial cities, home to Algeria’s sizable European settler population. In France, a new administration, led by Guy Mollet, promised to quell the Muslim rebellion and sent 500,000 French troops to Algeria to crush the FLN. To isolate the rebels and their area of operations, France granted Tunisia and Morocco independence, and their borders with Algeria were militarized with barbed wire and electric

At 3:05 p.m. on March 18, a Thursday afternoon, the 694 students and 40 teachers in attendance at the Consolidated School were looking forward to the final bell, which was to ring in 10 minutes. Instead, a huge and powerful explosion, which literally blew the roof off of the building, leveled the school.

The blast was felt by people 40 miles away and killed most victims instantly. People rushed to the scene to pull out survivors; hundreds of injured students were hauled from the rubble.

Miraculously, some students walked away unharmed; 10 of these were found under a large bookcase that shielded them from the falling building. Firstaid stations were established in the nearby towns of Tyler, Overton, Kilgore and Henderson to tend to the wounded. Reportedly, a blackboard at the destroyed school was found that read, Oil and natural gas are East Texas’ greatest natural gifts.

FrenchAlgerian truce fencing. When FLN leaders attempted to travel to Tunisia in October 1956 to discuss the Algerian War, French forces diverted their plane and jailed the men. In response, the FLN launched a new campaign of terrorism in the colonial capital of Algiers. General Jacques Massu, head of France’s crack parachute unit, was given extraordinary powers to act in the city, and through torture and assassination the FLN presence in Algiers was destroyed. By the end of 1957, the rebels had been pushed back into rural areas, and it seemed the tide had turned in the Algerian War. However, in May 1958, a new crisis began when European Algerians launched massive demonstrations calling for the integration of Algeria with France and for the return of Charles de Gaulle to power. In France, the Algerian War had seriously polarized public opinion, and many feared the country was on the brink of army revolt or civil war.

Daily Times March 18, 1961

1950

Nationalist Chinese forces invade mainland China

In a surprise raid on the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC), military forces of the Nationalist Chinese government on Taiwan invaded the mainland and capture the town of Sungmen. Because the United States supported the attack, it resulted in even deeper tensions and animosities between the U.S. and the PRC. In October 1949, the leader of the communist revolution in China, Mao Zedong, declared victory against the Nationalist government of China and formally established the People’s Republic of China. Nationalist troops, politicians, and supporters fled the country and many ended up on Taiwan, an island off the Chinese coast. Once there, they declared themselves the real Chinese government and were immediately recognized as such by the United States. Officials from the United States refused to have anything to do with the PRC government

and adamantly refused to grant it diplomatic recognition.

Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek bombarded the mainland with propaganda broadcasts and pamphlets dropped from aircraft signalling his intention of invading the PRC and removing what he referred to as the “Soviet aggressors.” In the weeks preceding the March 18, 1950 raid, Chiang had been particularly vocal, charging that the Soviets were supplying the PRC with military advisors and an imposing arsenal of weapons. On March 18, thousands of Nationalist troops, supported by air and sea units, attacked the coast of the PRC, capturing the town of Sungmen that lay about 200 miles south of Shanghai. The Nationalists reported that they killed over 2,500 communist troops. Battles between the raiding group and communist forces continued for weeks, but eventually the Nationalist forces were defeated and driven back to Taiwan.

Perhaps more important than the military encounter was the war of words between the United States and the PRC. Communist officials immediately charged that the United States was behind the raid, and even suggested that American pilots and advisors accompanied the attackers. (No evidence has surfaced to support those charges.)

American officials were cautiously supportive of the Nationalist attack, though what they hoped it would accomplish beyond minor irritation to the PRC remains unknown. Just eight months later, military forces from the PRC and the United States met on the battlefield in Korea. Despite suggestions from some officials, including the commander of U.S. troops Gen. Douglas MacArthur, that the United States “unleash” the Nationalist armies against mainland China, President Harry S. Truman refrained from this action, fearing that it would escalate into World War III.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 17, 2015

Anambra youths march for Jonathan

Dilionye Dilibe Onitsha ÏÏÏYouths numbering about three thousand, on Tuesday, marched through major streets, in the Onitsha metropolis, urging their counterparts to obtain their permanent voter cards and vote for President Goodluck Jonathan, in the March 28 election.

At about 11 o’clock, in the morning, the youths, who had converged at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium, Awka Road, marched to Upper New Market and Old Market Roads and the Onitsha Main Market, through various parts of the commercial city, eulogising Jonathan and the need for continuity in office. At the ever-busy Old Market Road area to

Ose-Okwuodu Market, the youths stopped at intervals distributing some leaflets, which contained some of the achievements of the president.

Traders and other market women, who could not endure the Jonathan musical jingles played on the musical van that accompanied the convoy took to various dancing steps.

N’West varsity marks 3rd matriculation Yakubu Salisu

L-R:former Deputy Governor, Ogun State, Alhaja Alhaja Salimotu Badru Wife of Vice president, Hajia Amina Sambo and PDP Ogun Central Senatorial Candidate Mrs. Abisola Sodipo clerk during campaign visit to Ogun stateÖ. on Tuesday Photo: David Idowu

ÏÏÏThe North West University established under the Kwankwaso administration, on Tuesday, marked its 3rd matriculation for the 2014-2015 academic session, with 1,500 students.

The Pro-Chancellor, Professor Danjuma Mai Wada, thanked Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso, whom he described as the best governor in the country, who had done a lot in the educational sector of the state. The university which was established in August 2012,

Ondo gets 400 memoranda to upgrade chieftaincy stools Tosin Ajuwon Akure ÏÏÏThe Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) set up, by the Ondo State Government, to look into cases of adjustment, upgrading and elevation of chieftaincy stools has received at least 420 memoranda.

Chairman of the Commission, Justice Chris Ajama, told reporters this, on Tuesday, at the Babafunke Ajasin Auditorium, in Akure, venue of the sitting of the inquiry.

He said that the essence of the briefing was to enable the public know the status of the work done by the Commission and to create awareness on the

Polls: Zamfara PDP mobilises women

schedule of a public hearing.

He disclosed, besides, that a public hearing, where everyone – including communities, groups, ruling houses and individuals, would make contributions, on the memoranda received, had been slated for Monday next week.

“The first session of the public hearing, which would last two weeks is strictly for those seeking recognition. Others will follow later, as we also roll out their schedule of appearance for public hearing, which will also be published,” he said.

He disclosed that the Commission, which has six weeks to submit its recommendation to the state government, had so

far been free and fair in its responsibility.

“Recognition and upgrading of deserving minor chieftaincies referred to the commission; elevation of existing (recognised) chieftaincies referred to it; review of the structure and composition of the Ondo State Council of Obas and the issue of paramountcy; and investigation into disputed chieftaincy declarations”, said Ajama, were the four parts, into which the activities of the body were broken, interest of efficiency.

According to him the mandate of the Commission, which was, on January 30, 2015, inaugurated by Governor Olusegun

Mimiko, included the review of the present grades and status of recognised chiefs and crowns in the state, the status of ungraded and unrecognised chiefs of various towns and communities referred to it, the status of minor chiefs, associated with local communities referred to it, the membership, grade or class and structure of the State Council of Chiefs and make appropriate recommendations and also take evidence on the customs, tradition, influence and authority of prescribed authorities, under the chiefs law and make recommendations on areas of jurisdiction or power of such prescribed authorities in the state.

Umar Mohammed Gusau

in the April gubernatorial election.

The wife of the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Hajiya Saratu Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi, who was on a campaign tour to women strongholds, across the state, enjoined women to collect their

permanent voter cards (PVCs).

She said that the women should display their political strength, via their PVCs and vote for the PDP. “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided opportunity for all eligible voter to collect his/her

ÏÏÏ The Zamfara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has embarked on a massive mobilisation of women to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)

23 News

Jonathan

he said, started with only four departments, but today more departments and faculties had been created.

The governor said his administration had transformed education in the state, in its establishment the Kano State University of Technology, in Wudil, during his first tenure with the new North West University to provide more opportunities for indigenes of the state. He further stated that he had also established 44 technical colleges, over 300 laboratories, in some secondary schools, construction of about 1,600 classrooms, 800 offices, Islamic schools, sponsoring 2,600 indigenes to study abroad, free education for the girl-child in the state, free uniforms, free feeding and other writing materials.

Shoe-maker burnt in Ikorodu abattoir fire Kingsley Ndimele

ÏÏÏA cobbler was one of

the two or more people killed, in the early hours of Tuesday, in Ikorodu, in the outskirts of the Lagos metropolis, when a petrol tanker exploded near an abattoir, in a hilly part of the town.

An indeterminate number of people were injured by the inferno, as were buildings and the abattoir destroyed.

Daily Times learnt that the accident happened when the driver of the tanker lost control of the vehicle.

The accident dislocated businesses activities and vehicular movement briefly

voter card for the forthcoming elections, so Zamfara women should be on the forefront to change the APC government in the state,” she added.

Saratu reminded women of the failed promises made, since 2011, by the Yari administration.

Public Notice 24 SEVELLE NIGERIA LIMITED (IN-LIQUIDATION)

NOTICE OF FINAL GENERAL MEETING FINAL MEETING AND DISSOLUTION (PURSUANT TO SECTION 478 CAMA) TAKE NOTICE that a final General Meeting of the above named Company would be held at EKPENISI AND ASSOCIATES, 3, Thomas Laniyan Street, Beside LASU Anthony Campus, Idiroko Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road, Anthony Village, Lagos, on the 13th day of April, 2015 at 11am for the purpose of laying down before the meeting, the accounts showing how the winding up of the company has been conducted and providing any explanation thereof.

Dated this 11th of March, 2015

Ekpenisi Emmanuel ESQ (liquidator) EKPENISI AND ASSOCIATES 3, Thomas Laniyan Street Beside LASU Anthony Campus, Idiroko Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road, Anthony Village, Lagos

ENDTIME HEIRS OF GOD BIBLE CHURCH

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

VOICE OF DIVINE TRUTH INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH The general public is hereby notified that the above named outreach has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

TRUSTEES: 1. Azemobor Gregory 2. Austin Edoho 3. Inegbenose Princewill 4. Joseph Odia AIMS: Voice of Divine Truth International Outreach is a non-religious, non-denominational and non-governmental organization with a divine mandate promote and propagate the kingdom of God, its values, principles and systems on earth OBJECTIVES: a. Help people discover their true purpose for effective living. b. Teach and model Godly values and principles for true success. c. Promote strong fellowship and love towards humanity. d. Provide for the needy and less-privileged and to give hope to the hopeless. e. Help men discover their primary purpose on earth, equipping and empowering them to bring about positive impact in the society and the world at large. f.

Teach men how to do good, recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who have contributed or are contributing positively to the betterment of the society. g. promote the welfare of the children of the less privilege through our project-adopt-a-child advocacy Any Objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi street, P.M.B 198, Maitama, Abuja within Twenty-Eight (28) days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Barr. Olatayo Beckley

GLOBAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEALTHY KIDNEY INITIATIVE

This is to inform the general public that the above named church has applied to corporate Affairs commission for registration under part c Of the companies and allied matters Acts 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named initiative has applied for Registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The trustees are: 1. Pastor Goodness D. Wadzanguri - president.

2. Pastor W. D. Emmanuel - general Secretary.

3. Prophet Ruby Richards - Member.

4.Pastor Korede peter - member.

5. Pastor Adeola Oluwafemi - member.

6. Pastor. (Mrs) Folawemi D. Wadzanguri - member.

7. Pastor E. D. Oluwafemi - Member.

Trustees.

1. Dr. Ayoade Adedokun -Chairman 2. Ibukunola Adekunbi Ojomo - Executive Director 3. Mrs. Fausat Olayinka Idowu - Vice Chairman 4. Mr. Samuel Nabena -Secretary 5. Mrs. Sylverina Olajumoke Adebiyi - Member 6. Prince Olarenwaju Olateru-Olagbegi- Member 7. Mrs. Adefolawe Anacletas Marie Sutton - Member 8. Otunba Fola Oworu - Member 9. Dr. Olusegun Babafemi - Member

Aims and objectives.

1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

2. To save souls to God’s Kingdom.

3. To build and equip both circular and spiritual load.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general Corporate Affairs Commission, 420 Tigers crescent, off Aguiyi iRonsi street Maitama Abuja within 28days from tis publication Signed: Pastor Goodness D. Wadzanguri (President).

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE MUNA WELLBEING FOUNDATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees.

1. Bilikisu Balake.

2. Diko Balakefi.

3. Nazeer Abdullahi.

4. Nkoyo Antai.

5. Ann Nosiri.

6. Florence Ojo. 7. Gloria Victor.

8. Alice Banku Enu. Aim and objectives.

To assist and cater for the less privilege.

Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed; EMEKA ODOH

PORT- HARCOURT DEVINE GRACE ORPHANAGE INTERNATIONAL

Aims and objectives.

1. To assist poor dialysis patients access to subsided treatment 2. To implement prevention awareness programmes.

Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

CHRIST APOSTLES’ LOVE MISSION The General Public is hereby notified that the above named MISSION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To preach and propagate Christianity 2. To uplift the spiritual wellbeing of people in all nation 3. Encourage and preach peace in all nation

DEEP INTERIORS EVANGELICAL MISSION

RAISING ENTERPRENEURS IN AGRICULTURE FOR POSTERITY FOUNDATION

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named MISSION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees.

1. Taiwo Osaogie Cole.

2. Idowu Osayane Cole.

3. Kehinde Ehidiame Airiodion.

Trustees.

1. Godwin Ejeh, 2. Grace Ejeh.

3. MR. Ojoajogwu Ekeyi, 4. Sunday Omale.

Aims and objectives.

To preach the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES. To raise secondary school students into Entrepreneurs through agricultural programmes. Encourage inter school competition among students while teaching them green house effect and tree planting.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of the publication.

Signed. Barr. Solomon

FRAGRANCE OF LIFE MINISTRY

Trustees.

1. Mr. Segun Olanrewaju Abe. - Chairman.

2. Motunrayo Omolade Ahenmokhai. (Nee Abe).

3. Mrs. Comfort Abe. - Secretary.

Aim and objective To propagate to all message o the purpose of God for creating each person.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of the publication.

Signed: Barr. Toye Ibitoye

BEYOND THE SCARS FOUNDATION

NINE LIVES CHESS FOUNDATION

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Dr. Adibo Elochukwu Chibuzo 2. Williams Oche 3. Barr: Ejiofor Onwuaso 4. Fidelia Ezinne Amaefu

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Stanley Ochuko Omadogho - Chairman /CEO. 2. Joshua Jolomi Tenumah - Treasurer.

3. Lovejoy Ezinna Ogbuokiri- Secretary.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary

Aim and objective.

To cater for the welfare of his members

Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

Trustees.

1. Chikampka Akorbueze.

2. Fidelis 0binna.

3. Lemchi Igo.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To protect the less privileged against lack of parental care 2. To change the views of the less privilege about life through the help of a psychologist, by setting up a rehabilitating forum

This is to inform the general public that the above named association has applied for Registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees.

1. Elegushi Muritala Adedoyin 2. Onikoyi Animashaun Abdulfatai 3. Sulaiman Dimeji 4. Prince Onikoyi Fatai Taiwo 5. Shodiya Adekemi Suliat 6. Tinko Murisikudeen Aderemi 7. Mufutau Adesegun Onikoyi

Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of the publication.

Signed: Secretary

C/o Odofin Ojora Palace Ijora Oloye Lagos

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. George Sena Agbaje 2. Olumide Olalekan Kamiyole 3.Ogundare Abayomi Owolabi 4. Abiodun Jimoh

The general public is hereby notified that the above named body has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Aim and objective.

To cater for the orphans and motherless children in the society.

ONIKOYI DESCENDANTS ASSOCIATION LAGOS.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To sponsor and organize chess tournaments.

2. To sponsor chess tournament & events.

3. To actively involve chess enthusiats & philanthropist in sponsorship of chess tournaments.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: JOSHUA JOLOMI TENUMAH - SOLICITOR 08033759418

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of the publication.

Signed: Barr. Eberechukwu Princewill.

THE ELITE TREND ORGANISATION OF NIGERIA The general public is hereby notified that the above named organisation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees.

1. Godfrey Emeka Aligbe. - Retained.

2. Awaisu Abdullahi. - Remove.

3. John Bello. - Removed.

4. Albert Edith. - Removed.

New Trustees.

1. Anakor Anthony C. 2. Isah Agbokyena Likita.

3. Imagbenikaro Margaret Amowie Egbe.

4. Allani Yusuf.

5. Nda. Mustapha Abubakar.

Aim and objective. Same.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of the publication.

Signed. Chairman.

OLABIMITAN JOY MARY

DAVID-ADEBESHIN ADEWALE ALAO

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Joy Mary Akinyemi now wished to be known and addressed as Mrs. Joy Mary Olabimitan. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Adebeshin Adewale David now wished to be known and addressed as David-Adebeshin Adewale Alao. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

DAVID-ADEBESHIN MONINUOLA ABEJE

I, formerly known and addressed as Adebeshin Moninuola Esther now wished to be known and addressed as David-Adebeshin Moninuola Abeje. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

PLACE YOUR ADVERT HERE

25

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Igbomina communities laud Ajibola’s performance

Benue massacre: Mark tasks security agencies on culprits Celestine Okafor (Bureau Chief, Northern Operations)

Ă?Ă?Ă?Worried

by the massacre of his constituents in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, the Senate President, David Mark, has tasked security

Mark

operatives to leave no stone unturned in fishing out the assailants and bringing them to justice.

Scores of indigenes of Egba community, in the Council, were ambushed and murdered by the assailants believed to be Fulani herdsmen, in the wee hours of Sunday.

Reacting to the incident after some of his constituents briefed him on the development, Mark expressed sadness over the incident and wondered why his constituents would continue to be killed at will, by their supposed neighbours.

An angry Mark said: "This is condemnable. This

Jonathan chides critics of Nigeria's military Egena Egena Abuja

Ă?Ă?Ă?

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, cautioned leaders in the country not to drag the military into the nation's murky political waters-, saying that such an action would be reckless.

The President, who gave the admonition, while receiving a cheque for N1million from Mr. Dotun Oyetunde, in support of the nation's armed forces, said men of the nation's armed forces must be appreciated by all Nigerians and be insulated from politics.

The presentation of the cheque preceded a meeting of the Security Council, presided over by Jonathan, which was held behind closed-door, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Jonathan, he always felt bad whenever he hears people making insulting statements about the nation’s military.

He asserted that nations which Nigeria builds its democracy after do not behave in such manner.

He said: "We must con-

tinue to commend men of the Nigerian armed forces. A nation must honour men of its armed forces.

"All the nations that we emulate and build our democracy after do not insult their military.

"They must be appreciated and insulated from politics. I feel bad when leaders rope military into our day to day political activities. That is reckless.

"These men stay in the rain while we are under roofs. They stay awake for us to sleep well."

The President acknowledged the supports the military is currently receiving from Nigerians and specifically commended youth groups that have been demonstrating in support of the troops.

He urged other Nigerians to borrow a leaf from those who had been donating in cash and kind to the troops, noting that such financial assistance can be channeled through the Chief of Defence Staff, National Security Adviser or the Minister of Defence.

The donor, Oyetunde, said he was moved by the plight of troops in the hands of members of the Boko Haram sect.

guerrilla warfare must be stopped. All hands must be on deck to put an end to this.

"Whatever the issue is, resorting to violence or killings cannot bring a solution. We must come together and resolve the matter. This animalistic and barbaric act is condemnable by any right thinking members of the society."

He, therefore, called for an aggressive security operation to fish out the killers in order to bring them to justice and end the carnage.

The governments of Benue and Nasarawa states, had, last year, waded into

Ikpeazu's campaign team writes IGP, COAS over violence

Ola Yekeen Ilorin

the intractable conflict between Agatu and the Fulani herdsmen, during which a peace pact was signed.

However, Mark was of the view that a joint commission, specifically to address the problem, has become paramount to forestall further outbreak of violence and killings.

In the meantime, the Senate President has requested the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to help provide relief materials to displaced persons in the war-ravaged area, even as he pleaded with the people to remain law-abiding as government finds solution to the crisis.

Ă?Ă?Ă?Igbomina

communities in Irepodun Local Government of Kwara State, have lauded the sterling performance of Simeon Ajibola, a Senator, representing Kwara South District.

The communities gave the testimony on Tuesday, while receiving Ajibola, the PDP governorship candidate, who was on campaign tour of the area for the forthcoming general election.

The Alaran of Aran Orin, Oba Aaron Aransiola and Alagbonda of Agbonda, Oba Tejumola Iranloye, commended Ajibola for fulfilling his promises by providing their communities with motorized boreholes.

The Alaran described the governorship candidacy as a divine symbol designed to liberate the state and put smiles on the faces of the long suffering people of the area.

Oba Aransiola, like his many other brother Obas in the area, urged Senator Ajibola to ensure that he continues to fulfil his campaign promises, if elected as governor.

The monarchs said they had been treated to dozens of unfulfilled election promises by succeeding governments.

The Alagbonda, however, appealed to the PDP governorship candidate to look into the condition of their deplorable roads, lack of water and dilapidated social infrastructure.

6

$ 3

& # # 0 % ( ( % ! 4 5 3 &&

2

Sunday Nwakanma Umuahia

Ă?Ă?Ă?Following

an alleged shooting of one Frank Dickson, in a campaign rally in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, the media team of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has formarly written the Inspector General of Police (IGP), not to allow the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state to sweep the matter under the carpet.

Briefing newsmen at the Government House, Umuahia, the Assistant Director, Media, Ikpeazu Campaign Organization, Mr. Kingsley Emereuwa, said a formal petition has been forwarded to the IGP over the incident and urged him to properly look into the matter with a view to bringing those behind the dastardly act to book.

#$

% ! & '

( ) *

)

# %

( ) )

+ , $

- $ (

$ # )$ . . $ % !

&

/0

1

!!! "

# " $ % & " "' (" ) * + $,- , . /" " + /. " 0 1 2, ) " 3

,0 4 /"

!"

26

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Education

s

Colleges 0f Education to award degrees

Anosike

Stories by Tunde Atobatele As further efforts at making good its promises, the Federal Government is getting set to ensure that Bachelor degrees become the least quali-

fication for teaching in Nigeria.

This again came to the fore during the meeting of the chairmen of governing councils of colleges of Education in Nigeria. The meeting, held in Abuja, and chaired by Sen. Emmanuel

Anosike, deliberated on the brilliant efforts made so far by the Federal Government at restoring qualitative and sound education to the nation’s colleges of education.

Amongst the focus of the meeting of the colleges, in particular, was the strategic need to enable them begin the award of degrees which, according to them, would accelerate the realization of making first degrees the minimum academic qualification for teaching in Nigeria.

Sen. Anosike, in Abuja, said: “Some colleges have more Ph.D holders than most universities.

A case in reference is Alvan Ikoku College of Education, which has about 160 Ph.D holders, when some universities have only about 50. The school (Alvan Ikoku) has about 16,000 students, while the Adeyemi College of Education, Oyo, also has 16,000 students,” he emphasized.

All these attributes, he said, shall make the award of degrees easier and worthy, as they are long overdue. He disclosed that the Federal Government has embarked on several activities to uplift the working and learning conditions on the college campuses.

His words: “The needs assessment reports of CoE’s are being

implemented, which has necessitated that adequate infrastructural amenities are provided for the institutions, also lectures won’t hold at sport centers anymore or at chapels, as in the past.”

The chairman, while praising the forthrightness of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration whom, he said, had kept faith with his promises to Nigerians, says “what our people are looking for by going to other countries is good education, and that‘s happening here now. Other nations are even commending our strides in developing this Sector,” he added.

According to him: “All colleges of education across the country are being rehabilitated, preparatory for the degree awarding status.”

In a related development, the Federal Education (Special) is set to hold its convocation.

Special Oyo, as fondly referred to, is reputed to be the only college of education in West Africa specially designated to cater for impaired students. According to the release approved by the Provost, Dr. Femi Adeniyi, the ceremony is a weeklong activities, beginning from March 19, 2015, on the school campus.

Shekarau

Federal Government assures Nigerians on security in schools during election In the bid to avert ugly incidences in schools during the forthcoming election, particularly against the background of the insurgent attacks experienced at Chibok Schools in Maiduguri, the Federal Government has assured Nigerian to entertain no fear.

Announcing this recently was the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, at a Press briefing in Abuja.

It would be recalled that before the recent postponement of the election, earlier scheduled for February, several calls were made on the government to consider closing schools before the polls, for fear of attacks, which the government rejected.

According to Prof. Onwuliri: “Government has put in place adequate security measures for schools during and after the election.”

Though, the minister did not say anything on whether schools shall be closed during the exercise, slated for the months of March and April.

CBT a success - Prof. Ojerinde Ojerinde

…As UNILORIN gives out android tablets to students

At a recent TV line chat, the Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, announced the success of the newly introduced Computer Based Test (CBT) for students as an extraordinary breakthrough in the educational sector.

The CBT tests were conducted across the country recently for a large number of candidates, for which JAMB provided several tests accredited centers. Though the exercise was not without a hitch, according to a post-test analysis made by Prof. Ojerinde.

His words: “Though, there were some light hitches observed during the exams, like where we discovered did not have adequate internet facility for the huge number of students billed to sit at the centre.

We later charged him to be well equipped, which he did. But the centre surprisingly reverted to the inadequate server immedi-

ately they thought we had approved it.

“There was a time loss though because, on the discovery, we had to move away the candidates to a better prepared Centre,” he concluded.

In a related development, the University of Ilorin has added a unique coloration to academics, as it has given out Android Tablets (iPADs) to its 2014/2015 set of students.

The university, in what it called the objective of fostering academic excellence through information technology, has introduced a new dimension into the Nigerian University system,

hence the global commendation from far and near.

The initiative, which was said to have been doubted by the students, finally became a reality as the students were taken by surprise at the distribution of the iPADs. While responding, the Student’s Union Director of Publicity, Anifowose Titilope, confirmed the kind efforts of the school’s management, which she commented as unprecedented.

Her words: “This shall be a moral-booster for all the students.”

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Inside Campus

s

Inside Campus Editor: Mutiat Alli mutiat.alli@dailytimes.com.ng

LASPOTECH, IDRDG partner to honour late Prof. Adegbola Ademola Fagbemi LASPOTECH

ÏÏÏ As

Lawal

part of plan to build a science centre for the Ikorodu campus of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), the management of the institution has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ikorodu Division Resource

Development Group (IDRDG).

The MOU is for the building of the Late Professor Anthony Adegbola Science Centre on the Ikorodu campus, the Rector of the institution, Dr. Abdulazeez Abioye Lawal, who signed on behalf of the management disclosed to reporters.

However, Lawal said further that the State Government

27

has officially allocated three hectares of land to the group.

The Chairman of IDRDG, Professor Adebayo Ninalowo, who spoke on behalf of the group, thanked the management of the polytechnic for the collaboration which will contribute immensely to the academic development of not only to the institution but also

the neighbouring community and the nation at large.

Ninalowo explained that the planned science centre is to honour the Late Professor Adegbola, considering his contributions to the development of science and technology in the country.

“His good works cannot be swept under the carpet, hence, there is a need to encourage new generations to embrace Science and also make maximum impact.”

Ninalowo said.

LASU

holds 20th convocation today Mutiat Alli Lagos

ÏÏÏ

Representatives from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin. (Inset) Other participants at the Carnival.

All for UNIBEN carnival Eddy Uwoghiren Benin

ÏÏÏ President

of the Students Union Government of the University of Benin, Ifidion Ikhide, recently organised the biggest carnival at the Hall 2 Car Park of the University.

Despite its short notice, students trooped out from both cam-

puses to catch a glimpse and be part of the excitement.

The carnival saw students dressed in various attires ranging from traditional, Africana, European to Italian.

The event was chaired by the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Faraday Orumwense. In his welcome address, Orumwense commended the SUG for putting up a

well organised programme as this will in a way promote peace and unity in the community.

He said: This year’s event would go a long way in the history of the university as the largest social gathering targeted at harnessing the creativity of UNIBEN students as we at the management level will make sure that the event is sustained”.

The Student Union President, Comrade Ifidion, on his part disclosed that the carnival was majorly to create a forum for all students to interact and build friendship across faculties, stressing that the event would prove the saying that UNIBEN is UNIBEST and her students are good in all areas of life. He commended the students for their turnout.

Lagos State University (LASU) on Tuesday said it would hold its 20th convocation from March 18 to March 19.

This is contained in the official university bulletin, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Lagos.

According to the bulletin, the award of first degrees and diplomas in all faculties will hold on March 18, while the award of higher degrees will hold on March 19.

The convocation will also see commissioning of some projects by the state government, Babatunde Fashola.

Projects to be commissioned include the Faculty of Science Building, Faculty of Law Twin Lecture Theatre Building and the LASU Radio.

A convocation lecture with the topic, “From whom much is expected, enough should be given,” is also slated for March 17.

LASU VC, Prof. John Obafunwa

News 28

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

&

Industry TECHNOLOGY Issues

By MOSES OWOLABI 08053064507(sms only)

Limit not Nigeria’s industrialisation

Utomi

ÏÏÏ Some

months ago, this writer read in one of the papers a suggestion by one of our highly revered economists, Prof. Pat Utomi, that Nigeria, rather than continue research and development work on the Nigerian car (where, he alleged, she doesn’t have comparative advantage) should concentrate on developing and supplying high quality rubber parts to the auto industry.

On the surface, the suggestion makes sense but to those who understand the underlying issues, the professor was just treading the well-beaten path of the World Bank and other multilateral institutions on science and technology research and development in the third world.

They say it as if some countries were born with the said ‘areas of comparative advantage’ in manufacturing goods and provision of sophisticated services while the rest were destined to be mere suppliers of raw materials to the industrialised world.

The truth is that the rich countries of the world are the industrialised countries, while the poor countries are those who produce and export raw materials only. So the choice is there for you as a country either to remain poor or to strive to be rich.

Prof Utomi is no doubt a brilliant person but by dabbling in this area, he missed it. In science and technology, there are two kinds of research---basic and applied. Basic researches are mainly undertaken for the sake of knowledge which results may not be applicable immediately. Applied researches are those which results are geared towards solving identified problems.

If researches are sometimes undertaken for research’s sake or a particular kind of research is undertaken for the sake of knowledge acquisition, why would Utomi, being an economist and

a professor---a ‘knowledge master’--- be campaigning against acquisition of knowledge?

Anyway, that is just by the way. The truth is that politics of science and technology is at play here. As I mentioned earlier, no nation was born with comparative advantage: every developed country deliberately invested in it to create it, for instance, in the area of industrialisation.

A former minister of science, the late Prof Gordian Ezekwe, laid the foundation for a sound industrial base for Nigeria when, during the Babangida Administration, he led 150 other Nigerian scientists and engineers to create what is today known as the National Agency for Science & Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI).

Just before writing this piece, the same NASENI in a momentous occasion, reached an understanding with Coscharis Motors to produce, en mass, tricycles designed and constructed by National Engineering Design & Development Institute (NEDDI), Nnewi, Anambra State, thus tearing to shreds the ‘bad news of ‘area of comparative advantage!

Now that NEDDI has finally broken the jinx, it is right to remember those who tried to reach the market place with laudable innovations but were prevented by contrary powers.

Between 1992 and 2000, Centre for Automotive Design & Development (CADD), Zaria produced her seven prototypes which include two tricycle models --- commuter and pickup --- four four wheeler models and a four-stroke, 800cc automotive engine. But the initiative was severely pressed down by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other forces, in and outside of Nigeria.

Thank God, CADD still exists and it is making efforts to commercialise its innovations too.

Timesearch Sarah ODEDE

Email oyin_k@yahoo.com 08055103156

What’s the Technical Aid Corps all about? ÏÏÏPlease

Many Nigerian students are being admitted to study in foreign universities, especially in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Thus, universities in these countries have introduced courses which Nigerian lecturers can handle best. An official at the National Universities Commission (NUC) Headquarters Abuja, disclosed this to TIMESEARCH. According to the official, courses like Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages are now being taught in these foreign universities and the dearth of lecturers has forced the institutions to turn to the Federal Government for assistance.

This prompted the Directorate of the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advertise the existing vacancies in such foreign institutions.

According to the official, barely a week after the publication, over 30,000 persons applied for the vacancies according to the Director-General of the agency, Dr. Pius Osunyikanmi.

The official quoted Osunyikanmi as saying that the request before TAC at the moment was about 400 persons from just five countries, and that the directorate was “expecting further request from about 15 countries that have contacted us and signified their intentions to participate actively.”

According to the official, the DG said when the scheme started some decades

ago, the minimum qualifications were okay for a number of the recipient countries. But However, some of these countries, have re-evaluated their requirements in line with their national needs.

“It is such that now, quite a number of them are asking for a minimum of Master’s degree and a minimum of five years working experience.”

It was also revealed that the preponderance of the requests received now was in the area of lecturing, especially in a number of East African universities, such as Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

And the minimum requirement for lecturing in any higher institution is at least a Master’s degree.

The official added that volunteers are recruited strictly on the basis of specific requests from the recipient countries and the scheme is intended for Nigerian professionals willing to serve abroad alone for two years without their families.

The Nigerian government would be responsible for payment of onshore and offshore allowances to the volunteers; their resettlement allowance, provision of return passages. But they are not entitled to baggage allowance and limited fringe benefits such as leave grants.

Currently, a volunteer who is to teach in any primary or secondary school facility earns $1,000 per month. He also has to open an account here in Nigeria into which N30,000 is paid monthly.

“When you put this together, at the current exchange rate, that comes to about N165,000, plus N30,000, this is clearly above what quite a number of the officers would have earned at home.

For those in the medical and allied professions and lecturing, the incentive regime is $1,200 monthly and they have to open domestic account where they are paid N30,000 monthly.”

Osunyikanmi

Wali

I want to know more about the Technical Aid Corps and how I can participate in the programme.

Mrs. Ethel Umoren 226, Herbert Macaulay Road Alago Meji Yaba Lagos

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Features Wabba emerges NLC president amidst controversy

AKOR EJUMENE observed the drama that characterised the NLC election last Saturday in Abuja and filed in this report.

The President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, was on Saturday morning in Abuja, declared winner of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) election. However, his opponent, Joe

29

s

Features Editor: Gbubemi God’s Covenant Snr. E-mail: gbubemi.godscovenantsnr@dailytimes.com.ng

Ajaero, has said he will not accept the result. Twenty-three affiliate unions have also rejected the results over alleged malpractices.

But the emergence of Wabba didn’t come without the usual intrigues and manoeuvres associated with election processes in Nigeria.

Contestants from the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union Of Petroleum and Natural gas Workers of Nigeria (NUPENG) and Textile Workers alleged that the election was not transparent and that they

would not accept the results.

Signs that the NLC was determined to avoid the hitch that led to the botched delegates conference was evident in the hundreds of security personnel from the State Security Service (SSS), police and others deployed for the election.

Also, the ballot used in the rescheduled election was very different from the one used during the botched conference. Names of all the candidates for a particular CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Wabba

Sam Worlu, back to service President Goodluck Jonathan recently appointed a new Director General for the Voice of Nigeria following the retirement of Abubakar Jijiwa who has served for 10 years in the organisation.

Here, Daily Times exclusively brings you the full and unedited profile of Sampson (Sam) Ogbonda Worlu, the new boss of VON. Many times a Senior Sam Worlu was Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Economic and Strategic Matters between 2010 and 2011. This was after he had served as Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Economic and Bi-National Matters (2009-2010).

In this capacity, Worlu was the primary resource to the Vice President on the Nigeria/ South Africa Bi-National Commission. Between 2007 and 2009, he was the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President in charge of matters related to the National Economic Council, the National Council on Privatisation, Inter-Party Consultative Forum/Committee, the Steering Council of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) among other sundry issues.

Many times a Minister Earlier in his career, Worlu was Minister-Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Nigeria, Rome, Italy from 2005 to 2007 (In charge of Consular and Information Matters), having served in the same Embassy as Minister Counsellor from 2003 to 2005.

Before this time, Worlu was the Speech Writer and Head Public Relations, Office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria from the beginning of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 1999 to 2003.

Perhaps, it was while he served as Special Assistant to the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1998 and 1999 that he prepared himself for the various service challenges that were to come later.

Resounding pedigree As a line officer in the nation’s civil service, Sam Worlu attended the prestigious Foreign Service Academy from January to November, 1978 and started work as Desk Officer (Training) in the Department of Research in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988. He was posted to the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, Peoples Republic of China as Desk Officer/Second Secretary (Information and Consular Matters) from 1989 to 1992. He then served as Desk Officer/Special Analyst on Southern African Affairs before being promoted to First Secretary, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of Security Documents and Liaison with Military Institutions between 1996 and 1998. After 24 years of very high quality service delivery in the nation’s civil service, Worlu voluntarily retired in May, 2011.

In the course of his specialised civil/public service career, Sam Worlu made critical contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria through his membership of several strategic committees and councils. He was a member of the National Economic Council’s Technical Committee on Modalities for the Management of Excess Crude Revenue.

It was the outcome of the work

“Before this current CallBack- to- Service by the President, Sam Worlu has been involved in the leadership of some business interests in the private sector. He is the Chairman of the Board of SIRA Integrated Services Limited (a subsidiary of SIRA Group of Germany); Chairman, FHL Nigeria Limited.” of this Committee that gave rise to the establishment of the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund (NSWF).

So many times a Member He was a member/Secretary of the National Economic Council’s Committee on Remittances to the Federation Account from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Nigerian Customs Service as well as Member/Secretary of the National Economic Council Committee on the National Gas Master Plan. He was Member, Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation (2007-2011); Member, Technical CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Worlu

Features 30

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 18, 2015

NLC: Election very disappointing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

position were printed on the same ballot paper.

In the last botched election, names of candidates were printed on different ballot papers which led to allegations that some candidates’ name appeared more than once in a booklet.

Voting started at exactly 5:23 p.m. on Thursday and ended by 3:13 Friday morning. Counting started by 11 p.m. and lasted till Saturday morning.

The retuning officer, Dangiwar Aliyu, who is also the pioneer General Secretary of the

NLC, thereafter declared Wabba as winner of the election.

He announced that Wabba polled 1,695 votes of the 3,115 votes, to defeat his main rival, Joe Ajero, from the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) who polled 1,140 votes.

Three thousand, one hundred and nineteen delegates from 43 affiliate unions of the NLC were accredited for the election.

A few minutes to 10pm, a mild drama played out as a polling agent of NUEE collapsed, while counting was ongoing. Immediately, some NUEE delegates attempted to run towards where

the counting was taking place, but the police swiftly barred them.

For the three Deputy President positions, five contestants jostled. They were Adeyemi Peters, Issa Aremu, Igwe Achese, Sirki Mohammed and Nagem Yasen.

Adeyemi Peters polled 1,604 votes; Issa Aremu polled 1,112 votes; Igwe Achese, 1,283; Sirki Mohammed polled 1,610 votes, while Nagem Yasen polled 1, 818. Thus Adeyemi Peters, Sirki Mohammed and Nagem Yasen emerged as Deputy Presidents.

Signs of controversy became apparent when minutes be-

fore the result was announced, Achese, Aremu and Ajaero told journalists they would reject the results.

“I am very disappointed with the way the election was conducted,” Aremu of the Textile Workers Union said, insisting that the process was marred by irregularities.

An equally dissatisfied Achese told journalists he was not satisfied with the process. “I have never seen where NLC election took place for two days and two nights.

It is obvious that the process is not transparent and it is not acceptable to us.”

Ajaero

at Voice of Nigeria Board of Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) (2009-2011); Member, Technical Board of Sky-Power Aviation Handling Company (2009-2011); Member, Finance and Labour Sub-Committee of the Presidential Task Force on Ports Reform (2008-2011); Member, National Steering Committee on Nigerian Vision 2020 (NV2020). For four times, Worlu was a Del-

egate to the ECOWAS Initiative on Peace in Liberia from 1995 to 1998 and was a Presidential Mission Coordinator (PMC) for the President’s State Visit to Turkey in February 2011.

A First Class Honours graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, Sam Worlu was also at the University of South Africa, Pretoria and the Foreign Service Academy, Lagos, where

he studied Political Science and Public Administration; Business Leadership; and Diplomacy and International Relations respectively.

Many times a Chairman Before this current Call- Backto- Service by the President, Sam Worlu has been involved in the leadership of some business interests in the private

sector. He is the Chairman of the Board of SIRA Integrated Services Limited (a subsidiary of SIRA Group of Germany); Chairman, FHL Nigeria Limited.

Born on August 28, 1960, Sam Worlu hails from Choba in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. He has been decorated and honoured with dozens of awards for his

boldness, diligence, commitment and patriotism, some of which include Director General’s Award for Exemplary Service, 2002; Director General’s Award for Dedication, Discipline and Courage, 2003; Special Presidential Commendation for Meritorious Service to Motherland among several others.

Mr. Worlu is married with children.

Human Development Group, others, kicks against Bill HB 191 A new Bill seeking to contravene existing laws on the protection of the unborn child and other matters is the bone of contention between law makers and human rights lawyers. GBUBEMI GOD’S COVENANT SNR reports.

A bill now before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Legal Matters, seeking to eliminate violence in public life, including physical, sexual and harmful traditional practices among others, has come under criticism by a firm of legal experts working in conjunction with the United Nations Conventions in New York, USA. Operating in Nigeria under the umbrella of the Project for Human Development (PHD), the firm, after interpreting some subsections in Articles 38, 43 and 44 of the bill, raised objection to the letters and the intent to which the bill, if passed into law, could defeat the very rights it seeks to protect.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Times at the firm’s Bishop Crowther Street, Surulere office last week, Lawyer Sonnie Ekwowusi, said the bill was laud-

able on the surface except that there were addenda that were very vital to safeguard the right of the citizenry, especially that of the unborn child.

“As at now, this bill as it is presently constituted, gives a right of abortion to abortionists. As a lawyer who has been attending the United Nations Conventions in New York and public hearings, I can tell you that the phrase ‘Service Providers’ also includes abortion providers. Now, I know why the International Projects Assistance Services (IPAS), an international abortion lobby group, is rejoicing over the passage of the bill.”

In a strongly worded letter dated March 5 to the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Judiciary & Legal Matters, Senator Dahiru Umaru, Ekwowusi wrote, “Senator Umaru, we must re-word this bill, to avoid giving IPAS and other abortionists the right to abortion in our country. We must state that Service Providers does NOT include abortion providers.”

Of particular note is the attempt to make the bill override and/or supersede other laws in Nigeria!, the lawyer said.

“This is dangerous. It means

N100,000.00 or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Umaru that all the sections dealing with abortion in the CRIMINAL and PENAL CODES have been superseded by this bill.”

In its submission to the Senate Chairman, PHD in conjunction with other chambers and human rights bodies, chronicled the objectionable articles and sub-sections as follows: PART 1: ARTICLE 2, SUB SECTION 1(1) Any person who inflicts physical injury on a person, including the unborn child, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment not exceeding five years or fine not exceeding

PART 2: ARTICLE 37, SUBSECTION 1 (1 A) Every victim is entitled to receive necessary material, medical, psychological, social and legal assistance through governmental agencies and/or non-governmental agencies providing such assistance, with the exception of abortion services.

PART 3: SERVICE PROVIDERS Article 38, subsection 2b; Draw up guidelines in consonance with the existing laws in Nigeria and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the operation of the accredited service providers.

ARTICLE 43 (2) Any provisions of the Bill shall not contravene existing laws.

PART 6: INTERPRETATION, ARTICLE 44.

It should include the definition of person in the list of interpretation i.e. the bill must define a person so as to provide a guide to proper understanding of its pro-

visions.

DEFINITION OF PESON; HUMAN; HUMAN BEING – The terms ‘human being’ or ‘person’ include each and every member of the species Homo sapiens at all stages of life, beginning with the earliest stage of development, created by the process of fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent.

6. PART 6: INTERPRETATION, ARTICLE 44: “VULNERABLE GROUPS” means women, children – born and unborn -, persons living under extreme poverty, persons with disability, the sick and the elderly, ethnic and religious minority groups, refugees, internally displaced persons, migrants.”

7. PART 6: INTERPRETATION, ARTICLE 44 (INCLUDE INTERPRETATION FOR A SERVICE PROVIDER). “Service Provider” excludes abortion services.

Ekwowusi told Daily Times the letter has been delivered and the Senate owes an obligation tocall for a public hearing, failing which the lawyers may head to court.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March18, 2015

70m farmers await presidential assent on Bio-safety Bill Akor Ejumene Abuja

ÏÏÏAbout

70 million Nigerian farmers are eagerly awaiting President Goodluck Jonathan's assent to the Bio-safety Bill, which the National Assembly, recently, passed into law.

The bill, when signed by the President, would provide for a regulatory framework, institutional and administrative mechanism for safety measures in the application of modern biotechnology in Nigeria, and prevent any adverse effect

on human health, plants and animals.

President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN), Kabiru Ibrahim, while speaking with Press, said it would enable Nigerian farmers to benefit from high-yielding bio-tech crops and rise above the adverse effects of declining productivity.

Its successful operation would also ensure that Nigerian farmers reap the significant benefits of modern agricultural bio-technology, which is similar to the economic transformation be-

ing experienced in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Egypt and South Africa that adopted this technique to boost their food and cash farming production.

Nigeria, on the other hand, was being constantly hampered since the bill had not been assented to by the President, a delay that could encourage smuggling, as some genetically modified crops, like animal feeds, made from soybean, were in short supply in the country.

Notably, Nigeria, currently, produces only 550,000

tones (25 percent) of its annual soybean requirement, leaving a supply gap of 1.65 million tones (75percent).

This gap, according to findings, was being filled from genetically modified crops in compliant countries.

A report from the Federal Ministry of Health stated that "41 percent of Nigerian children, under age five, suffer stunted growth as a result of malnutrition”.

Soybean could, however, make up for the nutritional deficiencies in children, if they were, readily, available in the country.

31 News

Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

ÏÏÏ

The All Progressive Congress (APC), Ijesa North Federal Constituency, has expressed displeasure over the alleged attacks on its members. The Chairman, Campaign committee of Ijesa North Federal Constituency, Wale Bolorunduro, spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, in Osogbo.

Displaying photographs of brutalised victims, Bolorunduro said the APC has asked its loyalists not to retaliate.

Bolorunduro lamented that security agencies in the state had refused to act on petition and reports sent to them on the activities of the hoodlums.

He said, "The police have

Osun APC decries attacks on supporters failed to make any arrest, as the perpetrators of the dastardly acts are moving freely in the communities.

All of these attacks, were reported to the police in the local governments where they occurred. It is on record that none of the individuals mentioned at the police stations have been arrested for questioning."

He called on the Police, Department of State Security Services (SSS), to intervene as a means to ensure the protection of its members.

20 killed in Rivers prepolls crisis-Commissioner Jonathan Eze ÏÏÏThe Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, has raised the alarm that the pre-election violence that engulfed the state, is becoming an epidemic for the health sector to manage.

Dr. Parker, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, lamented that the number of casualties, attended to by the various health care facilities across the state, between January and February this year, has become a source of worry for the Ministry of Health.

While stating that many deaths that occurred dur-

ing clashes between members of different political parties have gone unreported, Parker said the state has recorded over 20 deaths in the last couple of months.

He disclosed that statistics from Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) and Kelsey Harrison Hospital, from January to March 12, 2015, revealed that 41 casualties were treated for gunshot injuries while 26 others were treated for machete injuries.

His words: "It behoves me at this time to announce to the people of Rivers state the emergence of a new epidemic.

Strike: Lagos doctors attend to patients

Lara Adejoro

ÏÏÏ

Despite the ongoing strike action by the Lagos State doctors under the aegies of the Medical Guild, the doctors are attending to patients.

Medical activities are ongoing as doctors were seen attending to patients at some hospitals monitored by our reporter.

At the Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital, Ikorodu General Hospital and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos, both in and out patients were attended to. Mrs Naomi Memeh, who spoke to our reporter said, "Doctors

are attending to patients very well and this strike is different from others and it's quite impressive."

Also, other patients seeking medical consultations were seen seated as they wait for their turns to be attended to by the doctors on duty.

Another patient at LASUTH, who identified herself as Ngozi Amefule said, "The doctors are attending to patients. I've been attended to this morning."

However, doctors under the employment of the state government, have said that the ongoing strike is to pass a message across and not to let people die.

Coordinating Minister of the Economy and sFinance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (2nd left); Women Arise President and National Co-ordinator, Nigerians Unite Against Terror (NUAT), Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin (3rd left) and others during a walk against terror held at Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan, Lagos...on Tuesday. Photo: Olawale Rotimi

INEC bars NURTW from conveying electoral materials Bolaji Omosanya Ibadan

ÏÏÏ The Chairman, Inde-

pendent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has directed that the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), must not be involved in conveying electoral materials.

Spokesman for the electoral body, Mr. Kayode ldowu, disclosed this in Ibadan, Oyo State, while speaking with the press, on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Amb. Rufus Akeju.

Some political parties in the state, recently, registered their rejection of the proposed use of NURTW

to transport the materials to polling units from INEC office on days of election.

Their fear was that the union could not be trusted as it might be compromised by any political party to do its bidding, since, as they alleged, it had always been a willing tool to any incumbent administration.

Jega

s confirm heavy Business Editor: Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Email: emmanuelogbonnaya@dailytimes.com.ng

fighting ÏÏÏ

Features

s

The President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, was on Saturday morning in Abuja, declared winner of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) election. However, his opponent, Joe

Politics

29 Features

BUSINESS

s

ÏÏÏ

News

BoI pledges Wabba emerges S’Sudan rebels confirm heavy smart P17 NLC president amidst fighting P29 technology P14 BoI pledges smart technology controversy support to local PDP has messed support to local manufacturers manufacturers Yahyah

Wabba WEDNESDAY, MARCHemerges 18, 2015 NLC VOL. 1. NO.68 Price: N150 president https://twitter.com/DailyTimesNGR www.facebook.com/dailytimesngr amidst https://plus.google.com/+DailytimesNgr/posts dailytimesng controversy AKOR EJUMENE observed the drama that characterised the NLC election last Saturday in Abuja and filed in this report.

new term in tight race

Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar, who had been sacked as vice president, of attempting a coup.

Times Nigeria 8 Daily Wednesday, March 18, 2015The two sides have been locked in sporadic and often intense NAHCO hails Customs over provision of enabling environment Politics Editor: Akinjide Akintola fighting since, leaving tens of ment being expressed by every- ing it to measures put in place person(s) to whom consignChukwuemeke Iwelunmo E-mail: akinjide.akintola@dailytimes.com.ng South one as it concerns you is a point- by NAHCo and the Customs. ments are delivered, adding Sudan's rebels conVoting is under way in Israel thousands of people dead, two Chairman of the Nigerian er to the fact that you are a game He advised the Adegoke to that if after the consignment delivered, it was Tuesday disAviation Handling Company changer, and we are proud of regularly sit down with his team had been firmed on they were enPlc, (NAHCo Aviance), Mallam you. Your team has changed the to align them with the overall covered that other goods were million uprooted from their in what is expected to be a close Suleiman Yahyah, has com- game plan. This will help reve- objective of the measures put in concealed under the delivered gaged in renewed heavy clashes race between Prime Minister mended the Customs Area Com- nue to increase and the custom- place. He said this would reduce cargo, the Customs goes after homes and 2.5 million in desperI must say that virtually all to be carried along. I can stand National Secretary, Lathe consignee. mander (CAC) at the interna- er satisfaction will be achieved”. tension in the system. bour Party, Barrister the presidential candidates in as Kayode Ajulo, National Secgovernment forces in the weaid.

The NAHCo boss stated furHe with saidTimes that anybody who tional wing of the Murtala Benjamin Netanyahu's party and Nigeria On his part, the Custom bossDaily Kayode Ajulo ate needWhy Kayode Ajulo, in this interview Nigeria today have been woo- retary of the party, to say that of food Muhammed Airport (MMA), ther that for two months the said the reduction in the inci- pays or is willing to pay the respeaks on what informed the de- ing my party. I believe that this we are going this way. But, if we country's oil-rich north, but accompany had recorded a zero quired fees had no issues with Lagos Command, Mr. Folorunso dence of theft arose from the aunconnected centre-left alliance.

Adopted cision of his party topeace believe that ourThe backbonecentreis the with the fact adopt the is not Regionally-brokered Wednesday, March 2015 adding that a18, lot of imAdegoke, for the command’s ef- theft level, a feat he attributed fact that appropriate capturing Customs, candidacy of President Good- that Labour Party is the only people, everybody must be carforts at providing the enabling the success to the ongoing col- is being carried out by Customs porters cused their rivals of initiating the are yet to get used to the ried along. . For you to win any elecluck Jonathan in the forthcom- party Zionist Union promises to reJonathan talks in Ethiopia's capital Ad- left environment for increase in car- laboration between all the officials and that this has great- fact that the game had changed.

And that is why we had to call ing presidential polls. REMI tion, you have to associate with parties concerned, especially ly helped. go revenues. fighting.

National Executive Committhe pair people. Werelations are the one that the OLADOYE was there. Excerpts: In his words: “Once a particuwith Palestinians Yahyah, who gave the com- employees of NAHCo and the “We have a system that capdis Ababa collapsed this always identify with the people. tee (NEC). Some parties could –LP How earlier mendation during a courtesy Nigeria Customs Service (NIS) tures everything and everything lar trader is compliant, he has did your party arrive The party, as you know compris- get one or two persons then call The statement came the day and the community . visit to the CAC, in the latter’s at the airport command. is being recorded accordingly,” no issues with us. Once there is endorseworkers, not international godfathers. the press to announce at the decision the es the month, with diplomats nowto endorse warnNational compliance, there won’t be any office, said the CAC has been a Yahyah stated that in the past Adegoke said. candidacy of President Good- We have no godfathers. Giv- ment of a candidate. We do not after the government claimed it Features Editor: Gbubemi God’s Covenant Snr. blessing to the command and to two months, Mrour Netanyahu, whose party He further explained that issue; it is non- compliance that Party. Everyendorsement do that in Labour luck Jonathan in next week’s ing anybody there had been no ing of the possibility of targeted the ground handling company. should not be just like that. We presidential election?

Secretary reported case of theft, attribut- what the Customs does now can alter the peace. Kindly reCONTINUED ON PAGE 9 had killed scores of rebels after He said: “The kind of sentiis to capture the details of the port anyone must discuss, the people have with issues”.

E-mail: gbubemi.godscovenantsnr@dailytimes.com.ng sanctions against military lead- has trailed in opinion polls, vowed they attacked around the town of on Monday not to allow the creers from both sides.

Renk in Upper Nile State, in what ation of a Palestinian state if he KOLAWOLE TAIWO appeared to be some of the worst wins a fourth term. violence since peace talks broke Under a sunny Jerusalem sky, down earlier this month. voters have been turning out at Rebel military spokesperson a polling station surrounded by Ajaero, has said he will not accept would not accept the results.

Lony Ngundeng, however, acelection posters, party volunteers Signs that the NLC was deterthe result. Twenty-three affiliate and given the rights that come ness for successfully initiating Emmanuel Ogbonnaya cused government troops of unions have also rejected the re- mined to avoid the hitch that led with their on hand for a last-minute push. research results. and seeing through the free balot of developed countries sic universal education, which The Bank of Industry (BoI) launching an attack onlegacy their poto the botched delegates confer- are“A adopting sults over alleged malpractices.

Among them is the banner of Lismart manufac- was an enduring He be- to as the most are usually ready for the un- instead of them to face the realhas pledged support for the is referred turing and robotics while most stowed on Nigerians.experienced and the legisla- usual things when it comes to ity, they pushed for a shift in the adoption of smart technolositions.

He said the government ence was evident in the hundreds But the emergence gyof Wabba Nigerian manufacturers are usEarlier in his welcome reby local manufacturers in ortive encyclopedia of Lagos electioneering campaign. We date of the election. You know kud, the right-wing party of Benoutdated equipment causing marks, Chairman of House the Board to compete effectively with State of Assembly. Hon Ko- prepare unusually for election this type of thing has happened didn’t come without der the usual of security personnel from the ing suffered heavy losses, their troops products to cost more than of Trustees, Senator Olabiyi imported goods. lawole Taiwo known as HKT is the but the surprising thing is that before in America but it was not jamin Netanyahu, with the slogan imported ones.This is a chal- Durojaiye, stated that the com-of the House and the ruling party is the one lead- as porous and as dirty as this, beMaking the commitment in Deputy Speaker State Security Service (SSS), po- lengeincluding intrigues and manoeuvres assowe need to address,” "many he mon denominator the award Lagos on Tuesday , Managing thefor longest servingwho state lawmaker ing the smear campaign. I think cause over there, when they acfighters" "It's us or them… only Likud". of scholarships in bythe the foundaDirector of BoI, Mr. Rasheed country, having been elected it should be the other way round, cuse you, they are able to prove it lice and others deployed for the said. ciated with election processes in that the tion was a record of excellence Olaoluwa, disclosed into the house since 1999 and still the opposition should be the because the electorate over there Olaoluwa congratulated drowned inthethe Whitegunning Nile river.

But Israel's prime minister for in science, while the honours development institution was for another term. In party leading this campaign and are highly informed and keep rehonourees: Engr J. J Akpieyi, awards were predicated on im-with AKINJIDE doing all sorts of things. As the cords. election.

Nigeria. collaborating with technology this interview Aid sources have confirmed Senator Daisy Danjuma and Dr. peccable achievements to others the past six years knows it could researchers across the country AKINTOLA, Political Editor and main opposition, we resolved to Take for instance, several Adewunmi Desalu and charged and the society. to further the use of smart tech- Also, the ballot used in the reContestants from the Nigeria ALADE TASMA at his Alausa of- engage in an issue-based cam- things that were said about Asifighting in the“Prof. area close to the Awokoya, whom this the seven science post graduate nology to prune down cost of lowell be "them" after today's vote. fice, he speaks on his staying power paign and to tackle the issue waju Bola Tinubu that could not is inand histhe name, in- of smear cam- from an idealistic point of view, be traced to him. They said he produced goods. scheduled election was very dif- scholarship recipients to use foundation Union of Electricity cally Employees new phase spired and positively touched Speaking as guest of honour but not other to discuss what Nigeria needs as owns Oriental hotel but I can tell paignscould in the polity amongst their border opportunities with to develop Sudan, Behind in the last opinion polls, lives of many at the Stephen Oluwole Awoferent from the one used during themselves as innovators who the (NUEE), National Union Of Peissues.Nigerians Excerpts: well as to expose the inefficiency you that Asiwaju has nothing to hencedetails. the rationale for immorkoya Foundation for Science give any further of the ruling party. do with the hotel but when they Kiir he faces the political fight of his would put Nigeria on the world talising his memory by widenEducation (SOAFSE) 20th Antroleum and Natural gas Workers the botched conference. Names of Election campaign is on I’m particularly not surprised, continue to say these things they

Business Times

up the country

nual Lecture, Awards of Hon-

ours andTextile Post Graduate Scholarall the candidates for a particular of Nigeria (NUPENG) and ships, the BoI helmsman noted that the rest of the world was Workers alleged that the election moving in the smart technology direction and Nigeria ought not CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 was not transparent and that they to be left behind.

Olaoluwa “The BoI has engaged with top research institutes like FIIRO, PRODA to link them to our industries. We may not be cutting edge but we have the basics;

map of scientific innovation.

He noted that there was so much talk on resources whereas the emphasis ought to be on resourcefulness, using little to achieve much.

He noted that some of the learning points drawn from the

Wabba

ing the intellectual nowcapacity and we for have continued to leaders in the African horizon,” see different kinds of things he said. which were never seen before He noted that Nigeria was in the history of electioneeron a silent revolution towards ing campaign in the country. industrialisation of which the Where would all these things Bank of Industry represented lead to as we approach the the engine room for the change, elections? stressing that it was the same I did not see it as a new thing, path that brought countries in I’m a politician and politicians Europe and America to their en-

immediately after the postponement of the election they started all these smear campaigns and we know one of the reasons they struggle for the postponement of the election was because according to the information at our end, they hired a consultant to handle their election campaign who told them the time is short but

made them look as the truth but you can easily verify these things from the Corporate Affars Commission. Again they said Asiwaju dashed and shared state houses to his former commissioners and some people shouted oh! this is ridiculous and terrible

Duhu: Its hell campaigning in communities ravaged by insurgents

Dr Umar Duhu is the immediate past Interim National Vice Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the North- East. He is seeking election for the Michika/Madagali Federal Constituency of Adamawa State. In this interview with SUNDAY ISUWA, the former ANPP Chairman in FCT said they faced hell campaigning in

Politics

KOLAWOLE P8 TAIWO PDP has messed up the country

he still sta building a gravity of ly on the r could strug needed for Mr Neta on his core ing up his fectively r state. But for the m number on of living his watch. believe his No party right majo portional system, an ed to get m the votes in Mr Neta elections l tempt to fo tion. Opin fore the w the Zionis win the mo still be pos to form a even if his the poll.

Reading the back cardto reader Sam Worlu, service issue at Voice of N if our hundreds of researchers are encouraged, we have a good base we can build on,” he said.

He stressed that no country

will develop technology and give it away just like that rather Nigerian engineers, scientists and technologists must be protected

life of Late Prof. Stephen Oluwole Awokoya were his creativity, innovation and resourceful-

Duhu

Nigeria in fromvirthe beginning of claim that use of the The PDP remains The derstand how anyone with President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 1999cards to 2003. will disenfranchise tually the same position even the pretence of a demo“Before this current CallPerhaps, it was while he served they occupied in earlyAssistant Feb- to voters cratic bone in his body can as Special the Hon. is bogus. The world Minister of Foreign Affairs be- Back- to- Service by the ruary. They look behind over, voters are required to bemoan this improvement. tween 1998 and 1999 that he preSam Worlu pared himself no for theregister various President, them to find the people to vote and to presThey cry that the cardservice challenges that were to haspolling been involved in thereading machines are imlonger there. They are an- ent at the booth on come later. some business gry because theyResounding think the electionleadership day a voterofregistraperfect. No one can guarpedigree As a linethem officer in thetion nation’s people have deserted card.

This process is not antee that each and every interests in the private civil service, Sam Worlu attendMany times a Senior Desperation surges the prestigious Ser- sector.

Sam Worlu Senior Special ed atwas the eleventh hour.

The Foreign materially different He is thethan Chairman machine will perfectly work. within the presidency and Assistant to President Good- vice Academy from January to greater truth isNovember, that 1978 they what place in other na- However, the alternative is and started worktakes luck Jonathan on Economic PDP camp. Postponing and theStrategic Matters between as Desk Officer (Training) in of the Board of SIRA abandoned the people at the tions. fraught with even greater 2010 and 2011. This was after he the Department of Research in Integrated Services Limited election to March 28, this the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had servedvery as Senior Specialof As- this dawn adminisNeither the card nor the imprecision. Each national group thought they had sistant to the Vice President on in 1988. He was posted to the (a subsidiary of SIRA Group They nowEmbassy reap in reader Nigerian Beijing, itself is used to cast Economic tration. and Bi-National Mat-will election conducted in Nigebought added time toters al-(2009-2010).

Peoples Republic of China as of Germany); Chairman, FHL dividends their indif- Secretary votes. The card is a form of ria since 1999 has been a feat Officer/Second In this the capacity, Worlu was ofDesk ter the electoral equation Mat- Nigeria Limited.” the primary resource to the (Information and Consular ference. identification, an important of ample rigging and malters) from 1989 to 1992.

He then Vice President on the Nigeria/ in their favour. They were Desk Officer/Special South Africa Just Bi-National Com- served as they did aas week and effective method inter- practice. That is the way of frightened that February mission. Between 2007 and 2009, Analyst on Southern African of this verification Committee that gave rise before the original Februnal control, and Affairs before being promoted he was the Senior Special Asthe old system. It incentivto the establishment of the Ni14 would have been their sistant to the Vice President in to First Secretary, Office of the gerian Sovereign Wealth the Fund ary election date, all senior confirmation, affirming izes gross impropriety. This Secretary, Ministry demise. Four weeks outcharge of of matters related to the Permanent (NSWF). of Foreign National Economic Council, the PDP figures have run Affairs into in charge voterofis the eligible to partic- new way discourages if not National Council on Privatisa- Security Documents and Liaithe six week delay, they have So many times a Member with Military tion, Inter-Party Consultative the street not tosoncontest in Institutions ipate in this important civic prevents it. Unless the card He was a member/Secrenot found the elixir they Forum/Committee, the Steer- between 1996 and 1998. After 24 tary of the National Economic the elections to ofcontest exercise. years very high quality sering Council of the National In-but craved. The date change tegrated has Power Projects (NIPP) vice delivery in the nation’s civil Council’s Committee on Remit- readers are being sabotaged against electionsservice, being had In the old system, tances to the Federationthe Acby PDP agents, the possibilWorlu voluntarily reamong other sundry issues. not changed the electoral count from the Nigerian Natired afraid in May, 2011. at all. They remain of voter still had to present a ity of a massive failure of tional Petroleum Corporation dynamic in their favour.

In the course of his specialMany times a Minister (NNPC), the Federal Inland of ised a clean and service voter civil/public ca- registration card that Earlier the in hisoutcome career, Worlu the readers is so scant as to Revenue Service (FIRS), and With the damage they have was Minister-Plenipotentiary, reer, Sam Worlu made critical the verified Nigerian Customs free exercise.

They would would be by theService ap- be statistically implausible. contributions to the socio-ecoEmbassy of Nigeria, Rome, Itdone to the nation, how as well as Member/Secretary of Nigeria aly from 2005 to it 2007 charge like to(Inbe loosenomic anddevelopment murky of propriate electoral official.

The rate of innocent human the National Economic Council of Consular and Information through his membership of could they think a mere Committee on the National Gas Matters), having in theat several or notserved to hold all. strategic committees The verification process six weeks would returnsame to Embassy as Minister and councils. He was a mem- Master Plan. He was Member, error inherent in the old Technical Committee of the NaThis was porous and inaccurate system far exceeds that of ber of the they National Economic Counsellor from 2003is to the 2005. reason them the precious goodwill tional Council on Privatisation Before this time, Worlu was the Council’s Technical Committee vehemently hackle about due in part to innocent hu(2007-2011); Member, Technical computer error in the new Speech Writer and Head Public on Modalities for the Managethey had so meanly squanment of Excess Crude Revenue.

Relations, the Office of the First use of a card reader for man error andCONTINUED to wilful mal-30 Worlu one. When we add the high ON PAGE dered? They now discover It was the outcome of the work Lady of the Federal Republic of the elections. They have practice. rate of wilful mischief and there likely is no sudden belatedly learned the card By making the verifica- wrongdoing the old system alteration that can repair reader will prevent custom- tion process dependent on condoned, the new digital the mess they have made of ary electoral malpractices. computer-read biometrics, path is vastly superior to the things. The extra time has The reader will separate the elements of human er- reversion the PDP would only been a temporary stay them from their cherished ror and mischief have been have us make. of execution of the people’s weapons of multiple voting eliminated from this imporAt the end of the day and sovereign will against a and ballot stuffing. The best tant process. Fingerprints every day has its end, the desolate government that, hope for them to manufac- cannot be altered nor can people need to vote and need through its callous neglect ture victory is to manufac- the machine’s reading of to have confidence in the of the economy and nature reasons to nix the card them be distorted. Only entirety of the process. The tional security, has been readers, thus necessitating those entitled to cast ballots computerized card reader more hindrance than help a last-minute reversal to the will be allowed to receive a gives us a high probabilto the people it once vowed old, discredited process. ballot to cast. I cannot un- ity of finally conducting a to serve.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

ÎÎÎ

President Goodluck Jonathan recently appointed a new Director General for the Voice of Nigeria following the retirement of Abubakar Jijiwa who has served for 10 years in the organisation.

Here, Daily Times exclusively brings you the full and unedited profile of Sampson (Sam) Ogbonda Worlu, the new boss of VON.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Taiwo

viable economic positions today.

clean and fair election. A return to the old system is a sure return to crimes and wrongs that have made our elections a mockery of the democratic ideal and of the people’s will. If one system gives us but the mere possibility let alone probability of a credible undertaking while the other system is doomed by the certainty of the misconduct it produces, it simply makes more sense to opt for the chance of success instead of settling for the certainty of failure.

That the PDP cohort wants the old way means they do not want to advance democracy by insuring a decent electoral process. They want to kidnap democracy by orchestrating the electoral result.

They are afraid of the verdict of the people because they know they have ill-served the nation for so many years.

The energy this administration should have invested in governing the people for six years is now being expended in these last few weeks in the frantic attempt to scuttle or side-wind an election that is tantamount to a referendum on the Jonathan administration. They want to save their skin by choking your democracy.

Their efforts come as too much, too clumsily, too late.

communities ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents and other issues. Excerpts:

The 2015 elections are here. What is the fate of the Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) from communities captured by Boko Haram?

I am from Adamawa State and my constituency, which I am

vying to represent, falls within the local governments initially captured by Boko Haram. But we thank God our Armed Forces have recaptured my local governments.

Be it as it may, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are spread across and within the state. Its normal when you visit them, you sympathise with them CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Do not be persuaded by their attempts to paint themselves as last-second democrats.

Their governance has been haughty and arrogant, an eruption of insecurity, unemployment and deep economic recession depleting the national treasury by the day if not by the hour and minute.

The times have been fertile and fecund for them but barren and bankrupt as to you!

Their long track is one of disservice to you on all accounts -- employment, power, water, roads, national security, corruption, education, health, housing and social security. Now at the last minute, they want you to believe they have become paragons of democratic virtue, the guardians of your right to vote. This is an insult to our collective wisdom. Your right to vote is seen as a wrong to them. They don’t seek democracy. They seek to strike fear in you that you may recoil from grasping the democracy that is now so closely at hand.

Let us give true democracy a chance. At the end of every contest, the cards must be placed on the table and read. Let all the cards that you as voters hold in your hands be read. Only those afraid of the will of the people fear what the cards shall read.

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. website: www.dailytimes.com.ng; email: info@dailytimes.com.ng. Tel: 018447948. EDITOR: YINKA OLUJIMI News Hotlines: 08138773277, 08173901838. Advert Hotlines: 08169118913, 08075038528

Life&

TIMES Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Ezinne Akudo L3 On

P

life as Miss Nigeria L6

P

Trending: Icy grey hair colour L5

P

L2

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

Opeoluwani Akintayo and Mutiat Alli

L3 Interview

Awards?

He is one of the most popular actors from Northern Nigeria. The actor who was used to being stereotyped to playing strictly comedy roles, recently got a big break starring in blockbuster movies like October 1 and The Department etc. In this brief chat, Saeed Mohammed spoke about how he recently survived food poisoning and his transition from comedy to more serious roles and sundry issues.

You have been missing in action for a while. What has been happening to you?

You got many people worried over your food poisoning. What is the story behind it?

-

What was it like working with Kunle Afolayan?

Are you thinking of going into politics like some of your colleagues?

So which of the movies you acted in got nominated for the AMVCA?

What else are you up to right now?

What was it like being on the set of October 1?

-

I am not afraid, I can marry an actress

How did the doctor know it was food poisoning?

-

What do you think of some of your colleagues who lost in the primaries?

-

Some are of the opinion that they lost because they joined the big political parties when they should have gone to the Labour party instead -

How is life after divorce, do you still feel bad about it?

-

-

When did you start to feel funny?

Which of the sets?

How are you able to take care of your son without his mother around?

Any plans to remarry?

What is new with your acting career?

How about to an actress who understands your job?

What are the qualities you will be looking out for with your future life partner?

-

Life&

T E A M

Saeed Mohammed Editor Nkarenyi Ukonu n.ukonu@dailytimes.com.ng 08029030427

Music Correspondent Akintayo Opeoluwani o.ogunjimi@dailytimes.com.ng 08126223784

Movie Correspondent Mutiat Alli m.alli@dailytimes.com.ng 08115557378

Society Correspondent Isaac Oguntoye i.ogundoye@dailytimes.com.ng 08069489893

Photography Quadri Olowolagba q.olowolagba@dailytimes.com.ng 08029745478

Graphics Austine Agbovi a.agbovi@dailytimes.com.ng 07060402397

Wednesday March 18, 2015

pants

Printed

Street style trend

Fashion & Style L4

Daily Times Nigeria

Nkarenyi Ukonu

Vanessa

Linda Mesrob

Alex Nwokedi

Wale Olaleye

Adebayo Oke-Lawal Efemena Adabamu

Josephine

Ayo Fanimokun

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

L5 Beauty

New Trend alert!

Icy grey

hair colour

Toyin Lawani

Seyi Shay

Nkarenyi Ukonu

-

Nqobile

Bubu Ogisi

The benefits of facial treatment Oyinkansola Olufowora

-

-

Exfoliation -

-

-

-

Extraction

Consultation Facial mask

Cleansing Final application

Skin analysis

Advice on home skin care

-

use Steam

P.S.

Yvonne Nwosu

Global Fashion & Beauty News L6

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

My Life As Miss Nigeria Iso Wanogho bags endorsement –Ezinne Akudo deal

Being Miss Nigeria I must say has been a great ride, beyond what I would be able to describe. Beyond the glitz, glamour and fame that characterizes my crown, lies one important area many might never understand. Miss Nigeria has bestowed me with far reaching opportunities; given me the opportunity to explore the world, a platform to be seen, heard and recognized not only by the Government and highly placed citizens of the country but also by the general public. The privilege of being

Model, columnist and interior architect, Isio Wanogho just bag an endorsement deal, she is to be the face ambassador for the brand in Nigeria. Italian speaking Isio, who started modeling in 2002, at 18, becoming one the most popular models in Nigeria at the time she started out, before she left the country, who holds a Masters degree from a design school in Italy with MSc in Interior Architec-

something I might never be able to translate into writing. Miss Nigeria has not only distinguished me just as many people have come to identify with the brand and its cause. Miss Nigeria has given me the opportunity to be an ambassador and more importantly, a role model to women across ethnic groups, religions and race and I must say that it has been a roller coaster ride. Being Miss Nigeria has been a success story. I have been thrilled and awed by the opportunities made available to me just because of the position I hold. to see through my eyes. Far from what most people may think about pageantry in Nigeria, Miss Nigeria is absolutely different. I have always believed in God, however winning Miss Nigeria has made me believe in miracles. Being Miss Nigeria has taught me to be strong, wilful, courageous and responsible.

Oluchi Olandi

signs deal with Verve

International

Ezinne Akudo

Nigerian super model

fellow ex-super model, Tyra

sealed a mouth-watering deal with Verve internaweagba, the super model who has graced the covers of various top international fashion magazines and represented several international brands on the runway, is currently the host and head judge

to Italian fashion designer, bassador for Gentle Touch relaxer longside former Miss like Verve, the 35 year old suburbs of Lagos is a perfect example of a truly inspiring African success story and represents the needs and aspirations of all Africans.

a franchise she bought off

Gabbana responds to Sir Elton John’s call to boycott anything Dolce and Gabbana

Elton John and Husband, David Furnish with their son, Zachary Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana Fashion designer, Stefano Gabbana has responded to calls posing gay adoptions and insisting that the only family accept- able is the traditional one. bana fashion label. The singer criticised the designers after they “No chemical offspring and rented uterus, life has a natural terview. Stefano Gabbana has since said that it was never his istry, synthetic children. Rented uterus, semen chosen from a same-sex families and the use of IVF fertility treatment. He went

dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step

who are both gay and were a couple for 23 years until breaking up in 2005, have rejected same-sex marriage in the past. But in an interview with Italian magazine, Panorama, they went further -

In an interview in 2006, Gabbana revealed that he had approached a woman to be the mother of his baby but said he struggled with the idea.

“I am opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two ther. I could not imagine my childhood without my mother. I also believe that it is cruel to take a baby away from its

them is singer Courtney Love, who said that she wanted “to

Oluchi Orlandi

Gisele Bundchen to retire from the catwalk

Gisele Bundchen be wrapping up her long catwalk career after gracing the runway for Brazilian brand, Colcci at the Sao Paulo fashion week, billed to take place next month. However, the 34-year-old will continue to appear in fashion campaigns and editorials. Gisele who makes $128,000 a day decision to end her catwalk career in Brazil is not unconnected to the fact that it was where she was ers as the mother-of-two, who is married to American football player, Tom Brady, has scaled back her catwalk appearances in likes of Chanel No.5, Stuart Weitzman, H&M and Balenciaga, her own footwear and lingerie brands as well as her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations and.

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring valued at $5 million

Diamonds are forever The jewel royale chess set from Britain is the most expensive diamond chess game valued at $9.8 million

L7 Luxury

1001 nights diamond purse valued at $3.8 million dollars

Eyola

eyola@aol.com

The diamond colour:

Diamonds are a universal symbol of love and commitment. Historians believe that -

-

-

The diamond cut: The cut of a diamond -

The diamond carat weight: The carat is the

Diamond clarity: Diamonds are evaluated Black astrum diamond business card valued at $1,500 for one card

-

Hublot’s big bang diamond-encrusted watch valued at US$5 million

blemishes.

-

-

Caring for your diamonds A diamond studded handmade Mercedes SL600 car valued at $48 million and owned by Prince AlWalid Bin Talal. He charges $1,000 for every touch.

Camael diamonds worlds most expensive iPad at $1.2million dollars

The 637-carat L’Incomparable diamond necklace is the world’s most expensive necklace valued at $55 million.

With additional reports from Nkarenyi Ukonu

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday March 18, 2015

L8 Television

Showing on

Showing on

135 BET

121 Discovery Channel

01:00

00:35

Wed, 18 Mar | 16

Thu, 19 Mar | 16

The reunion of the award-winning reality show, staring Hart, Nick Cannon, Nelly, JB Smoove, Duane Martin and Boris Kodjoe, joined by wives, exes and a lawyer with skirmishes.

101 M-Net West

man-powered submarine, a New Zealand-based tralia.

120 BBC Entertainment

118 Telemundo

128 Sony Max

cial Series

-

lionaire?

253 AIT

Chases

252 Silverbird

-

Show

Shocking Chases News

Show Star -

Session

Shocking Chases

-

leashed

PACQUIAO

X4

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME

ONAATLION PERSFO RM IN

Name: Full name: Date of birth: Place of birth:

Poster!

UNDERGOES DRUG TEST AHEAD OF X6 BOUT

Height: Playing position:

Sunday Oliseh u Oliseh Sunday Ogochukw (age 40) r 14, 1974 Septembe State, Nigeria Abavo, Delta ft 0 in) 1.83 m (6 Midfielder Defensive

Senior career 0: 1989–199 4: 1990–199 5: 1994–199 7: 1995–199 9: 1997–199 0: 1999–200 4: 2000–200 4: 2003–200 6: 2005–200

Teams managed 2007: 9: 2008–200 Honours Gold:

About Sunday Oliseh

X4,5

Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh (born September 14, 1974 in Abavo, Delta State) is a former Nigerian footballer and coach, who, in his active playing career, played as a midfielder. He now lives in Belgium.

A physical, technical defensive midfielder, Oliseh played for wellknown clubs such as AFC Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus F.C. Oliseh played 54 international matches and scored two goals for Nigeria, and played at the Football World Cups of 1994 and 1998. He also participated in the Olympic gold medal winning team of 1996.

He is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2. A throw-in deep in the Spanish half was headed clear by a defender – Oliseh ran and fired an explosive shot from 25 yards and took Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta completely by surprise.

Despite captaining Nigeria during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Oliseh was omitted from the World Cup squad later that year for disciplinary reasons. After missing out on World Cup selection, Oliseh retired from international football in June 2002.

In March 2004, Oliseh was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after punching team-mate Vahid Hashemian while on loan at VfL Bochum.

In January 2006, at the age of 31, Oliseh retired from professional football after playing a half season for Belgian top club K.R.C. Genk.

Reggiana 1. FC Köln

AY SUND

H E S OLI

team National 2: 1993–200

SUNDAY OLISEH

Julius Berger RFC Liège

X5

Ajax Juventus Dortmund Borussia (loan) VfL Bochum Genk Nigeria (54

caps)

Eupen (Sports Verviétois

director)

1996 Atlanta

Olympics

(Men’s soccer)

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

SERENA returns to Washington Kastles X6

A L O I D R A U G H C T A TO W TY I C , A C BAR R E K C CRA

X8

Juve, Dortmund clash at Signal Iduna Park X3

Hart set for

Suarez, onslaught X3

X8

X2

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

REPS’ STOPS NFF FROM REFUNDING $3.6M Ben Nwachukwu Abuja

H

ouse of Representatives Committee on Sports on Tuesday ordered the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) not to refund the $3.6million intervention fund given to it by the federal government during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last year.

Speaking at the NFF budget defence, Chairman of the Committee Hon Godfrey Ali Gaiya said the amount given to the federation to settle the players’ allowances was

from service wide vote which does not require refund.

He noted that it is an interventionist fund that has been budgeted adding that all NFF should do is to write and notify the National Assembly and the government of the existence of such money in their coffers and then go ahead to augment their budget which they said has fallen short.

The committee however passed N1.5bn for the federation against the N5.5bn budgeted by the federation but advised them to add up all incomes from FIFA, CAF and other sponsors.

Eko Boys, Ilupeju Juniors shine in schools tourney Kwasu Alhamdu

E

ko Boys Junior School has won the maiden edition of the Okanlomo Junior Schools Football Competition played at the mini sports stadium, local education district, Iyana Isolo, Mushin, Lagos.

The competition was organized by Yeye of Okanlomo of Epe Kingdom and sponsored

by her husband Chief (Arch) Wasiu Anifowoshe, The Okanlomo 1 of Epe Kingdom.

The Mushin-based school defeated Igbo Owu Junior School 5-3 on penalties after both teams played a 1-1 draw after the regulation time.

In the female category, Ilupeju Juniors also defeated Euba Junior School 4-3 on penalties after hostilities ended in a barren draw in regulation

time.

The organizer of the tourney, Mrs Ahmeedat Anifowshe who also is the Principal of Ransome Kuti Memorial School, opined that the initiative will help to foster friendship among the schools, while the sponsor, Chief Wasiu Anifowoshe (The Okanlomo of Epe kingdom) stressed that the gesture will also improve the lives of the people towards talent discovery.

Make Nigeria proud, Glo tells Flying Eagles Andrew Ekejiuba

G

lo Mobile, Nigeria has urged the Flying Eagles to fly over their Ghanaian counterparts when they clash today in the first semi-final match of the 2015 Africa Youth Championship in Senegal.

The Manu Garba-coached team qualified for the semi-finals after amassing seven points and topping Group A, ahead of group mate and host Senegal.

Globacom in a press statement in Lagos on Tuesday commended the team for not only qualifying for the semi-finals but also making

Nigeria proud. The company therefore encouraged the team to sustain the momentum when they take on Ghana in Dakar.

According to the company, “We are aware of the challenge posed by Ghana, but we equally have strong faith in you to qualify for the finals, thus moving closer to lifting the trophy again.”

Globacom stated further that the team should be focussed, adding that the Flying Eagles’ technical crew should evolve a winning formula that would put the encounter beyond the Ghanaians.

Globacom is the official telecommunications partner of the Nigeria Football Federation and the major sponsor of the Nigerian national teams.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

Ibra tenders apology over comments

Hart set for

Suarez, Barca onslaught

P

aris Saint-Germain (PSG) f o r w a r d Zlatan I b r a h i m ov i c says that he will respect people who respect him, following, his recent controversial comments and tendered his apologies.

Ibrahimovic has never been one to mince his words, and his most recent talked about incident was when he blew the lid after PSG were defeated 3-2 by Bordeaux.

Ibrahimovic In a fit of rage, the former Barcelona player slayed France, saying that the country doesn’t deserve a team like PSG. The Swedish international suggested that his words may have been misinterpreted, and insisted that he has enjoyed every minute of life in the country, while playing for Laurent Blanc’s side.

“I respect people who respect me,” he said.

“Every day that I go through here, I have a fantastic time so I have no regrets.

“Nobody will change my opinion. From the first day I came to PSG, I had a good time.”

However, the 33-year-old was sorry for his comments, saying that he won’t hide from what he said, but will admit when he’s crossed the line.

Suarez

J

oe Hart is probably sick of the sight of Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, and the Manchester City goalkeeper will need to improve his record against the Uruguayan if the English champions are to have any hope of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

Barca lead 2-1 from last month’s first leg ahead of the showdown at the Nou Camp today, when Suarez netted both goals, more evidence he is nearing top form after a stuttering start to his stint in Spain.

The former Liverpool forward, who has scored 10 times since the turn of the year, also put two past Hart when Uruguay beat England 2-1 in Sao Paulo in June at the World Cup finals.

The 28-year-old was banned for four months for biting an opponent in Uruguay’s subsequent game against Italy but since making his Barca debut at the end of October has slowly been getting back to his lethal best.

Linking up well with fellow South American forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar, Suarez has earned praise from Barca coach Luis Enrique for his work rate and it will be a huge challenge for city to thwart the fearsome trio tonight.

JUVENTUS, DORTMUND CLASH AT SIGNAL IDUNA PARK J

X3

uventus travel to Germany at the Signal Iduna Park tonight, with the hopes of sealing their Champions League quarter-final berth against Borussia Dortmund.

Juventus won the first leg 2–1, leaving the match evenly poised. Indeed, Marco Reus’ away goal is sure to keep the Bianconeri extra vigilant in the titanic clash.

Often pilloried for their nervousness and unconvincing performances over the last few seasons, Juventus now have a chance to silence their critics should they qualify against Dortmund.

Massimiliano Allegri will have to do so without Andrea Pirlo however, who was ruled out by the injury he had sustained in the first leg. To compensate for his absence and with the return of Andrea Barzagli, the Juventus coach would be setting up with a 3-5-2 when he travels to Germany.

Abramovich

Abramovich faces money laundering probe

R

eport has it that there is an ongoing investigation of the Russian mafia, Roman Abramovich, which would have most likely seen the arrest of the Chelsea owner and other key figures in Russia over money laundering and illegal purchase of land, had the then chief investigator, Alexander Litvineko, had not been murdered in 2006 before completing his investigations.

However, Abramovich is not necessarily off the hook as the High Court in Moscow is pretty keen on fingering the culprits in a well organised field of high level crime in Russia.

This is after another FSB spy agent Berezovsky was also found dead at his ex-wife’s home in Surrey in March of 2013.

There appears to be no concrete evidence provided to the public to finger anyone in these claims and yet the net seems to be ominously closing in on the accused individuals especially considering the court’s eagerness to bring the offenders to book.

It would be sad if such a worthy contributor to the development of Chelsea FC and even English Football as a whole were to be implicated in such a case.

Buffon

FIXTURES TODAY’S MATCHES Barcelona v Man City 20: 45 Dortmund v Juventus 20: 45

X4

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

L A N O PERSFORMATION IN

Name: Full name: rth: Date of bi rth: bi Place of Height: sition: Playing po

liseh Sunday O Oliseh gochukwu 0) Sunday O 74 (age 4 9 1 , 4 1 r Septembe igeria N e, at St ta Abavo, Del ft 0 in) 1.83 m (6 Midfielder Defensive

reer Senior ca 90: 9 1 – 9 198 94: 1990–19 95: 9 1 – 4 9 9 1 97: 9 1 – 1995 99: 1997–19 00: 0 2 – 9 9 9 1 04: 0 2 – 2000 04: 2003–20 06: 0 2 – 5 0 20 team National 02: 0 2 – 3 9 19 aged Teams man : 7 200 09: 2008–20

Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh (born September 14, 1974 in Abavo, Delta State) is a former Nigerian footballer and coach, who, in his active playing career, played as a midfielder. He now lives in Belgium.

A physical, technical defensive midfielder, Oliseh played for wellknown clubs such as AFC Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus F.C. Oliseh played 54 international matches and scored two goals for Nigeria, and played at the Football World Cups of 1994 and 1998. He also participated in the Olympic gold medal winning team of 1996.

He is mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, as Nigeria prevailed 3–2. A throw-in deep in the Spanish half was headed clear by a defender – Oliseh ran and fired an explosive shot from 25 yards and took Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta completely by surprise.

Despite captaining Nigeria during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Oliseh was omitted from the World Cup squad later that year for disciplinary reasons. After missing out on World Cup selection, Oliseh retired from international football in June 2002.

In March 2004, Oliseh was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after punching team-mate Vahid Hashemian while on loan at VfL Bochum.

In January 2006, at the age of 31, Oliseh retired from professional football after playing a half season for Belgian top club K.R.C. Genk.

Ajax Juventus Dortmund Borussia m (loan) hu oc VfL B Genk 4 caps) Nigeria (5 ) rts director Eupen (Spo Verviétois

I L O

Honours Gold:

About Sunday Oliseh

ger Julius Ber e èg Li RFC Reggiana 1. FC Köln

ccer) (Men’s so Olympics ta an tl A 1996

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

Y A D N U S

X5

H E S I

X6

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

Boxing

M

anny Pacquiao received a surprise visit from drug testers prior to his Fight of the Century with Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao was approached unannounced by an antidoping examiner at the house he is renting in Los Angeles, where he is preparing to face Mayweather in Las Vegas on May 2.

Both fighters can expect to be tested under the US Anti-Doping Association programme to which they have both signed up.

Pacquiao was visited only four days after the packed red-carpet media event in LA which formally launched the build up to the $350million richest fight of all time.

The inspector called at the house, where Pacquiao was relaxing with members of his team between work-outs with master trainer Freddie Roach at the fabled Wild Card Gym. The PacMan readily complied with tests for both blood – a process about which he had previously expressed his dislike – and urine.

‘No problem,’ he told the medic, with a smile.

Pacquiao

PACQUIAO

TAKES DRUG TEST AHEAD OF BOUT Tour ride ‘disrespectful’

W

orld cycling chief Brian Cookson has hit out at drugs cheat Lance Armstrong’s plans to ride in this year’s Tour de France route for charity, branding them ‘completely disrespectful’.

Armstrong, stripped of his seven Tour titles for doping offences, has signed up to take part in the event, organised by former England football player Geoff Thomas.

The fundraising mission will see cyclists ride the route of the Tour one day ahead of the peloton, but Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) president Cookson wants Armstrong to reconsider.

“I’m sure that Geoff Thomas means well, but frankly, I think that’s completely inappropriate and disrespectful to the Tour, disrespectful to the current riders, and disrespectful to the UCI and the antidoping community,” Cookson said.

“I think Armstrong would be well-advised not to take part in that.”

Armstrong was banned for life from competing in cycling and triathlon by the United States AntiDoping Agency in August 2012 and Cookson said the Texan’s charitable motives did not make his stunt more palatable.

SERENA

Cycling

Armstrong’s

Serena

S

erena Williams is returning to play World Team Tennis for the Washington Kastles for the first time since 2011.

The 19-time major champion’s participation in the league that will run from July 12 to August 2 was announced when its draft took place.

Williams’ sister Venus will also be on the Kastles, as will International Tennis Hall of Fame member Martina Hingis.

The Washington team has won four

Tennis

returns to Washington Kastles

consecutive WTT titles.

Eugenie Bouchard, the Wimbledon runner-up last year, was taken No. 1 in the draft by the Boston Lobsters.

Athletics

Tavengwa reveals secret to stardom

Z

Armstrong

imbabwe’s top female long distance athlete Sharon Tavengwa’s fairytale run began in an unorthodox fashion in Chirumhanzu when she pretended to be a boy for her talent to be recognised.

Tavengwa’s chance to be noticed came when one of the boys making up the 4 by 400 metres U-12 relay team scheduled to compete in the district championships was disqualified for age-cheating.

And because everyone knew Tavengwa as a talented girl, she pulled a fast one by posing as a boy and was drafted into the boys’ relay team.

“I had to pretend to be a boy at that moment but that wasn’t easy at all,” she

said.

“That was four by 400m. I started the race and I am telling you I was just moving, I really don’t know how I did it, but I made it. That’s when everyone took me seriously and they began to see my talent.”

Tavengwa’s adventure of posing as a boy athlete was the beginning of a successful long distance running career.

Her unique talent earned her an International Olympic Committee scholarship in 2003 which allowed her to travel to Kenya.

In Kenya, she received mentorship from former Dutch Marathon Champion Lucien Alcon Krotwaar to kick start her illustrious marathon career.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

GOLF EXTRA

X7

With Mike Otanwa

Oche Odoh

SUNSHINE TOUR: MAKELEMI D

irector of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria (PGAN), Festus Makelemi, has commended the effort of Oche Andrew Odoh on the Sunshine Tour, saying he has been courageous as a lone competitor for the country.

Odoh during the week shot 73, one over at the Irene Golf Club to miss a third successive chance to tee-off on the Sunshine Tour big ticket events (Jo’burg Open, Africa Open and Tshwane Open).

Makelemi however says that the Nigerian golfer has been successful going by the conditions that surrounds his appearance.

“Odoh may not have made the cut into the finals, which on its own was very ambitious given he is the only Nigeria there. I think his chance would have increased if there were more players there with him and that is why we must salute his courage,” he said.

Makelemi insisted that, Odoh knowing the qualifying round was a tedious one chose to hinge his chances on it.

“For instance at the Tswane Open he needed to finish in top-ten of the 122 players that he

S D N E M M O C

S ’ H O D O COURAGE

competed against to move to the next round, the odds were against him; he has to compete in a different weather, different golf course and alone. That is a lot of courage,” Makelemi added.

He said the PGAN has had a cordial relationship with her South African counterpart and only hopes to get her players to benefit better offering from the Sunshine Tour in the nearest future.

“For now despite the high ratings of the Sunshine Tour, the best we can get from our golfers is through the Pre-Qualifiers but we are hopeful to take that deeper soonest,” he said.

PGAN currently enjoys a five-man associate membership slot that has been on Sunshine Tour since 2001, which encourages her top fiveplayers to take advantage of.

Corporate Golf Challenge, a huge success –Oguntayo

K

ayode Oguntayo of Concierge Sports, organizers of the maiden Corporate Golf Challenge, has described the tourney as a huge success, adding that beyond the ranking with points all the teams actually won following their participation.

“I don’t think it would be fair to judge any team by their overall performance at the event. The primary aim was to create the platform for the players to connect, relax and have fun which I

Golfers at the Corporate Golf Challenge tourney believe was achieved,” he said.

Team Eko Support Services won the maiden Corporate Golf Challenge organised by Concierge Sports last Saturday. The team comprised of Seni Edu, Tunji Adebayo, Remi Edu and Peter Eben-Spiff who garnered 84 points at the Lakowe Lakes Golf & Country Estate in Lagos to emerge champion.

The 18-holes stable ford scoring team event had Team Tata Motors finish in second place with 78 points.

The Team Tata featured Sanya Akindele, Winston Strasser, Remi Olukoya and Frank Momoh.

Finishing in third place was Team Smooth FM 98.1 who also shot 78 points but was beaten by Team Tata Motors on count back; the members of the team were Dapo Akande, Tim Ayomike, Leke Akinsanya and Mummuney Dagazau.

Other teams that competed at the event were Total E&P Deepwater 1 & 2, Mandilas, Old Mutual, SAB Miller (Castle), Stanbic IBTC, Media Reach OMD, First Bank, MacTay Consulting, Sonar Tusk, Seabulk Offshore, Grand Oak, Labash Cocktails, Bridge Clinic, Pathcare, Thebe HMO, and Huawei.

Veuve Clicquot Champagne were the event Headline Sponsor while First Bank, Media Reach OMD, Mandilas, Old Mutual, Tata Motors, Huawei were Hole Sponsors.

Odoh will be trying his hands on the Investec next week before being joined by Willy Gift who has been held back in the country due to travel document renewal.

The two golfers will head to Zimbabwe and Zambia from April 9 to 26 for The Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open and Mopani Cupper Mines Zambia Open.

Pros get first taste of Smokin Hills

T

he first official Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria (PGAN) sanctioned Tour event to be hosted at the high profile Smokin Hills Golf Resort, Ilara Mokin, in Ondo state, has been confirmed.

The 2015 edition of the annual Consolidated Management Consultants Limited (CMCL) sponsored championship has been billed for May 19th to 22nd at the 6510 metered championship course, which in a lot of ways is expected to stretch the players to the limit.

Much unlike existing championship courses in the country, Smokin Hills’ grass is bespoke and the layout is majestic, and the Tournament Coordinator of the PGAN, Jide Bolaji has said that the development is, “an exciting one and it should encourage proprietors of equally promising golf facilities to host Tour events” The pros are expected to tee-off from

Tuesday, May 19 for a four-day battle for the title last won by Emos Korblah at the IBB International Golf and Country Club in Abuja last May. PGAN Tournament Director, Martin Odoh also said all members of the body have been looking forward to playing the course especially against the background of positive reviews that has come from the amateurs that have played the course.

“The only challenge I think we may have is length of the course, which many have said may warrant the use of cart. I must confess, I have not confirmed it, but we will make sure our members have the best of time there,” Odoh said.

Amateur players are also billed for the CMCL Pro-Am; they will be vying for trophies over 36 holes from May 22nd to 23rd, while their professional counterparts will be eyeing a slice of the professional winning purse, which has not been announced.

X8

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME

BARCELONA

KOEMAN:

star Ronald ormer Barcelona Blaugrana are Koeman believes the nel Messi hits Lio ‘unstoppable’ when his best form. ational has been in The Argentina intern eady 14-15 and has alr superb form in 20 all in es nc ara pe 39 ap netted 43 goals in competitions. in charge of Premier Koeman, who is now ly ampton, is not on League side South , ord rec g rin co als i’s go impressed by Mess s ld’ r-o g the 27-yea though, after hailin professionalism. , on top of his game “Whenever Messi is id. sa he ” le, ab pp unsto Barcelona are simply for given everything s ay alw s ha e “H y an d ate s never cre Barcelona and ha t ou ab s ng thi of say a lot problems. You can ” i. ss Me t ou t ab some people, but no on to discuss the Koeman then went d at which will be playe upcoming Clasico, that d se es str ay, and Camp Nou on Sund nt de nfi co be to n so rea Barcelona have every . going into the game at ing through a gre go are “Barcelona ch mu g vin ha drid are period, whereas Ma d their games. Madri ing nn wi le ub tro more m tea uility that a big don’t have the tranq ” . rca needs, unlike Ba

F

I S S ME !

A C R A B MAKES E L B A P P UNSTO

Mascherano

Guardiola

Barca facing

to watch Barca, City cracker

critical week

B

Varane

arcelona have two season-defining matches in the space of four days that will go a long way in deciding how many trophies they end up with this campaign. And with 16 wins from 18 matches so far this year, the signs are promising.

However, while all the talk is of the Clasico at the top of La Liga on Sunday night, Barcelona can’t afford anything other than 100 percent professionalism against Manchester City tonight.

The players appear to have taken that on board with Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi all in for extra training Monday on their day off, but you would expect nothing less ahead of two huge games from players that have won so much.

The warning signs are there. Mid-table teams like Real Sociedad and Malaga have recently shown this Barca side can be shut out while enjoying success at the other end of the pitch and opponents like City and Real Madrid are capable of turning over any side on their day.

P

Guardiola

ep Guardiola will attend Manchester City’s Champions League showdown in Barcelona amidst increasing speculation he could be in line to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad.

Pellegrini is feeling the heat as he battles to rescue City’s fading season and could face the sack this summer.

The champions are struggling to defend their league title and must beat Barca at least 2-0 to knock them out in the Nou Camp to reach the last eight.

Guardiola is one of three names on a shortlist of possible replacements for Pellegrini that has been drawn up by Etihad bosses.

Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti are also targets of the billionaires as speculation mounts about what will happen to Pellegrini.

Now it has emerged that Guardiola will return to his former club Barca to watch them in action against City in the second leg of the last 16 clash.

Guardiola, of course, will be keen to keep tabs on his side Bayern Munich’s potential opponents in the next round.