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TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015 VOL. 1. NO.17

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Obasanjo campaigns against Jonathan 6

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Obasanjo with the women to whom he spoke about the Jonathan administration, yesterday.

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Ikechukwu Uche January 5, 1984 (age 30) Aba, Nigeria 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) Striker Villarreal 8

Team Apps Goals Racing Ferrol 28 2 Recreativo 133 50 Getafe 55 11 Zaragoza 18 1 Villarreal 69 32 Granada (loan)34 3

Nigeria 45

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 October 2014.

Appearances (Goals).

National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2014

Senior career Years 2002–2003 2003–2007 2007–2009 2009–2011 2011– 2011–2012

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Full name: Date of birth Place of birth: Height: Playing position: Current team: Number:

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XT Exclusive

LADIES MAN TOURE CLAIMS HE HAS TO CHANGE HIS PHONE NUMBER TO ESCAPE WOMEN X8

Amanze United 2000–2001 Iwuanyanwu Nationale

INSIDE IKECHUKWU UCHE X4,5

Messi misses training with stomach illness

KISELIKSEHS IME,

Rogders Demands transfer pay to offset Gerrard exit

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RONALDO

to PSG unrealistic –Agent X3

APPEALS TO NSC FOR FINANCIAL BACKING X3

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D SAYS OBAFEMI NTTF

Opposition can’t ‘bomb’ president out of office 0 ƕ Ɔ

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Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

ÏÏÏThe Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has warned opposition politicians of dire consequences if President Goodluck Jona-

than is “bombed” or blackmailed out of office.

He also predicted that the forthcoming Presidential election will be turbulent, but assured that President Jonathan would be re-elected.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesay, January 6, 2015

Politics Page Three

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Editorial Encouraging local fuel refining

T

he call by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on the Federal Government to demonstrate commitment on local refining of crude oil in 2015 is a welcome development. According to the General Secretary of the association, Mr. Bayo Olowoshile, only domestic refining will end the crises in the oil and gas sector. He therefore advised that the importation of petroleum products be cut by 50 percent.

It is a sad commentary that Nigeria as Africa’s largest crude oil producer is yet the continent’s biggest importer of refined petroleum products. This has undoubtedly created a lucrative market for refineries in Europe and the U.S.A. Only recently, Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote advocated that for the country to surmount the current challenges of falling crude oil prices, it must increase local processing and consumption.

However, it is well known that progress in this area has been impeded by lack of investment in the downstream petroleum sector, as well as a very outdated policy and regulatory environment for the oil and gas sector. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the largest importer of Nigeria’s oil, the United States of America, is now the world’s biggest producer of Shale gas which is effectively competing against crude oil at the world spot market.

Until very recently, sustained high oil prices as well as an increasing demand by growth-induced coun-

tries such as China, India and other emerging economies, have encouraged the development of new sources of oil. It is therefore a crying shame that a country with over 35 billion crude oil reserves and production of over 2.5 million barrels per day has no functional refineries to process its fuel needs. Of all members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria is the only still relying on importation of petroleum products for domestic needs.

So far, all efforts to reverse this development have been thwarted, apparently due to mismanagement of government-owned refineries and lack of incentives to stimulate growth in local private refining capacity. Of all the more than 243 byproducts associated with crude oil, only three are maximised in Nigeria.

Presently, the country spends about $60bn for importation of refined products. What this entails is that local refining will not only reduce the cost and stress of exporting crude to bring in refined products, it will also create jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians.

Currently, the country imports over 35 million litres of petroleum products, representing about 85 per cent of domestic demand daily into the country at a cost of N3 trillion.

Also, subsidy on imported fuel has been responsible for the enormous strain on the Federal Government budgets every year. Curiously, rather than spending the nation’s scarce resources on refining oil, government still prefers importing the refined products.

The National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, being honoured in Aguleri, by the Traditional ruler of the community, HRH Igwe Christopher Idigo with the highest traditional title in the town, IBOBO AGULERI, for what they described as Umeh’s solid support for their illustrious son, Gov. Willie Obiano that ensured his victory during the governorship election in Anambra State.

Eagerly awaiting presidential debate Yinka Olujimi

T

he election season is here, and every other thing has to take the back seat. Almost everything. Including – or is it particularly? — search for the abducted precious Chibok girls. Pity.

Politics in Nigeria is played with scant regard to issues, no doubt. If not, both the incumbent President and his main chal-

lenger will not dare impose themselves on the polity without outlining practical steps to end the Chibok girls debacle.

Meanwhile, the Boko Haram group has continued its daring attacks, seizing military bases, abducting young men and women.

Reducing whole towns and villages to rubble.

Yet, come February 14, some persons will present themselves for election as leaders; millions of citizens will file out to elect their leaders.

What will the candidates do about mass hous-

ing? How do they intend to make free education a sustainable item on the national menu?

Beyond mere pledges, what modalities are in place to ensure that Nigerians in diaspora are encouraged to leave their dreary lives for their home country – the true land flowing with milk and honey?

What practical steps will be taken to make the citizens know that the great things they desire are not free elsewhere?

Surely, Nigerians can’t wait to have a presidential debate.

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I do not see any patriotism in going to wreck our nation with the February 14 elections.

Noel Anosike

Gabriella Osamor Yinka Olujimi Yemi Ogunsola

Bisi Abidoye

Innocent Nwankwo Adetayo Adelaja

Emmanuel Ogbonnaya

Moses Ebong

King Ododoru

Afeez Odeseye

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.

Mo Abudu I had to learn to stand up for myself, to defend my identity and my race in an environment where you continually got asked the most ridiculous questions.

Fredrick Fasehun Insurgency and terrorism descended on Nigerians in the wake of the 2011 elections after some politicians … swore to make the country “ungovernable”

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2014

5 News

We’ll maintain peace in Nasarawa –Al’Makura Ïd ƕ ^ ôƋƋ ƈƒƆ Mƈ ƆƏƈ ƍƋƆ Ɛ ƑƏƍƏƈ Ɔ Olufemi Samuel

ÏÏÏ

Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al’Makura, has said his government would stick to the formula of peace which the state is currently enjoying by always strengthening the agreements signed by community leaders in the state.

The governor expressed delight over the coopera-

tion he has been receiving from people of the state during critical times.

He said Nasarawa people had over the past few months become wiser and more sophisticated in managing their differences, given the manner they have been rising in unison to prevent further breakdown of law and order in the state.

He spoke in Abuja when some youths from Nasara-

wa, led by Engineer Inua Abdulkadir, paid him a solidarity visit at the government’s liaison office.

He lauded the efforts by community leaders in the state in taking the state away from crises into which he said some disgruntled elements within and outside the state had planned to plunge it.

He said, “We have to thank the Almighty Allah in Nasarawa for seeing

Al-Makura us through our critical moments. It was with col-

lective efforts that we attained this, and we have to appreciate ourselves too.

“When some people planned to turn our dear state into a zone of crises, like we have in some states, our people stood up to say ‘no’. With the level of cooperation that we have received from our elders, I can say very confidently that we will never witness such orgy of crises again.

Al’Makura told the

youths to continue to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, contending that most of the programmes he had launched in the state had been pro-youth and propeople.

He said the APC government in the state, if voted to remain in power in the February governorship election, would not neglect the youths, women and the indigent.

I won’t sideline sultan if elected –PDP guber candidate ÏÏÏ

Assistant Director, Training, Industrial Training Fund Mr. Chuwang Pam (Left), speaking during the skill upgrading training of artisans and craftsmen In the construction Industry , in Abuja on Monday.

S/East APC commends Ohanaeze for ‘shooting down’ motion endorsing Jonathan ÏÏÏThe All Progressives

Congress (APC) in the South East has congratulated Ohanaeze Ndigbo for “shooting down” a motion, which sought to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan as the candidate of the Igbos in the 2015 presidential election.

A statement by the spokesperson of the APC in the South East, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, described those that opposed the motion, which was moved by a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)

Board of Trustees, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, at the Imeobi (inner caucus) meeting of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Saturday, as “true Igbo patriots”.

Okechukwu expressed happiness that “Ndigbo have realized that it doesn’t make sense to put all our eggs in one basket, especially when the political scenario in the 2015 presidential election differs remarkably from that of 2011 when Jonathan was endorsed”.

He added: “Ohanaeze, by

refusing to endorse President Jonathan, has taken a cue from Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka’s New Year sermon at the Adoration Ground, that Nigeria needs change for the better.

“As Mbaka said, ‘I love President Jonathan and I used to be his fan, but I want good for my people and that’s why I want Nigerians to vote out Jonathan and vote Buhari,” Okechukwu added.

According to him, “If the Hausas have spread their

dragnets in both PDP and APC and Yorubas have spread their dragnets in both PDP and APC, then Ndigbo should not blame anybody for marginalization in the event of APC’s victory in the forthcoming 14th February 2015 presidential election”.

Okechukwu stressed that the APC in the South East believes that Ohanaeze Ndigbo should remain neutral in the 2015 general elections as there are Igbos in all the parties.

The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Sen. Abdallah Wali, on Monday pledged to work closely with the Sokoto Sultanate Council, if elected in the forthcoming general election.

Wali gave the pledge at a news conference in Sokoto, during which he denied any plan to sideline the council, headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar.

Senator Wali was reacting to wide-spread insinuations in the state that he would not work with the

ÏÏÏ

Ahead of the February 14, 2015 presidential election, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Maj.-Gen.Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will hold his rally at the Uyo Township Stadium in Akwa Ibom state today.

In a jointly signed release by the state chairman of the party, Dr. Amadu Attai and the Secretary, Mr. Efiong Etok, indicated that the rally would be attended by APC elders, leaders and supporters, including the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Director-General of the Muhammadu Bu-

sultanate if he becomes governor.

“We will forge a very cordial and formidable relationship with the council and the entire traditional institutions in the state when we form our government.

“All such nefarious insinuations and allegations that a PDP government when elected this year will severe such an all-important relationship are unfounded and baseless.

“They were created by our enemies and they are intended to mischievously use people’s sentiments against us” he said.

Buhari visits A/ Ibom to present flag to Umana hari Campaign Organisation.

According to the statement, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun and other leaders of the party will also be in attendance.

The highlight of the rally, according to the statement, will be the presentation of the party flag to Mr. Umana Umana, who is the party’s governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Opposition can’t ‘bomb’ president out of office, says Fayose Continued from page 1

L-R: Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Sector Commander For Delta State, Mr Rindom Kumven; Commanding Officer In-Charge Of Anambra, Delta And Edo States, Mr. Charles Akpabio and the Corps Marshal Of (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, during the visit of the Corps Marshal to Benin-Agbor-Asaba-Onitsha Road Corridor... on Monday.

Obasanjo campaigns against president Abiodun Taiwo, Abeokuta

ÏÏÏ“WHEN I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25 billion we kept in what they called excess crude. The excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for the rainy days. When we left in May 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35 billion. But today, that reserve has been depleted!

Today, that reserve has been depleted.”

With those words, and in a thinly veiled reference to President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday asked Nigerians to vote out bad leaders.

Obasanjo cited what he called the bad management of the economy and corruption by the incumbent administration for the call.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, expressed disbelief at the comment attributed to Obasanjo and said he could only respond after reading the statements.

Obasanjo was twice elected President on the platform of the PDP and was upon leaving office the chairman of its Board of Trustees.

Metuh told the Daily Times last night that he refused to believe that Obasanjo could make that kind of statement.

The PDP spokesman said it was not possible for “Chief Obasanjo, who is a former President, a statesman and former Board of Trustees Chairman to make such a statement.”

He said further: “Sentiments apart, in the spirit of continuity, Chief Obasanjo who is still a member of PDP could not have said something like that.

“That a statesman, leader, former President, former BOT chairman has made a comment against the Presidential candidate of his party, I can’t believe it; until I see it with my own eyes”, he said.

Obasanjo rigorously campaigned against Jonathan, his party’s candidate, while receiving some women leaders from the South West, who included the daughter of national leader of the

main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Folasade Tinubu-Ojo. Tinubu-Ojo is the Iyaloja General of Lagos.

The former President said that his constant criticisms of Jonathan were to ensure that things were done right and that he bears no personal grudge against the incumbent President.

He said: “I don’t have personal grudge against President Jonathan, and I do not think that he also has any personal grudge against me. But all what I am after is to see that a good leader emerges, no matter where such a leader comes from or who is that leader, the most important thing is to have good leader who has the experience and not mere words of mouth”.

“Nigeria does not deserve to be where it is today, we need to change our attitude, I can follow anybody that is ready to bring that change, there is serious corruption and impunity in the land.”

The Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Mrs Alaba Lawson, who led the women, had earlier in her speech, raised a number of problems facing the gender in

the country. These, according to her, included corruption, poor economy, inadequate girl-child education, women empowerment and how members of the gender can get into positions of authority in the country.

She further stated that the percentage of Nigerians yet to collect their permanent voters’ cards in the country was too large, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commissioner, INEC, to ensure that all eligible voters collect their cards if the commission is serious about conducting a free and fair election.

The women group asked Obasanjo, whom they described as father of the nation, to show direction out of the present predicament in the nation.

But, while responding the former president said that women should hold their destinies in their hands, stressing that all the issues raised in the paper presented were for the generality of Nigerians and not South West.

Obasanjo maintained that he does not just talk to cause trouble in the country but that he cannot keep

quiet when things are going bad.

“I have served this country as a soldier and as a civilian leader. I cannot just keep quiet when things are not well in the nation.

“My experience in service, exposure with leaders around the world cannot permit me to keep quiet when things are not done properly.”

On the forthcoming polls, Obasanjo asked the women to use their numerical advantage to vote against bad candidates.

He said Nigerians should know bad candidates ‘by their track records’.

“Good governance comes from voting, from selection of leaders. It is now left to you to decide who you cast your vote for because if you throw away your votes and tomorrow you are saying good governance, once you throw away your votes you have lost out.

“Find out the track records of achievements of those you want to vote for.

What have they achieved in the past and not what they have said.”

Continued on page 8

He also challenged the presidential candidate of the All Progress Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to present his academic credentials to the Nigerians, adding that the era of Nigeria being ruled by school certificate holders is over.

Speaking to journalists at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos on his arrival from a foreign trip, Fayose expressed fears that the coming presidential election would generate violent reactions if any of the two major contestants won, but warned that on one had the monopoly of violent.

He maintained that any attempt to “bomb” President Jonathan out of office or even blackmail him would have ripple effects on the country, but stressed that the election would not be a winwin situation for all parties involved.

Fayose said further: “We should remember that the economy of this country lies in the South-South, so, we must balance it. If you want to bomb me to blackmail me, you will have the other side of it. Somebody was telling me that the violence would stop if Buhari wins, it shows Buhari and APC are behind it. It is not a win-win situation even for Jonathan, but Nigerians must be ready to accept the result of the election and I can assure you that Jonathan would win.”

On the controversy over the academic credentials of Gen. Buhari, Fayose explained that it was not the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to screen candidates.

“The era where you will say I am leading Nigeria with School Certificate is gone. When you are leading through the promotions in the army, sergeant to corporal, that era is gone. I don’t take people on personal note, but this particular leadership we are looking for must have the competence.”

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday January 6, 2015

JUDICIARY WORKERS STRIKE

Osun tribunal shut Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

ÎÎÎMembers

Pupils of Government Secondary School Wuse Zone resumes after new year and Eld-Maulud on Monday Photo: Temitope Balogun

Why we’re on nationwide strike, by judiciary workers Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

ÎÎÎThe Accountant General of

the Federation and his counterparts at the state level have been blamed for the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by judicial workers in the country.

The blame was apportioned by the National President, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Comrade Mustapha Marwan at a news conference in Abuja.

Comrade Marwan specifically attributed the closure of courts to the failure of the Federal and State Governments to implement the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja, which had restrained the Executive arm from holding on to the fund meant for the judiciary.

The court, it would be recalled, had stopped the Federal Government and the 36 states of the federation from holding on to funds budgeted for the judiciary.

While delivering judgment in a

suit filed by the members of JUSUN, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the workers had the right to ask both the Federal Government and the states to comply with the provisions of the constitution on the funding of the judiciary.

The Judge thus ordered that funds meant for the judiciary be released directly to the heads of courts and not to the executive arm of government.

The court said the disbursement of funds for the judiciary by the executive “is unconstitutional and a threat to the independence of the judiciary”.

Relying on the provisions of sections 83(1), 212(3) and 162(9) of the constitution, Justice Ademola said the provisions were clear and straightforward and should, therefore, be complied with.

The JUSUN President noted with regret that since the order was made, the Accountant General of the Federation has failed

Litigants, lawyers locked out of court in Oyo

7 News

pay to the National Judicial Council deducted funds.

He said: “Remember that this judgment was delivered in January 2014. Since then, government has engaged us in discussion for about 20 times. We entered MOU seven times and the office of the Accountant General, refused to obey the court judgment.

“Also, all the states governors general and commissioners for finance, who are all members of FACC have equally contributed to bringing us to where we are today.

“We have accommodated them, tolerated them, but since this is what they preferred, we have decided to give it to them as a new year gif..”

The refusal by the Federal Government and the 36 states to comply with the order of a court of competent jurisdiction would only lead to anarchy, the JUSUN leader added.

He however lauded the Federal

Remi Oladoye Ibadan

ÎÎÎScores of litigants and counsel could

not gain access to courts premises in Oyo State on Monday as members of the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) joined their counterparts across the country in an indefinite strike called for their better welfare and treatment.

of the Judicial Staff Union (JUSUN) on Monday denied lawyers and politicians entrance into the Osun State High Court, where tribunal hearing the case on August 9 election in the state is sitting.

The tribunal, led by Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, is attending to the challenge of the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the August 9, 2014 governorship election, Iyiola Omisore.

But the judicial workers put the venue of the tribunal under lock in compliance with their headquarters directive for a strike action.

However after much pleads and persuasion, both lawyers and politicians were allowed

into the court premises to partake in the tribunal proceedings.

Chairman of Judicial Staff Union (JUSUN), Mr. Oladapo Oseni, said their action was to ensure respect for the rule of law in the country.

He explained it was not their delight to paralyse court activities, saying, “Our stand is there is no going back on the strike, the strike is indefinitely until the order made by the Federal High Court in Abuja on the 13th January, 2014 is fully complied with.”

According to the court judgment, the Accountant-General of the Federation is to make deductions of the amount standing to the credit of states’ judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund and remit it to the National Judicial Council which will then disburse same to the various heads of court.

Edo courts under lock, key, workers demand fiscal autonomy Titus Eguaoje Benin City

ÎÎÎCourts across Edo State re-

mained under lock and key on Monday, the first working day of the New year 2015 as members of the state branch of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, joined their colleagues nationwide to resume the suspended strike protest over autonomy for the Judicial arm of government.

At the High court of Justice Complex along Sapele Road, Benin City, the state capital, lawyers who came early to file briefs or affidavits were turned back at the Main entrance by security men at the heavily locked gates.

Some workers obviously leaders of the Union confirmed that they were only heeding the orders of their National Executive asking all judicial workers in the country to proceed on an

Chairman of the state JUSUN, Mr. Ademola Ayoade who led other executives to monitor the situation at Iyaganku told journalists that the strike was total and would not be called off until the demands of the workers were met.

He absolved the union of blame over the strike, insisting that JUSUN members gave government enough time and notice on the strike.

He said: “We held a meeting in Abuja

indefinite strike beginning from last Friday January 2, 2015 until further notice.

The unionists said the action, to compel the Federal Government to usher in an autonomous judicial arm of government would remain indefinite.

A source at the state secretariat of JUSUN, confirmed to reporters that the body had ordered all it members since 2nd January 2015 to proceed on an indefinite strike action, adding that, all court houses in the state would remain shut down indefinitely.

“Today, we in Edo Judiciary have joined our counterparts from all over Nigeria in the nationwide strike action as directed by our national leaders, we passed the directives to all judicial workers in Edo and they have complied, we went round today we are satisfied, with the level of compliance”, he said.

on 27/11/14 while the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was supposed to be signed on 17/12/14. Since those concerned have refused to honour their part of the bargain, we have no alternative than to commence the strike. Indeed the strike ought to have begun on 2/1/15 but for the public holiday declared by the Federal Government. The strike is total and we shall only call it off when our demands are met.”

News 8

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Kogi auto crash claims seven Ibrahim Momoh Jimoh Lokoja

ÎÎÎNo

fewer than seven persons Monday lost their lives while 13 others sustained various degree of injuries in an accident that happened at Gidan- Bassa village along the Lokoja-Ajaokuta highway.

An eyewitness account said

the accident happened when the Toyota Hiace bus overtook dangerously and rammed into the Corolla car, killing seven people and injured 13 other on the spot.

The Kogi state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Godwin Omiko, who confirmed the incident, said it involved a Toyotal Hiace bus with registration number AKL 73 YP and

a Toyota Corrolla car with registration number AA 264 SNA respectively.

He said 20 people were involved in the accident and that seven died while 13 were injured, noting that among the dead are one male, four adult female and one female child.

The Sector Commander added that the corpses were deposited at the Kogi specialist,

Zenith, ASCL and Ankuri hospitals’ morgues while the injured persons were also taken to the same hospital for treatment.

According to him, the accident was as a result of wrongful overtaken and driving under alcoholic influence by one of the drivers, adding that properties of the victims are in custody of the Ajaokuta police command.

Workers resuming at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, after New Year and Eid-El Maulud holidays, on Monday.

‘Mark behind kangaroo PDP primary in Oyo’ Olufemi Samuel Abuja

ÎÎÎOyo

State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants have accused the Senate President, Senator David Mark of masterminding the crises that seasoned the primary of the party in Oyo State, leading to the emergence of Senator Teslim Folarin as the PDP candidate.

The governorship aspirants in a press statement made available to Daily Times said Folarin emerged through a kangaroo arrangement which they said had the backing of the Senate President and some PDP members at the National Headquarters.

The aspirants warned the PDP of a political doom for the party during the governorship election, as they contended that Folarin lacks the wider acceptability capable of making the PDP win the governorship election in Oyo State.

Five of the governorship aspirants including Prof Taoheed Adedoja, Hazeem Gbolarumi, Babalola Owolabi, Engr. Femi Babalola, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan and Proffesor Soji Adejumo signed the press statement which asked the National Headquarters of the PDP to cancel the PDP primary in the state in order to conduct a fresh one.

Obasanjo asks Nigerians to vote out bad leaders CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ÎÎÎThe

two-term president told the women that bad economy affects women more because they look after the family as traders.

He said that the devaluation of Naira for instance has automatically affected purchasing power in the country.

Obasanjo then went Biblical telling the story of how God called Samuel to anoint Saul as King of Israel saying it was the same God that called the same prophet to anoint David as the next king when Saul misbehaved.

He said only God gives power and therefore politicians who lose elections at this year’s election should take it in good faith.

He described himself as an ‘active member of PDP at the ward level maintaining that he restricted himself to ward politics ‘because of the prevailing situation and some people in the party’.

Obasanjo promised the women to send a copy of the speech presented by their leader to INEC after underlining the portion on

PVC The former President also said, “God did not create Nigeria not to be rich or great. Is it that the people he created in Nigeria are not knowledgeable enough or not intelligent enough? Or is that they don’t know their rights? Our problems in Nigeria, let’s look at the foundation of our leadership.

“In the profession I know very well, the military, what we normally say is that there are no bad soldiers but bad officers. If you see a situation where the soldiers are not doing well, we need to examine the officers in charge. So it is in the family, the community, the town and the country”.

Speaking on the general elections, Obasanjo said “Now you said this year is an election year, I have no apprehension over this coming election. I have no fears over the forthcoming elections.

“I emphasize that whatever is good for Nigeria, is what I’m ready to defend with my life.

Whoever, I emphasize, whoever says he would not do anything

good to Nigeria, even if he says he’s ready to go ‘konko below’, I’m ready to square it up with such a person. I say again, whoever that person may be, I want you to get that correctly. If this country is going to change for the better, it would start from the top and if it’s going to be otherwise, it would start from the top, too”.

Speaking on why he will continue to speak on national issues, Obasanjo said: “I have had some little experience about this country. I was a military head of state and I was also a civilian president, so what is left? So, if I talk, I know what I’m saying.

Whoever wants, should listen to me and whoever feels otherwise, may turn a deaf ear. But when I’m talking, I’m talking with my understanding and intellect. I’m drawing from my experience and from what I’ve learnt with others and from other countries and fellow eminent citizens of the world that I relate with”.

While advising people to vote according to their conscience,

the former President said, “good governance comes from voting, from selection of leaders. It is now left to you to decide who you cast your vote for because if you throw away your votes and tomorrow you are saying good governance, once you throw away your votes you have lost out. That is one. Find out the track records of achievements of those you want to vote for. What have they achieved in the past and not what they have said”.

“If our economy is not good, it would affect those of you in the market everywhere. It takes us back to what we said earlier that if the head is rotten, it will affect the entire body because if there is no good governance, it would affect the economy. Our economy should not have been this bad.

“When I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25 billion we kept in what they called excess crude. The excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for

Obasanjo the rainy days.

“When we left in May 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35 billion. But today, that reserve has been depleted!

Today, that reserve has been depleted. The reserve we left when we finished paying all our debts, our debt that was about $40 billion, that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than $3 billion. Our reserve after we had paid off this debt was about $45 billion. As I said, they continued till the end of 2007, I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67 billion before the end of the year. Our reserve now, I learnt, is left with around only $30 billion. That is why the Naira has been falling against the dollar. What would now happen.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

9 News 13 die in Bauchi auto crash

A cross section of the 57 Executive Secretaries for the Lagos local government and local council development areas for three months taking their Oaths of Office before the Director, Legislative Drafting, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Tola Akinsanya (front) during the swearing-in ceremony at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday.

Photo: BOLAJI OLASUNKANMI

PDP makes U-turn on N21bn donation for Jonathan’s re-election Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

ÏÏÏ

Apparently embarrassed by the criticisms that have been trailing the donation of over N21 billion by friends and associates for the re-election campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday said that the money was for both the re-election of the president and the completion of the

national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The PDP specifically declared that N10.5 billion of the amount is for the completion of the PDP national secretariat of the party, situated in the Central Business District of Abuja, which is under completion.

The remaining amount is for the financing of the presidential campaign of Jonathan, in the forthcoming February 14 presiden-

tial and National Assembly elections.

Former Minister of Information and Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee, Professor Jerry Gana, told journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, that N10.5 billion out of the fund would be used for the completion of the 12-storey building complex that will house the permanent national secretariat of the party.

PDP will disgrace opposition in 2015 – Suswam ÏÏÏ

Benue state Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, has assured the people of Benue state that the Peoples Democratic Party will not fail them, given that his government has put all necessary machinery in place to win all the elective positions in the forthcoming general election in the state.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Governorship Campaign Council and Directorate, as well as the presentation of PDP candidates at Aminu Isah Kontagora Theatre Complex, in Makurdi, the

Suswam governor pointed out that the party had held the most transparent governorship primaries which aspirants who lost out were satisfied with.

According to him, beside former minister of state for

Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, the rest of the aspirants accepted the outcome of the primaries and have since congratulated the winner, Mr. Terhemen Tarzoor and are on the campaign trail to ensure his victory at the polls next month.

“Let nobody be deceived this time around. We are going to record one hundred percent victory as before. The opposition party is going to have nothing.

We must return to the record of 1999 where we won all the seats in Benue state, come rain come shine.

Gana, a former university don and Professor of Geography, stated that out of an estimated N16.5 billion total cost of the project, N6 billion had already been paid, stressing that the contractor handling the project had promised to complete the project before the end of this year.

He pointed out that the explanation became necessary, in order to disabuse people’s mind that the mon-

ey realised during the fundraising was entirely for the re-election campaign of the president.

Also speaking at the event, another member of the committee and Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochepe said part of the fund will be given to PDP Democratic Institute for capacity building of members of the party at federal, state and local government levels.

APC, PDP guber candidates seek peaceful poll

ing a church service at St John Baptist Catholic Church in Gboko pledged their commitment to rancour free 2015 general election that will usher in another dispensation.

Speaking, Dr Ortom stressed that the fear of God and love for one’s neighbor remained the foundation for peace while pledging that if elected his administration would provide an enabling environment for job and wealth creation with the objective of taking restive unemployed youths off the streets.

On his part, Mr Tarzoor pledged that as a student of peace his administration would introduce community policing especially at the peripheral local government areas to check criminal activities.

Freddie Adamgbe, Makurdi

ÏÏÏ

Ahead of 2015 general elections, the gubernatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Samuel Ortom and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Mr Terhemen Tarzoor have agreed to work together for peaceful conduct of the 2015 general elections.

The guber candidates who spoke separately dur-

Audu Michael

ÏÏÏ

Tragedy occurred in Bauchi state when 13 passengers were killed in an auto crash, while 4 others were injured on Bauchi-Jos road, by Narbodo village in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi state.

Daily Times gathered that the accident occurred as a result of carelessness on the part of a motorcycle rider who suddenly crossed the road, which resulted to head-on collision for other vehicles.

It was further learnt that the accident which occurred around 5pm on Sunday involved an Opel Vectra and a Volkswagen Sharon car.

Police Public Relation Officer of the Bauchi state Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the incident said: “ On December 4, 2015 at about 4:40pm, there was a fatal motor vehicles/Motorcycle Accident along Sabon Garin Nabordo in Toro LGA of Bauchi State involving a Black Volkswagen Sharon car with reg no KTG -282-XG conveying 9 passengers from Jos heading to Bauchi and a white Opel Vectra with reg no TRR- 355-XA Conveying 7 passengers from Bauchi and heading to Jos.

South-East traders deny endorsement of Jonathan, Buhari, others Okey Chris, Awka

ÏÏÏ

Marketers and traders in the Southeast geo-political zone, under the auspices of South East Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Nigeria (SEAMATA), have denied endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential flagbearers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC), respectively.

SEAMATA, who is the umbrella body for all the business men and women domiciled at Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states, further added that they were yet to pick candidates for governorship, National and State Assemblies ahead of 2015 general elections.

News 10

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Yoruba Council of Youths vows to mobilise 10m votes for Jonathan Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

ÏÏÏA group, the Yoruba Council of Youths, YCY, has promised to deliver over 10million out of 14. 3 million registered voters from South West geopolitical zone, to President Goodluck Jonathan during the February 14 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Director of Media and External Relations of the YCY, Mr Ganiyu Akerele, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Akerele explained that the decision to support President Jonathan’s re-election bid was mooted at the end of the 27th Extra Ordinary National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the council held at Ijebu Igbo on November 29, 2014.

Pointing out that the youths accounted for over 70 percent of eligible voters in the country, Akerele expressed the belief that any candidate that gets their support is likely to win the election.

According to him, “the council noted that the current transformation strides of the President is sustainable and can only get us to the Promised Land with concrete deliverables if all hands are on deck, hence the Yo-

ÏÏÏThe

Lagos State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the swearing in of Executive Secretaries to head the 57 Lagos State councils as unconstitutional, selfserving and the All Progressives Congress (APC’s ) ploy to rig the Lagos governorship elections in 2015.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Barrister Taofik Gani, the party said the action of the governor is an inglorious one and an attempt to continue their selfish tendencies.

“They are not progressives.

They are not democrats. They

Mark consoles Jonathan over sister’s death Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

L-R: Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Airways 1999 Retirees, Comrade Sylvester Ohikhokhai Akhigbe; Chairman, Comrade Muideen Oyewo, and member, League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents, (LAAC), Marian Okwuosa, at the press briefing on the forthcoming protest scheduled to hold on January 7, 2015, at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos…on Monday.

ruba Council of Youths cannot sit on the fence to play regional politics against our collective patrimony”.

The Council, he said, has agreed to reach out and mobilize all well-meaning Yoruba Youths to a Town Hall meeting and Mega rally in Akure on Jan-

uary 9, 2015.

The meeting, he added, will be addressed by notable Yoruba leader like the Council’s President, Chief Tai Olusoccer, Chief Shu’aibu Oyedokun, Dr. Femi Fani Kayode, Chief Akin Oshintokun, Dr. Ezekiel Olajide Adeniji among others.

Akerele said the event will also witness the installation of Dr. Ngozi Olejeme as Grand Matron of the Council and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as life patron while a special publication devoted to showcasing the transformational strides of Mr. President would be unveiled.

Lagos PDP kicks as Fashola swears in executive secretaries for LGs Jonathan Eze

Briefs

are aiding and abetting destruction of democracy at the grassroots. It further exposes them as undemocratic. They can run a system down to favour their inordinate ambitions.

“This ambition is the desperation to win Lagos State in 2015.

The Executive Secretaries have been sworn in at this time to manipulate the elections at their domains for APC. They will fail and this time Lagosians will vote against APC for depriving them democratic local councils” Gani stated The party wondered why Fashola, a Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria would promote a local government system that is a violation of section 7 of the Constitution which is also a

pending subject of litigation in the Lagos High Court.

Reacting to the allegations, the Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, Chief Joe Igbokwe, told Daily Times that the governor is in order with his decision to appoint Caretakers for each council.

His words: “What could we have done in the circumstance?

The governor has the power to appoint caretakers. We have also told the people why we are not able to conduct local council election. It is because of the timing. General elections is here, coupled with the fact that INEC is still creating more wards and polling units. So we are in order.

PDP should wait until they are in charge.

Fashola

ÏÏÏSenate President, Senator David Mark has condoled the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and his family over the demise of his younger sister, Mrs. Nancy Jonathan- Olei in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state on Sunday.

Mark, in the condolence message signed yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh, expressed sadness over the untimely death of Mrs. Nancy, saying that her death has robbed the nation of her worthy enterprise.

The Senate President condoled the first family and the entire citizens of Bayelsa over the sad loss.

He urged them to take solace in the fact that, although the late Nancy lived a short life, she left a good legacy and indeed impacted positively on her immediate environment.

Adenuga, others bag Nigeria’s awards ÏÏÏNigeria’s biggest private investor in telecommunications, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr (GCON) has been honoured for establishing Nigeria’s first indigenous GSM company, Globacom.

Dr. Adenuga was recognised with some other Nigerians that distinguished themselves by pioneering some innovations, at the maiden edition of the Ali Baba’s January 1st Awards.

Standing in for Dr. Adenuga at the event was Globacom’s Head of Operations, Mr. Bisi Koleoso, who received the award plague from the First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola.

The event which held at Eko Hotels & Suites, was attended by some personalities including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Femi Otedola and the Managing Director of First Bank, Mr. Stephen Olabisi Onasanya.

Other recipients included Chief Akintola Williams who was the first African to qualify as a chartered accountant; Aloma Marian Mukhtar, the first Nigerian female judge to be sworn in as Chief Justice of the Federation; Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, Nigeria’s first athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics; Leo-Stan Nnamdi Ekeh, who pioneered Nigeria’s first internationally certified computer brand, Zinox computer and Yewande Coal, the first and only female flight engineer in Nigeria.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday January 6, 2015

Islamic scholar refutes rumoured support for Jonathan Daniel Jolly, Bauchi Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Tahir Usman Bauchi has debunked a statement that the ‘Tijjaniyyah Movement’ in Nigeria is supportive of President Goodluck Jonathan as it is praying for his success in the forthcoming general elections in the country.

He described the statement as a blatant lie and mere pigment of imagination of agents of doom to discredit Tijjaniyyah, saying that the movement had no business whatsoever with Jonathan, and will not succumb to any of his intent be it social, economic, political or whatever.

The scholar noted that even Jonathan’s kinsmen were not supportive of his style of leadership which on a daily basis consumed lives of innocent people under the pretext of Boko Haram insurgency while displacing hundreds of thousands from their abodes.

He also blamed the Federal Government on the insurgency rocking the Northeast geo-political zone of the country in particular.

According to him, the federal government was indirectly involved in the activities of the insurgents as highlighted by the America’s Central Intelligence Agency, (CIA) in a recent publication.

“Of all the insurgents’ activities going on in the country, the federal government is fully

abreast and even has a hand in it; the CIA has said it publicly in a Newsletter (name withheld) published recently”, Sheikh Tahir said.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of students of Bauchi College of Qur’anic, Science and Islamic Studies, he

bemoaned the incessant killing of innocent people in the Northeast zone and other parts of Northern Nigeria.

He attributed the incessant killings to the overt involvement of USA in the internal security issues of the country, s The Islamic scholar also blamed the federal government

for the botched arms deal in South Africa, querying “how could a federal government team openly carry cash to South Africa for any arms deal against the official procedure of bank (CBN) transactions in contravention of global monetary policies and claiming such action to be legal”.

Dickson drops two pro-Patience Jonathan appointees Akam James, Yenagoa The last may not have been heard about the prolonged rift between the Nigerian First lady Dame Patience Jonathan and the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson.

It appears that the rift has turned awry following the sack by the Governor yesterday of the Commissioner for Local Government Administration, Mrs. Marie Ebikake and the Special Adviser on Federal Projects, Chief (Mrs.) Remi Kuku.

It was gathered that the two were sacked for allegedly being disloyal to the governor and his camp by hobnobbing with the First Lady and members of her political bloc.

The embattled Special Adviser on Federal Projects had been in charge of mobilizing women whenever Mrs Jonathan came to town, while the former Commissioner for Transport relationship with the Governor started to go sour recently when she was alleged to be having a romance with the first family.

The governor explained that the reason for the sack and the redeployment of two others in his cabinet was part of effort to ensure service delivery and fulfilment of his restoration agenda.

Seven die in Kogi auto crash Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (right), acknowledging cheers from civil servants during the interfaith prayer service to mark the first working day of the New Year at the Governor’s Office Car Park, Ibadan yesterday. PHOTO: OYO GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

Guber aspirants finger Mark in Oyo PDP crisis Olufemi Samuel, Abuja

Mark

11 News

SOME governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State have accused the Senate President, Senator David Mark of masterminding the crises that seasoned their primary, leading to the emergence of Senator Teslim Folarin as the candidate.

The aspirants, in a press statement made available to Daily Times, said Folarin emerged through a kangaroo arrangement which they said had the backing of the Senate President and some PDP members at the National Headquarters.

The aspirants warned the

PDP of political doom for the party during the governorship election, as they contended that Folarin lacks the wide acceptability capable of making the PDP win the governorship election in Oyo State.

Five of the governorship aspirants, including Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, Hazeem Gbolarumi, Babalola Owolabi, Engr. Femi Babalola, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan and Proffesor Soji Adejumo signed the press statement which asked the National Headquarters of the PDP to cancel the PDP primary in the state and conduct a fresh one.

The Statement read, “At a recent general meeting, the above deliberated on the state of the

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State and the implications for the fortune of the party in the coming general election and concluded as follows: “We recall that the National leadership of the party at a stakeholders meeting in Wadata plaza, directed that Senator David Mark convene further meetings to resolve all pending issues within the party in Oyo state.

“To our utmost surprise, and despite the several meetings at the instance of Senator David Mark, a deliberate kangaroo primary was conducted subverting all laid down procedures of the PDP as contained in the Party electoral guide lines.

Ibrahim Momohjimoh, Lokoja AT least seven persons were feared dead yesterday while 13 others sustained serious injuries in an auto accident at the Gidan- Bassa village along the Lokoja-Ajaokuta Highway.

An eyewitness witness account said the accident happened when a Toyota Hiace bus overtook dangerously and rammed into an oncoming Corolla car.

The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Godwin Omiko, who confirmed the incident, gave the registration number of the Toyotal Hiace as AKL 73 YP and that of the car as AA 264 SNA. He said 20 people were involved in the accident and that seven died on the spot. Among the dead were one male, four adult females and one female child.

Africa 12

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Libya appeals for weapons to combat militants ÏÏÏLibya’s

D.R. Congo President Joseph Kabila (2nd R)

Congo president in third term bid ÏÏÏPresident Joseph Kabila of

the Democratic Republic of Congo was set Monday to convene a major political meeting in his native province of Katanga, amid controversy over a possible third term in office.

The aim of the talks was to “unite all Katangans” and to “hold consultations on the subject of a third mandate for Joseph Kabila in 2016”, which would call for constitutional change, a source in the president’s office said.

Kabila has been staying in the mineral-rich southeastern province of the vast country for several days, along with Interior Minister Evariste Boshab, and they were to be joined by about 50 parliamentary deputies and senators from Katanga, the source added.

The members of parliament left the DRC capital Kinshasa by air on Sunday afternoon for the chief town of Katanga, Lubumbashi, a

distance of some 1,567 kilometres (975 miles), an AFP journalist saw.

The charismatic governor of Katanga, Moise Katumbi, returned on December 23 to the province, regarded as the economic hub of the nation, after three months spent abroad.

Katumbi then gave a speech to fervent supporters, in which he guardedly opposed the prospect of opening the way to a third term for Kabila, who will have ruled for 14 years on January 17.

But the governor told AFP that he would not attend Kabila’s rally for “health reasons”, stating that on Wednesday he needed to leave for medical treatment in London.

Kabila, then a young soldier, was first rushed into office in wartime

by Kinshasa politicians early in 2001 after the murder of his father, president Laurent Kabila, a former rebel who ousted longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

In 2003, peace deals were cut un-

der the aegis of the United Nations and the international community to end the second Congolese war, which drew in the armies of at least six foreign countries to fight on Congolese soil.

A large UN mission in the former Belgian Congo -- known as Zaire under Mobutu -- helped prepare for the first democratic elections in 2006, when Kabila was voted back into office.

While that poll was generally regarded as free and fair in a country where conflict persists in the east, Kabila’s next victory in 2011 was hotly contested by the opposition and international observers.

The current constitution bars him from running for a third fiveyear term, but Kabila’s foes contend that his backers are planning either to revise the basic law or to hold a census across a nation twothirds the size of Western Europe, which would inevitably postpone any elections beyond 2016.

Jammeh

cember, 2014 Mr Jammeh seized power in the tiny West African nation in 1994.

He is accused of not tolerating any opposition.

Jammeh was abroad when heavy gunfire broke out near the presidential palace in the capital, Banjul, on 30 December.

He later returned home and accused dissidents based in the US, UK and Germany of being behind the attack. US-Gambian dual national Papa Faal, 46, and US resident, Cherno Njie, 46, were arrested in the US after they returned from The Gambia, where they had helped launch the attack against

US charges two with Gambia coup attempt ÏÏÏTwo men have been charged in

the United States with attempting to overthrow The Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh, the justice department has said.

The men, who are of Gambian origin, will appear in court on accusations of conspiring against a friendly nation and conspiring to possess firearms, it added.

Gambian authorities said they had thwarted an invasion on 30 De-

internationally recognised government on Monday appealed for weapons to combat militias which have seized parts of the oil-rich nation, at an emergency meeting of the Arab League.

“We call on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and to arm, without further delay, the Libyan army,” said Libya’s representative to the Cairo-based Arab League, Ashur Bou Rashed.

More than three years after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATObacked revolt, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and it has rival governments and parliaments.

The internationally recognised government and the parliament elected in June

have been based in the remote east since an Islamist-backed militia coalition, Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn), seized Tripoli last year.

Fajr Libya also controls third city Misrata, while much of second city Benghazi is also in the hands of militias.

Bou Rashed insisted on the need to score a “military victory over the brutal militias to prevent them from further expanding their influence across Libya” and help reach a political solution.

His comments came as the United Nations postponed peace talks it was hoping to hold Monday between Libya’s warring factions.

The talks were originally slated for December 9 but have been repeatedly delayed amid fighting in Libya.

Gunmen attack Malian army base, kill five ÏÏÏAt

least five people were killed in a gun attack Monday on a Malian army base close to the Mauritanian frontier, military sources said.

Gunmen slipped into the camp in Nampala early in the morning before opening fire, a source in the UN’s MINUSMA mission in the country told AFP. “For now I cannot say who the dead were. They were all wearing military fatigues,” another military source said, adding that two injured Malian soldiers were being treated in the home of the town’s mayor.

The UN source said unidenti-

fied fighters managed to get into the camp “with relative ease” about 0615 GMT and started shooting, with Malian troops returning fire.

Fighting went on for more than three and a half hours, with the attackers only retreating at 1100 GMT. A defence ministry spokesman confirmed the fighting in Nampala, 530 kilometres (330 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako.

“Our positions were attacked early this morning... We confronted the enemy and reinforcements are now being sent from a neighbouring area to Nampala,” he said.

the government, the justice department said in a statement.

Njie, a Texas businessman, was in charge of the conspiracy and would have been appointed interim leader of The Gambia had the coup attempt succeeded, according to documents filed in court.

Weapons, including M4 semiautomatic rifles and other military equipment were, last year, shipped to The Gambia for use in the attempted coup, US officials allege.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said the US condemned the attempted coup.

“These defendants stand accused of conspiring to carry out the vio-

lent overthrow of a foreign government, in violation of US law,” he said in a statement.

“The United States strongly condemns such conspiracies. With these serious charges, the United States is committed to holding them fully responsible for their actions,” he added.

Jammeh has won several elections since seizing power but critics say they were neither free nor fair.

Numerous officials and opposition leaders have fled the country, saying they fear for their lives.

Apart from a short Atlantic coast, The Gambia is entirely surrounded by Senegal.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

13 World North Korean soldier kills four Chinese ÏÏÏA North Korean believed to

Divers with recovered parts of the crashed AirAsia plane

Divers find AirAsia plane’s tail ÏÏÏAn Indonesian naval patrol

vessel has found what could be the tail of a crashed AirAsia passenger jet, the section where the crucial black box voice and flight data recorders are located, officials said on Monday.

News of the possible breakthrough came as the transport ministry in Jakarta said some officials on duty at the time of the accident will be moved to other roles. It also announced it was tightening rules on preflight procedures.

Ships and aircraft scouring the northern Java Sea for debris and bodies from the Airbus A320-200 have widened their search to allow for currents eight days after Flight QZ8501

plunged into the water en route from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.

“We found what has a high probability of being the tail captain of the patrol vessel, told reporters.

He was speaking after his ship returned to the port in Surabaya on Monday, and it was not immediately clear if he was referring to one of the five large objects pinpointed by search vessels over the weekend.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency has said seasonal tropical storms probably contributed to the December 28 crash and the weather has persistent-

ly hampered efforts to recover bodies and find the cockpit voice and flight data recorders that should explain why the plane crashed into the sea.

The recorders are housed in the tail section of the Airbus, making retrieval of that part of the aircraft crucial.

“I am not saying it’s the tail yet,” the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, told a news conference in Jakarta.

“That is suspected. Now we are trying to.

The transport ministry said some officials at the country’s airport operator and air traffic control agency who were involved with the AirAsia flight

will be moved to other duties while the accident investigation is completed.

It also said that, three days after the crash, it had issued a directive making it mandatory for pilots to be briefed in person by an airline official on weather conditions and other operational issues before every flight.

“A circular has been signed by the transport ministry on December 31, stating that pilots must have a face-to-face briefing with a flight operation officer so the briefing officer will know the pilot is in a healthy condition and so on,” said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation.

Afghanistan against US troops’ withdrawal ÏÏÏLast

week, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces closed down “Operation Enduring Freedom,” the campaign it has run in Afghanistan since 2001, in what The Christian Science Monitor described as “a small Sunday ceremony that made it clear that NATO was not interested in calling a great deal of attention to the occasion.”

Some 13,000 troops, mostly American, will remain in the country to help train Afghan forces and to conduct “counter-

terrorism” operations “against the remnants of Al Qaeda,” US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. These forces, in turn, are due to withdraw by the end of 2016.

But Ghani told CBS’s 60 Minutes: “Deadlines concentrate the mind. But deadlines should not be dogmas.”“If both parties, or, in this case, multiple partners, have done their best to achieve the objectives and progress is very real, then there should be willingness to re-examine a deadline.”

President Ghani’s comments appear to be a tacit admission of what many analysts have noted: Despite the “end” of the Afghan war, Afghanistan remains embroiled in a conflict that shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Indeed, the Taliban, which NATO removed from power in 2001 and which have since waged a resilient guerrilla war funded by opium sales, promised to continue to fight following what it called the Western forces’ “defeat.”

Obama

be a runaway soldier killed four Chinese citizens during a robbery after he crossed the border into China in search of food, media reports said Monday.

The young North Korean soldier crossed the border in late December and stole money and food at a house before killing four residents in China’s northeastern city of Helong, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency and Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said.

Both cited sources in the border areas between China and the North.

The victims were either shot dead or beaten to death, DongA said, adding he was later shot and captured by Chinese authorities.

Pope Francis names 20 new cardinals ÏÏÏPope

Francis has named 20 new cardinals, including churchmen from Tonga, Ethiopia and Myanmar.

Fifteen of the new appointees are under 80, making them eligible to enter a conclave to elect the Pope’s successor.

Pope Francis said the appointment of cardinals from 14 countries from every continent in the world showed the Vatican’s “inseparable link” with Catholic Churches around the world.

They will be formally installed on 14 February.

Pope Francis also announced on Sunday that he would lead of meeting of all cardinals to discuss reform of the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s administrative body, on 12 and 13 February.

The list of names includes five retired bishops who will join the College of Cardinals but are over 80 and so cannot take part in a papal election.

It is the second time Pope Francis has announced the appointment of new cardinals from a wide variety of countries.

Opinion 14

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Right and wrong ways of choosing leaders

I

E.O. EKE

t was Nikolai Gogol in his book, Diary of a Madman and Other Stories, who said that ‘sharing thoughts, feelings and experiences is one of the greatest blessings of this life’. This statement was made by a dog in a letter it sent to another dog. The madman found this letter, when he heard the dog speaking to another dog. What this dog said is the reason why I use most of my spare time these days writing. I cannot stop, this is the only thing I can do for Nigeria at this time.

Today, we know that certain things are wrong only because of the context in which they occur and others are intrinsically wrong, no matter where or when they occur or manifest themselves. However, even when things are intrinsically wrong like stealing, abusing people and murder, the context in which they occur can provide a mitigating circumstance, which influence how individuals involved in them are treated by the society.

Therefore, it is very difficult for enlightened people to find the dichotomous way that some religious and traditional minds

approach life useful, hence, the expression that ‘it is complicated’ and that ‘it is difficult to look at it in black and white’.

In addition, things that are wrong only in the context in which they occur, are very divisive, hardens attitude and often fractures societies because people often see it from different and fixed positions. Take sex, for instance, it is very important for the survival of the human species, but deemed wrong only in the context in which it occurs.

It is a legitimate natural human instinct, which can only be wrong in the way and manner it is gratified or expressed. It is like hunger. It is difficult to imagine any rational human being who would form the impression that it can be wrong to feel hungry, even though it would be unacceptable to steal to satisfy one’s hunger.

For these natural instincts to be satisfied in ways that do not put others at risk, the society makes rules about how they should be satisfied. Society, for the same reason, makes rules on how people should be appointed into positions of authority and how they should behave while in office.

For things that are intrinsically wrong, human attitude is often also similar. No one wants something to be stolen from them and no man ever wants his mother, sister or daughter to be sexually involved with a man she is not married or consented to. These are the inconvenient truths. So like sex, which there can be right and wrong, or acceptable and unacceptable ways of satisfying, there can be right and wrong ways of appointing people into positions of authority and right and wrong ways of behaving while in office.

For a leader, it is a very important attribute to be able to have a deep understanding of life and the context in which people express their natural instincts and not to allow one’s religious convictions to be the only driving force of our attitude to others. This ability comes from enlightenment and tolerance, which gives one the ability to accept those who behave in a way one would not. A leader who is not able to demonstrate that he understands the role of context in characterisation, defining and appraising human behaviours, is unlikely to act justly to create a

peaceful and equal society, where people are free to pursue happiness, their dreams and seek to achieve their potentials. It is this deep understanding of human nature, behaviour, conduct and attitude that seem to be lacking in most Nigerian and many African leaders.

Take nepotism and corruption, for instance. They are two evils which are intrinsically wrong like stealing and murder.

They have no inherent redeeming features and the context in which they occur do not alter their evilness, even when there are mitigating circumstances for their existence. These two evils are at the heart of the Nigerian problem. Another feature of the Nigerian quagmire, which plays no small part in the current rot, is the instance of incumbents of political positions to decide who succeeds them. This is also another difference between Nigeria and many western democracies.

It is this evil that has ensured that Nigerians have been unable to elect people into political offices on the basis of merit and competence. Even the appointment of ministers is rarely done on merit in Nigeria.

2015: Only wise voting will change Nigerian politics

E

Joe Femi-Dagunro

very right and left thinking Nigerian surely knows who to vote for and why they have to vote. Not because of the repeated stories and promises we read and hear every day. Nigerians should take their political decisions based on previous and present actions of the candidates and their characters.

Unfortunately, we cannot judge them, based on the people they have surrounded themselves with, at least for now, otherwise, we may not vote anyone of them.

If only the presidential candidates will concentrate on telling us facts and figures on issues relevant to the yearnings of the people and stop this insidious campaigns of insults and embarrassment, I believe we should blame ourselves for seeing this coming and not avoiding it.

The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi founded the National Con-

science Party (NCP) and we did not trust him with our votes, not even at a local government level!

We all know what he stood for, his sufferings to make life liveable for us as people, his brilliant and courageous performances, his uprightness and steadfastness. In the end of it, we lost him.

Today, most of us are beginning to appreciate the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti for the revolutionary and intelligent lyrics he composed and rendered beautifully to fight oppression, corruption and other maladies in our society. He formed a political party, Movement of the People (MOP) and we did not trust him with our votes, until we lost him.

The 2015 voting pattern will change the permutations of politicians in this country and many of them will never come back into the ‘industry’ again.

Nigerians are coming up with a voting pattern that will not be based on religion or ethnicity; they will take good decisions that will change their lives not

because of what the professional politicians stand for.

Not because of some laughable endorsements by celebrities and superstars. Not because of godfatherism or political connections and even not because of what they read and see on the internet. All these will not change their voting decisions because they are now wiser.

All the parties and candidates should be prepared to tell the people how they plan to govern and be ready to be grilled for answers.

Nigerians will not condemn you for being rich, but they will want you to declare your assets.

Nigerians will like you to know how you will create employment and not just to say we shall create jobs for youths.

They have heard such promise before and to most youths; it makes no sense to them again.

Nigerians will want to know how much you are earning as a Senator, Representative, local government chairman and House of Assembly legislator.

Nigerians will want to know how you intend to fight corruption, knowing full well that politicians and their parties are not immune to corruption. Nigerians will want to know how the budget deficit will be corrected. They want to know how the dilapidated and dangerous road networks in the country will be rehabilitated. All they want to know is how the decaying educational system will be brought back to its days of glory.

They are also yearning to know how collapsed healthcare system would be brought back to life. To them, what is paramount is who will pay, regularly, the pensioners and how the issue of insecurity will be resolved. Lack of stable electricity is a well worn tale. They are anxious of knowing how this intractable problem would be fixed, once and for all. You can now know why our voting pattern will change the political calculations. It is the duty of all Nigerians to support the best candidates to emerge victorious in February, this year.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

15 Opinion

NIGERIA: Country in need of patriotic leaders

“P

overty is the parent of revolution and crime” -- Aristotle.

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living” -- Gail Sheehy.

Isaac Ivbaze

The seed that had been sown by elements of evil extraction in Nigeria had been producing fruits and the fruits have been poisonous ones. I am not a prophet, but I had made several predictions in past commentaries of impending catastrophic situation upon the nation unless there is a change. When an entire population is thrown into confusion by a group of egocentric political demagogues, the result will be chaos and anarchy. Since the present democratic dispensation, 70 percent of Nigerians have been thrown into hopelessness and majority 0f them had died.

They died out of social-economic strangulation caused by leaders

who manoeuvered their ways into the pinnacle of the country’s political echelon. The victims of this political and economic victimisation are the ordinary Nigerians. Nigeria is witnessing an unprecedented level of unrest in history. Kidnappings, armed robbery, ritual murders, and Boko Haram insurgency are holding the nation hostage. Nigeria is in desperate need of a saviour. Who will deliver the people from this scourge? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Are there any more compatriots who are ready to put their lives on the line?

The nation is plagued by leaders who have created terror in the land and obsessed with innocent blood, through occultism, to gain political powers. The level of poverty, hunger and human degradation has reached a dangerous proportion. The reckless attitude of the leaders and their unrestrained desire to wreck the nation must be addressed, as a matter of urgency. With the federal government’s inability to rescue the Chibok girls, it is clear that the military lacks the capability to protect the lives and

properties of Nigerians. Years of corruption and economic genocide have rendered the Nigeria Police Force completely immobilised. Nigeria is overwhelmed by serious wave of criminal activities as a result of poverty. The leaders are filling up their bank accounts with billions of dollars of stolen money from the nation, while 70 percent of the population lives in abject poverty. The unemployment rate is growing astronomically, while the Judiciary has joined the bandwagon to wreck the nation for their failure to dispense justice equitably.

As Boko Haram and kidnappers continue to terrorise Nigerians, the government is finding it difficult to cripple and rout their challenges. It is unfortunate that Nigeria, that was once an enviable country, had been turned to a laughing stock by systemic corruption. Nigerians must understand that this is not a religious war, but a war against the forces of darkness, against principalities and powers. The nation is held hostage by demonic entities that have transformed into human elements to kill

maim and destroy. The victims of these demonic agents transcend ethnic and religious affiliations.

They are Christians, Muslims, Pagans and Atheists. Again, the reason why evil is thriving is because our leaders have created an unimaginable level of hardship and poverty in the land. I recently read of a young man in Bornu State who was given N2, 000 by a Boko Haram agent to bomb as many houses as he could in his village. The man, who was, obviously, unemployed, accepted the offer and embarked on the sinister act. He succeeded in burning down three houses before he was apprehended by vigilantes. I believe that majority of those who have enlisted in Boko Haram are unemployed Nigerians. These are the young men and women who, out of desperation, have joined various criminal organisations in the country. I believe all Nigerians know that the country needs deliverance. Through pride, we are ever deceiving ourselves. But below the veneer of such deceit, is still the voice telling us something is amiss.

2015 and America’s breakup theory

Chris Nonyelum

W

e are now in 2015 and I dare say that there will be nothing so special or tragic about the year, notwithstanding the feelings of imminent doom for Nigeria in certain quarters. There is what may be a premeditated conspiracy that has thrown up a great deal of speculations and predictions which seem to support the lie that Nigeria will breakup in 2015. With the inexorable sureness, some of us shall, definitely, witness the eventual passage of 2015, without Nigeria breaking up. Just as in previous years, 2015 merely represents the shape of the things to come, some of which have been projected in line with the traditional patterns of events and circumstances. One of such projections is the general elections scheduled for February, 2015.

The purported imminent collapse of Nigeria started having some monstrous connotations capable of giving fruition to

things that would have, otherwise, been non-existent. The basis for such prediction is yet to be fully rationalised with facts and figures, except that it is a year in which the country’s next general elections will be held. As a matter of fact, there seems to be no basis for unnecessary apprehensions, irrespective of whatever contrary views the Americans had expressed.

Due to this unsubstantiated forecast, the mindset of most Nigerians have been, tragically, affected to the extent that some, by their utterances and negative posturing, seem truly convinced that the country is headed for destruction. When we point to possible conspiracy theory, our fears seem to have been validated by recent developments at international scenes regarding American government’s strange policies on Nigeria. Suddenly, America is no longer buying our crude oil.

The fight against Boko Haram does no longer appeal to the self-acclaimed champion of fight against international terrorism. Nigeria is now the butt of

criticisms from high ranking American officials. Why should such recalcitrant posturing come from America at the twilight of the purported year of disintegration of Nigeria? At a critical period when the country needs collaboration in the fight against terrorism, we are confronted with total apathy, as if the sole intention is to ensure the actualisation of the mischievous forecast from America.

Unfortunately, some of us are dancing to the drumbeats of division and anarchy, as if we are bent on making the prediction a manifest reality. Good enough, predictions do not have the attributes of realities. It is usually speculations based on the interplay of certain possible variables, all of which may or may not translate to realities. In most cases, predictions into the future had turned out woeful failures to the utter disappointment of its peddlers. In the Nigerian case, there is not yet anything suggestive that the country’s requiem is about to be sung in 2015.

Nevertheless, there is need for precautionary measures in order

to avert any disaster of whatever hue or coloration. The need for moderation and the pursuit of the common good should take precedence over selfish political goals. The politicians seem to have been infected with the American ‘virus’ of disintegration. Their approach to political matters is, to say the least, appalling. There is always a hint of desperation in their pursuit of political goals.

It will be wrong to assume that the American forecasters foresaw the current desperate quest for power by our politicians, and on that basis, predicted a possible break up of the country. It will equally be wrong to assume that our politicians are becoming, increasingly, careless and unmindful of the implications of their actions because their intention is to ensure the fragmentation of the country. I do not want to believe there are, indeed, hawks among us working assiduously to ensure that the American prediction for the country becomes a reality.

I am, however, absolutely convinced that the breakup theory is an illusion.

16

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Politics Ita Solomon Enang

17

s

Sen. Enang PDP must reconcile to retain the Presidency

Senator Ita Solomon Enang is the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial District in the National Assembly. In this interview with Eno-Obong Okon, he discussed the political situation of the PDP in the state and Nigeria at large. Excerpts: Someone else was nominated to replace you as the senate flag bearer for the PDP. With the political situation on ground will you be running?

It is not the ticket, it is the election that we are talking about now. I haven’t lost the nomination. The issues are still open. Let me plead my privilege on that question because the political parties have taken certain decisions. Now the people of Uyo Senatorial District will decide. In Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, His Excellency, Dr. Godswill Akpabio is the candidate of the PDP, and in Eket Senatorial District, they have chosen another candidate. None

of the experienced legislators has been returned on the platform of the PDP, which is very sad. In Itu Federal Constituency, Mr. Kenneth Archibong wasn’t given the ticket; in Uyo Federal constituency, it is APC; in Etinan Federal Constituency, the PDP man there, Mr. Dan Akpan was not given the ticket. You go to Eket Senatorial District, no former member was returned in PDP. Mr. Akpan Micah from CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Sambo deceiving Jonathan on 2million votes -Shehu Sani Augustine Aminu Vice-President Namadi Sambo is deceiving President Goodluck Jonathan that he would deliver two million votes to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Kaduna state, a right activist, Comrade Shehu Sani, said yesterday.

Sani, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate in Kaduna Central, while addressing the leadership of Kaduna state council of National Union of Road Transport Work-

Sani

‘2015 election, a litmus test for Nigeria’

Sodiq Adekunle Foremost religious leader and businessman, Asiwaju Khamis Badmus, has warned that failure in the 2015 election in the country would affect the growth of Nigeria.

The Asiwaju Musulumi of

Yorubaland said this in an Eid Maolud message by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Dawood Ajetunmobi.

Badmus also said it was important both candidates of the Peoples Democtratic Party (PDP), and All Progressive Congress (APC), while canvassing for votes

from the electorates across the country, to refrain from using incendiary words so as not to set the nation on fire.

He added that: “The peace and unity of the country before, during and after 2015 election, should be made the focal point of prayers of all adherents of Islam.

ers (NURTW), said that Sambo was living in hallucination as PDP will be wiped out of the state for inept leadership.

“I am here to tell you that we have all resolved to change politics of our country and state for redemption purposes.

We will make laws that will protect your union and general welfare. Nobody is against PDP or President Jonathan because of religion or region, but because the PDP administration has CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Asiwaju Khamis Badmus, religious leader and businessman

Politics 18

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

‘The people will speak against imposition’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency was not given the ticket, Mr. Dan Abia from Eket Federal Constituency was not given, and the gentleman from Oron Federal Constituency was not given.

When you go to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, in Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, the member there was not given, in Abak Federal Constituency too. The leader of the party, the governor allowed only ranking members to return only in his own Senatorial District, Ikot Ekpene, and he made sure that in Uyo Senatorial District, the ranking senator did not return, none of the members of the House of Assembly and House of Representatives returned.

In Eket Senatorial district, he made sure that no member of the House of Representatives returned. That is why the people are saying: “we are not going to look for the political parties any longer, we are now going to look for individuals who can well represent us”. In my campaigns I brought these issues out to the people. When I addressed the people of Etinan Local Government Area at the garden in the house of the state chairman of our party, I said: I plead with you in the name of all you know, in the name of your children and grand children, that you should not kill valour for the day of tribulation is here. It is here and they are leading you to kill and bring down your leading light so that you will permanently be under.

Please don’t join it because the time will come and because this is the time that you need your strong voice.

I urge my people and my party to remember that nomination is different from election. In election, people have alternatives; other candidates, other political parties, the leading political party; as you are counting the people who are standing with you,

Akpabio

have you counted those who are standing by you? Somebody can stand with you physically and not stand by you in his heart. If you count the strength of PDP or the number of people that belong to it, even if these people are still with you physically, are they still with you in their heart?

What is in their hearts? Are they satisfied with the process of the nominations, are they satisfied with the way people have been chosen to run these elections?

Are they satisfied with the geopolitical and geoethnic balancing that has been done in the state? are they satisfied that in the entire nomination process, the leadership has taken the entire state as one constituency, as one people and not run in a manner that allow and show that ‘I want to bring down this area, I want to bring down this person so that he will not be superior to me in the senate, in the house of representatives, will not be superior to my people’.

Great men returned from Cross River State, they took appropriation, petroleum, they took other positions. He knows that, and he determined that it is good to sent people from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District to return a second term from PDP, the members from Abak and Ukanafun Federal Constituencies. Now are the people of Uyo satisfied that nobody was sent to return? Are the people of Eket senatorial District satisfied that no member from Eket Senatorial District was made to return on the platform of the PDP? This is what is going to play out in the elections. A lot of people are not happy and they are speaking in their hearts and in their chests.

Akwa Ibom people right now are no more looking to vote for a party.

It looks like the opposition is gaining ground in Akwa Ibom State and it looks like PDP is shaking?

I am a member of the PDP,

He can pick his successor but with exclusive powers

detention for some days.

When you talk about detention, what do you mean by that?

They were taken and hidden and brought in buses and blind folded to come and vote. Some of them could not even write their names and they were given what to write.

Do you think that they were hijacked from their different wards and taken to a location which no one knew?

Yes. Even people’s wives were taken away and were not available for that day, their phones were also taken away from them.

I’m sure that you are following up, because these are the issues that are alleged in court.

The people might be shifting their loyalty to another party. What are the people saying now?

The situation is this; take the gubernatorial question, it was agreed that we will shift the nomination of candidate to Eket, so that Eket would have a say, and it was based on the fact that there would be a free process of choosing a delegate, that all the contestants and contenders for the House of Representatives, Assembly, the senate and the governor in their respective areas would participate in choosing the delegates.

When the process of choosing the ward delegates was flawed, when the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? People are saying, ‘you don’t choose delegates alone’, and some of these delegates were in

No these are rumours we heard, now you are making it open?

These are the issues and then they were brought in tinted buses with guards and then delivered and immediately they finished voting, they were passed into the buses again and taken back to detention. Now this is what is playing out, and the people are saying no: ‘that was not the way we thought things will change”. The governor or president can appoint his secretary to government, he can appoint his commissioners, and he can nominate the deputy governor if one is impeached to be confirmed by the House of Assembly to be the deputy governor. But if it is a governor that is going to succeed another governor, that the people will have to live with for four years in the first instance, then the people have to be part of the process of choosing him.

And if a particular political party does not adopt that process, but other political parties have adopted that process, then we will look at the candidate and vote for them by their name and party and no more on the basis of where I come from.

He is seen as a stranger in Akwa Ibom politics

Emmanuel

Enang

“These are the issues and then they were brought in tinted buses with guards and then delivered and immediately they finished voting, they were passed into the buses again and taken back to detention”

“A lot of people are not happy and they are speaking in their hearts and in their chests. Akwa Ibom people right now are no more looking to vote for a party”

I don’t think I would want to speak in a manner that will be against the PDP.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

19 Politics Nobody is against PDP or President Jonathan because of religion or region, but because the PDP administration has failed to deliver.

Titus Eguaoje, Benin The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state has issued warnings to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), and national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to stop visiting the state as the state’s treasury is usually depleted anytime they were in town.

The party also came down heavily on the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, describing him as corrupt, financially reckless and wasteful.

But, in a swift reaction the Edo state Commissioner of Information, Honourable Louis Odion, described the PDP’s allegation as an evil desperation to rubbish laudable achievement, adding that Edo people could not be deceived.

He said: “With Comrade Adams Oshiomhole inaugurating good projects all over state, in the last two months, we knew PDP would be gnashing their deformed teeth in envy. But we least expected malice would push them into forging vouchers to back up a shameless lie in their evil desperation to tarnish Oshiomhole’s golden records.

The party, through its Edo State chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, stated these at Igboubazuwa, headquarters of Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state, during a rally organized to welcome defectors from the APC to the PDP. Speaking on the sixth year anniversary celebration of the government of Governor Oshiomhole, Orbih displayed two Edo State Government vouchers with number EXT/GOV/ GHSP/2441/14 and EXT/GOV/ GHSP/2477/14, which he said were used to sign out the sum of N76 million and N66 million respectively for the commissioning of projects on November 28 and 29, 2014.

“Governor Oshiomhole sat in his office and signed two vouchers to commission projects on 28th and 29th November. In those vouchers, it was written,”voucher to commission projects in Edo State by two

Mimiko commissions AAUA Senate Building

Sambo deceiving Jonathan on 2million votes -Shehu Sani CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Tinubu

Buhari, Tinubu visits unsettle Edo PDP eminent Nigerians, Retired General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.” In those vouchers, the sum of N76 and N66 million were signed away simply to cut tapes for projects that had earlier been

Mimiko

commissioned.

How can a government sign away N142 million just for Buhari and Tinubu to come to cut a tape? Never before in the history of this state have we witnessed this level of fraud and misap-

propriation of public fund.

“We are telling Buhari and Tinubu to stay away from Edo State because our accounts are usually emptied to rob their over-bloated ego. What they have shown is that they do not

Tosin Ajuwon, Akure

Mimiko, accompanied by government functionary in the state, at the commissioning of the fivestorey edifice of the institution said its deliberate effort to make education the cheapest and most affordable in the state was borne out of commitment to democratic access to qualitative education.

He said his administration since inception has focused in the

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, weekend officially commissioned the ‘Senate Building’ of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko (AAUA) with a vow to continually invest and support the educational sector of the state to meet up with global best practices.

failed to deliver. We are tired of lies and deceitful promises.

“Imagine the Vice-President promising Jonathan two million votes. Where will he get the votes?

They promised to revive our textiles, to this day, there is nothing to that effect and the problems persists. There is no security; there is no any cogent development that tackled unemployment, crisis, insecurity and lack of reliable health system, education and other critical sectors,” Sani said.

The human rights activist disclosed: “Sambo parked to Abuja forgetting the day of reckoning and now desperate, he is ignoring reality. Whenever he calls people to Abuja to deceive Jonathan, they wear Jonathan’s clothes with pictures and portraits, but immediately they get close to Kaduna toll gate, they change their dress and dissociate themselves with Jonathan.

“Is that not deceit? Why can’t they stand by what they believe in? There is no PDP house of assembly candidate or others that pairs pictures with Jonathan.

They erect his billboards and posters in the night with security watching them. It is deceit.

We will defeat them come February and install a popular government.”

Chairman of the union, Alhaji Alhassan Haruna, in his response, said the union is pleased with Sani’s candidature and will work hard towards his victory.

area of educational development and restructuring of the sector by ensuring proper funding of all tertiary public institution in the state to compete internationally.

The Governor disclosed that the restructuring in the educational sector of the state has placed it on a sustainable platform within the limits of available resources by CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Politics 20

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

‘PDP must reconcile to retain the Presidency’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

For some time now other people have been speaking on what is happening in the state, and now it has affected you. Can you tell where the people are going?

I decided to keep numb and to walk in a manner that will bring peace to the state because I thought that as much as possible I had to bear the pain just to make sure that the state goes on.

I had on many occasions spoken to people and said that I did not want to give the impression that senators from Uyo Senatorial District are always antagonistic to government. Secondly, that my brother, my friend, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, is of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and they had given good support to Obong Victor Attah and that no matter the troubles and travails of Dr. Godswill Akpabio, we should be seen to stand with him so that it would not appear that when the man of Annang nation, of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District was the governor, that he was fought from the beginning to the end and that it would give a bad ethnic picture in Akwa Ibom. I decided to bear all the pains and keep quiet and even at my peril beg the people at great cost to my reputation, at great impact to my pocket up till the end. And yet, the thing that I fought and begged that it would correct, and it would be good, has not been corrected and it has become acidic on the entire state. Therefore, I’m saying, not just what I am feeling but what is happening on the streets.

How toxic is it?

Well, it is toxic enough that it will speak at the ballot.

Does it mean that with all the intrigues that are playing out that Akwa Ibom might be losing the PDP hold?

I will not speak about that. I am a senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria, and as a sena-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

making learning a cheaper cost in all tertiary institution of the state and the country.

“We have done everything within our reach to help assuage the private cost of education and to also rekindle the hope of our kids on a government that has orientation for service. That

are saying that they would want a governor that they have played with, that knows their pain, that has some dealings with them.

“The people don’t want Udom Emmanuel because he did not emanate from the process of the people. They are saying that Udom Emmanuel is a Stranger in the politics of Akwa Ibom State”

tor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I speak for Nigeria. I am a senator representing Uyo and Akwa Ibom state, as such too, I speak for Akwa Ibom, and I can say that PDP will have to return to its drawing board if there is still that drawing board to draw on. Then look at the issues the people are saying on the streets otherwise it is going to be dangerous because the people are already making up their minds.

Let’s go back to the nominations. The flawed system that you have highlighted here needs clarification. It is known that the G22, (the 22 governorship aspirants from the PDP) were so aggrieved that they had to take the matter to court, hence the injunction against PDP and INEC insisting that they should not parade Udom Emmanuel as the standard bearer of the party in the state. That was the first of its kind in the history of the state. Then another court vacated the injunction. Why is it that the National Working Commit-

You have been mingling with the people of the state, what are the people saying against Udom Emmanuel?

Speaking very straight. They are saying that they would want a governor to have a hand in choosing who his successor would be, but not an exclusive hand. Therefore the people don’t want Udom Emmanuel because he did not emanate from the process of the people. They are saying that Udom Emmanuel is a Stranger in the politics of Akwa Ibom State. That if they had all participated in choosing delegates, if they were allowed to contest the elections freely, they would have agreed.

Enang tee or the presidency is ignoring the G22? Because these are very powerful party members in Akwa Ibom State who are strong members of PDP. If you neglect them, there will be a shaky stand in the PDP scheme of things come 2015. If this happens do you think PDP will still have a strong hold in Akw Ibom State?

And what will happen with the presidential elections?

Everything that happens during the political parties’ process of nominations has effect on the general elections. And I know that the G22 have been meeting with themselves, and representatives of the leadership of

the party. I even told the G22, if you come back home, still find out if your people are still with you, because most of them have concluded that the date for the submission of the party’s candidates and their deputies had passed, and that there may be nothing to say again and they might have taken decision which may be away from the party or away from any further talk.

Don’t you think that Udom Emmanuel too is on a very shaky ground? Even more than the G22. Because I hear there might be more court injunctions coming back and forth.

The people of AkwaIbom State

Are you aware that Udom has picked his running mate from Abak ward five as compensation for losing the senate seat in the person of Moses Ekpo, he is about 73 years old?

Why is it that in Akwa Ibom State, while picking candidates in an election, you do it just because you want a situation when you are out of office you will still have control over the affairs of the state? Why do we have the situation where you pick a person as deputy governor who will not be able to stand up? What is the political contribution of Moses Ekpo to the PDP? What is his standing as a party member? Yes he is a member of the Federal Commission nominated by the governor. Now what is the electoral value to this and for this for Akwa Ibom and for Abak? I will not say the other one. It still show that there is a great desire that when governor Akpabio leaves office, he will still be ruling Akwa Ibom from where he will be. And it will be that it is Akpabio that is still in government. That is the slogan; ‘let Godswill be done again, again and again’.

Mimiko commissions AAUA Senate Building perhaps, is responsible for the fact that the regime of fees in all Ondo State owned Tertiary Institutions is arguably one of the cheapest in Nigeria” Mimiko maintained that democratizing access to education was based on his conviction to

raise an enlightened society for the nation’s development to meet up with international standard.

“We have set targets and we have deliberately democratized access to education based on our conviction that if our education is meant for just a few, the con-

sequences of the unenlightened society that could emerge would be disastrous for all and sundry.

“Apart from the fact that such unenlightened society would stifle national development, it would also be deeply constrained to participate in the global vil-

lage”, he said.

The governor disclosed that all abandoned projects inherited from past government by his administration have been completed and commissioned to restructure the institution for a 21st century university.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Features Loveydovey in their silent world…

By Funmi Salome Johnson Indeed, love knows no bounds; it sees nothing else but that which it wants to see and associate with. This aptly describes the union of Bimbo and Abiodun Oluwa, a deaf and dumb couple who tied the knot some years ago.

The life of this couple can only be compared to that of the mythical Romeo and Juliet who remained inseparable even in death; they have vowed to stick

21

s together come rain come shine regardless of the intense persecution from some of their family members who feel they are not ideal for each other.

Like a wedlock solemnised by the gods, the union of Abiodun and Bimbo Oluwa can be described as very strange as coincidence of life is vitally playing on them.

Their love found a formidable front in their disability as the lovebirds are both deaf and dumb.

As you watch them communicate through sign language, you cannot but feel a surge of emotions.

Another strange thing about their situation is that they were both not born deaf and dumb and for both of them, the causal accidents occurred at the same age of 3years old.

In the case of 38-year-old Abiodun Oluwa, he fell from his mother and hit his head on CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Abiodun Oluwa with family

“The efficiency of the service was hindered by the dilapidated vehicles and equipment, which have crippled the fire station”

Museum piece or fire service truck? The Ondo fire service truck at the premises ... yesterday. PHOTO: TOSIN AJUWON

INVESTIGATION

Declining fortunes of Ondo State Fire Service The Ondo State Fire Service was established in 1976 as an agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Works. In this investigation, Daily Times Correspondent, ‘TOSIN AJUWON assesses the poor state of the fire service and why the state government needs to take urgent steps to improve the fire service.

Iyabo Adelabu, a 35-year old petty trader at the Oja Oba Market got home at about 10:00 pm and was hungry. So she dashed to her kitchen, to boil some rice.

Having put the pot of rice on her gas stove, she retired to her living room to watch a Yoruba movie to while away the time until the rice was ready.

While watching the movie, Adelabu slept off, forgetting the food she was cooking. Suddenly, she jumped off the couch when she started coughing. On opening her eyes, her living room was engulfed in thick, black smoke.

Alas! Her apartment was on fire.

The rice she was boiling had got burnt with the pot, while the

kitchen was also on fire that extended to her living room.

Her persistent shouts for help attracted her neighbours who rushed to her rescue.

However, they could not render any tangible assistance because the fire that engulfed Adelabu’s apartment had spread to other houses, making it difficult

for her neighbours to help her. A neighbour quickly contacted the office of the Ondo State Fire Service for help.

While the firemen did not respond quickly as expected, Adelabu was, eventually, rescued by some brave neighbours, although, she suffered some burns and lost all her belongings.

Although, Adelabu survived the fire incident, others were not lucky to live and tell the story. Recent cases include the fire incidents that killed Dr. David Akintayo Oguntuase, whose body was found burnt to death in his private clinic and a 60year old stroke patient who died in Ita-Ogbolu.

The Akure gas explosion also destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

The question on the lips of concerned residents in the state is: what is the role of the state fire service in putting out fire before much damage is done?

It is no longer news that the Ondo State Fire Service, estabCONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Features 22

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Ondo fire service station

Declining fortunes of Ondo State Fire Service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

lished in 1976, is now a shadow of its effective self.

Daily Times investigation into its activities showed that the state of the agency, with headquarters at Alagbaka in Akure, the state capital, is worrisome.

Its building, located on the main road, is dilapidated, while there were no modern equipment to meet the challenges of a 21st Century fire service.

The training school, workshop and parking lot at the headquarters are in a state of disrepair with weeds taking over part of the premises. Funny enough, there is no electricity due to nonsettlement of electricity bills.

Daily Times also gathered that important equipment such as pick-head axes, pike poles, hallligan bars, flashlights, spanner wrenches, circulars, cutter edges, chain saws, rubber shoes and hand gloves, hydraulic rescue tools such as spreaders, cutters

and rams, which could have enhanced the activities of the fire service, have gone obsolete.

It was also discovered that the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), designed to withstand high temperature of fire, including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), Personal Alert Safety System (PASS), Nomex, Bunker gears and carbon flash hoods are decaying at the service’s headquarters in Akure.

Other problems hindering the efficiency of the state fire service include poor morale of staff, lack of proper administration, which, reportedly, allowed some government officials to allegedly mishandle the funds meant to develop and equip the service.

It was also alleged that the efficiency of the service was hindered by the dilapidated vehicles and equipment, which have crippled the fire station. Of all the vehicles parked at the headquarters, only one is functional,

“This same fire truck, bought 26 years ago, and originally designed to carry 500 litres of water, is festooned with fissures as it could no longer shoot out water properly” although it could break down anytime.

It was also discovered that this fire vehicle/truck serves four local government areas of Ondo State. They are: Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore and Idanre local government areas.

... But their love is not dumb CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

This same fire truck, bought 26 years ago, and originally designed to carry 500 litres of water, is festooned with fissures as it could no longer shoot out water properly in case of any fire disaster and it could only contain 250 litres of water before arriving any scene of fire incident while it could develop mechanical fault.

Although, the state has fire stations in Oka, Ikare, Owo, Ore, Ondo and Okitipupa stations and Akure, which is the headquarters, it was discovered that there were only 63 workers, including ad-hoc staff, with just four men each at Oka, Ikare, Owo, Ondo, Ore and Okitipupa while Akure, the headquarters has just about 21 staff members with three job-shifts in a day.

The workforce is not up to the number of personnel required for a standard fire station.

At its headquarters in Akure,

something at the age of three and after then, he became deaf and dumb. All effort to revive his sense of hearing and speech proved abortive.

Bimbo who is now 35 years old had an accident at age three while playing with her mates outside the house. She was rushed to the hospital where she was given an injection. She remained unconscious for two weeks and after regaining consciousness, she could no longer talk, walk or hear. “We had to teach her how to walk again.

That was how she became deaf and dumb,” recalled her father.

Although, Abiodun was born into a polygamous and royal family from Olodi-Apapa in Lagos, he was not opportuned to live with his father.

“When I was born, I was taken to my grandmother in Akure Ondo State where I lived till I was about eleven years old. I came to see my father and mother only on holidays

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

23 Features

... Ondo State Fire Service

‘Family persecution won’t separate us’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

except when my mother visited me in Akure. I did not have the opportunity of staying with my father that much,” recalled Abiodun.

“Not too long thereafter,” continued Abiodun, my father became terribly ill and was flown to London for treatment.

He was away for over 21 years only for him to come back home and die. He died in 2004.”

Perhaps if Abiodun’s father were alive, he may have been a better person than he is now.

The union has so far been blessed with three lovely children but with only two surviving. Among them is one of a set of twins. One of the twins

Abandoned Fire service vehicles

Fuel pumps of the fire service headquarters

“The couple went through so much threats and harassments from Abiodun’s siblings”

Some equipment of the fire service

was gathered, was that both senior and junior staff exposed to the hazards of firefighting and carry out the dual duties of combating fire at the scene of an outbreak, shall immediately be eligible for a consolidated allowance of 150 % of basic salary, but, according to them, over the years, this had not materialised.

The most pathetic of their plight, according to them, is that they get N15 as hazard and accident allowance for the risk they go through and they must not partake in any strike due to the nature of their job, yet they are

passed on when he was just about a month old.

Their surviving children, Babalola, 8, and Taiwo Oluwa, 4, attend Zion Star School in Okeira.

The genesis of Bimbo and Abiodun’s story dates back to 2002 when they met and fell in love. Initially, there were no objections to the affair, and the duo soon became the envy of their peers and family members.

However, the husband told Daily Times that their travails started as a result of Bimbo’s stubborn stance against an attempt to lure her into prostitution while in Finland by an elder sister of Abiodun’s. That, they claim, has further pitted them against some members of the Oluwa family.

The couple went through so much threats and harassments from Abiodun’s siblings.

Although the apartment in which they stay at Shogunro

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Abandoned Fire service vehicles

Staff protesting poor working conditions

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

ter quickly and moving to anywhere there is a fire outbreak.

Sadly enough, field officials of the Fire Service usually get assaulted by aggrieved members of the public as a result of their late arrival to scenes of fire outbreak, because they are unaware of what the firefighters face in terms of lack of provision of functional and modern equipment.

Several members of staff of the state fire service disclosed to Daily Times that they were not happy with the conditions they were being subjected to in the service.

Part of their complaints, it

the least officer is on Grade Level 7 and if there was any emergency, there would be no substantive driver for rescue while officers on Grade Level 12 who are not ‘trained driver on the job’ would go for the rescue operation.

It was also learnt that the fire fighters at Okitipupa, Ilaje, Irele and Ese Odo local government areas work 24 hours a day and seven days a week without any free period or annual leave.

Another compounding problem facing the state fire service is that none of the fire stations has proper ‘water pumps’ and this causes delay in getting wa-

“Sadly enough, field officials of the Fire Service usually get assaulted by aggrieved members of the public as a result of their late arrival to scenes of fire outbreak”

Features 24

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Abiodun and family

‘Family persecution won’t separate us’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

Estate in Ogba area of Lagos belongs to Abiodun’s late father (now inherited by his mother) there had been serious threats in the past to eject them from the place. However, a level of tranquility has since returned after several interventions by well-meaning people.

Abiodun claimed that his late father who was a retired major bought the flat about 30 years ago from the National Orthopedics Hospital Igbobi.

He also claimed that his father owns many landed properties. But he said his mother and siblings were not giving him his share of the estate because of his condition.

Although incapacitated in

some ways, Abiodun and his wife preferred to learn vocations to help them earn a living like every normal person instead of resorting to alms begging.

“What I hate the most is to be begging for alms and that is why my wife and I learnt many vocations. My wife is a hairdresser while I have learnt how to repair generators, electrical repairs,

fashion designing as well as shoemaking,” scribbled Abiodun In spite of all these vocations, Abiodun has not been able to secure a job in years and no assistance seems to be coming their way from any family members because of the strained relationship between his wife Bimbo and his family members.

Recounting their travails,

Abiodun said the only antidote to his family’s fury is for Bimbo to walk away from his life forever.

“But can the cord of love be easily broken?” asked Abiodun. They have been surviving majorly on whatever the wife brings home from her hair dressing business and whatever he gets from generator or electrical repairs which come in infrequently.

Declining fortunes of Ondo State Fire Service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

poorly remunerated.

According to an inside source at the State Fire Service, in 2010, the state government distributed close to 100 Hilux Patrol vans for federal agencies such as the Ni-

geria Prison Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Immigration Service and forgot to give a fire truck to its State Fire Service that was

lacking good facilities.

The source added that in 2011, a N150 million contract to purchase three modern fire-fighting trucks for the fire service was awarded to a politician and chieftain of the defunct Labour Party

(LP) in the state, who had crossed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Till date, not one of the vehicles had been delivered.

It was also learnt that the Ondo State government was yet to take delivery of five fire trucks,

which, it was gathered, were bought and supplied by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) some months ago and distributed to all the oil producing areas to fight oil and gas fire outbreak in their states.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2014

Inside Abuja

25

s

Humans in monkey Village

Residences and estates in Monkey Village

Augustine Aminu ÏÏÏMonkey Village is a small community of people situated in Zone 7 of Dutse Alhaji, in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

When you hear Monkey Village, you readily think or imagine a village where monkeys inhabit. However, it is a village that is populated by human beings.

While most communities boast of names given them by their founders, Monkey Village boasts of a name derived from a settlement initially populated by monkeys until human beings overran the monkey-infested territory and turned it into a human community.

Monkey village is populated by people from every tribe in Nigeria as Daily Times discovered during a visit to the village head,

Jonathan to perform groundbreaking of 10 new districts in Abuja Jonathan

Bala Yakubu.

According to him, he is one of the first dwellers in the village, which was originally a forest filled with monkeys, but, as the tempo of development increased in the forest environment, with more people coming to farm and settle there, the monkeys were driven further into the hills.

Yakubu said: “I remember that day in 2003, when I came here to farm. This place, where

my house is situated now was a farmland. I cultivated yam and guinea corn, among other crops.

The land was fertile and very productive and this attracted more people and development started coming to Dutse.

“In those days, whenever we came to farm or harvest, there were many monkeys moving around. That is how the village came about its name. But, with increasing development, the

monkeys moved back to the hills and human beings took total control of the area,” he added.

The village head stated further that despite the fact that the people in the community changed the name to Gaban Tudu, meaning Hillside, from the original Monkey Village, people still refer to it as Monkey Village. “Some media people have been here and

Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

icit in the territory in tune with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

This was revealed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed in Abuja during the Christmas celebration.

According to the Minister, “The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan would, precisely on January 8, 2015 perform the groundbreaking of the 10 districts of the Abuja Land Swap Initiative to jump start development in those areas to bid fare-

well to land speculation, freezing and racketeering in the Federal Capital Territory as well as drastically reduce housing deficit in the Territory in tune with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government”.

Mohammed further announced that the FCT Administration had concluded arrangements for the President to also officially flag-off the multibillion Naira Jabi Lake Resort, which is being executed under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP).

ÏÏÏPresident Goodluck Jonathan is to perform the groundbreaking of the 10 districts of the Abuja Land Swap Initiative to jump-start development in those areas.

The groundbreaking, which is scheduled for January 8, this year, is aimed at bidding farewell to land speculation, freezing and racketeering in the Federal Capital Territory.

The move is also targeted at drastically reducing housing def-

Continued on page 26

Inside Abuja 26

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Gwagwalada LG boss reshuffles cabinet Chika Okafor ÏÏÏThe chairman of Gwagwalada area council, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, has reshuffled his cabinet as a way of ensuring better dividends of democracy to the people.

According to a press state-

ment signed by the council secretary, Alhaji Usman Yahaya, this became necessary because of the resignation of the Senior Special Assistant to the chairman on Media and Publicity and the Personal Assistant to the chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi .

The statement stated that Al-

haji Hussaini Ibrahim Abubakar is now the Personal Assistant to the chairman, while Alhaji Mohammadu Kasimu is the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the chairman.

Mallam Umar Zakari Kagarko becomes the new protocol officer to the chairman while Mallam Adamu Hamidu Ikwa is

to serve as the liaison officer on legislative matters.

The statement said that Mallam Ibrahim Malumfashi had also been announced as the liaison officer to the chairman on land matters.

It added that the appointments were with immediate effect.

Lai Mohammed

‘Monkeys no longer live here’

2015: APC candidate assures youths better representation Chika Mefor

Another view from the outskirts of the village Continued from page 25 wanted to know why this place is called Monkey Village but I told them to look around and see if they could see any monkey.

This place is called Gaban Tudu which means Hillside. If you go to the area council, there is no village known as Monkey Village in their records” he said.

No matter how Yakubu tried to convince anybody that cares to listen to his explanation, the fact still remains that people in and around the area refers to it by its original name. According to a resident, Lawal Simon, “Gaban Tudu sounds like a village in Kaduna. Even a child of talking age knows that the area is called Monkey Village.

If you are a visitor and say you are going to Gaban Tudu, you will spend the whole day

looking for the name, but if you say you are going to Monkey Village, every Okada man around knows the place”.

Daily Times also observed that there are several villages with Dutse as prefix; they include: Dutse Alhaji, Makaranta, Sagbari and Baupma.

None of these Dutses is named after a monkey from which one could deduce that monkeys did appeared in large number in the village when it was still a farm land for people to give the village the name. But where did the monkeys go? One would ask.

The Mai Angwa explained that the monkeys have retreated into the hills and jokingly added that they had no desire to share their abode with humans.

He added that though he had continued to farm on some of Continued on page 27

FCT Minister hails Jonathan over appointment of Journalists into positions Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja ÏÏÏMinister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed has declared that President Goodluck Jonathan has done creditably well for members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm by giving them unimaginable positions of responsibility in the country since he took over the mantle of power Mohammed stated this while

Bala Mohammed receiving members of the FCT Press Corps led by the Chairman, Sani Abubakar, who were at his official residence in Gwarinpa I District, Abuja to felicitate with Continued on page 27

ÏÏÏThe candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the House of Representatives in the Abuja South Federal Constituency, Alhaji Zakari Angulu-Dobi, has pledged better times for youths in the area in the next dispensation.

Speaking during an interview in Rubochi, Kuje Area Council during the annual meeting of the Rubuchi Youth Development Forum, Angulu-Dobi stated that he had the necessary experience that would help in bringing about progress for the youths in the constituency.

Angulu- Dobi who is the immediate past chairman of Gwagwalada area council said if elected as member of the House of Representatives in the forthcoming election, youth empowerment would remain his cardinal objective.

He called on the residents of the constituency to continue to be lawabiding adding that it was only through peaceful co-existence that APC could affect the change the youths have been yearning for.

“Chaos will not bring development to this area. We need peace, it is important in this constituency. So I enjoin you to advocate for peace wherever you find yourselves,” he said.

He charged the youths to make sure they have their voter’s card, urging them not to sell their votes but to ensure a free, fair and credible election by protecting their votes.

“If you have not gotten your voter’s card, you should make sure you do that because it is with the card that you will be able to vote for the person you want. One important thing you should not do is never to sell your votes,” he said.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

27 Inside Abuja

2015: PDP stalwart urges opposition to embrace peaceful poll ÏÏÏ The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), FCT charpter, Alhaji Yunusa Y. Sulaiman, has called on the opposition parties in the Federal Capital Territory, to walk the talk, by playing politics without bitterness, as the much heralded 2015 general election is around the corner.

Alhaji,Yunusa, made the call, while talking to Daily Times on telephone. The FCT PDP Chairman confidently said that the Nigerian capital city, among other states of the federation, would experience peaceful and violencefree elections, with a better understanding of the opposition parties.

According to him, every necessary efforts are already on ground to ensure a hitch-free poll from the view of the ruling party, thereby questioning the preparedness of the opposition.

“What I am talking about is this internal peace mechanism that should be adopted, to enshrine good leadership and good governance. Our political parties should learn how to play modern politics, and the technics is the ability to create this peaceful co-existence among others. Be win or lose in any context, one must win, while others to loose. That is what makes it a contest. Everyone can’t win, only one winner will emerge,” he said.

On violence free pre- and postelection, he called on his counterparts in the FCT, more especially the original inhabitants of the FCT, not to allow politics to deny the Federal Capital some of its benefits as the Nigerian capital city. “We should look beyond 2015 general elections as inhabitants of the FCT. We should also know that we have no other place to run to if not the FCT. While others can run outside the FCT, we remain within.”

Continued from page 26 He, however, bemoaned the 2011 post-election violence that claimed lives of many innocent Nigerians, stressing that his administration would rather sacrifice everything possible to ensure that people go about their normal businesses during and after the election. He also enjoined the opposition to embrace the same ideal of putting the FCT first.

On the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Yunusa,expressed confidence in the Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC, stating that the body has come this far and should be given the support to finish what it began.

He said: “I have no doubt that this INEC will deliver. What it needs is the continuation of the confident reposed on it by every Nigerian. Both the ruling party and the opposition must believe in Jega’s ability to deliver. But what we experience daily is this disbelief and unconstructive criticisms.

“The opposition never had this confidence in the INEC because it was appointed by the ruling party.

But we also have to note that many elections under the same President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP leadership were won by opposition parties. So who knows if the 2015 Presidential election could as well go the same way, if we believe in Jega with good and constructive criticism,” Yunusa added.

On deeper emphasis on party internal policies, he boasted that the PDP remains the only standard party with laid down rules on the characters and behaviours of its followers across the country. He said: “You can put it to check all over the Nation, the ruling party never resort to violence when clearly beaten in an election, be it in states, wards, local governments, or Federal, our people are peaceful.

Jega

Monkey village residents seek human infrastructure Continued from page 26 see any monkey as he did when he was cultivating the area which he insisted should be known and called Gadan Tudu.

The village head agreed that Gadan Tudu, (Monkey Village) is an example of how human population had increased the rate of development to the area through the conversion of farmlands into residential and commercial com-

FCT minister hails Jonathan

munity.

Yakubu, however, lamented the problems of the community including lack of regular water supply, which, he said, is a major problem in Abuja satellite communities, adding that there was an urgent need for government and private organisations to assist the community dwellers with boreholes so that they can always get potable water. “Though some people have assisted the community with boreholes but because

of the increase of people in this area, it’s not enough for us. We totally depend on water vendors known as Mairuwa. We buy water from them at the rate of N50 per gallon”, he said.

According to him, “in terms of electricity, the government is trying and we thank individuals here that are really helping the community. Some individuals assisted us with transformers so that we could have electricity”.

Mrs. Rose Ikechukwu, a petty

trader, said “I came here eight years ago with my family and we enjoy our stay here. Apart from the bad roads, we are still better off than other villages in Abuja”.

She added that the community also enjoys adequate security because of its proximity to the Area Command headquarters.

“Because we are close to the Area Command and Zone 7 of Dutse Alhaji, we enjoy the protection of police and other security agents in the area”.

him by the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

The minister said that President Jonathan brought journalists into various areas of responsibility instead of the traditional positions of managers, Public Relations Officers or in the areas of Corporate Affairs.

He, therefore, promised that as a journalist, he would do everything possible not to bring shame to the journalism profession because he is one of its major beneficiaries.

He recalled with nostalgia the role the Jonathan Administration played in making the national headquarters of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to have its permanent site in Mabushi District of the Federal Capital territory as well as the on-going overhaul of the FCT Council of the union in Utako District of Abuja.

According to him, “we are indebted to the journalism profession to perform assiduously to justify the support and cooperation being received from our colleagues because it’s the only way to reciprocate that wonderful gesture”.

Mohammed thanked the media for the uncommon support his administration has been receiving from the media, saying that the media had, indeed, remained the bedrock of all he had achieved as FCT minister.

Speaking earlier, Abubakar remarked that the members were at the Minister’s residence to felicitate with him on the occasion of the 2014 Christmas celebration.

Abubakar noted the recent honour done to the Minister by the Igbinedion University and said most members couldn’t make the trip, and thus the need to “appreciate that leadership quality that Igbinedion University found in you” The Press Corps used the occasion to present a giant congratulatory card to the minister.

Jonathan

28

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Money

s

NCC tasks telecoms providers on submission of statistical data Opeoluwani Akintayo

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has advised telecoms service providers on early submission of their statistical data.

The commission gave the charge in a ‘Notification of Revised Timelines for Submissions of Statistical Data’, signed by the NCC Director, Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo.

The regulatory body said that the request for the submission of data was in furtherance of its commitment to providing up to-date statistics on the telecommunications industry. ‘’We wish to inform telecommunications service providers that the commission has reviewed the timelines of the submissions of statistical data effective January 2015.

‘’For the mobile GSM, the commission will request for monthly statistical data on the first working day of the succeeding month, with deadline for submission on the 7th of the same month. ‘’The commission will request for annual statistical data on the first working day in January with deadline for submission on the 15th of January,’’ it said.

Employees’ welfare, a renewable objective for govt Kayode Adelowokan As 2014 came to a close, it became evident once more that not much has changed positively in the public service domain and now that a new year has rolled in, it is imperative that gaps must be closed to bring Nigeria at par with other civil services in developing countries around the world.

The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, in a chat with Daily Times, frowned at the non-payment of salary to thousands of Civil Servants since October, 2014 without any justifiable reason by both federal and state governments.

Kaigama, who was reflecting the 2014 activities of labour issues in the country told DailyTimes that the same problem happened late last year when many Public Servants celebrated Christmas with empty stomachs as a result of refusal of Government to pay them their salary.

“This is not a good image for our governments and without further delay, government should immediately settle all arrears of salaries owed affected workmen in the interest of industrial peace,” he added.

In the same vein, the TUC President condemned the prevalent cases of illegal recruitment in the public service.

In his word, “This is an ill-given advice to government and it is killing the morale of serving public servants who are made to report to people who were

their juniors in school. My only advice to the Federal Government is to henceforth take over the recruitment processes into the public service and be guided by the Public Service Rules, Scheme of Service and Guidelines for Appointment, Promotion and Discipline in the Public Service.

“Also, it is disgusting that the recurring trend of casualisation in our industrial relations system, and that can only be considered as anti-labour and that does not promote decent labour and must be discouraged.”

On the creation of employment opportunities for Nigerian youths, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, charged the Federal Government to make it the number one agenda in the 2015 budget, adding that if the unemployment situation in the country is not urgently tackled headlong, it may act as a time bomb waiting to explode.

TUC’s President said, “Going by Government position on austerity measures as described policies to tighten government expenditure, close loopholes that cause revenue losses and a gross reduction of budget deficits during adverse economic conditions, we call on the Government to prioritise the creation of job opportunities for youths in the country as the 2015 budget for now, is not certain on youth empowerment.

“This is because the treats for the subsidy for reinvestment and empowerment programme (SURE-P) of Federal Govern-

Continued on page xx

Short News Energy

Algeria insists OPEC must cut output Algeria has insisted that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should cut production to push oil prices up as the drop in the price of crude oil continues to bite harder on exporting countries.

Algerian Minister of Energy, Mr. Youcef Yousfi, was quoted as saying that his country did not share the views of big producers inside the cartel, who prefer to let the market regulate prices.

“We believe that OPEC should defend the interests of its members by cutting output so prices will go up. We do not share the views of big producers inside OPEC who say the market can regulate the prices,” Yousfi said.

Environment LASG to convert water hyacinth into fertiliser The Lagos State Public Advice Centre (PAC) said the state government would soon start the conversion of water hyacinth into fertiliser for farmers.

An official of the centre, Mr Alex Omorodion, said that most of the water hyacinth would be used for the benefit of the people.

He said that the Lagos State Government (LASG) would employ some private contractors, alongside the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for the water hyacinth conversion project. ``Water hyacinth is a natural phenomenon that occurs anywhere you have a large or medium scale water body,’’ he said.

Kaigama, TUC president

Fashola

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Shippers group tasks maritime agencies on cooperation Stories by Funmi Coker The Shippers Association in Lagos State on Friday called for re-organisation of maritime agencies in the country.

The President of the association, Mr Jonathan Nicol, noted that the re-organisation was necessary for government to earn more support from shippers and improve the economic indices of the country. ``We in the maritime sector will do everything possible to give the government our unflinching support but maritime agencies must first be re-organised, ’’ he said. ``We had in 2014 succeeded in showcasing that enormous money passed though the private sector illegally. `` We paid so much money in port charges to port concessionaires. `` We were forced to go to court over this and the court agreed with us,’’ he said.

Nicol, who said that such issues ought to have been discussed amicably with stakeholders, added: `` We need the government to intervene and save the economy by allowing

Nicol normal business trend to prevail at the ports.’’

Nicol also canvassed for cooperation among shippers in the country, saying ``we hope the shippers in the country will come together as one body.’’

He commended the Nige-

rian Shippers’ Council (NSC) for assuming its status as Port Economic Regulator through a court victory, adding that it had remained focused in solving the enormous problems of shippers nationwide.

Human capacity critical to Nigeria’s maritime sector - Folarin The Chairman of Port Consultative Council (PCC), Chief Kunle Folarin, said that building human capacity was critical in addressing the problems facing the development of Nigeria’s maritime sector.

Folarin said this in Lagos addind that investors would be encouraged to establish businesses in the various sub-sectors of the maritime industry with the available manpower.

He said that thousands of jobs would be created in addition to the transfer of skills.

“Let us look at issue of capacity building, so that an investor will come here and say, `I have local skilled manpower to work in my shipyard if I install a shipyard here.

“Shipyard is a must, but you need the skilled manpower in that area to work there. Investor will gain; will start building local crafts; not only the big mega carriers or VLCC carrier or container vessels or RORO vessels.

“We can start building the medium tankers that can ferry our petroleum products; 10,000 dead weight vessels. We can build tug boats in Nigeria; we can build pilot boats in Nigeria; and that will employ not less than 3,000 to 4,000 people, and the transfer of skills will also be an addition in that endeavour. That is one thing investors should be looking at in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Folarin said investors could look at the master plan of the

Libyan tanker spills crude after collision near Singapore A Libyan crude tanker spilled some of its cargo off Singapore after colliding with another ship, adding to the North African country’s challenges as it contends with escalating violence and a collapsing domestic oil industry.

The Alyarmouk, owned and registered in Libya, collided with the Sinar Kapuas, a drybulk ship, in waters northeast of Pedra Branca Island, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said on its website yesterday. One of the Alyarmouk’s tanks was damaged in the incident, resulting in the leak, it said.

Worsening violence already halted two of Libya’s three largest ports last month and meant

the country with Africa’s biggest reserves pumped 450,000 barrels a day, less than one third of its peak, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Output may deteriorate further this month after Islamist militias set fire six storage tanks at the port of Es Sider, the biggest export terminal. Those blazes have now been extinguished, Libya’s National Oil Corp. said today.

Alyarmouk is owned by Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Co., the state-owned company’s website shows. A person who answered the phone at the company’s offices in Tripoli yesterday said nobody was available to comment. He declined to give his name. One e-

mail and a text message weren’t immediately returned.

About 4,500 metric tons of crude were spilled, according to the port authority. Two oilresponse companies are using four craft equipped with dispersants, oil booms and skimmers at the site of the spill that may affect northern parts the Indonesian island of Bintan, it said.

No injuries have been reported and maritime traffic hasn’t been affected, the port authority said. Both vessels are anchored and in a stable condition.

Alyarmouk was en route from Tanjung Pelapas, Malaysia to China, while Sinar Kapuas was destined for Singapore from Hong Kong, according to the port authority.

29 Maritime

A Libyan oil tanker

Folarin Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and consider the development of Greenfields, new ports and increasing capacity of existing ports.

He also said the port access roads development and other infrastructure within the port complexes would attract the right expertise in creating a maritime city where ships could come to perform various operations.

Folarin also said that the introduction of port concession had changed the mode of operations of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). ``In 2014 the Federal Minister of Transport appointed the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) as the Economic Regulator in the port industry which was not there before. ``We are following up events on this; we are looking at the feedback of that particular policy,’’ he said.

Aviation 30

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Airline operators call for MMIA facility upgrade The Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Nogie Meggison, on Friday urged the Federal Government to upgrade facilities at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) to a world class standard.

Meggison made the appeal while speaking to aviation correspondents in Lagos.

He noted that the airport was gradually becoming an embarrassment to the country.

The AON chairman noted that despite being a first point of contact for passengers disembarking or arriving the country, the terminal had over the years been decaying at an alarming rate.

Megisson said that the airport should be renovated before the completion of the ongoing remodelling at the MMIA. He noted that parking airplane was becoming a nightmare for operators, a situation, which had led to ground accidents to triple in the past three years. ``Though the passenger processing and baggage collection wings of the terminal had been

modernised, the airport is presently in a sorry state. ``The finger bridges are falling apart and decaying rapidly with temperatures over 40c in the afternoons,’’ the AON chairman said.

He opined that in a bid to upgrade facilities at the terminal, government should allow interested airlines, banks and bluechip companies to bid for the 16-finger bridges at the terminal.

Meggison emphasised that at present, 30 per cent of cargo planes could not find space to park at the cargo ramp.

He explained that most of the cargo planes were sent to international wing of the airport from the local wing or had to park on the runway temporarily.

He declared that in his over three decades of becoming a pilot in the sector, the ramp had not been expanded.

Meggison appealed to the present administration to expand the facilities at the airport. ``At the Murtala Mohammed Airport One, (MMA1), the ramp can only take six airplanes.

Meggison, AON chairman

Aviation industry lauded over 2014 achievements

ÏÏÏBodies unite to combat cyber crime

An aviation analyst, Ibe Uwaleke, has lauded the many outstanding achievements recorded by the Nigerian aviation industry in the out gone year, saying the retention of the United States of America (USA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), category 1 status, the appointment of a substantive Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), after a long waiting period were commendable.

He listed other achievements to include the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission, (ICPC), to fight low level corruption in aviation industry and the training of over 200 aircraft and helicopter pilots and engineers

Having established that cybercrime has become a serious threat to safety in the skies, aviation organisations have resolved to fight the growing scourge before it results in serious catastrophy.

Among the organisations collaborating to fight the scourge are the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other bodies that signed a new cyber security agreement recently, formalising their front against cybercrime.

“Our common goal in developing this agreement is to work more effectively together to establish and promote a robust cyber security culture and strategy for the benefit of all actors in our industry,” said Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation

under the youth empowerment programme by the Presidential Amnesty Office, as part of efforts to address the yawning gap in manpower development in the aviation sector, as well as, the appointment of the new Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka on July 23, after the removal of the former minister, Princess Stella Oduah in March the same year.

He said particularly that the biggest thing that happened to the country, especially the stakeholders in the industry, was the retention of the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) category 1 status which came under scrutiny following suspicion that the country might have compromised on

safety as a result of some media reports, adding the retention of the category 1 status against all odds was a big achievement when compared with the criticisms that trailed the audit.

This development, according to him, had further given the country’s aviation an added advantage as more airlines are expected to tap into the development by flying into the US as a way of reciprocating the Delta and Intercontinental Airlines that operate on the route against a Nigerian airline, Arik Air. “The country’s attainment and retention of category 1 has enhanced her safety rating, insurance premium for airlines has been reasonable.

Organisation (ICAO).

Speaking further Benjamin added: “As technologies rapidly evolve and become more readily accessible to all, cyber threats cannot be ignored.

Hackers, cyber criminals and other “terrorists” are stealing information, which, according to industry analysts, could, in a worst-case scenario, endanger lives by tampering with airline systems.

Benjamin

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

31 Money

Goal setting for SMES in 2015 I woke up on the morning of December 27, 2014 feeling grateful and thankful to God for another year in my life (December 27). The year 2014 was eventful in my life – family, business, career, spiritual life, health (hmmmnnn, I struggled with this! I tried using a gym few times but have not succeeded in turning my current “one pack” to “six packs” which has been my goal for my tommy since 2012. But I sure will achieve three packs at least by December 31, 2015).

At the speed of my thoughts, how did I achieve close to 85 percent of my goals in 2014? How was I able to measure this? Dear readers, looking at my vision board (a board where I stick my goals, pictures and events I want to happen in my life); I saw the goals I wrote in 2013 for 2014.

This re-enforced my belief and principles taught by my mentor – SAM ADEYEMI on cultivating the habits of setting goals in every areas of our lives. “Wishes” do not reveal the intensity of what we want or our desires from the catalogue of life. These desires must move from the realm of wishes to writing them down and believing in our capacity to see our goals become the reality of our lives. In this article I will be focusing on how SMEs can set effective goals for 2015.

The business landscape in our world and in our country - Nigeria is scary! The fall in the price of crude oil in the international market, the fall in the value of the Naira, the craze for 2015 election are some indicators to the economy on how 2015 may present to the business environment. For Micro, Small and Medium size businesses, the fear of survival in our unstable business environment can drain the life out of our business ideas and dreams for 2015.

I have discovered a strong secret and principle in business: “opportunities lies in troubled and challenging situations”! I can never forget what a close friend – Boye Oloyede once said: “when people are running away from a

problem, that’s when he runs to the problem and sees them as an opportunity to make something out of it”. The success of any business in 2015 will be in its capacity to provide real life solutions to the challenges in its immediate environment.

These challenges will be spotted on the prism of the goals you have set for your business in 2015. We have to deliberately set goals on the following to take advantage of the opportunities that are locked up and ready for grabs in 2015: Your value Propositions – what do you want to be known for?

Your income Streams: Sales target for 2015. How much do you want to make in 2015?

Your Customers – who do you want serve, sell your products and services to in 2015? Where are they located?

Your customer relationships – what kind of relationships do you want to develop with them?

Your Partnerships – who is coming into business with you?

What strategic alliances do you need to position your business?

What do you know about those doing same business in your industry?

Your key activities – what are those things you need to do to deliver on your value proposition? What solutions, strategies will make you stand out?

Your Key resources needed for 2015 – what is your plan for your human resource, financial resource, capital, intellectual resource etc?

Your channels – how would you want to reach your customers in 2015?

Your Cost Structure – what will be spending on to deliver value to your customers?

The above areas in your business must be clear in your thoughts, captured and documented. Invest time with your team to discuss key areas of your business and set goals in these areas. In addition to the above, you must set goals in the following areas: FAMILY, CAREER/PROFESSION, HEALTH,

In need of better welfare for workers

Continued from page xx ment is an externality to the aggregate 2015 Appropriation Bill, and it may be adversely affected by the global oil slump, since except the oil price rises, the landing cost of fuel will still be low,

Short News Agriculture

Dankwambo disburses N750m loan to traders Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State on Friday flagged-off the first phase of disbursement of N750 million Trade Intervention Fund to 2,065 traders.

Speaking at the forum in Gombe, Dankwambo said the loan was meant to support traders in their businesses while uplifting the standard of living of the people.

According to him, the loan is interest-free but had negligible administrative charges to be paid to JAIZ Bank. ``The state government is deliberately partnering with JAIZ Bank to administer the Trade Intervention Fund because of its banking ethics and readiness to contribute positively toward the development of Gombe State,’’ he said.

Out of the amount, he said N500 million would be disbursed to the Main Market, Old Market and Village Traders Market Association which constituted the three leading traders’ groups.

MENTAL DEVELOPMENT, SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL and other areas that make you complete as a human being. Goals are powerful techniques that supersede our usual “new year resolutions” when they are SMART (Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Realistic. Time-bound) and written in the present tense. Setting goals ignite the adrenalin in you. It attracts the things you need in your life to achieve your desired dreams.

The goals you set may not come quickly and suddenly as you envisioned – my encouragement, if you don’t give up on the dominant thoughts of what you have written down about your business or in any other other areas of your life, they will sure-

ly come to pass. I think is better to set goals than not to or chose to live in the world of wishes.

The richest people on earth live by this principle and as an SME desiring to be relevant in the coming new-phase of Nigeria economy; LIVE BY IT also!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Joel Osebor Joel.osebor@conedge.com.ng, joel.osebor@gmail.com + 2 3 4 7 0 3 3 7 7 9 9 4 9 , +2348098682881 The success of any business or an SME depends greatly on giving necessary attention to some key areas of the business to remain profitable and sustainable. The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of Con-Edge Enterprises Solution Limited.

leaving little savings for SURE-P that has to do with youth empowerment,” he added Kaigama, who argued that the rate of unemployment in Nigeria is currently one of the highest in the world, at 24 per cent, particularly with over 50

per cent of the youths in the urban areas unemployed, called on Government to review policies to arrest the unemployment challenges before the bubble burst.

“There is urgent need for the Government to show more con-

I will create jobs through agriculture, SME’s, says Princewill Mr Tonye Princewll, the Labour Party Governorship candidate in Rivers State on Friday promised that his administration would create jobs through agriculture and small and medium enterprises.

Princewill told newsmen in Port Harcourt that if elected, agriculture would play a major part in engaging the youths. ‘’ Agriculture is a main part of our job creation strategy; we will engage a lot of our youths in various agricultural skills. ‘’ The skill required to make conversion into agriculture is not that high, so we can get a lot of our youths who are unemployed engaged through agriculture,’’ he said.

cern by reviewing its policies on youth entrepreneurship as the high unemployment among youth within Nigeria, especially young women has negative effect on our country’s development agenda, particularly as we approach 2015 general elections,” he said.

Global business 32

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

BMW cars

BMW to pay $820 million subsidies to China dealers BMW will pay 5.1 billion yuan ($820 million) to auto dealers who pressured Europe’s top luxury carmaker to share the cost of overstocked showrooms in the world’s largest car market, BMW’s main Chinese dealership group said yesterday.

Car sales growth in China, the world’s largest auto market, was expected to halve to seven percent in 2014, bringing demands for compensation from dealer groups which had bought vehicles on expectations of rapid growth.

BMW declined to provide details of the deal or confirm the subsidy amount, but Chinese dealers and analysts were upbeat that an agreement had been struck.

“This is the biggest such subsidy we’ve had in China... because last year, dealers had the highest level of stockpile,” said Song Tao, deputy secretary general of the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), which had represented the dealers in the negotiations.

“I’m glad the negotiations ended with champagne,” Song

said in a phone interview.

Other foreign automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) are also negotiating with their dealers in China, who have complained to the government that they are obliged to buy too much stock, leading to large losses in a slowing market.

BMW started subsidizing its dealers in 2012 due to falling retail prices, with the payout in 2013 around 3 billion yuan, according to a senior executive at a China-based BMW dealership who declined to be identified.

BMW shares were down 1.4

Euro falls to nine-year low The euro slumped to a nineyear low yesterday as investors bet that the prospect of inflation across the region turning negative and mounting political uncertainty in Greece will force the European Central Bank to unleash quantitative easing.

European shares were volatile, initially falling sharply before rebounding into positive territory within an hour of the open as investors digested the implications of the weak euro and yet another hefty slide in oil to a 5-1/2 year low.

The euro fell to $1.18605 EUR= in early Asian trading on Monday, its weakest level since March 2006. In early European trade it was at $1.1964, down 0.3 percent from late U.S. trade on Friday.

Investors betting that the ECB will take the plunge and open up a bond-buying program like the U.S., UK and Japanese central banks have done were emboldened by an interview ECB president Mario Draghi gave to German financial daily Handelsblatt on Friday.

He said the risk of the central bank not fulfilling its mandate of preserving price stability was higher now than half a year ago.

percent by 1050 GMT (0550 ET) in Germany but analysts at Evercore ISI said a substantial amount of the payment had already been incurred in nine month results released in November.

“We believe it is positive that BMW has reached an agreement, and this should put an end to the on-going public statements by BMW’s Chinese dealers,” Evercore said in a note.

For BMW, China remains the key battleground for retaining the crown of being the largest luxury auto maker by sales.

Merkel’s spokesman says no change in ‘Grexit’ stance German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said yesterday that her government had not changed its position on the desirability of a Greek exit from the euro zone, saying the policy had always been to stabilize the bloc without losing any of its members.

“The aim has been to stabilize the euro zone with all its members, including Greece,” the spokesman Steffen Seibert told a regular government news conference, following a weekend magazine report that quoted German sources as saying the currency bloc could weather a so-called “Grexit”.

“There is no change in our stance. Hopefully I’ve made that clear,” Seibert added.

Revamped U.S. oil hedges may test OPEC’s patience As a war of nerves between U.S. shale producers and Gulf powerhouses intensifies, OPEC’s biggest members are counting down the months until their upstart rivals lose the one thing shielding them from crashing oil prices - hedges.

They may need much more patience than they reckon, however, because those hedges are a moving target. Rather than wait for their price insurance to run out, many companies are racing to revamp their policies,

cashing in well-placed hedges to increase the number of future barrels hedged, according to industry consultants, bankers and analysts familiar with the deals.

OPEC officials hope that once U.S. oil companies get fully exposed to the impact of an over 50 percent slide in crude prices since last June, they will have to drill fewer new wells, causing U.S. production growth to stall and putting a floor under oil prices now testing $50 a barrel.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2014

33 Money

Only local refining can end oil crisis in Nigeria- PENGASSAN Ugochukwu Onyeocha The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has called on the federal government to improve upon its commitment to stimulating local refining of crude oil in 2015.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, the general secretary of PENGASSAN, Bayo Olowoshile, stated that only domestic refining could end the crises in the oil and gas sector.

“The key focus of the government in 2015 should be to stimulate local refining of petroleum, white products and petrochemical products,” he said.

“Domestic gas production for energy, industry, agricultural and automotive purposes should be given ultimate attention in the New Year.”

He called on the government to cut the rate of importation of products by 50 per cent, saying job creation and manpower utilisation should also be a priority of the government at such time Olowoshile, PENGASSAN scribe

Market capitalisation declined 13.03% in 2014- Expert Adesola Akindele Mr Charles Fakrogha, a stockbroker and Chief Executive Officer, Foresight Securities and Investment Ltd., on Monday said that the Market Capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) declined by 13.03 per cent in 2014.

He said that the market actually closed lower than what it started with in January 2014.

According to him, the NSE market capitalisation closed at N13.20 trillion as at December 31, 2013 while it closed at N11.48 trillion as at December 31, 2014.

“This indicates that the market capitalisation, which opened at N13.20 trillion on Jan. 2, 2014, closed at N11.48 trillion on Dec.

31, representing 13.03 per cent decrease in the 2014 financial year.

“Market capitalisation is a major driver of the capital market that determines the trends and positions of the market activities.

“As a result, a drop in it indicates that the market is on the downward trend and needs to be revised to the upward trend for better delivery,” he said.

Fakrogha identified the increase in Cash Reserve Ratio from 50 to 75 per cent in January 2014 as one of the factors responsible for the drop experienced in the capital market in 2014.

He said that the outbreak of Ebola, devaluation of naira, fall in crude oil prices and security challenges, among others were responsible for the poor performance of the economy in 2014.

“The year 2014 was very challenging. Some operators were about to lose their licences as a result of the new capital requirements and Minimum Operating Standard (MOS),” he said.

like this when crime rate has increased.

“Many of our present challenges are tied to unemployment and government’s inability to channel the youthful strength of our young people into productive activities,” he added.

Olowoshile noted that a slice in importations of products would not only stabilise the economy but also create millions of job to unemployed youths in the country.

“The importation of finished products into the country is a canker worm that has left many Nigerians jobless,” he said.

“Government should boost local capacity development and curb idleness in the country.

Government should halt capital flights in the New Year to save enough money for infrastructure and socioeconomic development of the nation.

“Government to do everything possible towards ensuring restoration of national peace and tranquillity,” he said.

41 products laden ships expected in Lagos Forty one ships laden with containers, foods, petroleum products and other goods would arrive Lagos ports from January 5 to January 20.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said in its daily publication - `Shipping Position’ – made available to newsmen in Lagos that 22 of the expected ships would arrive with containers of different goods.

It stated that five other ships were expected to arrive with petroleum products like petrol and diesel, while four different ships would bring in fresh fish.

The document stated that the remaining 10 ships would arrive with vehicles, buckwheat, bulk charcoal, bulk salt, bulk ethanol, bulk rice and general cargo.

It further indicated that 10 other ships had already arrived the ports, waiting to berth with food items such as; bulk rice, fresh fish and bulk fertiliser.

It explained that nine other

A cargo ship ships containing various petroleum products were also waiting to berth at the various oil terminals in the ports.

The document stated that seven of the nine ships contain petrol, while the remaining two would berth with base oil and Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO).

It noted that 22 other ships were discharging buckwheat, general cargo, fresh fish, bulk fertiliser, containers, bulk sugar, bulk gypsum and petroleum products.

Short News All-Share Index drops by 714 points Equity transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) reopened after the New Year holiday on a downward note as the All-Share Index depreciated by 713.86 points.

The Index dropped by 2.06 per cent to close at 33,943.29 in contrast to 34,657.15 achieved on Dec. 31.

The market capitalisation, which opened at N11.477 trillion, declined by N240 billion to close at N11.237 trillion.

Seplat led the losers’ chart

by N19.51 to close at N351.5 per share.

Nestle trailed with a loss of N16.15 to close at N995.6, while Dangote Cement lost N10 to close at N190 per share.

Julius Berger depreciated by N3.03 to close at N57.63, while Guinness declined by N2.85 to close at N165.3 per share.

Conversely, Total Oil topped the gainers’ table by N6.5 to close at N149 per share.

Nigeria-India trade volume hits $17bn – Envoy India’s Acting High Commissioner in Nigeria Kaisar Alam yesterday said the trade volume between Nigeria and India reached USD17 billion from April 2013 to March 2014.

He said in Abuja that India imported 14 billion-dollar worth of goods from Nigeria during the year while Nigeria imported USD3 billion worth of goods from India in the same period.

Alam explained that India was currently the largest importer of Nigeria’s crude oil, importing USD12 billion worth of the product in the year under review.

“India imported $14 billion worth of goods from Nigeria from April 2013 to March 2014, including $12 billion worth of crude oil,” he said.

He also explained that with the reduction of U.S. import of Nigeria’s crude oil, India was currently Nigeria’s largest trading partner.

According to him, a large number of Indian companies and businesses have footprints in Nigeria, which have made substantial investments in Nigeria.

Society 34

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Throughout history clothing has had profound influence on cultures and individuals. While this is still the case, in recent times it can be said that clothes satisfy people’s three basic needs.

bespeak “to speak out”, bespoke tailoring is a term coined from Savile Row, a street in London.

The most famous tailoring street in the world, it is home to a vast number of bespoke tailors specializing in the highly specialist construction of bespoke men’s suits. The art of tailoring each suit has remained unchanged for almost 200 years, with an appreciation for even the smallest details. Synonymous with men’s style, Savile Row is often referred to as the “goldmine of tailoring” being the mecca of bespoke tailoring ever since it revolutionised the way men dressed in 19th century England. The distinguishing points of bespoke tailoring are the buyer’s total control over the fabrics, style, features and fit.

Each suit is an investment with an average price of £6,000 (about $10,000) for a two piece suit, tak-

Made to measure – Similar to bespoke tailoring, but with a slight difference. Instead of garments being made from scratch, they are produced to order using a pre existing block pattern, which is then adjusted in style and fit according to the customer’s taste and measurements.

Also, the timeframe for making each item is considerably less than that of bespoke tailoring.

Similarities to bespoke tailoring include an item of clothing that is handmade according to your personal measurements and your personal style specifications. To get a visual idea of how made to measure tailoring works, please visit my fashion label Femme De Rose at www. femmederose.com. Log on to the website (using either a laptop or desktop computer) to watch the short video tutorial that explains the process of making a made to measure jacket.

Clothes don’t just cover the body and are no longer solely for protection against the weather and environment. People’s appreciation for clothes have broadened and can influence you both as a fashion consumer and a fashion industry worker.

Throughout history clothing has had profound influence on cultures and individuals. While this is still the case, in recent times it can be said that clothes satisfy people’s three basic needs namely: Physical needs (for protection, safety, identification and professionalism), Psychological needs (for appearance, enhancement, conformity or individuality) and Social needs (for affiliation, standards, values and attitudes).

Please send your questions to me via Twitter @worldeyola using the #AskEyola hashtag and I will do my best to answer as many questions as possible.

desperately preparing to get back in shape right in time for work.

Of course, didn’t we already know she’s a slender person yet, according to her, she’s gotta get the holiday weight off.

All that over feeding, too much ice cream, chicken and jollof, have unconsciously have gone to hide in a corner of her bellyit’s so serious she had to get a new pair of trainers in London

during the holiday so as to hit the gym.

After spending 150/160 pounds on belt, shoes and others, she simply ran out of cash to buy a 100 pounds worth of trainers which according to her, was what she needed the most.

We hope she doesn’t get to thin. This is 2015 though and we perceive girls will desperately want to overdo everything!

Eight Wonders Last week, I welcomed you to this class where I took you through an introductory class of the division of clothes and wears.

We talked about Casual Fashion which is designed for the mass market consisting of casual and everyday wear, Ready To Wear (otherwise known as Pret-a-porter) – Ready to wear literally means “off the rack” and is derived from the French term pret a porter, and Demi Couture – This relatively new term refers to clothing which bears some of haute couture’s elaborate techniques, such as hand stitching.

Today, we will continue from where we stopped.

Aside the casual kind of wears, the Ready To Wear and the Demi Couture, clothings are also divided into the following which will be the last on this topic.

By Eyola

ÏÏÏHaute Couture – Haute Couture is the French term for “high dressmaking” and it is the art of dressmaking on a luxurious and grand scale. Although Haute Couture can be dated back to the 18th century, Charles Frederick Worth is further cred-

Toke Makinwa

ited as the father of modern haute couture. Worth founded the first association of couture to prevent his couture designs from being copied.

Often abbreviated to “couture”, each garment is created for a specific client made using high quality, expensive fabric, sewn with

Toke Makinwa: trying to shed some weight!

great attention to detail. Nowadays people use the term couture very loosely, without regard to its true meaning. Nothing is actually haute couture unless it has been approved by the Parisian regulating commission.

According to the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (created in 1868), to officially refer your fashion label or your designs as couture (or Haute Couture), there are several rules that must be strictly adhered to. Some of the rules include employing a minimum of 20 full time staff at a workshop in Paris, taking an average of 500 hours to create each outfit and a starting price of around $30,000.

Bespoke Tailoring – Similar to Haute Couture, the term bespoke is not always used accurately. Derived from the verb

Opeoluwani Akintayo

Seriously?

So you can imagine someone like On Air Personality, Toke Makinwa trying to lose weight and we ask ourselves that silly question, what weight?

Now that the holiday is over and everyone is running back to work and of course, our Igbo brothers too are trooping back to Lagos, Toke Makinwa is also

ing the tailor between 814 weeks and at least two fittings before the final suit is made up. I am such a huge fan of London’s Savile Row; so much so that it inspired me to set up another fashion label called Femme De Rose.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Nse Ikpe Etim, Waje, Damilola Adegbite, others star in Heavens Hell Nse Ikpe

MITV

Caramba 6:00 – 6:30am Inspiration Hour 6:30 – 8:00am Am News 8:00 – 8:30am Am Chat 8:30 – 10:00am Wazobia Plus 10:00 – 11:00am Stand Up Nig 11:00 – 11:30am Sea Change 11:30 – 12:00pm Mid-Day News 12:00 – 12:15pm Filler 12:-15 – 12:30pm Entertainment Xpose 12:30 – 1:30pm El-Clon 1:30– 2:00pm Monster Musiq 2:00 – 3:00pm Abc 3:00 – 3:30pm Mitv Sports 3:30 – 4:30pm Wide Eye 4:30 – 5:00pm Our Dance Our Culture 5:00 – 5:30pm Talent Zone 5:30 – 6:00pm The Storm 6:00 – 6:45pm Information Programme 6:45 – 7:00pm Stock & Shares 7:00 – 8:00pm Monster Musiq 8:00 – 8:30pm Project Fame 8:30 – 9:00pm Lamata ½ Hr 9:00 – 9:30pm Mitv World News 9:30 – 10:00pm El-Clon 10:00 – 10:30pm Christ Embassy 10:30 – 11:00pm Masked Republic 11:00 – 11:30pm Lesekese 11:30 – 12:00am Old School 12:00 – 2:45pm

E! 124

00:15- Castle 01:00- Keeping Up With The Kardashians 02:00- Giuliana & Bill 03:00- Dr.90210 04:00- Dr.90210 05:00- Blinging Up Baby 06:00- Bigger, Badder Celebrity Feuds 07:00- Extreme Close Up 08:00- Giuliana & Bill 09:00- Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:00- Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills 10:30- Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills 11:00- Ryan Seacrest With Selena Gomez 11:30- Fashion Bloggers 12:00- Kourtney And Khloe Take The Hamptons 13:00- Kourtney And Khloe Take The Hamptons 14:00- Kourtney And Khloe Take The Hamptons 15:00- Bigger, Badder Celebrity Feuds 16:00- Ryan Seacrest With Selena Gomez 16:30- Fashion Bloggers 17:00- Rich Kids oOf Beverly Hills 17:30- Rich Kids oOf Beverly Hills 19:00- E!News 20:00- Fashion Bloggers 20:30- Kourtney And Khle Take The Hamptons 22:30- The Soup 23:00- The Soup

Opeoluwani Akintayo

ÏÏÏHeavens Hell, a psychological drama set in Lagos tells the story of two housewives and best friends; the loquacious and miserable ALICE HENSHAW, the pleasant and compliant TSOLA ALIU and their husbands, the affluent and kind EDWARD HENSHAW and the egotistical and brilliant JEFF ALIU, whose lives are held together by rock-solid friendship and unwavering love, yet laced by betrayal, deceit and a lurking

BBC Entertainment

00:30- Top Gear 01:21- Doctor Who 02:07- Come Dine With Me 02:55- East Enders 03:25- The Weakest Link 04:09- Top Gear 05:00- Mr.Bean: The Animated Series 05:25- Ql 05:55- Would I Lie To You? 06:30- EasteEnders 07:00- Doctor Who 07:50- The Weakest Link 08:35- The Cube 09:25- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 10:15- Deal Or No Deal 10:55- Total Wipeout UK 11:50- My Family 12:25- Top Gear 13:20- Come Dine With Me 14:10- Total Wipeout UK 15:10- The Weakest Link 16:00- EastEnders 16:30- Deal Or No Deal 17:10- The Cube 18:00- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

19:00- Hebburn 19:35- Ql 20:05- Would I Lie To You? 20:40- The Graham Norton Show 21:50- Miranda 22:25- Live At The Apollo 23:16- QI 23:45- Gold

35 Society

darkness. Certainly a must watch!

The movie features talented actors like Nse Ikpe Etim, Bimbo Akintola, Damilola Adegbite, OC Ukeje, Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Chet Anekwe, Kalu Ikeagwu, Femi Jacobs, Gideon Okeke, Treasure Obasi, Bimbo Manuel, Wole Coker, Waje, Sarah Majekodumi.

Written by: Tenyin Ikpe Etim, Uyai Ikpe Etim & Katung Musa Aduwak Directed by: Katung Musa Aduwak.

Produced by: Katung Musa Aduwak & Tenyin Ikpe Etim.

STV

00:00- Boomtown 00:03- Close Up 01:00- Music Africa 02:00- Boom Town 02:30- STV Sports Cafe 00:30- Local Movie 05:00- Gospel Rhythms 05:30- Dig Your Well 06:00- Symphony 06:30- Insights For Living 07:00- STV AM News 07:30- Today On STV 09:30- De Market Place 10:30- STV Sports 11:00- Ladies Love Gisting 11:30- Nowhere To Be Found 12:05- Music Africa 14:05- Tales Of Eve 14:30- Footprints 15:00- Excite On TV 15:30- Brights 17:30- In My Closet 16:05- Nickelodeon 17:00- The Benjamins 17:30- Video Wheels Lifestyle 18:02- MTV Base 19:00- STV News @ 7 19:30- Taste Of Love 20:00- Pepsi Chart Show 20:30-The Dragons 21:00- Boom Town 21:30- Omotola:The Real Me 22:00- STV News@ 10 23:00- MTV Base

Channels 01:00- Sunrise Daily 03:00- News Track 03:30- Diplomatic Channel 04:00- News Track 04:30- Law Weekly 05:00- News @ Ten 06:00- News Track 06:30- Turning Point 07:00- Sunrise Daily 09:00- News Track 09:30- Sports This Morning 10:00- Business Morning 11:00- News Track 11:30- Winning Ways Express 12:00- News Track 12:30- African Journal 13:00- News Track 13:30- Channels Discovery 14:00- News Track 14:30- Health News 15:00- News Track 15:30- Channels Book Club 16:00- News Track 16:30- Kwara Documentary 17:00- News Track 17:30The World Today 18:00- Sports News 18:30- Winning Ways 19:00- News Track 19:30- NAFDAC & Your Health 20:00- News Track 20:30- Bank Of Industry Impact 21:00- Sports Tonight 22:00- News @ Ten 23:00- Movie

AIT 00:00- AIT Midnight News 00:30- Movie 02:00- Da News Live Beats 02:30- Sports Today 03:00- Focus Nigeria 04:00- What Life Took From Me 05:00- Oremus 06:00- Kaakaki 09:00- Golden Footprints 09:30- Studio 10:00- Focus Nigeria 11:00- The Money Show 12:00- AIT Reports 13:00- Sports Extra 13:30- Echoes 14:00- Inside The Parliament 15:00- Matters Arising 15:30- Policy On Track 16:00- World News 16:30- Nickelodeon 17:30- Oil And Gas Frum 18:00- Shakawata 18:30- One Mic 19:00- Allison’s Stand 19:30- This Life 20:00- AIT News Hour 21:00- Prime 21:30 - MTV Base 22:00-What Life Took From Me 23:05- Bisi Olatilo Show

36

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Today in History

s

1961 Nigeria: French Envoy ordered to quit Nigeria Compiled by ‘Tunji Okegbola 1961 Nigeria: French Envoy ordered to quit Nigeria The French Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Raymond Offroy and the entire staff of the French Embassy in Nigeria were given 48 hours’ ultimatum to leave the country as one of the practical steps of the government against the utter disregard of the French Government in testing its atomic-bomb in the Sahara. Other decisions according to Mr. T, O. Benson, the Federal Minister of Information were; That with immediate effect, French aircraft shall be disallowed from using the Nigerian airports and French ships shall not be allowed fro using our ports.

That transit rights for French aircrafts and ships shall cease forthwith.

On this day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces to Congress that he was authorizing the largest armaments production in the history of the United States.

Committed to war in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. had to reassess its military preparedness, especially in light of the fact that its Pacific fleet was decimated by the Japanese air raid. Among those pressing President Roosevelt to double U.S. armaments and industrial production were Lord William Beaverbrook, the British minister of aircraft production, and members of the British Ministry of Supplies, who were meeting with their American counterparts at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Beaverbrook, a newspaper publisher in civilian life, employed production techniques he learned in publishing to cut through red tape, improve efficiency, and boost British aircraft production to manufacturing 500 fighters a month, and he felt the U.S. could similarly beef up armament production.

Spurred on by Lord Beaverbrook and Prime Minister Churchill, Roosevelt agreed to the arms build-up. He announced to Congress that the first year of the supercharged production schedule would result in 45,000 aircraft, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 antiaircraft guns, and 8 million tons in new ships. Congressmen were stunned at the proposal, but Roosevelt was undeterred: “These figures and similar figures for a

multitude of other implements of war will give the Japanese and Nazis a little idea of just what they accomplished.”

2001 Congress certifies Bush winner of 2000 elections After a bitterly contested election, Vice President Al Gore presided over a joint session of Congress that certifies George W. Bush as the winner of the 2000 election. In one of the closest Presidential elections in U.S. history, George W. Bush was finally declared the winner more then five weeks after the election due to the disputed Florida ballots.

Gore became the third Presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the election after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to halt Florida’s manual recount.

The ruling in effect gave Florida’s 25 electoral votes to Bush giving him 271 to Gore’s 266—where 270 is needed to win the election.

George W. Bush took the oath of office on January 20, 2001, to become the 43rd President of the United States.

Four years later, Bush was reelected, beating out Democratic Senator John Kerry 1925 Nurmi breaks two

1838

world records On January 6, 1925, Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi steps up to the starting line in New York’s Madison Square Garden in his first U.S. appearance.

Anticipation for the moment had been building steadily since Nurmi’s arrival in America four weeks before, and it was standing room only at the Garden when he emerged out of the cigar smoke to run his first race.

Known as the “Flying Finn,” Nurmi was regarded as the greatest runner of his day. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, he won five

Morse demonstrates telegraph

1912

1838 Morse demonstrates telegraph On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse’s telegraph system is demonstrated for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The telegraph, a device which used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire, would eventually revolutionize long-distance communication, reaching the height of its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born April 27, 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He

1912 New Mexico joins the Union On January 6, 1912, New Mexico was admitted into the United States as the 47th state.

Spanish explorers passed through the area that would become New Mexico in the early 16th century, encountering the well-preserved remains of a 13th-century Pueblo civilization.

Exaggerated rumors about the hidden riches of these Pueblo cities encouraged the first full-

attended Yale University, where he was interested in art, as well as electricity, still in its infancy at the time. After college, Morse became a painter. In 1832, while sailing home from Europe, he heard about the newly discovered electromagnet and came up with an idea for an electric telegraph. He had no idea that other inventors were already at work on the concept.

Morse spent the next several years developing a prototype and took on two partners, Leonard Gale and Alfred Vail, to help him.

New Mexico joins the Union

gold medals, including two Olympic-record runs in the space of an hour on July 10. He often ran with a stopwatch in his hand to pace himself, an innovation he developed. Although the technique was not widely imitated, it was not until 1931 that a runner broke the outdoor-mile world record, which Nurmi set using this strategy.

Organizers of his first U.S. appearance hoped for a repeat of his achievements in Paris and planned his first two races, the mile and 5,000 meters, to be likewise run within an hour.

scale Spanish expedition into New Mexico, led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1540.

Instead of encountering the long-departed Pueblo people, the Spanish explorers met other indigenous groups, like the Apaches, who were fiercely resistant to the early Spanish missions and ranches in the area.

In 1609, Pedro de Peralta was made governor of the “Kingdom and Provinces of New Mexico,” and a year later he founded its capital at Santa Fe. In the late 17th century, Apache opposition to Spain’s colonial efforts briefly drove the Spanish out of New Mexico, but within a few decades they had returned. During the 18th century, the colonists expanded their ranching efforts and made attempts at farming and mining in the region.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Law

Federal High Court

An order by a Federal High Court, Lagos restraining the Nigerian Police, State Security Service, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) from arresting or harassing the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the Federal High Court, Abuja judgment asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to go ahead with the governorship election in Adamawa state but ordered deputy governor to the impeached Governor, Murtala Nyako, James Ngilari, be sworn-in as governor were some of the major landmark decisions by the judiciary in the outgone year.

Others were the Coroner Inquest set up by the Lagos state government to look at the cause of death of scores of worshippers, South Africans inclusive, who died at the Synagogue Church in Lagos, the discipline of Judges by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alomar Mukhtar. PETER FOWOYO, highlights some of the judicial pronouncements that rekindled the hope of the common man in the third arm of government.

37

s

Events, cases, judgments that shaped 2014 Notwithstanding the myriad of challenges and shortcomings facing the judiciary, to the average Nigerian, it remains the only organ of government that distinguished itself in the outgone year going by its landmark decisions that laid new foundation for rights enforcement and nation building ahead the anticipated electioneering year.

Although the nation awaits its unfettered role in 2015, especially in the various election petition tribunal that will emanates from the aggrieved candidates in the elections, the judiciary has no doubt, placed itself in the heart of the hapless citizens in the out-

gone year. Both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for the first time in the history of Nigeria, have female administrative heads when President Goodluck Jonathan in January, last year appointed Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, a native of Gombe state as President, Court of Appeal.

Also, An Abuja High Court found former President, Olusegun Obasanjo guilty of contempt after the former leader defied the court’s directive barring him from releasing his autobiography.

He released the new book titled: “My Watch” in Lagos after the court order.

These are some of the land-

mark decisions, which singled out the judiciary as the best of all the organs of government in 2014.

FEBRUARY The Lagos Division of a Court of Appeal upturned a ruling delivered by Justice Rita OfiliAjumogobia of a Federal High Court, Lagos which restrained the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from collecting practicing fees from lawyers pending the determination of a suit filed by the aggrieved lawyers. Justice Shagbor Ikyegh, who led the panel in its judgment noted that the NBA will suffer financially if the lower court’s ruling is allowed.

Respite came the way of the

erstwhile Managing Director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, Dr. Erastus Akingbola, as a Lagos High Court discharged and set aside the registration of the N212.2 billionn judgment delivered against him by a London Court. Justice Samuel CandideJohnson, held that the Federal High Court and not the state High Court has jurisdiction to adjudicate on Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

MARCH The Legal luminary, Chief G.O.K Ajayi SAN, died at about 5:00pm on March 28 at the IntenCONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Law 38

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Insurgency: Govt should stop its apologetic, defeatist mechanism John Olushola Baiyeshea, a native of Olle-Bunu area of Kogi state was called to the Bar over three decades ago and was elevated to the Inner Bar in 2007. Baiyeshea, in this interview with PETER FOWOYO, recounts his experience at the International Bar Association conference held in Tokyo, Japan, last year, the insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the country and sundry other issues.

The Nigerian law school recently released the 2013/2014 August result and about 4, 000 students were said to have failed the examination which is a prerequisite for them to be called to Bar, what is your take on this abysmal result?

Well, if they failed, there is nothing anybody can do about it, law school actually is not a place where you lower the standard, whatever is due to you from the tradition we used to know at the law school, I mean, we passed through the law school ourselves, what you worked for is what you get. It is unfortunate that there was mass failure and I think the problem is from the universities because we find some of these students, we interact with them and many of them are not able to express themselves properly in

English language and that is bad for the lawyers. While we were in the law school over 32 years ago, of course we were taught and it is obvious that English language is the tool of the lawyer.

So if a lawyer cannot speak good English or cannot write it well, how is he going to manage to talk about the knowledge of the law which for many of them is very shallow? The foundation must be very solid from the university for you to be able to cope at the law school, it is hard, tough and it is meant to be so when you are coming into an honorable and noble profession, you have to work hard. The mass failure is very unfortunate but, there is nothing we can do about it except that maybe the universities will have to work more to prepare the students for the challenges better at the law school.

Again, I have heard some side talk that the result should have been tinkered with but the Director General of the law school now, Dr. Onadeko, is not the one that will lower the standard for anybody and it is not in the interest of the profession for you to start packaging and repackaging students’ results, giving students marks they don’t deserve is dishonorable, it is not a noble thing to do at all. It is ignoble and

dishonorable. I don’t think they should be marked up in order to make up the number as much as I don’t expect them to be marked down.

Do you then advocate that law be made a second degree course?

Well, I don’t think it should be so as a matter of policy because for somebody like me to be advocating such will be tantamount to getting to the top and now removing the ladder. I don’t think so, that cannot be the answer. In Nigeria of today you don’t deny people the opportunity of becoming learned at any age. Already, there are so many people that had other degrees that are reading law, so many people, elderly people, very old people, they are there in the law school, their ambition in life is to become lawyers before they die, some have even retired in the civil service and many are still reading law especially at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) even though the council of legal education said that graduates of such school are not supposed to come to law school because the law school as far as the curriculum is concerned is not for part time students. I don’t subscribe to the view that law must necessarily be made to be a second degree. In the first place, if somebody’s first degree is faulty, are we saying those that

Baiyeshea have the first degree are necessarily better? We have Nigeria graduates in other disciplines who also have deficiency in self-expression in English language or writing it so that will not necessarily make the situation better. If the think-

ing is that if you make law the second degree, it will curb mass failure it may not necessarily be so. I don’t subscribe to that as a matter of policy that it should be second degree course.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Events, cases, judgments that shaped 2014 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

sive Care Unit of Reddignton hospital, Lagos.

MAY Legal arguments in a suit brought by Brittania-U Nigeria Limited challenging the award of Oil Mining Leases OML 52, 53 and 55 by Chevron Nigeria Limited to Seplat Petroleum Development Company Limited shifted to the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.

The plaintiff, Brittania-U Nigeria Limited had approached the court seeking for a declaration that by the final biding offer of $1, 015, 000, 000.00 for acquisition of 40 per cent participating interest of Chevron Nigeria in Oil Mining Leases 52, 53 and 55 has been accepted by Chevron Nigeria Limited.

A Federal High Court, Abuja

declared unconstitutional the executive interference with judicial funding. Justice A. Mohammed held that the continued dependence of the judiciary on the executive arm for its budgeting and funds release violates section 81 (2) and section 84 (1), (2), (3), (4) and (7) of the constitution.

JUNE A London High Court ruled that Shell Nigeria could be legally liable for bunkering of its pipelines if it failed to take reasonable steps to protect its infrastructure. The judgment follows a preliminary issues hearing which took place in May, which considered a range of complex legal arguments prior to a full trial this year 2015.

JULY Following the industrial action embarked upon by the Judicial

Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), judicial activities in the state High Courts nationwide was paralyzed. The union had in a communique said the strike was among others, to press home its demand for various states governments in the country to comply with court judgment which granted financial autonomy at both the states and federal levels.

Former Chief Justice of Lagos State, justice Ayotunde Phillips bowed out of the Bench as the 14th CJ on attaining the statutory retirement age of 65. She was succeeded by her immediate younger sister, Justice Funmilayo Atilade.

A prominent right activist, Mr. Bamidele Aturu died at the age of 49 after.

AUGUST The Judicial Staff Union of

Nigeria (JUSUN) suspended its strike due to the intervention of relevant stakeholders, especially that of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

The truce was reached after a memorandum of Understanding was signed in Abuja at the end of a meeting between the Minister, the Nigeria Labour Congress President, Abdulwaheed Omar, JUSUN President, Mustapha Adamu, Director, National Judicial Council, Eugene Odukwu; and Chairman, Accountant General’s Forum, Mr. Udo Isobara.

SEPTEMBER There was pandemonium at the premises of the Ekiti state High Court as thugs alleged to be loyal to the state Governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose allegedly beat up a Judge, Justice John Adeyeye for

been allegedly rude to the governor.

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court, Lagos upheld a no case submission of Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji alongside his Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, over allegation of N273million money laundering charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Union Bank Nigeria Plc dragged Sani Dangote, younger brother of the richest black man, Aliko Dangote, before a Federal High Court, Lagos over alleged failure to liquidate the sum of N5 billion loans granted him by the bank.

OCTOBER CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, January 6, 2015

‘Nigeria not fit to host IBA conference’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

Don’t you think there is inconsistency in government policy when you look at the National Open University of Nigeria and the refusal of Council of Legal Education to admit students from such school?

I think it is an unfortunate policy because some of the people in the NOUN are matured , highly successful people in other fields who on any day may even be better than those who went to conventional university. The aim and objective of people going to NOUN to study law is that they themselves will become lawyer one day, go to the law school to qualify. If they were told that they will not be able to achieve that aim, then they would have saved their time and resources for better things rather than getting them there and later tell them they can’t go to the law school.

That takes me to the point that I think that seems to be an unfair policy because there are many of our heavy jurists, some are still living, some dead who read law by correspondence, some of them were using telegraph, we don’t even have the sophisticated electronic communication we have today where you can source for material on the internet. At that time, they were using telegraph, just as many of our big people today did not even know the four walls of a secondary school, it was

only GCE O/L they did at home and succeeded, also did GCE A/L succeeded and the next school they went after primary school was the university and they are doing well. The curriculum they have in NOUN is not anything less than they have at the conventional university. NOUN has very experienced lecturers because they have lawyers and academics who volunteer to go and teach there. It is not about lowering of standard at all, I don’t understand that kind of policy and I am sure they cannot sustain it, they will review it, I believe so because it is not correct.

How can we use the law to curb the insurgency in the North-East?

What is happening in the North East is beyond the law. There is politics in it, there is religion in it. It seems to me more political than legal. How many people are you going to put on trial now? By yesterday’s account in the newspaper, 20 out of 27 local governments in Borno state are in the hands of Boko Haram so, who is going to be prosecuting who? If we are not careful now they will be the one to prosecute us. That is a serious matter. How can we think about it that we allowed ourselves to be boxed into a corner like this, to the extent that this people ravaged us so badly and we are so helpless and we are on our knees? This is not a question for you nor myself, this is a question for the government and the military to answer.

Dance is not just what we do at a point but what we do at all times

Baiyeshea

39 Law

Boko Haram, terrorism and fundamental human rights: The challenges that confront us Chief Bolaji Ayorinde San No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation.

Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks”.

While references to the concepts of Human rights can be traced to the Holy Bible and the Holy Quaran, traditions such as the Confucian, Hindu and Buddhist recognize the need to protect human freedom and human dignity. The earliest codes such as the Hammurabi Code in ancient Babylon around 1780 and the Roman Law notions of jus gentium (Law for all peoples) recognized universally valid principles and standards of behavior. However it is now generally accepted that the emergence of Human Rights as we know the concept today can be traced to Magna Carta and the Bill of the Rights in England.

This is well described by Andrew Clapham on page 6 of his very instructive work titled “Human Rights” and published by Oxford University Press in 2007: “Early Legal developments in the area of human rights are said to have emerged from the Magna Carta of 1215, a contract between the English King John and the Barons who were dissatisfied with the taxes being levied by the

Monarch. But, although this agreement guaranteed rights for a freeman not to be arrested, or detained in prison, or deprived of his Freehold, or outlawed, or banished, or in any way molested…. Unless by lawful judgment of his peers and the law of the land, this guarantee was simply a right to trial by jury granted exclusively to property-owning men. The rights contained in the Magna Carta were not human rights which must belong to all human beings and therefore cannot be restricted to a select group of privileged men. From a contemporary perspective, the Magna Carta turns out to be a rather unfortunate example of a human rights declaration. Suffice it to cite one sentence, clause 54 of the Magna Carta reads: ‘No one shall be arrested or imprisoned on the appeal of a woman for the death of any person except her husband.

The English Bill of Rights of 1689 is similarly sometimes considered a stepping stone to today’s texts. Parliament declared that ‘no excessive fine be imposed; nor cruel and unusual punishment [be] inflicted’, It also stated, however, “That the subjects which are protestants, may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions, and as allowed by law”.

CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

Events, cases, judgments that shaped 2014 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

Mohammed Bello Adoke, AttorneyGeneral of the Federation

The Asset Management Cooperation of Nigeria (AMCON) urged a Federal High Court, Lagos for an order restraining Bi-Courtney Limited and its chairman, Dr. Wale Babalakin SAN, from executing the September 29 ruling by Justice Ibrahim Buba which nullified and discharged the ex-parte orders of receivership, possession and freezing, granted by Justice Okon Abang on September 22.

The group of companies allegedly owed AMCON a cumulative debt of N50 billion.

NOVEMBER Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal struck out a notice of appeal filed by former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi retired and three others

challenging the ruling of Justice R. O. Nwodo for lack of diligent prosecution. Joined as appellants in the suit are former Lagos Police boss, James Danbaba retired, former Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Major al-Mustapha retired and ASP Mohammed Rabo Lawal. Bamaiyi and others were charged for the attempted murder of the Guardian’s publisher, Mr. Alex Ibru, about 12 years ago before a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Augustine Ade Alabi. During trial, they alleged that the trial Judge, Justice Alabi who was at the time the Lagos CJ demanded $10 million bribe from them. Several years after the appeal was filed, neither the appellants nor the respondents attended to it.

The Court of Appeal, Lagos

dismissed an appeal filed by Governor of Enugu state, Sullivan Chime. Chime had instituted N1.5 billion libel suit against his opponent in the 2007 gubernatorial election, Chief Okechukwu Ezea and the Guardian newspapers Limited. Justice Rita Pemu held that the appeal lacked merit and cannot be sustained.

The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division set aside the ruling of Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of an Ikeja High Court, Lagos and granted a Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua, bail to seek medical treatment abroad. Justice Ipaye had refused Ajudua’s bail application in a suit filed against him by EFCC for allegedly defrauding former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi retired of about $8.395 million. The appellate court held

that Ajudua could only stand trial if preserved alive.

A Federal High Court, Lagos granted leave to former Enugu state governor, Chimaroke Nnamani to travel overseas for medical checkup. Nnamani is standing trial on 105 count charge bordering on money laundering.

DECEMBER The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by a chieftain of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Umar Ardo, challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal which stopped him from joining in the appeal challenging President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to re-contest in 2015. The panel of seven Justices led by the CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, said the appellant has no business joining in the appeal.

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Making Osun the scapegoat

Adekunle Ajayi

ÎÎÎAt

When Governor Rauf Aregbesola was sworn in November 27, 2010, the total wage bill in the state was N1.6 billion

the close of last year, it was widely reported that the Federal Government and some states were owing workers up to, and in some cases, more than three months salaries.

This allegation was first made by the Secretary General of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Mr Alade Lawal. His concern, on which he gave details, was the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.

However, a newspaper in its usual mischief and anti-Aregbesola diatribe added some states to the mix, prominent of which is Osun. A few days later, regrettably, the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) just took the false report verbatim and also included Osun prominently in the list of states owing workers

three months salaries and in which industrial action could commence.

This is unfortunate.

If the paper had done any investigation as it claimed, it would have known that as at the time of the report, it was only November 2014 salary that was outstanding since the October salary had been paid. So much for mischief and adversarial reporting that makes no distinction between truth and falsehood.

We must however have a holistic understanding of the salary situation.

When Governor Rauf Aregbesola was sworn in November 27, 2010, the total wage bill in the state was N1.6 billion. The following year, the minimum wage act was passed into law and it became binding on all states. By 2012, all states of the federation had complied, making Osun’s wage bill to rise to

N3.6 billion.

By the same token, with higher oil prices and increase in the pump head price of refined fuel locally, Osun’s revenue jumped to N4.6 billion, which was relatively safe, wage wise.

However, by July 2013, Osun’s revenue had dropped to N2.8 billion. Within the same period, Aregbesola had shored up internally generated revenue from the meagre N300 million he met to N1billion, thus he was still able to pay salaries usually by the 26th of every month. However, allocation has dropped progressively since then and the last allocation Osun got for November 2014 from the Federation Account was N1.03 billion. There is no magic to this. Aregbesola should be commended for the astute manner he has managed the state’s economy, implementing wondrous projects and still fulfill-

ing obligations to workers in spite of dwindling revenues.

The grim options before any state in this situation is either to reduce its workforce size to a sustainable level or find creative ways to generate revenue. The governor has chosen the later and should be commended.

Even the workers understand the dire situation.

If NLC and the newspaper are so concerned about salaries, let them pay the workers or ask them to transfer their services to your organisations.

Dwindling state allocation is a time bomb that portends the grave danger of state meltdown and the Federal Government should be held accountable for the malaise of oil theft and underproduction, which brought this about, not states trying to cope with the consequences.

However, allocation has dropped progressively since then and the last allocation Osun got for November 2014 from the Federation Account was N1.03 billion

The phoenix

rises

BREAKING NEWS | POLITICS | BUSINESS | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT

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

LADIES MAN TOURE CLAIMS HE HAS TO CHANGE HIS PHONE NUMBER TO ESCAPE WOMEN X8

Poster!

to PSG unrealistic –Agent

RONALDO

X3

Ikechukwu Uche January 5, 1984 (age 30) Aba, Nigeria 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) Striker Villarreal 8

NTTF

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D I M E F A B O SAYS

I H S KISELIKES ME,

APPEALS TO NSC FOR FINANCIAL BACKING

Nigeria 45

Appearances (Goals).

National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2014

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 October 2014.

2007–

19

Team Apps Racing Ferrol 28 Recreativo 133 Getafe 55 Zaragoza 18 Villarreal 69 Granada (loan)34

National team

Senior career Years 2002–2003 2003–2007 2007–2009 2009–2011 2011– 2011–2012

Goals 2 50 11 1 32 3

Amanze United 2000–2001 Iwuanyanwu Nationale

Youth career

Full name: Date of birth Place of birth: Height: Playing position: Current team: Number:

Personal information

XT Exclusive

IKECHUKWU UCHE X4,5

Messi misses training with stomach illness

X8

Rogders Demands transfer pay to offset Gerrard exit

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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EXTRATIME

KESHI

dislikes me, says Obafemi Obafemi

Mike Otanwa

M

LS side, Seattle Striker, Obafemi Martins, has said that his being frozen out of the national team was due to Coach Stephen Keshi’s personal decisions.

The Seattle Sounders forward just came off a season where he led his side to Major League Soccer play-offs as well as winning the Supporters’ Shield.

Despite being in top form and scoring 17 goals in the just ended season, where he earned nomination for the Most Valuable Player award, Martins was ignored for the Super Eagles’ 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Last month he called time on his international career after earning 39 caps and scoring 18 goals in the span of 10 years playing for the Eagles.

Martins played two matches under Keshi’s watch in 2013 – a friendly against

Keshi

Venezuela in Miami and a World Cup qualifier against Kenya in Calabar – without scoring.

“I respect him as a coach but I don’t think Keshi likes me, that’s all. I don’t have any issues with him,” Martins told the media when asked about his relationship with the coach who is yet to have his contract renewed.

Martins scored the lone goal in the ‘Football for Hope’ charity match organized by the Lagos State government that left Governor Babatunde Fashola’s side on the losing end on Saturday at the Campos Mini Stadium in Lagos.

Other stars that played in Martins’ team were Asisat Oshoala, Lukman Haruna, Babatunde Michael, Razak Omotoyosi, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Onome Ebi and John Dosu.

The BRF All Stars paraded former internationals Victor Agali, Jonathan Akpoborire, Gbenga Okunnowo, Godwin Okpara and Waheed Akanni.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EXTRATIME

X3

2015 ITTF-Africa Senior Championships

NTTLFS TO APPEA NSC FOR FINANCIAL BACKING

NTFF president, .....

A

few weeks to the kick-off of the 2015 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championships holding in Cairo, Egypt, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is passionately appealing to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to support the team financially so that they can participate in the championship.

The tournament, according to Africa Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), serves as qualifiers for this year’s World Cham-

pionship, scheduled for April in China.

Also, the championship would aid Nigeria’s players in their quest to improve their world rating in the globe.

According to NTTF Secretary General, Chinedu Ezeala-Ogundare, the Cairo tournament serves as prerequisite for any team to be part of the 2015 World Championships in China, while it would also improve the country’s chances of getting good rating in the world.

“The competition was scheduled to hold in Sudan this year but, because

of the Ebola Virus Disease, it was cancelled. However, the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) just confirmed to us that the tournament will now be hosted by Egypt and this is a must for us and we must make it down there. For now, we are hoping to assemble our best players within and across the globe, so that we can have a strong team.

“We are using this medium to appeal to the NSC to support us financially in order to be part of this competition. The performance of Aruna Quadri has now drawn more attention to Nigeria and, for us, we need to be part of the competition to ascertain our status as continental power house,” the NTTF scribe said.

Ogundare, however, lauded the NSC for their unflinching backing in 2014, adding that she is optimistic that the country would make it to Egypt.

In a statement made available by ATTF and signed by Mokhtar Toukabri, the tournament serves off on January 23 and ends on 29.

“ATTF has the pleasure in sending to all African associations the new date of the 2014 ITTF-Africa Senior Championships – January 23-29, 2015 - and it will be held in Cairo, Egypt. We need to remind all associations that this event is a prerequisite for all who would like to participate in the 2015 WTTC in Suzhou, China, during 27/4 - 3/5/2015, which means that no entries from Africa in the WTTC except for those African associations with at least one player to join us in the 2014 ITTF-Africa Senior Championships in Cairo, according to the new rules of ITTF. We are waiting for your final entries before January 15,” he said.

However, Nigerian players, led by Portugal-based Aruna Quadri, are eager to be part of the tournament in order to halt Egypt’s dominance in Africa.

RODGERS DEMANDS TRANSFER TO OFFSET GERRARD EXIT

Gerrard

B

rendan Rodgers has warned Liverpool’s owners that money will have to be spent on internationals if the club is to keep progressing following Steven Gerrard’s departure, and has denied effectively forcing his captain out of the club.

Gerrard’s decision to move to the US at the end of the season for what he called “an incredible opportunity to try something different” will deprive Liverpool of its traditional home-grown core, with Jamie Carragher having retired in 2013.

With the loss of Luis Suarez last summer, it means the first team is short on top-level experience.

Rodgers prides himself on promoting young talent but accepts that it is unrealistic to compete with top clubs solely by producing players from within.

“The model at this club is clear: we want to take young players and develop them into world-class ones, but that can be a long and a difficult process,” the Liverpool manager said.

“The owners know that and

Rodgers they also know that not every player can be a developer if you are going to keep progressing. A large part of our squad will always be young players, but if you want to take those steps forward at times you have to look to bring in readymade players.”

Carragher has already criticised his old club for not doing enough to keep Gerrard, perhaps by offering him a coaching position, but Rodgers denied that was ever a possibility. Using the word “turmoil” to describe his captain’s state of mind over the past few weeks, Rodgers rejected suggestions Gerrard was pushed out of the club.

“I’ve had plenty of conversations with Steven this season and he’s never told me he felt unhappy,” Rodgers said. “We wanted to keep him at the club. He’s been a brilliant captain for me and we offered him a deal, but he wanted the chance to experience something different. Our communication is very open, so I was aware what he was thinking and I also knew the turmoil he was in because of his unique situation.”

Ikechukwu Uche January 5, 1984 (age 30) Aba, Nigeria 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) Striker Villarreal 8

Nigeria 45

Appearances (Goals).

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 October 2014.

2007–

19

Team Apps Racing Ferrol 28 Recreativo 133 Getafe 55 Zaragoza 18 Villarreal 69 Granada (loan)34

National team

Senior career Years 2002–2003 2003–2007 2007–2009 2009–2011 2011– 2011–2012

Goals 2 50 11 1 32 3

Amanze United 2000–2001 Iwuanyanwu Nationale

Youth career

Full name: Date of birth Place of birth: Height: Playing position: Current team: Number:

Personal information

X4

EXTRATIME

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2014

EXTRATIME

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

X5

X6

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EXTRATIME

RONALDO to PSG unrealistic –Agent Mike Otanwa

I

t is ‘impossible’ that Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid for Paris Saint-Germain, according to agent Jorge Mendes.

The big-spending French champions have been linked with a mega-money move for the prolific Portuguese in recent seasons, with former sporting director Leonardo claiming they ‘did everything they could’ to convince Ronaldo to move in the past.

Mendes, however, believes such a transfer is out of the question and instead believes the 29-year-old could move to America once his time at Santiago Bernabeu is up.

“Ronaldo to PSG is impossible. He will finish his career with Real, and maybe he’ll go to the United States. Only God knows,” he told Telefoot.

“He’s a machine, he’s the best player

in history and nobody can be his equal. It’s not even fair to compare him to others. He’s a winger, right? Tell me the names of wingers that have scored even 10 per cent of his goals.”

Mendes admits he has a good working relationship with PSG president Nasser AlKhelaifi but believes French football remains firmly in the wake of the Premier League and La Liga.

“Nasser is my friend, I enjoy a good relationship with him. He does some good work at PSG, who are one of the best clubs in the world right now,” said the Portuguese.

“Ligue 1 is good, but I think the Premier League and La Liga are better, even if PSG have bought some quality.”

Supporters of Ligue 1 side Monaco were left incensed in the summer when Mendes helped to broker an €80 million deal to take James Rodriguez to Madrid, but he is adamant the player is where he wants to be.

Ronaldo

Stevens’ mixed emotions over Bayern-bound Kimmich

S

tuttgart coach Huub Stevens has expressed a mixture of regret and understanding at his club’s decision to sell 19-year-old Joshua Kimmich to Bayern Munich next summer.

Kimmich will move to Bayern for a reported €7million, even though he has yet to make his debut for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. The defensive midfielder is on a season-long loan at Red Bull Leipzig in the second division and will join Bayern on a five-year deal at the end of the season.

Stevens said the move was inevitable. “You’ve got to see all the things that go on around the player - he wants the best, his agent wants the

best and his parents want the best and so, when Bayern Munich come along, it becomes very difficult to say no,” Stevens told Sport1 television.

“But, of course, the managerial staff are sad about it. I would have loved to work with him. But €7million, my word, that’s a lot of money for a player who has yet to appear in the Bundesliga.”

Stevens’ contract with Stuttgart expires in the summer, but he has a chance of earning an extension by keeping them in the Bundesliga again this season. Last year he arrived in similar circumstances with the club in danger, but his short-term contract was not renewed in the summer as he opted to take time out from the game.

L Schwarzer

Amunike Defoe

Leicester set to capture Schwarzer, Defoe

eicester City are looking to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and Toronto striker Jermain Defoe.

Schwarzer, 42, is expected to join from Chelsea on a short-term loan, while Defoe, 32, could be signed on a permanent switch. Leicester have been struggling since their promotion from the Championship, and manager Nigel Pearson is looking to bolster his attacking options to ensure they can turn their season around.

Currently at the foot of the Premier League table, the Foxes are four points adrift of safety after 20 games, and will look at the transfer market as a way of betting their chances of survival. They are expected to confirm the double signing next week, but fellow newly-promoted outfit Queens Park Rangers are also in bid for Defoe.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EXTRATIME

CRICKET

HORSE RIDING

KUMAR

Itoldyou sparkles for Jewell I

toldyou gave Kent trainer Linda Jewell her biggest success over jumps when grinding out a notable victory in the At The Races Sussex National at Plumpton.

Jewell had long targeted the nineyear-old at this marathon handicap chase, though he blotted his copybook when falling in his prep race on this track three weeks ago.

However, Itoldyou (11/1) delivered on the day that mattered as Tom Cannon brought him through to lead two out and he stuck on stoutly to score by two lengths.

Viking Blond rallied to get up for second just ahead of last year’s winner Reblis, with long-time leader Gorgehous Lliege and Ballyvoneen hot on their heels in a bunched finish for minor honours.

“It’s fantastic. It’s a race I’ve always wanted to win,” a delighted Jewell told At The Races. “We’re a small yard and we’ve

got very supportive owners.

“This has been our target for a while. Obviously, we had a bit of a hiccup in his preparation with his last run, but he’s come good.”

Cannon said: “I’ve ridden him in the past and I knew he’d got ability and everything went to plan.

“I had a good tow into the race and probably got there a little too soon and was pulling himself up in front, but I had a bit left if one came to me.

“I lost my claim on one of Linda’s horses. She’s local, this is a big local race and it couldn’t be better.”

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

SANGAKKARA CELEBRATES REACHING HIS DOUBLE CENTURY

F Itoldyou

X7

resh from becoming only the fifth batsman - and first Sri Lankan - to pass 12,000 Test runs on Saturday’s opening day, Sangakkara made the Black Caps bowlers toil in Sunday’s action at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

The stylish number three scored his 11th Test double century to help the tourists to a first-innings total of 356 all out to lead by 135 runs - an impressive feat, considering they started the day in the perilous position of 78 for five.

New Zealand reached the close on 22 without loss in response to trail the tourists by 113 runs.

The Black Caps bowlers sought to snare the five remaining wickets when play resumed on Sunday morning but Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal had other ideas and set about getting Sri Lanka as close to New Zealand’s first-innings effort of 221 as possible.

Seamers Trent Boult, Tim Southee

Kumar

and then Doug Bracewell - so impressive on the opening day - had little joy as Sangakkara and Chandimal played flawlessly to steer Sri Lanka to 159 at lunch, with Sangakkara registering his half-century in the process.

New Zealand had only an opportunistic lbw shout from off-spinner Mark Craig to show for their morning efforts and it did not get any better for the hosts after the interval as Chandimal joined his batting partner in notching a fifty.

Chandimal then passed 1,000 Test runs before his and Sangakkara’s sixthwicket partnership ended on 130 runs when Jimmy Neesham tempted him to drive at a full, swinging delivery and he succeeded only in edging behind.

Sangakkara cut Craig to bring up his 38th Test century moments later and useful stands with Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath and Suranga Lakmal saw Sri Lanka pass the New Zealand total and then build a decent lead.

Reid

Allardyce predicts Reid departure

W

est Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes as things stand there will be “no future” for defender Winston Reid at the club past the end of the season.

The 26-year-old New Zealand international is out of contract in the summer, and as yet has failed to agree new terms with the Irons.

Allardyce, who takes his side to Everton in the third round of the FA Cup on Tuesday night, now feels the player has decided to further his career elsewhere, with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United having been touted as possible destinations.

“There is no future for at West Ham United at the moment because his contract finishes on June 30,” said Allardyce, who maintains there had been no contact from any clubs so far in the January window.

“He hasn’t said he is going to sign and he hasn’t said he isn’t, but you would err on the side that he isn’t by the feel and the look of it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been talking to - other managers and so forth about the situation.

“So I would say it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what people are saying to me.”

West Ham earlier this week moved to bring in 21-year-old Canada international defender Doneil Henry, and forward Mauro Zarate is expected to leave, with Crystal Palace now emerging as a rival to QPR’s interest.

X8

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME

COPA DEL REY: R O F G O SPAIN AG S E I T P U C LAST-16

I

f you can’t get enough of Spanish football, then you’re in for an early 2015 treat this week with five games across three days as the Copa del Rey reaches its last 16 stage.

Teams tuned up for the first leg of their midweek fifth-round cup clashes when league action recommenced following the winter break last weekend, and while one rather mouth-watering fixture is the standout tie of the round on Wednesday night, there’s plenty of intrigue to be found elsewhere.

So, from today (Tuesday) through to Thursday evening, here are the Copa del Rey line-up.

Tuesday Celta Vigo v A. Bilbao Malaga v Levante It’s a double header to kick off the midweek cup action. The first of those pits two of La Liga’s out-of-form sides, Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao, against each other in a match each side will inevitably try to use as a catalyst to

Torres revive their stuttering seasons. Although currently one point and three places better off in the league, it’s hosts Celta who are in the biggest rut with no wins and, incredibly, no goals in their last eight La Liga matches. Athletic head to the Balaidos just days after a 1-0 loss at relegation-threatened Deportivo, but will be hoping to summon some inspiration from the club’s glorious history in the competition – their 23 cup wins place them second only to Barcelona in the all-time list.

In the second match Malaga, chasing

Ronaldo a European place in La Liga, go in as clear favourites against Levante, although both sides suffered defeats on their returns to action following the Christmas break. Malaga arrive in the last 16 having thrashed Deportivo 5-2 on aggregate in the previous round, while things were rather tighter for Levante who only scraped past Albacete from the Segunda Division on the away goals rule.

Wednesday A. Madrid v R. Madrid The Madrid derby, a repeat of the

Suarez 2014 Champions League final, two of the three contenders for the La Liga title, Fernando Torres’ second Atletico debut…whatever way you want to spin Wednesday night’s blockbuster clash, it’s undeniably the tie of the round and the biggest match in Europe this week. A last-16 cup tie in early January it may be, but you can be sure that the battle will be no less intense than usual as each side attempts to deliver a physiological blow to the other.

Not that it needed an extra boost, but the clash has been made all the more

Stomach illness Amokachi Unhappy knocks Messi out of as Unimpressive Eagles training beat Abuja based 5-2 Idu Jude Abuja Super Eagles caretaker coach mr.

Daniel Amokachi, has expressed shock over the performance of his invited boys camping in Abuja for an international friendly slated for Abu Dabi, The team however, beat an Abuja side to a 5 goal to 2, the teams first warm up game since the team opened camping December 30th last year ended in victory for the national side against the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), by 5-2, with the FCT State League side showing a lot of grit and fluency against the Eagles.

The NYSC side actually drew the first blood in only the second minute of the match when number 10 shirted Nwowu Ikenna, sleek dribbles in the Eagles vital area ended on the legs of teammate, Omefe Ifeanyi, who did a ‘thank you very much’, by slotting home from close range.

The goal jolted the national team to reality and four minutes later hotshot, Mfom Udoh equalised after Gambo Mohammed’s beautiful run from the right fell to him. But the NYSC team will not

Amokachi let go, as they again took the lead through Eugene Utom in the 6thminute after another defensive mix-up that forced Coach Dan Amokachi to pull out experienced defender, Azubuike Egwuekwe, who was apparently the culprit of the gaps noticed in the backline.

The Super Eagles seem to wake up after that change with Nelson Ogbonna curtailing the excesses of the NYSC strikers, while teen sensation, Kingsley Sokari alias Bobby equalized in the 18thminute with a neatly struck goal. Sokari added his second of the day in the 21stminute after a neat interchange of passes with inform Heartland of Owerri winger, Stanley Dimgba.

Lionel Messi was unable to participate in Barcelona’s open-door training session on Monday(yesterday) due to suspected gastroenteritis.

Luis Enrique chose not the start the Argentine in the club’s first game back after the winter break on Sunday, giving South Americans such as Messi, Neymar and Dani Alves an extended rest due to their late return to Spain.

However, the coach’s leniency backfired as the Catalunya club were beaten 1-0 at Real Sociedad and questions were asked about whether sidelining

Messi

Messi for the notoriously troublesome trip to the Anoeta was wise.

The Argentina international was due to participate with the rest of the first team in a training session open to thousands of visiting children, but stomach problems left him sidelined and put him in doubt to appear in Thursday’s Copa del Rey clash with Elche.

Rafinha also missed training on Monday due to an ear infection, while Jeremy Mathieu was the only other player not participating in the group session as he focused on individual recovery work.

noteworthy by the return of Atletico’s prodigal son, Torres. Seven-and-a-half years after making an emotional departure from his boyhood club for Liverpool when one of the world’s hottest properties, Torres has arrived back at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on an 18-month loan from AC Milan and is in line to return against Real, the competition’s holders.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, in turn, will be aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of Valencia ending their 22-match winning run at the weekend.

Thursday Granada v Sevilla Barcelona v Elche The second double-header of the week, with both of Thursday night’s matches featuring teams at the opposite ends of the table. Match one sees Granada entertain Sevilla, the sides playing each other again little over a month after Sevilla blew their hosts away 5-1 in the league fixture. In contast, goals and wins have been hard to come by for Granada recently with their slender victory over Córdoba in the first leg of round four their only victory since September.

That match is followed by a real David and Goliath tie as Elche travel to the Nou Camp to face mighty Barcelona. A double from Lionel Messi helped the hosts to an easy 3-0 home league win over Elche back in August and a repeat result will be expected, although the 26-time Copa del Rey winners showed they weren’t infallible last weekend by slipping to a surprise defeat at David Moyes’ Real Sociedad.

Thursday night’s visitors, meanwhile, head to one of world football’s most intimidating theatres in good spirits after claiming a valuable point in a draw with Villarreal.

EURO BRIEFS

Ramos wants Real response

Ramos Sergio Ramos has called on Real Madrid to show a positive response to a defeat at Valencia which ended their record winning run.

The world and European champions looked set to extend their sensational run of competitive victories to 23 in a row when Cristiano Ronaldo put them in front at the penalty spot after 14 minutes at The Mestalla on Sunday.

Valencia had other ideas, as secondhalf goals from Antonio Barragan and Nicolas Otamendi stunned the La Liga leaders in their first game of the year.

Second-placed Barcelona were unable to take advantage as they were beaten 1-0 at Real Sociedad later in the day, so Real remain a point clear at the top of the table.

Defender Ramos was philosophical about Real’s defeat and turned his attention to getting back on track ahead of a hectic January schedule.