Binder1

23.12.14

TUESDAY

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 2,314

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LEADERSHIP Appoints Mike Okpere GMD Designate

By Bode Gbadebo, Abuja

LEADERSHIP Group has appointed Mr. Mike Okpere as group managing director Okpere

designate.

Okpere, who is the group executive director, is expected to assume duties as GMD on February 2, 2015.

In a statement by the chairman, Mr. Sam NdaIsaiah, he said Okpere had demonstrated competence and shown strong commitment to

Vandals Sabotaged Power Generation Target For 2014 – FG > Page 5

the growth and development of the company in the last two years.

The statement said, “He has shown an extraordinary capacity to learn and adapt and ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 5

Muslims, Christians Pledge To Work Against Electoral Violence In Kaduna > Page 6

35 Killed In Gombe, Bauchi Bombings 5

45 injured

Cameroon uncovers Boko Haram den

Scene of the bomb blast at Dukku Motor Park, Gombe State, yesterday. (INSET) A victim of the Gombe blast at the Gashu’a General Hospital. PHOTO BY nan, hussaini jirgi

Chibok Diary DAY 253

Pakistan Pledges Support For Chibok Girls' Rescue

> Page 2

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chibok diary 253

Tuesday, December 23 , 2014

DAY

Chibok Tweets @hamletgarcia17 Day 252 of abduction 3 days to Christmas 9 days to New Year #BringBackOurGirls @OpinionNigeria Nigerians say they're the most educated, of what need is education if it cannot be put to better use? #RedefineNigeria #BringBackOurGirls @Bobbylv1 No girls, no votes. #BringBackOurGirls We will not forget.

@NaeSimon I can't believe over 250 girls are still missing from Chibok, Nigeria. Have we forgotten? #BringBackOurGirls

@bankeey Thats how the chibok girls are not back nd its 3days to xmas... #bringbackourgirls #prayfornigeria @BBOG_Nigeria We stand with Pakistan over the #PeshawarAttack as we condemn terror attack on children #BringBackOurGirls @being_vishnu Day 1, 10, 100 or 1000.. wich i sincierly hope it won't go upto.. I won't fail yu my sisters..my voice ll b urs till eternity

@AishaYesufu Don't think bc u are not in North East it doesn't affect u. When it was happening in middle East we thought we were safe #BringBackOurGirls @comfort_dauda Tragic way to spend CHRISTMAS for #ChibokGirls, parents, IDPs in camps, homes, trapped in mountains, hills, bushes & people in NE Nig! Compiled by Ugochukwu Iroka

Dr Oby Ezekwesili (4th left), Pakistan High Commissioner, Lt.-Gen. Ashraf Saleem (middle) and members of the #BringBackOursGirls (BBOG) group during a solidarity visit to the high commissioner in Abuja, yesterday.

Pakistan Pledges Support For Chibok Girls’ Rescue

By Chika Mefor, Ejike Ejike,

Abuja The Pakistan High Commissioner, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Saleem has pledged his country’s willingliness to help Nigeria rescue the Chibok girls and stem terrorism in the country.

Saleem, who spoke during a solidarity visit by the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) following the attack by militants from the Pakistani Taliban on an army-run school in Peshawar where 141 people were killed, 132 of them children, stated that his country had the experience to help the nation tackle the problem of insecurity.

“It is very unfortunate that the Chibok girls have not been released. We sympathise with the parents of the the girls and Nigerians.

We assure you that Pakistan government is here to help you, though we are bedevilled with our own issues too. On

16th of this month, militants from the Pakistani Taliban attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, where 141 people were killed and 132 of them children,” he said.

He, however, stated that his government had immediately carried a raid and those who carried the dastardly act, including about 200 of the Talibans, were killed.

“We are prepared to help Nigeria in every way possible.

We are prepared to cooperate with Nigerians to eliminate these terrorists. And we will continue to pray for the safe return of the Chibok girls. We are going to help the Nigerian people to make sure that we recover these girls,” he said.

Saleem revealed that the unfortunate event in his country has brought about unity as every citizen in the country supports its government and military in the fight against terrorists, and called on all Nigerians to take advantage of the challenges of

insecurity in the nation to unite and fight the common enemy.

He commended the BBOG for its effort to keep the abducted girls on the front burner until they are returned alive to their families.

While speaking on the reason for its visit, one of the leaders of the group, Dr Oby Ezekwesili stated that the group was in the Commission to join the global community in condemning the terrorist attack and condoled with the government and people of Pakistan, especially the families of the murdered schoolchildren and their teachers.

She said: “Terrorist groups in Nigeria, Pakistan and other places are increasingly targeting children and schools, the most vulnerable in our communities.

“In Nigeria, we cannot forget in a hurry the murder of 59 school children in Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in 2013, 23 students of

Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School, Potiskum, Yobe State in November 2014, as well as the abduction in April 2014 of 276 Chibok girls, with 219 of them still missing.”

She called on leaders of all countries, the United Nations and regional bodies to work together in setting up policies and processes that protect children in and out of school in conflict prone areas, urging the global community to join hands and confront these terrorists as the common enemy of all humanity, with the aim of crippling their activities everywhere they exist.

“The world cannot watch on helplessly while children across nations are forced to choose between getting educated or being killed. It is time for all to work together and demonstrate to children that we will protect them and preserve their right to knowledge,” she said.

3

our stand Tuesday, December 23, 2014

For Budget 2015 To Succeed

T

he minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, last week presented the 2015 budget of N4.74trillion to the National Assembly. Among its highlights are provisions of N2.616trillion for capital expenditure and N633.6billion for recurrent. The budget is coming against a backdrop of significant challenges to the economy, principal among which is the over 50 per cent drop in the world price of oil. This will invariably impact adversely any expenditure considerations, leading to cost cuts in areas that may attract resentment from Nigerians.

It is instructive that the federal government has launched a regime of austerity measures, the full elements of which will be manifest with the implementation of the budget. For instance, the austerity measures include the devaluation of the currency, increase in taxes and the prospect of withdrawal of the scandalously managed fuel subsidy regime, among other hard measures for the ordinary citizen, like cuts in jobs and sundry social programmes. Given that the passage

Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah

of the budget is instrumental to the implementation of the austerity measures, it remains to be seen how its late presentation will be helpful to the economy. Ordinarily the challenges a drop in oil revenue presents should have been anticipated by the government, given that it was not due to any act of nature but a concert of regular market forces. With the increase on the supply side of the world oil market, courtesy of nonmembers of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), prices invariably dropped as demand remained stagnant.

The failure of the government to act with discretion is largely responsible for the present situ-

Editor Sadiq Abdullateef Deputy Editor Kazeem Akintunde Editorial Board Safiya M. Adamu, Chairman Christian Ochiama, Deputy Chairman Standards ’Lara Olugbemi, Assistant Director

ation. Meanwhile the effect of large scale corruption in virtually every sector of the economy, with daily reports of brazen theft of public funds and in respect of which the government has remained inexcusably complacent, remains a major leakage of available resources that should have come in handy at a time like this.

By not keeping faith with its avowed stand to fight corruption, the government has shot itself in the foot and has nobody but itself to blame. With its back to the wall, the government needs to muster the required political will to effect meaningful changes in the economy. A starting point is the launch of policies that will reduce import dependence and domesticate core productive activities within the country’s borders. This should be followed by the plugging of all loopholes in the running of governance, which we believe is wasteful. However, whatever adjustment the government makes will be ineffective if it does not subject the activities of its officials to a higher level of transparency, with a renewed resolve to fight corruption effectively. This is the path to success for 2015 budget.

Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Executive Directors Michael Okpere Dr Kazeem Durodoye Divisional Directors Iyobosa Uwugiaren Salisu Alhassan Bichi General Managers Aminu Abubakar Sule Abdulmumin Balogun Zipporah D. Tanko

Leadership Holdings

Managing Director Abraham Nda-Isaiah Executive Director Nnamdi Samuel New York Office Mohammed Bello Shehu London Office Dr Bello Salihu Johannesburg Office Abiodun Oguntuase

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LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital.

We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed.

We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being: For God and country!

4 news extra

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Group News Editor: Tony Amokeodo ‘Senators, Reps’ Salaries Crippling Nigeria’s Economy’ The Diaspora Institute for Nigerian Justice and Accountability (DINJA) has petitioned the leadership of the National Assembly, demanding a reduction in the wages of the lawmakers.

This is just as it opined that the high remunerations of Nigerian senators and House of Representatives members are crippling the Nigerian economy.

The institute, in a public letter addressed to the Senate president, David Mark, speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday and copied to the Presidency by its spokesman, Professor Bitrus Paul Gwamna, said “We, the members of the Diaspora Institute for Nigerian Justice and Accountability (DINJA) are gravely concerned about the huge monetary allocations appropriated for the salaries and other benefits to the members of Senate and House of Representatives under your leadership.”

“This surprise disbursement of funds to the legislature is dismaying, suggesting great insensitivity to the plight of your constituents, as many a Nigerian man, woman or child cannot realistically afford three square meals each day.”

By Midat Joseph, Kaduna

Govt Agencies Frustrating Our Efforts To Meet Dec 31 Deadline – NIMC

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that it may not meet the December 31 deadline given to it by President Goodluck Jonathan to obtain the 100million subscriber base.

It said that the setback was resulting from other data collecting agencies of government which have not maximally supported the instruction by giving out their data to the commission.

The general manager, Corporate Communication, NIMC, Mr Abdulhamid Umar, who disclosed this in Abuja at the weekend, said however, arrangements are being made with some of the agencies to ensure that the goal is achieved.

“If you recall vividly, the deadlines were two folds; one, there was a presidential directive that said we are expected to enrol about 100 million data into the database of Nigeria and another instruction that came on the same day was for NIMC to ensure it harmonises all government data collecting agencies.

“The spirit behind that was to ensure the fastest realisation of government instructions for our database to agree at 100million data of Nigerians and legal residents.”

By Patience Ivie Ihejirika, Abuja

L-R: Vice president, Namadi Sambo; Otaru of Auchi, Haliru Mohammed; Niger State governor, Aliyu Babangida; Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad, III during the 7th General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY OGOH JOSEPH

2015: Buhari’ll Lose To Jonathan Like Before – PDP

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as a perennial presidential candidate, adding that he will lose to the PDP in 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan, like in the three previous presidential elections.

Buhari had run for president under the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003 and 2007 and the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in 2011.

While appreciating members of the Foreign Chapters of PDP for their contributions at the recent national convention of the party,

the national secretary of PDP, Prof Adewale Oladipo said, “The APC had again presented its perennial candidate in person of General Buhari; he lost elections to PDP thrice in the past; we will beat him again”.

Oladipo who addressed the party members during an interactive session at the party’s national secretariat added, “The coming election will be different; it is going to be a straight fight between a PhD holder and a semi-illiterate jackboot; Nigerians will see the differences; PDP will beat APC hands down; APC has nothing to offer the nation; it is not an alternative to our party; we mean well for the country.”

He said PDP had already set up a Presidential Campaign Council to

be headed by the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

The director general of the council is a former national chairman of the party, Sen Ahmadu Ali. He said, “All our foreign chapters will be involved in the issuebased campaign to counter all the lies of the APC; APC will be busy propagating negative things about the country and be ignoring all the positive things the PDP-led federal government has been doing”.

On the E-Campaign proposal by the foreign chapters to boost the party’s campaign, Prof Oladipo promised that the idea would be included in its programme, pointing out that the APC again would try to copy it but efforts would be made to stop it.

He further said there was no

cause for alarm on the crisis rocking the party over the recent primaries.

Oladipo denied insinuations of mass defection from the party, adding that while some members defected to the APC, they also gained members in PDP. Speaking on the confusion over candidates in Ogun and Anambra states, he said the party will beat the deadline for submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Ogun, while names of candidates have been submitted to INEC in the case of Anambra State.

He assured that the party would meet the December 26, 2014 deadline of INEC for the submission of the candidates’ list for the general elections.

...No, PDP Northern Leaders’ll Vote For Him – Shuaibu

By Bayo Oladeji, Abuja

Deputy national chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, yesterday expressed optimism that the leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the North have resolved to support the candidacy of General Mohammadu Buhari come 2015.

Speaking on the perceived division among the leaders of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the former senator said their disagreement does not hold water.

“ACF is not a political organisation; it is a cultural organisation.

So, what anybody from that organisation says does not reflect

on the political opinion of the generality of the people in the North.”

He further said: “Let me tell you, I never said it before but I should say it now that the leaders of the PDP from the North have resolved for Buhari come February 14, 2015; go and write it down and say I told you this.

“Forget what they are telling you; forget what they are telling Nigerians; of course, man must eat but when it comes to that day, you will see what is going to happen.”

Speaking with some journalists in Abuja, he said the kind of change that is going to blow in 2015 general elections does not have respect for the power of in-

cumbency, adding that “When Nigerians have resolved, they go the whole hog to realise the revolution.”

On the state of insurgency in most APC-controlled states, the APC chieftain said: “Elections were held in Afghanistan; Legislative election also held in Syria; elections were equally held in Iraq. So, insurgency is not an impediment. The people in the Northeast are too eager to use their votes and express their opinions as regards the incumbent government because they feel highly disenchanted.”

While reacting to the recent fund-raising by the PDP, Shuaibu said that for INEC to ensure transparency, it should demand for the

receipt issued to each donor by the PDP and the account of the ruling party as according to him, such monies cannot come in ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ but rather through electronic transfer or certain instruments like a Cheque or Draft.

“We must know the source of that money. If the money comes from the government account, then INEC has the responsibility to sanction the PDP or sanction even the individual who stole government’s money and donated it for political campaigns,” he added.

The APC deputy chairman stated that the APC will publish names of donors who contribute to its campaign fund-raising and will not accept anonymous donations to ensure transparency.”

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35 Killed In Gombe, Bauchi Bombings

By Abdullahi Umar, with agency report; Obed Minchakpu, Bauchi; Bayo Oladeji, and Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, Abuja

A bomb blast yesterday rocked a Dukku motor park in Gombe State, killing about 20 people and wounding 21 others, a Red Cross official told the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, however, Boko Haram insurgents have repeatedly set off bombs targeting civilians, especially in the remote northeast where they are trying to carve out an Islamist state.

The official from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who declined to be named, said the wounded were being treated. The blast was caused by a bomb but it was not yet known whether a suicide bomber was involved.

It was the second such attack on the city’s public transport system. At the end of October, a car bomb exploded at a bus stop, killing several people.

8 dead, 20 injured in Bauchi market bomb explosion Another bomb attack in Bauchi has left many persons feared dead or injured.

The explosion occurred at about 5:30 pm Monday as shoppers and traders were preparing to close their shops.

A source at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital told LEADERSHIP on condition of anonymity that eight persons died while another 20 were injured in the blast.

“So far, eight persons have died, two of the victims have been burnt beyond recognition, while another 20 have been injured in the attack. The corpses and the injured were brought here,” he said.

Public relations officer of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Sadiq Abubakar Malami, when contacted about victims of the blast brought to the hospital, did not give any figures of the dead or injured.

“We are yet to have details as the police are still working on this. You’ll have details when it is available,” Malami said.

The Bauchi State police command

confirmed the bomb attack but said its officers were still working on the details.

Police spokesman, Haruna Mohammed, told LEADERSHIP that security agents had condoned off the blast scene and that investigation is ongoing.

“There was bomb explosion at the Bauchi Central Market on the yesterday at about 17:30hrs. As a result of the blast, the market went into flames. The scene was cordoned off by combined security forces, including police explosives ordinance disposal unit,” Mohammed said in a statement.

According to Mohammed, the commissioner of police visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment. However, it is too early to ascertain the level of casualties and damages now because rescue operation is still ongoing while effort by Fire Service is on to put out the fire.”

Gombe bomb blast: 39 victims evacuated Following the explosion in Dukku motor park area of Gombe yesterday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)-led rescue operation has evacuated all persons affected by the incident to the hospital while the area has been cordoned off.

Most of those evacuated were taken to the Gombe State Specialist Hospital where they are now receiving treatment from injuries sustained in the explosion.

According to a statement by NEMA’s press officer, Manzo Ezekiel, the explosion occurred at about 10:56am and resulted in 18 deaths, with about 21 injured.

Cameroon uncovers Boko Haram’s training camp, captures 125 The Cameroonian government has said that its soldiers have uncovered the Boko Haram training camp at Guirvidig town in the Far North Region of the country where the sect trains Cameroon youths.

The country’s Defence spokesman, Lit. Col. Didier Badjeck said that the military stormed the area after local residents alerted the military on Saturday about the camp in Guirvidig locality, bordering ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

According to Chinese longevity philosophy, jing, or essence, is the basic substance of life.

Innate essence is inherited from parentage and can be refined through practices such as tai chi, qigong, and meditation, while a second kind of jing, acquired during your life, can be replenished through diet, nutrition, and longevity herbs.

A formula for enduring youth passed down in our family medical tradion contains such essence-building herbs as Chinese wild yam, ligustri fruit, schisandra berry, sesame seed, eucommia bark, ho shou wu (fo ti) root, and cistanches root. Studies of all these plants confirm their positive effects on the hormonal, immune, and metabolic systems.

LEADERSHIP Appoints Mike Okpere GMD Designate FROM FRONT PAGE

has brought his talent as an auditor/ accountant, to bear on the operations of the group.”

Okpere joined the company in September 2012. A hard working man and a passionate golfer, he has helped to reorganise the financial records of the company and to expand its operations.

The founder said the task of taking the company to the next level will fall on his shoulders and that he was confident that Okpere would lead his team to

succeed.

Okpere, who started his career with the firm of Emmanuel Ijewere and co, was the pioneer general manager of the Nigerian Seed Cotton Ltd, and the managing director of Cash Affairs Ltd. He was the managing director of Cal Holdings before he joined LEADERSHIP group two years ago.

He will take over from the group managing director, Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, who will resign on January 30, 2014 but remain as executive consultant.

Vandals Sabotaged Power Generation Target For 2014 – FG

By Juliet Alohan, Abuja

The federal government has said that incessant vandalism of gas pipelines across the country sabotaged efforts to achieve its power generation target for 2014.

The federal government had projected power generation to peak at a minimum of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by the end of December 2014. However, the country’s power generation presently hovers between 3,600MW and 3,800MW due to disruptions occasioned by gas pipeline breaches, officials of the ministry of power have said.

Speaking in Abuja at a forum organised for energy correspondents, minister of power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, lamented that the continuing vandalism of pipelines supplying gas to power plants was undermining effort to boost power generation in the country.

Nebo, who was represented by the

senior advisor on fuel to power to the minister of power, Frank Edozien, disclosed that at least 20 incidences of vandalism occurred on major gas pipelines across the country between May and November this year.

He called on Nigerians to join hands with government to check the activities of vandals in order to make progress in the sector. Nebo, at the forum, which, had in attendance heads of media units of agencies under the ministry, lamented that despite a generation capacity of about 7,000MW, the country is presently generating about 3,600MW due incidences of vandalism.

He pointed out that the country can get out of the rot if the attacks on power infrastructure are reduced to the barest minimum, or totally eliminated.

“We have frequency of four to six weeks where pipelines are blown up and ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

6 news extra Muslims, Christians Pledge To Work Against Electoral Violence In Kaduna

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State yesterday pledged to work against electoral violence in the 2015 general elections.

The two groups, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and the Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN of Kaduna State chapters, said anyone or group planning to perpetrate violence during and after the 2015 general elections would be fished out and handed over to the authorities.

The groups which was brought together by the Global Peace Foundation (Nigeria), agreed that the 2011 political violence which saw the death of scores of persons and billions of naira worth of property destroyed, would be the last in the state.

In her address to the gathering, drawn from the three senatorial zones of Officials of the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) on routine check at Gwagwalada in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY NAN. Kaduna State, the wife of Kaduna State governor, Hajiya Fatima Ramalan Yero said, “All mothers must ensure that they teach their children the virtues of love, tolerance and respect for the dignity of the other person.

“With the vows that you have all taken today to resist violence in the coming elections, I believe

By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna ers had been over recycled to educating the youths to shun we keep on rethat we shall have a peaceful cycling old leaders who don’t a point that they should give violence”.

Christmas. We shall build on it Kaduna-based Islamic cler- way to younger crops of the citHowever, Sheikh Gumi main- have the interest of the counfor an enduring peace in Kaduna ic, Sheikh Ahmed Abubakar izenry. tained, “No any military man try at heart, but their personState.”

Gumi yesterday lambasted all Earlier in his speech at Gu- has moral ground to complain al interest.

In his remarks the special retired military men in the mi’s residence, the president, of election rigging in 2015 be“I also want to tell Nigeriadviser to Governor Yero on country who had at one time Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kaduna, cause if the military had al- ans that they should not see Christian Matters, Rev. Joseph or the other terminated civil- Mr. Austin Amaechi acknowl- lowed democracy to grow, this the ruling Peoples DemocratHayab said that both the rich ian regimes, saying that such edged personal role of Sheik country would have developed ic Party (PDP) and All Progresand the poor suffer equally men in politics have no moral Gumi in ensuring that there better than this. sives Congress (APC) as opposduring conflicts. justification to complain of rig- is peace during and after 2015 The military keep going into ing religious party, but purely Hayab said, “Even the rich ging in 2015 general elections. elections. our democracy because of cor- political parties which are doand powerful are denied sleep Sheikh Gumi who is a retired “Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kaduna ruption, but if you look back, ing things the way they like, eiduring crisis. The poor also Major in the Nigerian Army State chapter is here to extend history is repeating itself be- ther personal or political. suffer, all for reasons that can pointed out that if the military appreciation to our respected cause it is the same military “The political awareness be avoided because in the end, had not interrupted civil rule and honoured Sheikh for his that put aside our constitution of 2011 is different from the no one benefits”. in the past, the nation would interest in ensuring that there that wants to use the same awareness of 2015, and by the Also speaking, the special have been far better off by is peace in 2015. We want 2015 constitution. next 20 years, every Nigerian adviser to Governor Yero on now, stressing that those who to be a year of peace, consolida“We are having difficult time will be fully aware of his politiIslamic Affairs, Sheik Haliru brushed aside the nation’s con- tion of democracy and econom- in Nigeria, but things will be cal rights to the extent that noMaraya said, “Anytime their stitution have turned around ic prosperity for Nigerians. better because it is better to be body can cheat another person was violence, and government to use it.

“We are aware of his advice patience for four years than to on the issue of elections in the property was destroyed, the The Islamic cleric who stated to politicians to play by the be lamenting for 40 years, Ni- country. money that would have been this when members of Kadu- rule. We applaud this because geria is going through develop“We should not allow politiused for other developmental na State chapter of Ohanaeze politicians who lost election mental stages. cians to use religion to divide projects are used in repairing Ndigbo held a consultative may inspire violence. We call “I want to say that Nigeria us, we should be relating tothem. And we keep wondering meeting with him over fears on community leaders, reli- should bring complete new gether because our security is why we are not progressing. of violence in 2015 elections, gious leaders and indeed lead- leaders who have not served that if our neighbour is safe, we Islam teaches peace and added that most Nigerian lead- ers at all levels to play a role in this country before because are also safe”. tolerance to all religions and shown in the exemplary life of the Holy Prophet of Islam.

“We must stand together during this election and say, ‘no’ to violence.”

Counsel to Ihejirika, Chief tion and his character, credit and defendant to publish forthwith a The secretary of CAN, Kaduna by KUNLE OLASANMI, Abuja State, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, said Nnoruka Udechukwu, SAN, who reputation brought into disrepute, dull and unqualified retraction and all Kaduna State Christians are A former chief of army staff, Lt. filed the suit is demanding N100 both in Nigeria and abroad.” apology conspicuously in the front committed to peace.

General Azubuike Ihejirika has billion as aggravated damages for Apart from the N100 billion page of THISDAY Newspaper to asIbrahim said, “We the dragged Australian hostage nego- defamation. damages, Ihejirika is also seeking suage the plaintiff for the said false Christian Community in Kaduna tiator, Dr Stephen Davies, who acThe retired General said as a re- an order of perpetual injunction re- malicious and libelous publication.”

State are all for peace. We have cused him of sponsoring Boko Har- sult of the libelous statement in straining Davis or his agents from Ihejirika said that he retired merbeen living together in this state am insurgency in the north east question, “He has suffered grievous further making defamatory com- itoriously from the military after peacefully until now.

Nigeria before a High Court of the wrong and he has been exposed to ments about him. a successful career and that he scandal, odium, ridicule, humiliaHe also seeks “An order for the served the army without blemish.

By Midat Joseph, Kaduna Federal Capital Territory.

2015: Ex-Coupists Lack Moral Right To Complain Of Rigging – Sheikh Gumi

Ihejirika Sues Australian Hostage Negotiator, Demands N100bn

News north-central 7

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

I Did Not Appoint My Son Commissioner – Gov Jang

By Achor Abimaje, Jos

Plateau State commissioner for information and communication, Hon Mohammed Abubakar Badu has faulted media reports that Governor Jonah Jang has appointed his son commissioner.

Badu in a press statement signed and issued in Jos yesterday and made available to LEADERSHIP dismissed the report as “wrong and fallacious in its entirety”, saying what took place at the last state executive council meeting was “additional responsibility for the special adviser to the governor on special duties, Yakubu Jang, as he was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Lands and Survey following the resignation of the commissioner, Yilji Gomwalk”.

“It is as simple and straight forward as that”, the commissioner said, noting that it is surprising that some media houses

short news

Former CAN Boss Carpets INEC On PVCs Former chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and coordinator of ThinkTank in Niger State, Rev Mathias Echioda has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the ongoing distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PCVs) and wait till others are ready before distribution.

Echioda who is the General Oversea of Occupy Ministry, a popular Pentecostal Church in Minna told journalists in Minna that the whole exercise is characterised by deception saying if the PVCs is not ready majority of Nigerians would not be eligible to vote.

By Abu Nmodu, Minna

reported the matter out of context.

According to Abubakar, at the said state executive council meeting which was the first at the new Government House at Little Rayfield, the state government approved contracts for additional works at the new Government House, completion of Binchima, Zagum, DTV, Rafin Bama, Kpachidu electrification projects, and contract for additional work at the state cassava processing factory which is to include supply of three different machines at the cost of N59.8million.

According to him, other contracts approved at the state executive council meeting include that for additional work on the office complex of the Board of Internal Revenue along Bank road, Jos and that for the procurement of ICT facilities for the new Government House.

Gov Wada Lauds Flagoff Of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Kogi State governor, Idris Wada has described the flagoff of Pneumococcal Conjujate Vaccine (PCV) first phase in Kogi State as a monumental event.

The flag-off of the PCV took place at FAREC in GRA, Lokoja, Kogi State capital, yesterday.

Represented by the deputy governor, Yomi Awoniyi, he congratulated the government of Nigeria on the introduction of PCV into her routine immunisation schedule for child survival.

He said that the government of Kogi State would key into the programme of child survival, pointing out that picking Kogi State out of 12 states slated to launch the programme was a positive direction that would keep the government abreast of national issues.

According to one of the directors in the Ministry of Health, Ben Anyene, PCV, is a vaccine that prevents diseases caused by the pneumococcal bacteria which causes ear infefection, sinus infection, pneumonia and meningitis.

He reiterated that WHO estimates that over 800, 000 children under 5 years of age die from pneumococcal diseases each year with those less than 2 years of age most affected.

By Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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Road Accidents Fatalities A Global Challenge – NEMA Boss

Kogi State governor’s wife, Hajiya Halima Wada (Middle), giving out cash and food items in the spirit of the yuletide season to mark this year’s Christmas to the less privilege at the ongoing Food Outreach for Widows, Orphans and Disabled (FOWOD) at Idah, yesterday.

Journalists Mourn Late ThisDay Correspondent

By Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kogi State were yesterday thrown into mourning following the sudden death of Thisday correspondent in the state, Mr Timothy Ajiboye.

Ajiboye who was until his death with his colleagues at NUJ secretariat watching a football

match on the TV died on Sunday around 8:30pm with no trace of any particular illness.

The late journalist had worked in various national dailies before joining Thisday early this year, as state correspondent.

He was one time secretary of the Correspondents’ Chapel in Kogi State.

The chairman of Correspon-

dents’ Chapel in the state, Mallam Ademu Idakwo described his death as shocking and unbelievable.

He said the late journalist was a peace loving man who had been living in peace with the entire members of the chapel.

Idakwo said God who called him at this prime age will provide succour for his family.

Gov Al-Makura Picks Silas Agara As Running Mate

BY DONATUS NADI, Lafia

Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has picked Hon. Silas Agara as his running mate in The director genthe forthcoming general elections. eral National Announcing his choice in a press Emergency Manstatement signed by Yakubu Lamai, agement Agenchief press secretary, he said Agacy (NEMA) Alhara’s choice was a product of wide ji Muhammad Sani consultations with party and comSidi has stated that munity leaders intent upon adding road accident fatal- value to governance in the state. ities have remained “After wide ranging consultations with citizens and political a global public stakeholders in Nasarawa State and health challenge and problem to di- in tandem with the inclusive attisaster management in Nigeria.

The NEMA boss, who was represented by the Niger State coordiBy Solomon Ayado, Makurdi nator of NEMA, Slaku Lugard Bijmi, at a workshop Youths in Benue State under the on sensitisation on aegis of Benue Future 2015 have commenced agitation for the basic emergency response manage- emergence of the former minister of state for Niger Delta, Chief ment, for memSam Ode to be picked as deputy bers of Nationgovernor for the state. al Union of Road This is even as the Benue chapTransport Workers ter of the All Progressives Con(NURTW) in Minna, gress (APC) has nominated forNiger State noted mer commissioner for water that road accidents resources in George Akume’s claim a lot of lives government, Mr. Benson annually.

Abounu to run as deputy goverBy Abu Nmodu, norship candidate to Chief SamMinna

tude of Governor Umaru Tanko AlMakura and the democratic culture of the APC as his running mate and deputy governor in the forthcoming 2015 governorship elections.”

Agara, an economist whose emergence did not come as a surprise, was the special adviser to the governor on Sports Development, a position he held from 2003 to 2005 and was reappointed from 2007 to 2008 under Abdullahi Adamu and Aliyu Akwe Doma’s administrations respectively.

Agara, a sports enthusiast, was vice president, Nigerian Cycling Federation in 2005. Recently, he

emerged as the APC candidate for the House of Representatives elections into the Akwanga-WambaNasarawa Eggon Federal Constituency.

The statement noted further that choice is hinged on the fact that “he understands the unwavering commitment of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura to institute a government of transparency, rapid development, financial probity and discipline and provide a voice for the voiceless in Nasarawa State.” as he has served as Deputy Director General of Ta’al Campaign Organization from 2010 to 2011”.

Benue Deputy Gov’s Slot: Youths Clamour For Ode As APC Picks Abounu uel Ortom.

There has been tension and serious maneuverings among the members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state over the deputy governorship slot. Several potential candidates are being mentioned namely, Sam Ode, Paul Harris Ogbole, John Ngbede and Mathias Oyigeya among others.

The Minda youths had earlier visited Governor Gabriel Suswam and appealed to him to pick Sam Ode to be deputy to Terhemen Tarzoor, the PDP flag bearer. They said Ode is competent

and well experienced to run the affairs of the state.

However, the youths yesterday stormed the streets of Makurdi and stated that it will extend the peaceful demonstration to the three main towns in the state including Otukpo, Katsina-Ala and Gboko to ensure that their demand is heard and attended to.

Fielding questions from newsmen, president of the group, Comrade Adoyi Ocheme and secretary, Iortim Pius explained that Ode’s candidature will enhance rapid development of the state.

8 NEWS

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Vandals Sabotaged Power Generation Target FROM PAGE 5

this affects the ability that we have to generate power. We currently have available capacity to deliver roughly 7,000MW of power. But because we are constrained by volumes of gas available, we can do about 40004500MW.” Speaking further he said, “In midNovember we did hit about 42004500MW generation but today we are doing 3,600MW because gas pipelines have been blown up. So the pattern is, we go up to 4000-4200MW, the pipelines get blown up and then we are down to 3000-3100MW.” He added that as repairs are effected depending on the nature of the pipeline breach, it would take four to six weeks and, in the case of the Lagos-

Escravos system, it took six months to fix, which was damaged in nine places.”

On the other hand, Nebo announced January 1, 2015, as the effective date for the declaration of the Transitional Electricity Market (TEM).

The TEM declaration will mark the take-off of all vesting and contractual obligations precedent in the nation’s fledging electricity market.

The minister, who disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum yesterday in Abuja, said that the main focus of TEM would be the consummation of all contractual obligations as stipulated in the electricity market rules.

He explained that the TEM declaration was not the start of the transition, but an attempt to make the market more mature and robust.

Jonathan

35 Killed In Gombe, Bauchi Bombings FROM PAGE 5

northeastern Nigeria.

According to the Hausa service of the BBC, this is the first time that the country’s troops have uncovered the Boko Haram training ground in the country since the infiltration of the sect, and appears to represent a further success for the military after it said it killed 116 militants last week.

“The Rapid Intervention Battalion of our army immediately launched an attack, seized 84 children between seven and 15 who were undergoing training in the camp, arrested 45 of the trainers and killed many more,” he told Reuters. There was no independent confirmation.

The children are being investigated to determine whether they are Cameroonian or Nigerian while the 45 militant trainers arrested will be transferred to the capital Yaounde, he said.

Boko Haram operating under foreign influence - Northern Govs Governors of the 19 northern states have urged Nigerians to look carefully to ascertain if the terrorist activities unleashed on the northeastern states of that region by the Boko Haram sect were not a foreign war against the country.

The chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and governor of Niger State Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who made this observation, noted that insurgency was a social problem that should be addressed from an international perspective rather than domestic.

The governor, who spoke at the 7th general assembly of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, lamented that the Boko Haram menace had taken graver dimension and Nigerian authorities must look at beyond the shores of Nigeria to properly situate the problem in order to be able to evolve a lasting solution.

“This may be the time for us to dig deeper to find out what we really have on our hands. Are we truly fighting Boko Haram insurgency, a criminal franchise or indeed a foreign war which we have unfortunately domesticated,” he asked.

Aliyu appealed to royal fathers to

use their privileged positions and proximity to the people to come up with a holistic plan aimed at restoring the eroded cultural and moral values among Nigerians towards ensuring continued stability, unity and progress of the country.

“As traditional leaders, you can assist the development process in the society by involving yourselves in areas of education, poverty eradication and fighting illiteracy. You must be bold in upholding and promoting the highest standards of morality in the national interest.”

He urged the traditional rulers to ensure that security and welfare form a major part of the deliberations.

Unmask sponsors of Boko Haram – Mark Senate President David Mark has declared that one way to end the onslaught of Boko Haram on Nigerians is to unmask their sponsors within and outside the country.

To this end, Senator Mark implored community leaders and citizens alike to collaborate with security operatives in order to fish out the financiers of the criminals without delay.

Mark, who spoke after decorating his aide-camp (ADC) Abel Miri with his new rank of assistant commissioner of police (ACP) in Abuja yesterday, urged security operatives to bring their intellect and investigative skills to bear in discovering those behind the insurgency.

In a press statement issued by his chief press secretary Paul Mumeh, he said: “The unabating situation demands extraordinary measures to handle. All of us, irrespective of status, must be alert to our responsibilities. Let us rise as one people faced with a common problem to say no to these harbingers of death. Let’s come together and work hard to free ourselves.

“All Nigerians must see these terrorists as a threat to our existence. Nobody should sit on the fence any more. It is a choice we have to make in chasing these terrorists away or wait to be consumed by them. This is not about politics, religion or ethnicity.

It is about our survival as a nation”.

Election Violence: Jonathan Seeks Help From Royal Fathers

By George Agba, Abuja

Apparently jolted by the alarm raised by former Nigeria’s external affairs minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, over impending post-election violence in 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan has turned to traditional rulers across the country for help.

In his address at the 7th General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) held in Abuja yesterday, the president appealed to the royal fathers to assist in enlightening their subjects on peaceful conduct during and after the 2105 general elections.

LEADERSHIP had reported yesterday that Akinyemi had written to Jonathan and General Mohammed Buhari (rtd), requesting them to meet and sign a memorandum of undertaking that they would control their respective supporters after the elections.

President Jonathan spoke through his deputy, Vice President Namadi Sambo, at the 7th general assembly of the NCTRN with the theme: ‘Sustaining the Natural Mandate of the Traditional Institutions in Contemporary Nigeria’.

He acknowledged the unifying force and the tremendous contributions of the traditional institution in maintaining peace and stability in the country.

The president said, “As royal fathers and traditional rulers, such a time calls for your wise counsel and the enlightenment of your subjects as well as prayers to ensure hitch-free and successful elections across the federation.

“The role of the traditional institutions, as the custodian of our rich cultural heritage, has contributed immensely to ensuring high moral standards amongst the citizenry and must be greatly

appreciated.”

Calling on the royal fathers to assist governments at all levels to end the surmountable security challenges in the country, Jonathan said government was doing its best in uplifting the socioeconomic status of Nigerians, through job and wealth creation mechanisms.

Earlier the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, had reaffirmed the commitment of the royal fathers to the peace, unity, justice and stability of the nation, while also urging government to positively look into their recommendations.

He said the assembly was going to extensively deliberate on issues affecting the country, particularly the preparations leading to the 2015 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the insecurity ravaging the northeastern part of the country, among others.

In his keynote address, INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, assured the traditional rulers of the commission’s readiness and determination to deliver free, fair and credible election, in 2015, which would surpass that of 2011.

He appealed to the traditional rulers to partner with the commission to ensure attitudinal change by the electorate and the political class to ensure success of the forthcoming polls.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the governor Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, urged them to come up with holistic traditional mechanisms to address the security and socio-economic challenges in the country.

The NCTRN is chaired and co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Oni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuade.

news north-East, north-west 9

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Ribadu’s Guber Bid Gets Support From Adamawa Technocrats, Politicians

BY MOHAMMED ISMAIL, Yola

The gubernatorial ambition of the former chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu got a boost yesterday as a coalition of technocrats and politicians from different persuations under the aegis of Ribadu Awareness Network (RAN) en-

dorses his candidature.

Spokesperson for the group, Desmond Menakaro, said the group finds it expedient to support the candidature of Ribadu as a patriotic move to salvage the state from the doldrums of underdevelopment noting that Ribadu is the only candidate who has the experience, courage and the will to entrench solid developmental strides in the state.

“We believe that all the other

political candidates are good but Nuhu Ribadu is the best. That is why we appeal to other gubernatorial candidates of various political parties who are by now convinced on the credibility of Ribadu to courageously declare their support for him.

“The decision to support Nuhu Ribadu is borne out of our desire for transformation and restructuring of our dear state.

We believe that with his wealth

of experience, both nationally and internationally, he is the right man that can fix the various components of Adamawa State,” Menakaro said.

He further stated that in view of the dearth of developmental strides that has dogged the state for a very long time, the choice of Ribadu remains the last option to liberate the state from the brink of collapse resulting from many years of neglect.

Over N40m Raised For Spinal Centre At Kano National Orthopaedic Hospital Over N40 million was realised at the fund raising ceremony for the construction of a modern spinal centre at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano yesterday.

Speaking during the 55th anniversary of the hospital, the chief medical director of Dala Orthopaedic, Dr. Muhammad Salihu, disclosed that the endowment fund is part of the hospital’s events to celebrate 55-year anniversary.

According to him, the need to have the centre came up due to the increasing cases of spinal illnesses and the demands for specialized medical attention on such issues.

Dr Salihu recently revealed that spinal disease is the problem that causes almost 70 percent of medical tourism among Nigerians.

“Spinal disease is the disease that disturbs a majority of Nigerians and even if one doesn’t have it now, one could have it in future,” he said.

By Abubakar Salihi, Kano

Job Creation, Solution To War Against Drug Abuse – NDLEA Kaduna State governor Mukhtar Ramallan Yero, state commissioner for youth and sport Mr Everton Yari, and one of the beneficiaries during the flag-off of Youth and Women Empowerment Development Programme 2013 Sure-P held in Kaduna yesterday. PHOTO GBENGA ABIOLA.

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Senator Dumps PDP For APC in Kaduna

By Midat Joseph, Kaduna

By Midat Joseph, Kaduna

Amidst pomp, the newly built magnificent Top Galaxy Hotel, located in Sabo, Kaduna State, has been commissioned by Governor Mukhtar Ramallan Yero of Kaduna State, with the governor tasking subjects on the need for ethno-religious tolerance.

Speaking at the commissioning, Yero said it was high time people in the state shunned ethno-religious differences and worked for the greater benefit of the state and

country at large, adding that except the people of the state saw each other as one, it would continue to be easy for desperate politicians to continue to take advantage of this gulluptibity to fan the embers of hatred and discontempt for their selfish gains.

He admonished those living in the state not to be apprehensive of the 2015 general elections and desert the state, saying the state government will do everything possible to ensure the protection of lives and properties in the state.

He said the best way to resent the antics of such politicians was not to desert the state or any other but to emphatically ensure that they stayed and voted next year.

“Leadership comes from God and He gives it to whom he wills.

So when you have politicians who are so desperate to the point if calling for killings, maiming and destruction of lives and properties of the citizenry, it shows you the true nature of these individuals and the reason why we must collectively resist them”, Gov Yero stated.

Adamu Aliero Remains APC Member – Party Spokesman

By YAHYA SARKI, Kebbi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State has debunked the rumour going around the state that a onetime governor of the state and former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammadu Adamu Aliero has dumped the party.

The party’s publicity secretary, Alhaji Sani Dododo, who made this known to newsmen at the party secretariat, stated that it was not true

that Adamu Aliero has quit the party as being widely rumored in the state.

Dododo said such wicked rumor was the handiwork of mischiefmakers in the political arena bent on discrediting the politician and smear his political image.

“The rumour is a speculation coming from the opposition circle to draw cheap attention to their side because they knew that APC is a party to beat in today’s Kebbi State,” he said.

The party spokesman also debunked the story as pasted on Facebook, twitter and other social media, describing such as another handiwork of idle minded people whose life depends primarily on circulating rumor to distract attention.

The APC spokesperson challenged the PDP to show evidence that Aliero has left APC for the PDP and buttressed his claim that Aliero is still in the APC.

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Lack Of Internal Democracy Force Me Out Of PDP- Gov Lamido Loyalist The member representing Birnin Kudu/Buji, Alhaji Muhammed Sabo Nakudu, has attributed his decision to dump the PDP and join the APC to the lack of democratic tenets which became hallmark of the party.

Nakudu, a longtime ally of Governor Sule Lamido, stated this while speaking to thousand of his supporters and executive members of APC in Dutse.

By Muh’d Zangina Kura, Dutse

,

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Caleb Zagi from the Southern Kaduna zone, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sen. Zagi represented Southern Kaduna Senatorial District at the upper chamber between 2007 and under the PDP. The publicity secretary of APC in Kaduna state, Dr. Bege Katuka, who confirmed the development to journalists in Kaduna said the leadership has accepted Senator Zagi’s defection.

Ethno-religious Tolerance, Panacea For National Growth – Yero

Nigeria Drug Law enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that job creation is the only alternative in winning war against drug abuse in Nigeria.

Alhaji Baba Hussaini, Director, Drug Demand Reduction, NDLEA headquarters, Lagos, stated this yesterday while speaking to newsmen shortly after the NDLEA Anti-drug abuse and trafficking awareness/sensitization in Kaduna.

According to him, “The government is doing its best in this fight. As far as I am concerned, job creation is the only alternative in winning war against drug abuse in Nigeria,” he said.

Alhaji Hussaini who said drug trafficking is taking a new dimension, called on every Nigerian to join hands with the agency by providing it with information on any case of drug trafficking and abuse in their environment.

On his part, the state permanent secretary, Ministry of Youths and Sports, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe Musa, expressed worry over the increased involvement of women in drug abuse, especially married ones.

Alhaji Ibrahim said this group of people are difficult to counsel due to religion restriction on talking to married women.

By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna

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stories of the Tuesday, December 23, 2014

...NEWS WITH A HUMAN FACE

YULETIDE: 8,000 Chickens Crushed To Death In Road Accident

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin City

Scarcity of chicken may hit Benin City, the ancient capital town of Edo State, as over 8,000 poultry birds were crushed to death along the Ugbowo axis of the Benin-Lagos road in the state.

The incident which occurred in the early hours of yesterday involved a heavy duty truck along the busy route.

It was learnt that the driver of the heavy duty truck had travelled throughout the night on the Benin-Ore Lagos expressway when the ugly incident happened.

He was said to have dozed off and in the process, lost control before he crashed at the popular Adolor juncture in Egor local government area of the state.

An eyewitness, who gave her name as Ms Amenze, a trader, disclosed that the truck rammed into a ditch and somersaulted, killing the birds in the process.

No life was lost in the crash but the driver of the vehicle sustained injuries.

Checks revealed yesterday that poultry bird sold as high as N4,000 in available markets within Benin metropolis.

ACCIDENT: Okada Crushes Man In Ilorin

By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin

An unidentified middle-aged man was at the weekend crushed to death by a commercial motorcycle operator along Ajase-Ipo road, Ilorin, Kwara State.

According to an eyewitness who did not want his name in print, the incident occurred around 9:30am on the ill-fated day.

He said that the victim was suspected to have been drunk to stupor and while attempting to cross the road, he was hit by the Okada operator.

The victim, according to a source, was immediately rushed to the state civil service clinic, Ilorin, by officers of A division police state, where he was confirmed dead.

At the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the Okada man was also admitted at the same hospital, where he is receiving medical treatment while his motorcycle was reportedly impounded at the A division police in the state.

Speaking with newsmen on the incident, a trader in the area who also craved anonymity, said it was a usual habit of the deceased to get drunk.

The source said, “no one knows where he comes from and he has no means of identification.”

Wheelbarrow pushers in a scuffle at Wuse market, Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY JANE OKEKE

theft: Court Jails 3 Fraudsters For Stealing N480, 000

by Gbenga Soyele, Lagos

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, has convicted and sentenced the trio of James Ettete; Ekene Jude and Abidemi Adesanya to two and half years imprisonment each, for stealing the sum of N480,000( Four Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira only) belonging to Skye Bank Plc. They were arraigned in May 2014, on a six- count charge, bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, forgery and use of false document.

Justice Ipaye found them guilty on all the counts and convicted them accordingly.

The sentence is to run from the day of

arraignment.

Trouble came for the convicts, when the management of Skye Bank petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over their fraudulent activities.

They were operating as a syndicate of fraudsters, who specialized in stealing bankers’ identity, to enable them effect fraudulent wire transfers from unsuspecting and wellfunded customers’ account.

They contacted some staff of the bank to join the syndicate.

However, the staff members informed the bank and were asked to play along.

They were later arrested by operatives of the EFCC.

RAPE: Apprentice Arrested For Defiling 12-year-old Girl

By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

The police in Asaba, Delta State, have arrested one Ugochukwu Ernest, a trader apprentice at the popular Ogbogonogo market who lives in Okpanam community for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl.

The suspect was said to have descended on the girl right inside his master’s shop after all his efforts to woo the girl for a relationship proved abortive.

Expectedly, Ugochukwu, a 28- year- old native of Nkwo, Enugu State, had allegedly been involved in similar rape case in his home town after several efforts to write school certificate hit the rock and eventually went into business.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, disclosed that the victim on Saturday, had approached

the suspect for body cream after their usual love jokes and was allegedly lured into his master’s inner store, knowing that the master had travelled to Onitsha to purchase more goods.

The suspect was said to have descended on the victim, practically tearing her clothes, an act that left her with no option than to shout for help.

DSP Celestina Kalu said that the victim, upon interrogation, confessed to how the suspect tore her pants in his attempt to penetrate her vagina when she screamed for help that attracted co-traders and other persons to the scene .

Although the suspect was said to have denied the allegation, but DSP Kalu said the suspect is currently helping the police for further investigation, adding that on completion of investigation, he would be charged to court.

NABBED: Police Arrest Kidnappers, Rescue 3 Others

By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

The police in Delta State have arrested three alleged kidnappers and rescued three others after a long battle of gun duel around Okwe community, Asaba, at the weekend.

Reports said that the kidnap suspects were arrested on a tip- off by the police after they had allegedly kidnapped a 22year- old lady (name withheld) who was on her to Asaba from Awka, Anambra State.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, explained that the police detectives at the B Division police station in Asaba, received information that some kidnap suspects were taking away the 22- year –old lady in a Toyota car with registration number AA 231 XX, adding that the police swung into action and engaged the suspects in a gun battle where three others who were believed to be kidnapped by the suspects were freed.

DSP Kalu disclosed that the police have been constantly combing Okwe community and its environs, following reports of criminal activities, including criminal hideouts in recent times.

She said that the suspects upon interrogation confessed to the crime, saying that they had kidnapped one Maduekwe Uchenna (f) and one Stanley Okeh, before they moved into Okwe community.

Items recovered from the suspects, DSP Kalu said, include three AK 47, and some charms made into calabash including a cash of N80, 000, adding that the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation.

STORIES OF THE DAY 11

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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Photo News

murder: Rival Gang Kills OPC Member, Bus Driver By: Patrick Ochoga, Benin City

Fear has gripped residents of Uwelu and New Benin area of Benin City, Edo State capital following the separate bloody killings of a member of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), simply identified as Victor, by unknown gunmen.

The incident which occurred at about 8 pm Saturday night, sent residents of Uwelu quarters running for their dear lives as volley of bullets were shot into the air to make way for their quick escape.

The late Victor was said to have been on his way home after attending his association’s end of year meeting, at the residence of one its members when they were attacked by the armed men numbering about five.

As at the time of filing in this report, the motive for the killing remained unclear.

However, leaders of the group had threatened to take the law into their hands to avenge the killing should the police authorities failed to apprehend the people responsible for the crime.

Similarly, a commercial bus driver, popularity referred to as tuke-tuke in the ancient city was also shot dead in the head in broad day light by two armed men at New Benin, a busy commercial area.

They were said to have traced him to a motor park where he was loading his bus and shot him in the head repeatedly in the presence of some passengers who had boarded the bus and later disappeared into the market unchallenged.

The Edo State Police Public Relations officer, DSP Noble Uwoh, while confirming the separate incidents, said investigation into the matter has commenced.

L-R: Former EFCC chairman Nuhu Ribadu and director, Operations, EFCC, Mr Olu Adegbite, during the anti-graft body’s maiden rewards ceremony at the EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja, yesterday.

PIPELINE VANDALISM: Court Remands 4 In Prison OLUGBENGA SOYELE, Lagos

Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday remanded four men arraigned before him by the police in prison custody for alleged vandalism and unlawful dealing in petroleum products .

The accused persons, Andrew Ishola, 35, Sunkanmi Aro, 27, Utuedor Micheal, 27, and Oladele Agbo, 35, were docked on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, vandalism and unlawful dealing in petroleum products.

The prosecutor, Raymond Akhane informed the court that the accused persons were apprehended by a team of policemen at the Majidun area of Ikorodu in Lagos, after a tip off sometime in November.

Akhane also allegedly that the accused

persons tampered with the free flow of refined petroleum products through an oil pipeline in the locality, and engaged in illegal sale of the products.

He maintained that the offence contravene the provisions of sections 3(1), 5, and 7 of the Miscellanous Offence Act, 2004.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, a development that made their counsel, McAnthony Akhariale to urge the court to grant them bail.

Justice Yunusa admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1 million each, with two sureties each in like sum.

He, however, ordered that they be remanded in custody, pending the fulfillment of their bail condition.

He adjourned the case to March 31, for hearing.

KILLING: Suspected Sea Pirates Kill 3 Soldiers Osa Okhomina, Yenagoa

Suspected sea pirates yesterday launched a deadly attack against military personnel attached to the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) code named, Operation Pulo Shield, killing three along the waterways and creeks of Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the armed sea pirates, displaying superior artistry of arms and ammunitions, hijacked a military gunboat after killing their victims at about 4pm on Sunday.

It was learnt that the soldiers were ambushed and killed at Santa Barbara, a notorious river in Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area.

They were on escort duty of a cargo belonging to the Brass terminal owned

by NAOC when the gunmen opened fire on them.

A security source said the soldiers were moving from Port Harcourt, Rivers State

to Brass, Bayelsa State, when they came under attack.

The source, who pleaded anonymity said, “They were ambushed by deadly pirates. It is suspected that the gunmen either hijacked the gunboat, later killed the soldiers and threw their dead bodies into the water or they shot and pushed them into the water before stealing the gunboat.”

“The gunboat appears to be the target of the hoodlums especially as arms are being stockpiled by militants for 2015.

The Santa Barbara where the incident occurred is in Nembe and is notorious for piracy”.

But the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, believed that the soldiers were not dead but missing.

The outgoing media coordinator, JTF, Col. Mustapha Anka, confirmed the attack but said it was premature to conclude that the soldiers were killed by the pirates.

R-L: Corps marshal/CEO, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, decorating deputy corps commander Haviz Muhammed, with his new rank. He is assisted by the deputy corps marshal, Motor Vehicle Administration, Charles Theophilus.

R-L: Deputy governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi; executive director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Muhammad, and managing director, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Mr Lekan Asuni, at the national launch of pneumonia vaccine introduction in Nigeria by the NPHCDA, in Lokoja, Kogi State, yesterday.

L-R: President, Men’s Fellowship, Revival Assembly Church/managing director, Slot Nigeria Ltd, Mr Nnamdi Ezeigbo; guest speaker of the ocassion, Mazi Sam Ohunabunwa, and head pastor, Revival Assembly Church, Apostle Anselm Madubuko, during the church’s Christmas/Men’s Fellowship, at the church auditorium, Ogba, Lagos. PHOTO BY BENEDICT UWALAKA

12

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

news south-west 13

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Apprehension In Oyo PDP Over INEC’s Court Letter

The letter by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the court order restraining the electoral body from recognising the party’s candidates for the 2015 general elections in Oyo State has created apprehension among the party members across the state.

Fielding questions from journalists after the party’s stakeholders’ meeting held at the party’s state secretariat in Ibadan, the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin said INEC letter notwithstanding, there was no cause for alarm. In the letter the electoral body was restrained from accepting, recognising or treating as nominated candidates of the PDP who did not emerge in accordance with the order of the court.

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Police Promise Not To Meddle In Ekiti Assembly

By Alo Abiola, Ado-Ekiti

The Ekiti State Police Command, yesterday said that it will not meddle in the political crisis that has engulfed the state Assembly.

It however, warned the lawmakers to operate within the confines of the laws even as the command is not opposed to the idea of having two factions in the Assembly.

The police was reacting to the claim by the embattled speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Adewale Omirin that Governor Ayodele Fayose was planning to arrest him and 18 other All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers.

The command’s public relations officer , Mr Victor Babayemi in a telephone conversation with journalists in Ado-Ekiti yesterday said the com-

mand has not received instruction from anybody to arrest the lawmakers for forming a parallel Assembly and holding a separate sitting.

The Omirin-led faction of the Assembly had last Thursday held a plenary at undisclosed location where Hon Dele Olugbemi, the speaker of pro-Fayose lawmakers and six others were suspended and their legislative actions nullified.

FUNAAB Condemns Discrimination Against Women African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) fellows at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta has frowned at the discrimination being faced by the girlchild in the society and called for a change.

This position was made known during a role modelling event with the theme, “The Girl Child Can Make a Change”, organised by two AWARD fellows, Dr. Modupe Babajide and Dr. Olubukola Isah.

Speaking at the occasion, the guest speaker, Prof Alaba Jolaosho, stated that a world without the girl-child would be without peace, love and beauty.

By Gbenga Adeboye, Abeokuta

Oyo Commits N5.3bn To Roads Rehabilitation Oyo State government, in conjunction with the local government councils, is currently embarking on the rehabilitation/ reconstruction of a total of 62 roads across the 33 local government areas of the state at the cost of N5.3 billion.

The special adviser to the governor on media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, in a statement in Ibadan yesterday, said that the rehabilitation/reconstruction of the affected roads had become necessary in view of their bad state owing to long years of neglect.

He also said that the roads were picked by the caretaker committee chairmen in their respective areas based on their levels of disrepair.

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Mr Sola Adeeyo, Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola and former special adviser to the governor on water resources, Mrs Tawakalitu Williams at a recent inspection tour to the Kajola water dam in the state. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

Osun Offers Free Train Transport For Xmas, New Year

By Joshua Dada, Osogbo

Holiday makers travelling from Lagos along the corridors of Ogun, Oyo to Osun states have again been offered free train rides as part of the efforts of Osun State government to make the festive season stress-free.

This gesture is in continuation of the free train ride services embarked upon by the government during festive periods, which started in 2011.

A statement by the director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the free train ride service underscores the responsiveness of the

government to the needs of the masses.

He said, “The first batch of the train passengers will be brought in from Lagos on Wednesday 24th December from the Iddo Terminus in Lagos by 11am. Passengers will also be taken back to Lagos from Osogbo Train Station on the 28th, December.

“The free train ride will also on 31st December convey passengers from Lagos to Osogbo and on the 4th of January, it will convey passengers from Osogbo back to Lagos.”

According to him, during the last Ramadan, free train ride service was offered by the state government to take Osun-bound passengers from Lagos to

Osun and other neighbouring states.

He said, “Passengers were also taken by the train service free of charge to Lagos State after festive periods in Osun State.”

Since its inception in 2011, the free train service has boosted tourism. in the state as it services as a source of encouragement to thousands who desire to travel but consider the prohibitive transport fares and the usually hectic traffic situation associated with such seasons on the Nigerian roads.

The gesture has also rekindled the trust of Nigerians in the viability of the hitherto moribund railway system as a means of transportation.

short news Kidnap: ASUU Demands Unconditional Release Of Chairman’s Wife The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has demanded unconditional release of the kidnapped wife of the ASUU chairman of Osun State University, Dr Seye Abiola.

Speaking with newsmen in Ibadan after attending a special congress of the union at the University of Osun, Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye asked both the federal government and Governor Rauf Aregbesola to justify their title as the commanderin-chief and chief security officer of the state respectively by securing the release of Mrs Abiona.

Prof Ajiboye who said the kidnap was a major challenge to the union that has always fought for the emancipation of the masses urging the kidnappers “to release our wife, our daughter and our mother unconditionally and unharmed.”

Flanked by the national treasurer of the union, Dr Ademola Aremu, Prof Ajiboye bemoaned the silence of Governor Aregbesola.

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Ekiti PDP, APC Trade Words Over ‘Stomach Infrastructure’

By ALO ABIOLA, Ado- Ekiti

Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) for adopting Governor Ayo Fayose’s stomach infrastructure policy, saying it is hypocrisy at its peak to do the same thing it had previously condemned.

The party, in a statement signed by its secretary, Dr Tope

Aluko in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said Governor Fayose’s concept of stomach infrastructure had been further justified by its adoption by the APC national leader and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, who personnally distributed 2,000 bags of rice, vegetable oil, sugar and a little cash gift to people from various parts of Lagos State on Sunday.

Aluko while restating the com-

mitment of the government to the people’s welfare said, “They abuse us for providing immediate succour for our people.

They described stomach infrastructure as an insult to Ekiti people. They said it does not add value to the people; it diminishes their self-esteem, it diminishes their sense of self-worth and it denigrates what politics ought to be about.

“However, their party lead-

er in Lagos on Sunday, adopted the same concept of stomach infrastructure by personally sharing food items to people.

“After condemning the concept, isn’t it rather too late that the APC people are just realising that poverty should be addressed by providing immediate succour because poverty is poverty; it knows no religion and it has no tribal mark; and it affects everyone of us?”

14 news south-South south-East South-East, SouthSouth Hunters Declare

BY ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, Port War On Boko Haram naira in training some of the repen-

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Ex-Militants Demand Review Of Amnesty Programme

A group comprising thousands of hunters from the South/East and South/South zones of Nigeria yesterday declared that it is mobilising its members to join their counterparts in the North/East to confront the Boko Haram insurgents in the region.

The group, under the aegis of Association of Animal Hunters of Nigeria (AAHON), said in a statement by the president, Raymond Macaulay in Benin City yesterday, that it would organise a mobilisation rally to sensitise its members and the public on the move.

“We just want to be there, and put this nonsense behind us. As hunters, what hurts one hurts all. We are feeling what they have been feeling. And now, we are going there in our thousands to confront this nonsense.”

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin City

Harcourt

Former militants in the Niger Delta region, under the aegis of the Niger Delta Peoples Democratic Front (NDPDF), have faulted the present Amnesty Programme of the federal government and called for its review.

NDPDF leader, Precious Iyoyo, popularly known as ‘Commander Playboy’, who made the call in a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, said that the group rejected amnesty because it was not meant to address the causes of their agitation in the region.

Iyoyo maintained that the federal government had wasted billions of

tant Niger Delta warlords abroad, without providing jobs for them at the end of the training.

He stated that government should have invested the money in building manufacturing industries to create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the region and reduce restiveness.

The NDPDF leader said, “This is a clarion call on the federal and state governments to take a second look at the way and manner the amnesty programme is presently structured. Reason has been that the programme has not yielded the desired result of creating manpower and employment for the teeming youths of

the Niger Delta.

“It has also not been empowering and stemming the sufferings and frustration of the youths of Niger Delta as promised by the federal government in 2009. It is frustrating that the ex-freedom fighters that have been trained, on their return, have no jobs to fall back to, after training. This, in all sense, is abnormal.”

The militant leader disclosed that reviewing the amnesty programme to accommodate the agitators was vital, in order to address issues of marginalisation, joblessness and frustration, as well as to forestall being used by politicians to foment trouble in the forthcoming general elections.

Iyoyo said, “We are calling on the federal and state governments to create job opportunities for the teeming youths through peopleoriented policies and programmes.

The federal government should in the same vein, integrate those freedom fighters, who did not take amnesty in 2009, into productive empowerment schemes”.

“With that, the government would be meeting the promises it made to the people and freedom fighters in Niger Delta in 2009; so, that, the boys will not go back to the creeks, or be used by politicians to ferment trouble as agents of election thuggery and rigging in the 2015 general elections.”

short Ebonyi/Ibeto Dispute: Govt Condemns Illegal Entry To Nigercem

Yuletide: Rice Dealers, Others Make Brisk Business In Asaba Barely three days to Christmas, rice dealers in Asaba, Delta State, as well as tomatoes and chicken sellers are making brisk business from the high patronage of their wares by various consumers.

A survey conducted by our correspondent indicated that besides the patronage from neighbouring states, civil servants from various cooperative societies in the state are requesting for more rice supply.

Some of the dealers at the popular Ogbogonogo and Abraka markets who spoke to our correspondent explained that the cooperatives were making bulk purchases to share among their members before Christmas, noting that the high cost of the commodities is due to the festive season.

By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

Delta Declares War Against Gas Pipeline Vandals, Power Station Saboteurs, Oil Thieves Delta State government has constituted a 21-man committee in its effort to stage critical wars against gas pipeline vandals, power station saboteurs and oil thieves.

The state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who dropped the hint in Asaba yesterday while speaking to journalists, said the state had chosen to renew the war against vandals of gas supply pipelines to some parts of the state including the oil thieves in the riverine area.

He said the 21-man committee will work secretly with security agents, adding that the decision is to ensure that vandals, saboteurs of government properties and oil thieves have no place in the scheme of things.

By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

L-R: Senator Magnus Abe; Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi; deputy governor, Mr Tele Ikuru and Rivers APC governorship candidate, Mr Peterside Dakuku, at the start of APC campaign in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO BY NAN.

Bleak Xmas For Imo Civil Servants

By Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

Civil servants in Imo State may be going on long holidays courtesy of a two-week holiday granted them by the state government for the Christmas and New Year celebrations even as their salaries are yet to be paid.

Going by the state-wide broadcast by Governor Rochas

Okorocha at the weekend, the hope of the civil servants celebrating the festivals with their salaries appears bleak as the governor expressed uncertainty over the possibility of the payment before the year ends.

“The workers would be proceeding on two weeks holiday; their salaries would not be paid immediately but it

would be paid soon,” Okorocha stated.

Meanwhile, workers in the state are complaining of financial hardship as most of them settled for meat from local vendors and purchase of their children’s clothings from the popular “Okrika” sellers.

A civil servant who spoke to LEADERSHIP on condition of anonymity said, “I can’t af-

ford a bag of rice; if I can manage to buy some cups of rice and some meat, I will thank God; my children’s wears have been bought already at school road where cheap secondhand clothes are sold.”

Traders of the seasonal items are not left out in the complaint as they lamented low patronage by their customers.

NPC Boss Stresses Need For Creativity In Education

By Lanre Arotimi, Calabar

Director general of National Productivity Centre (NPC), Dr Paul Bdliya, has advised Nigerian students to be creative in their studies, noting that education for white collar jobs is no longer adequate.

He stated this yesterday at the inauguration of a productivity club at Government Secondary School, Henshaw town, Calabar.

According to him, the event tagged ‘Productivity In Action School Programme’, is a form of

pre-employment/pre-vocational education to create awareness aimed at preparing youths for a functional and productive work life.

Speaking through the state coordinator, Mr Joseph Bankole, he said, “Many people think that when they go to school and graduate, they must have a job with government. Education for white collar job is no longer adequate.

“The job with government is no longer there; but jobs are everywhere if only we can look inward. One of the major challeng-

es is that people are unable to use their brains and minds to create jobs.

“We need to redesign our curriculum and get a functional education that will produce thinkers who can solve societal problems.”

Bdliya, who believes the 6-3-34 educational system would have been the best for Nigeria, decried the inability of successive administrations in the country to fully implement it.

“We can change the situation by infusing into our educational curricular what will give you the

The Ebonyi State government yesterday condemned the recent entry of Ibeto Cement Company into the premises of Nigercem located at Nkalagu, Ishielu local government area.

It described the entry as illegal and a gross act of provocation against the government in view of the fact that the dispute over the ownership of the factory is still in court.

The chief press secretary to the Ebonyi State governor, Dr Onyekachi Eni stated this yesterday in Abakaliki.

By Obinna Ogbonnaya Abakaliki

ability to use your hands when you leave school.

“The 6-3-3-4 system of education would have been the best for Nigeria, but what happened? The inability of past administrations to do the necessary implementation due to improper planning,” he said.

While describing the students as agent of change, he encouraged them to always believe in productivity, preach productivity as well as practice productivity both within and outside the school.

NEWS/BUSINESS 15

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

business

10.5 % Afren’s shares had risen as much as 10.5 per cent

Falling Oil Price: Seplat Bids For Afren

BY Chika Izuora, Lagos with agency report

The consequence of the falling oil price is beginning to emerge as oil companies are looking to cut production cost.

There are indications that mergers and acquisitions may become major consideration for players in the sector in 2015.

Already, a British oil and gas group with operations in Africa and Iraq, Afren, has received what it called a “highly preliminary approach” from Nigeria’s Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc after an oil price rout set the stage for

takeover activities in the sector.

Afren’s shares had risen as much as 10.5 per cent following news of the approach, and after a run-up that forced it to reveal Seplat’s interest.

Financial Times reports that Afren Plc noted the recent movement in Afren’s share price and confirmed that it has received a highly preliminary approach from Seplat regarding a possible combination with Afren.

The price of the global oil marker, Brent crude, has fallen more than 40 per cent since mid-June due to lack of global demand and a surge in production of the United States (US) shale oil. This trend, according

to experts, makes it attractive for oil companies to try to merge in order to cut costs.

According to industry sources, one response to such sustained financial pressure will be an upsurge in deal making, as in the merger boom of 1998-2000 that brought BP together with Amoco and Arco, Exxon with Mobil, and Chevron with Texaco.

Mergers and acquisitions, experts say, will make it possible to cut out duplication of overheads, and to improve the performance of undermanaged assets. “The nascent homegrown oil industry in Nigeria has grown exponentially over the last five years, buying assets from

the oil super-majors,” said the FT report.

“Big Oil wants to reduce its onshore presence in Nigeria, in the face of theft and sabotage and long delays to a government bill setting out new terms for operators.”

Royal Dutch Shell, Total of France, Eni of Italy and Chevron and ConocoPhillips of the US are among the companies that have sold about $5bn worth of oil fields and pipelines since 2008-09. Nigerian oil companies such as Oando and Shoreline Natural Resources, as well as Seplat and Afren, had been among the buyers, supported with debt from local and international banks.

BUSINESS QUOTE Ten minutes are not just one-sixth of your hourly pay.

Ten minutes are a piece of yourself.

Divide your life into ten-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity. Ingvar Kampard, founder of IKEA (1926-)

Equity Market Continues To Rebound

BY OLUSHOLA BELLO Lagos

L-R: Chief executive officer, First Citizens Bancorporation Inc (FCBN), Mr Ladi Balogun; governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele and chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi during the signing of the MoU with the CBN and other stakeholders in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

Customer Slams Unity Bank With N100bn Libel Suit

BY KUNLE OLAsunMI, Abuja

Unity Bank Plc has been dragged before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court by an internationally acclaimed reputable building and civil engineering construction company, Bulet International (Nig) Ltd, over a N100 billion alleged libel suit.

The first plaintiff is Bulet International (Nig) Ltd while the second plaintiff is its chief executive, former minister of water resources and former president of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Ismaila Isa. Trouble started in 2013 when Unity Bank commenced debt recovery actions against Bulet at the FCT High Court and

the case was dismissed on February 24, 2014, for lack of reasonable cause of action by the court.

While the said suit was still pending, Unity Bank, through its lawyer, I. H. Yamah, wrote false and malicious letters to Bulet’s tenants and clients, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, CBN, Australian and American Embassies as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveying an auction sale notice (threatening to sell the property being occupied by the tenants). The plaintiffs said that the defamatory publications were false, malicious, baseless and calculated to mislead the public.

In the offensive letters, the bank

alleged that it loaned the plaintiff N6.856 billion, adding that the bank was in possession of perfected legal mortgage over the landed properties occupied by the tenants, warning them not to have any commitments to their landlord. The bank further instituted another suit which is still pending in court and being challenged by Bulet for non-disclosure of reasonable cause of action, in which ruling has been fixed for February 2015.

The plaintiffs said that while awaiting the ruling, the bank went ahead again to publish public notices and articles in numerous newspapers as well as on its internet outlets specifically addressed to the CBN

containing a list of alleged debtors of which the plaintiff’s names were falsely and maliciously added.

According to the plaintiffs, the letters, newspaper reports and public notices by the bank meant that the plaintiffs are bankrupt and irresponsible and took the bank’s credit with intent to defraud the bank.

The plaintiffs said that the letters and public notices were understood by the public to mean that Unity bank gave the plaintiffs N6.8 billion credit facilities and was in custody of perfected mortgage instruments which exposed the plaintiffs’ tenants to an auction sale of their home and offices.

Bargain-hunting outweighed selling pressure on Monday, enabling equities to continue to rebound on the Nigerian stock market.

This was achieved on the back of gains by 46 stocks led by Nestle, Seplat, and Total, among others.

The All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 1,065.42 points or 3.52 per cent to close at 31,371.93 from the 30,306.51 achieved on Friday, bringing the ASI year-to-date return loss to 24.09 per cent.

Also, market capitalisation, which opened at N10.006 trillion, appreciated N351 billion, to close at N10.006 trillion. Nestle led the gainers’ chart by N26.86 to close at N836 per share. Seplat gained N13.25 to close at N278.27, while Total grew by N7.16 to close at N150.47 per share. Forte Oil appreciated by N6.65 to close at N219.90 while Guinness went up by N6.24 to close at N131.20 per share.

On the other hand, Seven Up recorded the highest price loss of N4.40 to close at N154 per share. Ashaka Cement followed with a loss of N2.39 to close at N22.21 while International Breweries dipped by N1.30 to close at N24.70 per share. CWG lost 21 kobo to close at N4.13 while Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) depreciated by 20 kobo to close at N17.20 per share.

Transcorp emerged as the investors’ delight, accounting for 412.99 million shares worth N1.33 million. FBN Holdings exchanged 62.21 million shares valued at N528.19 million while First City Monument Bank (FCMB) sold 51.7 million shares worth 140.95 million. UBA exchanged 43.1 million shares valued at N178.1 million while Union Bank sold 23.96 million worth N170.71 million.

In all, investors exchanged a total of 837.123 million shares worth N5.45 billion in 5,057 deals on Monday.

Follow these reports on leadership.ng/business

16 NEWS/BUSINESS

NGO Charges FG on Job Creation

BY Mbachu Godwin Nnanna, Abuja

Worried by the high rate of poverty and unemployment in Nigeria, a non governmental organisation, Petterson Clor Foundation, has charged the federal government to redouble its efforts at providing jobs for jobless youths.

The chairman of the foundation, Dr Petterson Isibor, who was decorated by the Nigeria Cooperatives Women Alliance (NICOWA) as its grand patron in Abuja, said that the foundation, through its institute on job and wealth creation, is determined to provide 20 million jobs to the teeming unemployed Nigerian youths who are rooming the streets in search of nonexistent jobs.

Speaking to leadership, Isibor disclosed that the institute, which is affiliated with the Empowerment Plus institute, Texas, United

state of America, will train Nigerian youths in skills acquisition in areas like film making, agriculture, soap making, entrepreneurship among others, for job and wealth creation.

“The programme is also designed to empower students and participants to utilise their skills to create wealth and job toward actualising higher national productivity and development.

The programme is in partnership with the ministry of Niger Delta and Delta State Government,” Isibor said.

He averred that the foundation job and wealth creation programme is part of its corporate social responsibility in addressing the huge challenge of unemployment in Nigeria and regretted that many Nigerian youths are not trained in entrepreneurship and wealth creation at the higher education level.

Cheerie Noodles Rewards 50,000 Customers With Cash yuletide, and restated

BY Chima Akwaja, Lagos

In keeping with its promise of rewarding and empowering its consumers in this Christmas season, one of the leading noodles brands in Nigeria, Cherie Noodles, has rewarded over 50,000 new lucky winners across the country in its consumer promotion tagged ‘Naira Hunt-Free Money.’

The prize presentation, which took place at the popular Ikotun market, Lagos, saw numerous Cherie Noodles consumers going home with various cash prizes ranging from N5,000 to N50,000.

The Lagos event was overseen by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), represented by the head, Lagos Office, Mr Tam Tamunokonbia.

Speaking at the event, the marketing manager, Olam Sanyo Foods Limited, makers of the Cherie brand of noodles, Mrs Bola Adeniji, said that the promo was just one of the ways the company is saying ‘thank you’ to its consumers during this

the brand’s commitment to continue to delight and enrich the lives of its consumers.

“We have carefully timed the Naira Hunt Promo to coincide with the yuletide period when people need money to spend on gifts for their families and loved ones.

And since the promo was launched, winners have continued to emerge daily across the country and have been redeeming their cash prizes of N50, N100, N500, N1,000, N2,000, N5,000, N10,000 and N50,000 respectively,” she said.

Explaining the mechanics of the promo, Adeniji said that what a consumer needs to do is to buy a pack or carton of Cherie Noodles, look inside for the seasoning sachet with the winning amount written on it, and “what you see, is what you get.

“With the seasoning sachet, the consumer should go to their nearest Cherie retailer and collect their cash instantly.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

NSE Targets SMEs To Grow ASeM Sub-sector

BY OLUSHOLA BELLO, Lagos

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has said that it went on a road show across the South West region of Nigeria in a bid to grow its Alternative Securities Market (ASeM).

The ASeM is a specialised board for the listing of emerging companies operating in Nigeria on the NSE and was developed to accommodate small to mid-sized companies with high growth potential, seeking to access the capital market by raising long term capital.

The road show was held in two major cities in Ogun State – Agbara and Abeokuta – on December 11 and

12, 2014.

According to the NSE, the theme for the road show was “Accessing Long Term Capital for Growth; The ASeM platform” as the benefits of listing were discussed and participants were exposed to the opportunities available in the capital market. The need for small to mid-sized companies to formalise their businesses to becoming sustainable institutions was also demonstrated, seeking businesses that are ready to take the required next steps towards accessing the capital market.

The head, Listings Sales and Retention, NSE, Mrs Taba Peterside, stated that there are designated

advisers which are accredited capital market operators to prepare small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) for listing and provide continuous financial advisory support throughout the listing life of the company.

She noted that these designated advisers will assist the ASeM companies to meet post-listing obligations by supporting them as financial advisers.

Peterside further explained that the exchange has provided the ASeM as a platform for sustainable growth and development of SME companies.

“Recently, we witnessed the successful listing of Omoluabi Savings & Loans Plc on the ASeM on the daily official list of the NSE.

L-R: President, Association of Corporate Trustees (ACT), Mrs Funmi Ekundayo; former president, ACT and group chief executive officer (GCEO), UBA Capital Plc, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sanni and president, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Albert Okumagba during the send-off dinner organised by the association for Sanni in Lagos, at the weekend . PHOTO BY GBENGA ABIOLA.

Disbursement Of N213bn Power Intervention Fund Begins January – CBN

By NSE ANTHONY-UKO, Abuja

Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in the country will commence the disbursement of the N213 billion under the Nigeria Electricity Stabilisation Facility to the beneficiaries from the first week of January 2015, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced yesterday.

This is even as the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) plans to announce new electricity tariff today.

Speaking during the signing of the Nigeria Electricity Stabilisation Facility memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the CBN, NERC and participating DMBs, yesterday, in Abuja, Emefiele said the facility is to ensure that the

legacy debts to gas suppliers were cleared, the market can be seen to be viable and electricity can begin to be generated and distribution improved upon for Nigerians.

He said that yesterday’s event was a follow-up to the one done about a month ago in which the team, comprising of the minister of petroleum resources, minister of power, CBN and NERC, signed the formal agreement between them and the major stakeholders in the power sector, namely the gas suppliers, foreign companies, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and representatives of the distribution and generation companies (GENCOs and DISCOs).

“We are taking this bold step now to get the banks which are going to act as channels through which this

funds will be paid to the distribution and generation companies and gas suppliers to come in to also sign their own MoU with the CBN and NERC. “This is clearly a bold step and it demonstrates the banking sector’s commitment towards supporting government’s commitment to resolving the power problems that we have in the country. Nigerian banks have taken the bold step last year to fund the GENCOs and DISCOs in their asset acquisition project. I am aware that they are predominantly the creditors in the books of these institutions and this further demonstrates the commitment of the banking industry to further support the growth of the power sector in Nigeria,” Emefiele stated.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

17

18 BUSINESS/CUSTOMS

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Assessing Landmark Achievements That Shaped The NCS In 2014

In the aftermath of its modernisation programme, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has continued to grow in leaps and bounds.

Besides living to expectations regarding its revenue collection duty for the federal government, the agency has also recorded remarkable successes in other area of its operations and earned commendations and awards from within and outside the country.

As the year 2014 comes to an end, a recap on some of the major achievements of the NCS is highlighted in this report.

These include, but not limited to, outstanding achievement in the areas of revenue collection, development and deployment of cutting edge tools for trade facilitation as well as actions taken to protect innocent Nigerians from the activities of online fraudsters.

Soaring Revenue Collection As of November 2014, the Nigeria Customs had collected a total of N950.1 billion into the federation account, representing a 23.4 per cent increase over the N769.3 billion collected in the same period last year.

This remarkable achievement follows on the heels of the successful implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), which was introduced by the agency to replace the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) previously issued by the defunct destination inspection service providers.

Upon the takeover of the service providers’ job in November last year, following the termination of their contract by the federal government, the management of the NCS introduced the PAAR, a Nigerian-made electronic platform to replace the RAR. One year after, revenue collection has soared to new heights. Revenue profile, which stood at N950.1 billion as of November, is predicted to grow to an estimated N1.2 trillion by the end of 2014. If achieved, this would mark an all-time high revenue collection record for the agency, which recorded a total collection of N850 billion in 2013.

Speaking on the occasion of PAAR’s one year anniversary, Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, stated that PAAR has modernized Nigeria Customs and also positioned it to be

a reference point in trade facilitation, risk management and revenue collection in global Customs community.

According to verifiable data, the NCS has so far received and processed 201,330 PAAR requests out of which 188,424 were finally released. PAARs implementation has helped in reducing cost and time of cargo clearance at the port, thereby facilitating trade.

customs focus

By JULIET ALOHAN

NCS Social Media Policy The Service, in 2014, launched its official Facebook page www. facebook.com/customsng, and a Twitter handle @ CustomsNG. The launch of these social media platforms was hailed by stakeholders, who observed that it was capable of providing timely and accurate information for the public while also eliminating the activities of online crime syndicates.

The decision to lunch a social media policy was informed by the need to put an end to the activities of internet scammers who create fake identities using its name to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

In some of the fake platforms, the crime syndicates clone the image of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, in a desperate Dikko attempt to convince unsuspecting Nigerians platforms and other international to share information that will stakeholders that the sites are facilitate trade and boost the the official Customs sites. economy.”

On these fake online According to the platforms, various kinds Comptroller-General of vehicles and containers of the Service, the new purportedly on auction by social media policy will the NCS are often displayed. complement existing efforts The online fraudsters also in the traditional media to advertise non-existing jobs, combat the scourge of online putting up bank accounts scammers currently duping where unsuspecting job innocent and unsuspecting seekers as well as those interested in the fake auctions citizens.

“The page, www.facebook. are asked to pay an application com/customsng on Facebook fee into. and @CustomsNG Twitter The agency said in a handle are the only true statement that the Facebook and authentic social media and Twitter handle projects are part of a wider social media channels of the NCS,” Dikko informed the public. outreach that will include a He emphasised that the Customs YouTube channel, launch of the platforms serves online educational videos, and as disclaimer to every other blog press.

Facebook/Twitter profiles that It added that it was in purport to represent the NCS recognition of the importance while urging online subscribers of social media platforms to note some of the features and their influence on that will distinguish its official international trade that page from the fake once. These the management decided he said, includes the NCS logo, to embark on the project.

Service colours and exclusive The Service stressed that videos. it is “poised to meet its He added that the Customs stakeholders on popular Facebook/Twitter handle are

linked to the Customs official website, www.customs.gov. ng on the .gov.ng domain of the federal government of Nigeria, where relevant and authoritative information on policy statements, Customs news, tariffs, events, scam alerts, videos, and lots more are uploaded.

Also, trained and equipped Social Media Desk Officers from the public relations department of the agency have been designated as schedule officers, to provide round the clock service to stakeholders and members of the general public online.

While cautioning against falling for the antics of online fraudsters, the agency emphasised that the process of recruitment, auctions and contracts award in the Customs Service fulfils all requirements of fairness and transparency prescribed by the federal government of Nigeria.

Fight Against Ebola Virus Disease Fighting the outbreak of the

deadly Ebola virus disease in Nigeria, which was imported by the Liberian-American man, Patrick Sawyer, is considered one of the most trying times the country faced in 2014.

Sawyers’ unfortunate entering to the country at a time when authorities at the various entering points were still lax about the screening of all incoming passengers, especially those from Ebola worst hit countries like Liberia, left Nigeria with a national emergency.

Sawyer, according to health officials, was sick with the virus before entering Nigeria and his entering could have been prevented.

However, in order to prevent a repeat of another cross border spread of EVD, the Service declared ‘red alert’ status at the various borders in the country. The NCS noted that such urgency in tackling the EVD was in line with the concerted efforts by government to curtail the further spread of the disease.

All officers and men at the time were directed to adopt strict measures in dealing with both passengers and luggage at all entering points.

A notice that was issued by the service to this effect during the period read in part: “In line with the ongoing concerted efforts of the federal government to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola disease in Nigeria, the ComptrollerGeneral of Nigeria Customs, Abdullahi Dikko considers the outbreak of Ebola disease as a national emergency and has consequently declared the status of the service to be at Red alert.”

“Accordingly, all officers and men in Customs formations nationwide have been directed to strictly adopt all preventive measures in handling luggage and passengers at Seaports, Airports and land borders.”

The agency also informed travelers at the various entering points of a change in the positioning of security officials and issued a new directive on the clearance of all human remains brought into the country.

“The positioning of security agencies at our entry points has been amended with Port Health Services at the frontline. All human remains should be immediately referred to Port Health Services before clearance,” a public notice by the service management stressed.

E-Business/BUSINESS 19

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

ICANN Joins Global Companies’ Hit By Cyber Hackers stories by Chima Akwaja, Lagos

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the internet regulator that manages the global toplevel domain system (TLDs), last week joined a long list of major global companies that have been compromised by cyber hackers this year. The attack affected vital systems belonging to ICANN and accessed the system that manages the files with data on resolving specific domain names.

ICANN said it is investigating a recent intrusion into its systems and believed a “spear phishing” attack was initiated in late November 2014 involving email messages that were crafted to appear to come from its own domain being sent to members of its staff.

The attack resulted in the compromise of the email credentials of several ICANN staff members.

A statement from ICANN last week said, “In early December 2014, it discovered that the compromised credentials

were used to access other ICANN systems besides email such as Centralized Zone Data System (czds. icann.org); ICANN GAC Wiki (gacweb.icann. org); ICANN Blog (blog. icann.org) and ICANN WHOIS (whois.icann.org) information portal. No impact was found to either of these systems.”

ICANN joins a long list global companies including European Central Bank, CNN, Sony Pictures Entertainment, eBay, Twitter, Skype, Snap chat, iCloud, Linux OpenSUSE, Forbes, Tesco, German

Aerospace Centre, KT Corp, AOL Mail, Bangalore City Police, 4Chan, Avast, Israeli defence contractors, Sony Play station Network, Home depot, Infected ATMs, United States Postal Services, Drop box, Snapsaved, etc.

Timelines of major cyber attacks showed that on January 1, 2014, Skype’s Twitter account, Facebook page and blogs were hacked into to protest the NSA surveillance resulting in the leak of contact information of its outgoing CEO, Steve Ballmer.

On January 2, hackers

going by the name Snapchat DB posted usernames and phone numbers of 4.6 million Snapchat users.

On January 7, hackers going by the name H4x0r HuSsy hacked into the official forums of Linux distro OpenSUSE defacing it and compromising account details of 79,500 registered users. Again, on January 24, Syrian Electronic Army attacks many accounts belonging to CNN such as CNN’s Facebook page and Twitter account, along with several CNN Blogs; January 26 saw hackers defacing 2,618

Indian websites; February 2, computer networks of three major medical device makers were breached by suspected China-based hackers and February 14, websites of Forbes and Tesco and email accounts were.

Tesco stated that around 2,200 of its accounts were compromised. March 6, KT Corp, South Korea’s largest telecom service provider was breached by hackers who accessed bank details, employment information and home addresses of around 16 million customers.

USPF Identifies ICT 200 Subsidy Clusters

... ....... ......... .. program. ...

The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) has identified over 200 subsidy clusters across the six geo political zones which represent areas where telecommunication services are yet to reach.

It will utilize these clusters to identify target areas, define universal access service (UAS) interventions and map the interventions to the appropriate communities.

Minister of communications technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, who doubles as chairman of USPF speaking at an industry forum to unveil the USPF new website and launch the clusters of ICT Gap held at the weekend in Lagos, said USPF will continue to push forward frontiers of service until ICT for all is achieved.

She said that the USPF in the pursuit of its mandate to stimulate the deployment and utilization of ICT services in unserved and underserved communities and groups in the country, has continued to play a leading role in promoting and deepening ICT access and availability in the rural areas of the in the rural areas of the country.

She said whilst developing the SMP 20132017, it became clear that to make the dream of providing ICT access and availability to all in the industry a reality, we needed to get a clear view of the true access gap within the country so that our interventions are targeted at the appropriate communities and groups.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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ALL THESE PROJECTS WERE DONE AND COMPLETED IN LINE WITH

MR PRESIDENT’S

TRANSFORMATION AGENDA

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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22 aviation/BUSINESS

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

aviation REPORTS

Arik Air Launches One-stop Shop Online Travel Package

Depreciating Naira: Nigerian Airlines To Face Challenging Environment Ahead

stories by Samson Echenim, Lagos

Airlines operating in Nigeria will experience a challenging 2015 as the value of the naira continues on the downturn.

Already, operators are skeptical about an uncertain new year, despite the improved profitability forecast projected for the global airlines business in 2015 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to be partly driven by falling oil price.

The IATA has said in a recent 2015 forecast report that jet fuel prices are also expected to average at $99.9 per barrel in 2015 for a total fuel spend of $192 billion, which represents 26 per cent of total industry costs.

“It is important to note that the impact of lower fuel prices will be realised with a time lag due to forward fuel-buying practices.

Improving fuel efficiency continues to be a priority for airlines. Fuel efficiency is estimated to have improved by 1.8 per cent in 2014 and a further improvement is expected in 2015,” the organisation said.

But local operators in Nigeria can only see a troubled 2015 as the naira continues to weaken against the dollar in the face of a dwindling oil price. The falling oil price is also expected to lead to reduced flight cost. If this happens, it will naturally further narrow the profits of local airlines.

The impact of the falling oil price, however, has not been felt by aviation fuel marketers in

Nigeria as old stocks are yet to be sold off by forward fuel buyers.

But the airline operators fear the impact might not be felt at all by the industry in the face of the falling naira value.

Aviation is a global business and operators meet at the global market when they buy spare parts, carry out aircraft maintenance and do other businesses. This means that more naira would weigh weakly against the dollar and other currencies making Nigerian operators to pay more.

According to Arik Air’s deputy managing director, Captain Ado Sanusi, there would be a downward travel cost because of the falling oil prices internationally, but does not translate to lower air fares in the Nigerian aviation sector.

He said, “We have not seen that because oil companies have not translated the percentage drop in the oil price into the cost of the JET A1 that we buy.

Now that is a big problem. Oil marketers on the other hand are also claiming that well, we agree crude oil has dropped but also the naira has depreciated.

That means the dollar has gained more value.

“So we might see some little change in prices which I doubt would go to any significant price change in ticket even for international flights because as a local carrier in Nigeria, I am also buying fuel from here.”

Emphasising that fuel remains quite expensive in Nigeria, he opined that “we also have to

more naira would weigh weakly against the dollar and other currencies making Nigerian operators to pay more

understand that beyond fuel, we are looking at the spare parts.

The dollar has been appreciating and the naira depreciating and you buy your ticket in naira and I have to go and buy the spare parts in dollar. So it is very difficult to equate drop in oil prices to drop in ticket sales because if the dollar was stable to the naira as the oil price dropped, then yes, we can expect that. But as the oil price is dropping, so the naira value dropping.”

Sanusi said that there would be challenge if the dollar keeps appreciating and the oil prices keep falling.

“There would be challenges because the oil marketers are not reducing the price, so we will be paying the same price for JET A1 and then having our ticket being devalued because our tickets are based on dollar.

“This means that my sales, if interpreted in dollar, will drop.

And that means there will be a lot of challenges when I am buying my spare parts and when I am taking my aircraft for maintenance at the maintenance and repair organisation because I will pay them in Euro or the currency that they want. That means I will have to buy the dollar and that is where the challenges lie,” Sanusi said.

He stressed that flight prices going down at all in the New Year will depend on a number of factor – the strength of the naira, fuel price, cost of spare parts and maintenance, among others.

West and Central Africa’s largest carrier, Arik Air, yesterday, unveiled an online one-stop shop travel package, the Arik Explorer, to help its guests do a complete travel transaction, including travel, hotel and taxi bookings, for all of the airline’s 20 destinations across Nigeria, other African countries, Dubai, the United Kingdom and New York.

Unveiling the travel solution, which is designed to be managed by a subsidiary of Arik Air, the new firm’s managing director, Mr Kencho Omojafor, said that the business strategy of the company would revolve around the need to provide quality service to the various target customers with the view to fully satisfying their needs.

Arik Explorer offers travel package at two levels – Premium and Affordable; the offering will be for both outbound and inbound travels from Lagos and other destinations serviced by the airline and varieties of packages can be tailored to suit the needs of the airline’s guests.

“We will continuously provide enjoyable quality excursions, trips and hotels on time and on budget, develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time, and establish a market presence that assures short-term and long-term profitability, growth and success,” Omojafor said.

He explained that Arik Explorer’s product would be segmented into the premium market, searching for luxury and convenience, affordable weekend packages and short breaks during the week, special interest packages, including group bookings, company retreats as well as business and leisure travellers to Arik Air destinations.

“Arik Explorer will establish a reputation as a differentiated, specialty provider of city and adventure travel and excursions. We will also provide unparalleled service to our local and international tourists to Nigeria, The West Coast and beyond,” Omojafor added.

Domestic Airlines Experience Dull Xmas Sales The poor economic situation in the country is reflecting in the travel business with airlines witnessing a lull in ticket sales this Christmas season.

At both the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, there was no passenger rush to reflect the festive season.

This is despite seasonal promos, offering all kinds of rewards, by some domestic airlines.

A ticketing officer at the desk of one of the leading domestic airlines said that the same situation is replicated in the online booking, suggesting that the current economic situation in the country, in which people have found themselves with little or no money, may have contributed to the lull.

Travels by Nigerians domiciled overseas are also on the low ebb. A senior officer at a leading airline said that the outbreak of the Ebola disease may have contributed to the low Christmas sales as well.

“I have seen a lot of Christmases but this Christmas season has shown that we have a decline in the travels that we have seen. Over all, it is too bad this time but we expect to have more than what we carried in October. This lull affects both local and international travels.

“In the international travels, our high flight routes are usually on the New York and the London routes but we have seen some decline but it is not so significant for us to say that we are having bad sales,” he said.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

FEDERAL INLAND REVENUE SERVICE 15 SOKODE CRESCENT, WUSE ZONE 5, P.M.B 33, GARKI, ABUJA, NIGERIA www.firs.gov.ng

PUBLIC NOTICE YOU DON’T NEED TO PAY FOR TAX INFORMATION The attention of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS has been drawn to the incident of text messages being circulated by some companies, firms, consultants, individuals, requesting recipients to make payments in exchange for tax information, in the name of tax updates.

This is to inform the general public that FIRS is not a party to such requests for payments for tax information. FIRS is not connected to such companies nor has it authorized any company, individual or firm to ask for payments for public information.

As such, any person(s) engaging in business with these companies does so at his/her own risk.

Members of the general public are hereby advised to steer clear of messages asking for payments in exchange for any form of tax information or Tax Updates as ALL tax information are FREE and in the public domain.

For further information, visit our website: www.firs.gov.ng or Joint Tax Board: www.jtb.gov.ng You can also contact us on: servicom@firs.gov.ng complaints@firs.gov.ng

or

08159490002 08159490001

Emmanuel Obeta Director, Communications &Liaison Department For: Acting Executive Chairman

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Well deserved

SALUTATION for this ICON

We in the Adamawa State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), heartily salute the leader of our Party and Nigeria's former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on his gallantry and gracious demonstration of rare sportsmanship at the third National Convention and Presidential Primary of our Party.

To us, and indeed to all other Nigerians of goodwill, you have spearheaded the redefinition of civilized party politicking and internal democracy worthy of emulation. Therefore, we congratulate you for that, most especially because the outcome of the convention has put our party and Nigeria on the world map for the good.

Once again, congratulations to an icon of democracy!

SIGNED AG. STATE CHAIRMAN

ATIKU

ALH

ABUBAKAR TURAKI ADAMAWA

GCON

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

HON. SUAIBU YAMUSA Ag. State Chairman BINTA MASI APC, Adamwa State

27

Diplomatic File Tuesday, December 23, 2014

ernment in its decisions to fight terrorism and to restore peace and security to the country. We always say and this is a fact, terrorism is one all over the world. Terrorism does not know the colour of your skin, religion or borders. There are so many similarities between the terrorism in Syria and that of Nigeria. The terrorist ideology is one whether with ISIS in Syria or with Boko Haram in Nigeria or with any other terrorist organisation in Libya or any other country. The authority that has been supporting terrorism in Syria or in Mali or in Nigeria or anywhere else is one. Terrorism has no relation with Islam. But in contrary terrorism has dented the image of Islam and Muslims all over the world.

Terrorism does not serve the interests of Islam or Muslims.

Daiyob

‘Insurgency Is Unislamic’ The diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Syria was established in 1962, and since then associations between both countries have been cordial. In a brief interview, Dr Shafik Daiyob Head of Mission Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic told BUKOLA OGUNSINA about how Syria continues its relentless fight against terror.

Can you tell us about the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Syria?

Syria and Nigeria share a friendly and historic relationship since 1962. Syria opened its embassy in Lagos, now the former capital of Nigeria, while Nigeria opened its embassy in Damascus in 2007. The diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Syria is over half a century. It is a developed relationship at all levels. In 2006 the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo visited Syria, and the same year the Syrian Assistant Secretary General of the Ba’ath Socialist Party visited Nigeria. During the visit of the former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo to Damascus, five agreements were signed between the two countries. One of the agreements signed was the establishment of joint commission for cooperation between the two countries. We are currently working with the Nigerian government to strengthen and establish these agreements. Unfortunately there has not been any official visit exchanged between both countries since the visit in 2006. But we are currently working now to arrange an external visit between officials of both countries. I hope this will be achievable after the forthcoming elections.

In addition to that we have a sizable Syrian community that have been working and living in Nigeria for decades. These Syrians work in different sectors promoting the Syrian culture in Nigeria. Though the economic relation is not as much as we want it to be presently, nonetheless I can assure you

that the cultural relationship between both countries is quite impressive. Promoting relationship between the two countries serves the interest of both countries.

What is the current situation of the crisis in Syria?

Syria is located in a strategic position in the Middle East and the Arab world. What is now happening in Syria is a war by the Syrian government and its people against terrorists and terrorist organisations. In Syria we have terrorists from 83 countries. They came to Syria killing people and destroying infrastructure.

There are tens of thousands of foreign fighters in Syria who are involved in terrorist activities. I am sure you have heard of ISIS and The al-Nusra Front and other terrorist organisations that have been operating in Syria. These are terrorist organisations listed by the United States, United Nations and some other countries. What’s more, Syria has been fighting terrorism on behalf of the whole world for more than three years.

Can you compare what is happening in Syria with what is currently happening in Nigeria?

First of all and in strong terms, Syria condemns the terrorist activities witnessed in some parts of Nigeria, especially the recent explosions that killed so many. And the Syrian government sympathises with the families of the victims, and those kidnapped. Syria hopes that those kidnapped will be released as soon as possible. Syria also supports the Nigerian gov-

What do you think is the cause of terrorism and how can this be stopped?

Terroroism is an international phenomenon and fighting terrorism is a very complicated issue which requires an international effort and cooperation to fight it. Fighting terrorism will not only require the use of military force because, first of all terrorism is an ideology. We need to fight this ideology first and at the same time we have to track down the source of funding, training and arming of terrorists and also the countries that are supporting them in order to stop them. The media has a big role to play in fighting terrorism; unfortunately some media adopt and support terrorism and their propaganda. There are some forces that try to portray terrorism as targeting one sect or one religion, or say that it’s just a civil war. This is a big mistake. Terrorism is targeting society with all its elements, economically, socially, scientifically just as it targets innocents away from their religion.

Do you have any comments on Nigeria’s upcoming elections in 2015?

I pray that the Nigerian government will succeed in organising a free, fair and credible election. And I pray that this election will transform Nigeria into a role model country in Africa and in third world countries. I am very confident that the Nigerian people and the Nigerian government want this. I hope this election will be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. The electoral process is a good way of reflecting the will of the people in selecting their leaders. In Syria we conducted presidential elections in June. And during this election the Syrian people freely selected their president.

We conducted the elections in spite

of the difficult situation on ground.

I am hoping the same would happen in Nigeria were Nigerians will freely select their leaders to lead them. I am confident that the will of the Nigerian people will be respected just like the will of the Syrian people was respected.

How is the Nigerian population in Syria?

The situation in Syria is very difficult, as a result visits to Syria by Nigerians have been very low. In fact the Syrian community in Nigeria is bigger than the Nigerian community in Syria. Like I said we are making an effort to initiate the cultural relations between the two countries. We want to work on improving educational cooperation between both countries. We want to see Syrian students studying in Nigeria and vice versa.

How has the economy in Syria fared in spite of the crisis?

Before the Syrian crisis the economy was good and the growth including industrial growth was good. Regrettably the country, due to the crisis was badly affected as a result of sanctions placed by the EU and the US on Syrian people. The second reason is that the terrorist organisations supported by some countries attacked and destroyed some commercial economic facilities. In Aleppo, Syria we have an industrial city, it is one of the most developed industrial city in the Middle East. The terrorists’ organisations attacked this city and removed and sold most of its equipment. In spite of this the economic situation in Syria is stable. At the moment the Syrian currency is good and foodstuff and some services are still available. I hope very soon that we will defeat terrorists and terrorism and whoever is supporting them so that the economic life will be fully restored.

What is Syria doing to help fight ISIS in Iraq?

Syria will continue in its efforts to fight terrorism and terrorists. Syria will continue to fight terrorism whether it is invited to join the US state led allies or not. The US exempted Syria from joining the international fight against terrorism.

Nevertheless Syria will continue to fight terrorism on its soil. The Syrian government is determined to defeat terrorism and at the same time Syria welcomes any sincere international original effort to fight terrorism. Syria will continue to fight terrorism and at the same time it will continue to find a peaceful solution to end the crisis and the bloodshed of Syrians.

Terrorism does not know the colour of your skin, religion or borders.

There are so many similarities between the terrorism in Syria and that of Nigeria

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science

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

134mn

Despite attaining active telephone line connectivity of over 134 million and a teledensity of 96 per cent, Nigeria still has a lot to do to achieve an allinclusive penetration of telecommunications in every part of the country.

F E AT U R E S N E W S R E P O R T S I N T E R V I E W

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama (middle) flanked by participants of the second high council meeting of D-8 Technology Transfer and Exchange Network in Abuja

D-8 Countries Mull Development Of Technology Database

By Nkechi Isaac, Abuja

Proper foundation of TTEN is essential to make an appropriate ground and infrastructure to exchange and transfer the products, data, technologies and services among the D-8 countries

The Developing Eight (D-8) countries, comprising Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, are considering setting up a database of available technologies within each member state to facilitate technology transfer amongst them.

Speaking at the second high council meeting of D-8 Technology Transfer and Exchange Network (TTEN), hosted by Nigeria, through the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in Abuja, the secretarygeneral of the organization, Dr. Seyed Mousavi, represented by his deputy, Mr. Kazi Hasan, said the move would facilitate the sustainable technological development process of the member states.

He said, “there is a need for the strategic easement, analysis and review of the state of our cooperation, with particular emphasis on the identification of technology requests and technology offers from the D-8 member states in order to inter-

connect and develop database for technology products, technology services, technology demands and commercialized technology of D-8 member states in an integrated internet-based system.”

He contended that “proper foundation of TTEN is essential to make an appropriate ground and infrastructure to exchange and transfer the products, data, technologies and services among the D-8 countries.

“The need to enhance TTEN platform and connectivity on order to make it more effective and creating favorable circumstances for technology transfer, ensuring that all stakeholders build the ability (potential and realised) to fulfill their roles and meet their responsibilities expeditiously is pivotal.”

The secretary-general further noted that the nature and severity of challenges in the D-8 countries were affecting the rapid technological development of member states which, according to him, borders on availability and ease on access of capital to

finance; marketing of technological products to link existing markets and creation of demand; continuous investment in research and development for servicing and up-gradation and customization of technology to make it an efficient blend of labour and capital.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama, said the digital divide between developed and developing countries was in the level of science and technology development.

He said the network was expected, among others, to generate opportunities for introducing technologybased products and services into the global markets and commercialization of research results for sustainable growth and development of member states.

The meeting, he pointed out was aimed at consolidating on the resolutions of the first meeting and facilitating easy access of information by member countries from the network.

In her welcome address, the

permanent secretary of the ministry, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said the second high council TTEN meeting, being hosted by Nigeria, provided a unique platform to coordinate and integrate the technological initiatives of the D-8 member states in a concerted manner and subsequently contribute to the networking and economic uplift.

Oyo-Ita said Nigeria had an ample opportunity to benefit from the network especially as it is currently a technology consuming nation.

“The nation’s aspiration to become industrialized by 2020 may easily be met through the effective utilization of the TTEN,” she added.

Delivering his goodwill message, Nigeria’s D-8 commissioner, Amb. Danjuma Sheni, said technology enables nations to subdue their natural environment for better utilization of dormant resources with the sole aim of adding value to human life, adding D-8 had continued to serve as a veritable platform for economic technology cooperation and development among member states.

SCIENCE/interview 31

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Positioning Nigeria As Africa’s ICT Gateway

Omobola Johnson

Juwah

by nkechi isaac, Abuja

short BIO OF Mrs Omobola Johnson

Mrs. Omobola Johnson is the supervising Minister of the Science and Technology Ministry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Manchester and a Masters degree in Digital Electronics from King’s College, London.

With currently over 134.5 million subscribers, 96 per cent teledensity and over 74 million internet subscribers connected via narrow bands, and over $32 billion ICT investment, the Nigerian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector has been described as the fastest-growing in the world.

Following the approval of the National Broadband Plan 20132018 by President Goodluck Jonathan early in 2013, the country has been embarking on various projects and attending most international ICT meetings to woo potential investors to invest in its broadband market.

According to experts from KPMG, the investment drive has become imperative as Nigeria would need about $10 billion investment in its broadband sector in the next five years with $2 billion investment yearly.

Nigeria’s broadband penetration, which currently stands at about six percent can be increased five-folds to about 30 per cent in

‘Growing Thirst For Payroll, HR Solutions Across Africa’ The payroll and human resources (HR) market across sub-Saharan Africa is booming as organisations of all sizes start to move away from manual management of their payrolls towards automated payroll solutions.

That’s according to Gerhard Hartman, Head of Department at Sage HR Africa.

–VENTURES AFRICA

Trending Science Stories ➊ Successful

Launch of NASA’s Orion Spacecraft

➋ Strange Galaxy

Perplexes Astronomers

➌ New Research

Paves the Way for Nano-Movies of Biomolecules

➍ New Technique

Offers Spray-on Solar Power

Science Daily

the next four years.

At the just concluded ITU Telecoms World 2014 in Doha, Qatar, the outgoing secretary-general of ITU, Dr Hamadoun Toure, said Nigeria’s efforts towards attaining a leading position in the area of robust broadband network development was instructive.

Toured said, “I must commend Nigeria’s leadership in ICT. It is important to note that for five successive years, Nigeria led the global chart as the fastest-growing ICT sector. Indeed, it is the gateway to Africa, having become the leading investment destination for ICT, a status that will continue to drive investment into the country’s broadband sector in years to come.”

In his comments, the incoming scribe of ITU, Mr Houlin Zhao, said Nigeria’s broadband penetration might witness the kind of growth pattern recorded in the ICT sector through the nation’s adoption of the Long Term Evolution/ Fourth Generation (4G), one of the fastest in the world, while urging investors to visit Nigeria to tap into its huge investment op-

portunities in broadband.

Zhao said, “Nigeria’s broadband will be fastest in growth than many developed countries and African countries going by the sound broadband policy already put in place in Nigeria. So, I am very optimistic that Nigeria is on its way to leading the world in ICT and the future is very bright.”

According to him, “After China, India, then Africa and Nigeria is the gateway and Nigeria has shown the way on how ICT should be implemented and we congratulate Nigeria for showing the way.”

While noting that Nigeria still needs a lot of hard work to achieve its targeted status in the global broadband ecosystem, the Minister of Communication Technology, Dr Omobola Johnson, described the broadband initiatives in Nigeria as work in progress.

“This is why we have come to ITU and our focus of discussion has been to woo foreign investors into Nigeria to invest in broadband,” she said, adding necessary incentives would be given to willing investors.

Reeling out statistics to explain the nation’s current development status in the ICT sector, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, agreed with the minister on ICT being work in progress.

Juwah, however, said despite this, opportunity for growth was high, hence the adoption of the Open Access Model for the regime of soon-to-be-licensed infrastructure companies (InfraCos) to promote healthy competition, affordability and access to all in the seven zones for which the InfraCos will deploy services.

Juwah said, “our adoption of global best practices in regulatory activities has become an inspiration to many African countries who come to ask us to tell them how we do it.”

Saying broadband offers huge returns on investment,he added those, who described ICT as ‘the

next oil and gas’ for countries that have opened up their frontiers were right.

The NCC boss assured that government would provide incentives like tax holidays of between five and seven years and also provide financial incentives of between 15 to 30 per cent of the operators’ capital expenditure (CAPEX), saying it was to create attractive environment for operators to go to areas they believed might be unattractive.

He disclosed that “broadband availability and usage is top on the NCC agenda, that is why we have entrenched the Open Access Model to actualize this. This is why we have hinged our participation at ITU World 2014 on the theme: Broadband Nigeria, Enabling Access, and Transforming Communities”.

Juwah said the Federal Government had approved an inclusive national implementation plan for effective nationwide pervasive broadband deployment.

Part of the commission’s success story, according to him, is the successful auctioning of a wireless broadband license on the 2.3 gigahertz frequency spectrum in February 2014.

“Regional fibre optics infrastructure deployment license is currently being finalized for North Central geopolitical area of Nigeria, and Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria with a very huge population. Licenses will soon be issued to the winning InfraCos while we prepare to put up more infraCox licences for grabs for the rest of the five geopolitical spread. So, investors have a good dose of opportunity in our broadband plan,” Juwah said.

Explaining further, he said, “a lot more potentials and opportunities exist in financial sector of our economy where the banks are yawning for broadband services to enable their indispensable data applications. The education sector has huge demand for broadband data applications, and so do government agencies.

This is why we have come to ITU and our focus of discussion has been to woo foreign investors into Nigeria to invest in broadband

Nigeria’s Telco Back On Market For $252m

Innoson Unveils First ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ Cars

A Nigerian investment consortium, NATCOM Telecommunication, has emerged the preferred bidder for the assets of the Nigerian Telecommunication PLC (NITEL) and Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication (MTEL). Both companies are set to be sold for a combined fee of $252 million.

“The privatisation of NITEL and MTEL is the final step in the reform of the telecoms sector,” Nigeria’s Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said at the bidding event.

NATCOM had its initial $221 million bid rejected by the Nigerian government, before a reviewed offer of $252 million was accepted.

Nigeria decided to liquidate NITEL and MTEL in March this year after attempts to privatize the companies proved unsuccessful.

–VENTURES AFRICA

When Nigeria, on October 3, 2013, announced the introduction of a new automotive policy aimed at discouraging the importation of wholly assembled automobile and encourage local manufacturing, it seemed like a tall dream, but building on recent local assembly successes by Hyundai and Nissan was indigenous company Innoson’s unveiling of its new brand of cars last week.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited founded by Nigerian industrialist, Chief Innocent Chukwuma unveiled its new cars – IVM Umu and IVM Uzo manufactured at the company’s Nnewi plant in Anambra State, South East Nigeria.

–VENTURES AFRICA

Top THREE Local ICT Vendors In Nigeria

➊ $252,➋

The Warehouse Group

million Both companies are set to be sold for a combined fee of $252 million

bWaco Systems International Limited

➌

Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited

32

labour matters Tuesday, December 23, 2014

How Fuel Crisis Was Averted

NUPENG president, Achese

TOP LABOUR UNIONS IN NIGERIA

1. The Radio Television Theatre and Art Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) is an umbrella Union comprising of all Radio, Television presenters and producers 2. The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) Registered as an umbrella body of judiciary workers across the country 3. The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Umbrella union of health workers across the country

It took thirteen hours of negotiations between the officials of ministry of labour, ministry petroleum and oil workers to reach an agreement for the workers to suspend their strike action. Michael Oche and Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, bring you the inside story of what transpired during the negotiations.

O

il workers under the auspices of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) last Friday suspended the strike action which they had embarked upon the previous Monday.

But many Nigerians would not understand the intrigues that led to the strike action and how an agreement was reached for it to be suspended.

Indeed if the strike had not been suspended, Nigerians travelling for the yuletide would have had it rough.

Millions of Nigerians are already weighed down by the terrorist attacks by Boko Haram insurgents and economically impoverished by the dwindling value of the nation’s currency. So, the strike would have worsened an already difficult

situation for millions of Nigerians.

The oil workers union had last October written to the federal ministry of labour, announcing its intention to embark on a strike. But the ministry of petroleum wrote the labour ministry to allow it, handle some of the demands of the labour unions.

Though the unions had outlined various reasons why it wanted to embark on strike. The reasons ranged from bad roads, insecurity, nonpassage of the PIB, casualization of workers by oil companies amongst other. But inside sources told LEADERSHIP that the major reason behind the strike threat was the termination of the appointment of the Port Harcourt Zonal Secretary of PENGASSAN, Mrs. Elo Victor – Ogbondah, by Total E & P Nigeria Limited Ogbondah is a member of the NUPENG. And the union had

accused TOTAL of victimizing her for her union activities. Several attempts to have the oil company reinstate Ogbondah failed.

The issue became heated and even the DSS had to intervene. Yet, TOTAL refused to reinstate her. The oil workers union and total were on ego trip. According to the DSS deputy director of public relations, Marilyn Ogar who briefed journalists on the effort of the agency to broker a peace deal between the management of TOTAL and the unions, TOTAL reneged on an agreement between the two parties to return to status quo ante. Ogar unequivocally heaped the blame of the strike action and attendant hardship on the economy on TOTAL which she emphatically urged Nigerians to appeal to them to respect the agreement reached and reinstate Ogbonda and end the suffering they have imposed on Nigerians.

When it became apparent that the petroleum ministry could not handle the issue, it wrote a memo to the labour ministry to interfere. But before then, the labour unions had embarked on a strike.

The supervising minister of labour, Kabiru Turaki therefore summoned a meeting for Tuesday, December 16, 2014. The unions refused to turn up for the meeting. NUPENG president told journalists that the union would not be part of a meeting because “it will lead to nothing at the end of the whole exercise” The meeting was later rescheduled for 3pm on Thursday. By 3pm officials of the labour ministry were already seated. But the oil workers refused to turn up until past 4. The meeting therefore commenced by 5pm.

In his opening remarks, the supervising labour minister, Turaki warned all parties involved to treat the issue with all seriousness and fear of God. He said, Nigerians may be patient, but cannot be taken for granted.

But in his response, president of NUPENG, Igwe Achese said the multinational companies have

refused the implement earlier agreements reached with the union, and wondered if the companies were bigger than the laws of the land.

He said, ministries of labour and that of petroleum resources, though have good intentions, but lacked enforcement power to force the multinationals to implement agreement signed.

When the meeting commenced, to show just how serious the issue of the sack of Mrs Ogbonda was, it took the parties involved over four hours to reached an agreement. On each occasion, the minister of labour met separately with both the unions and Total.

After thirteen long hours of negotiation, the meeting resolved that the termination of the appointment of the Port Harcourt Zonal Secretary of PENGASSAN, Mrs. Elo Victor – Ogbondah, by Total E & P Nigeria Limited be cancelled.

The meeting noted the benefits associated with the Petroleum Industry Bill, but regretted the delay in passing it by the National Assembly and suggested that the FML&P, MPR, NUPENG and PENGASSAN should meet on the subject to decide on the best productive line of action.

The meeting appealed to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to request its contractor, Messrs Halden Nigeria Limited, to reabsorb Ikohesa O. Ikohesa, the Port Harcourt Zonal Treasurer of NUPENG whose appointment was terminated.

On the issue of casualisation, contract staffing and outsourcing, the meeting said that the guidelines are still subsisting and ask the unions to submit the names of companies defaulting from the guidelines which have been submitted to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation for gazetting as Regulations. Also, the need to update the guidelines in view of the changing world of work was identified.

They also resolved that the issue of national minimum wage is to be handled by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.

Nigerians would not understand the intrigues that led to the strike action and how an agreement was reached.

RTEAN Partners Ministry Of Works To Create 10, 000 Jobs

By michael Oche, Abuja

The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has partnered the federal ministry of works to revitalize all abandoned auto workshops across the country belonging to the ministry. The project is expected to create over 10, 000 job

opportunities for auto mechanics who will be employed to manage the workshops.

RTEAN, according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the ministry will revive the auto workshop into modern workshops.

Speaking during the inauguration of a joint committee

to ensure the success of the project, RTEAN national president, Musa Shehu Isiwele said “in this regard, we are requesting that all laid off mechanic engineers to be recalled, with this project now at hand, it is an opportunity for job creation and we have taken it up as our duty and calling to contribute in securing the future for our youths,

and making transport sector a key sector in generating revenue, for development of our economy.

“This is a vision we have brought to your esteemed ministry, and have synergized seamlessly and we are ready to employ over 10, 000 men who are now in the labour market” He said the union had entered

into partnership with foreign firm to build assembly plants in Nigeria in line with the federal government transformation agenda in the transport sector.

He said the union has partnered with Bosch and Crescent House Limited who will proved all mechanical equipment needed for the project.

fct watch

33

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

N10

billion

The FCTA has said that residents owe the administration over N10 billion of waste management charges

ABAJI AMAC BWARI GWAGWALADA KUJE KWALI

Abaji Boss Calls For Unity Against Insecurity The Chairman of Abuja area council, Hon. Yahaya Garba has called on residents of the council to unite and fight against insecurity in the council, in order for proper development to take place, saying that development cannot thrive where there is disunity.

By Igho Oyoyo

amac Boss Preaches Love The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba has called on residents of the council to endeavour to show love to people around them, especially the less privileged ones, during the Christmas celebration period.

—By Igho Oyoyo

Bwari Expert Calls On Bwari Resi-

Christmas decoration at Area 1 Round-about

Abuja Lights Up As Christmas Draws Nearer

By Igho Oyoyo

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration and police authority in Abuja are getting themselves ready to safeguard the FCT residents during the Christmas celebrations as well as provide atmosphere for the mood of the season with decoration of the city.

It is a general belief that the Christmas season, which is a period that Christians worldwide celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ has always been an unusual period. Possibly, because no other festive period could be seen as equal to it, as the celebration ushers the coming of the New Year.

Also, apart from ushering in the New Year, it creates a frenzy atmosphere and exciting anticipation in major cities, towns and villages of the world and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is no exception.

However, since the December 25, 2011 Bomb blast at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla close to Suleja, just outside the FCT, in which many lost their lives and the continued insurgent activities of the dreaded Boko Haram, Christmas celebration in the FCT has been celebrated in low key, with most residents staying indoors and occasionally venturing out because of security situation.

It has become quite unfortunate

that in as much as people will like to enjoy lives to the fullest in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the fear of safety and security measures adopted across the capital territory conspired to constrained their plans and movement.

With the mounting security concern in the country, some of the popular places like Wonderland, Millennium Park, Abuja Amusement Park got less patronage between 2012 and 2013 Christmas celebrations, as residents of the FCT resorted to enclosed celebration within their homes, hotels, churches and visiting friends, colleagues and relatives.

Being the seat of power and administrative hub of the nation, prominent government officials and corporate personalities also use the opportunity to pay homage to their bosses, superiors and colleagues prominent among them being the visit to President Jonathan at the Villa.

However, things may be said to be looking brighter with FCT Administration doing its best to re-invigorate the frenzy mood of the season since 2012 December to this year’s December, with most Christmas decorations in almost every strategic area of the FCT, giving the mood a more sensational one.

The FCT is unlike the Eastern part of Nigeria, where people returning from long stay abroad, reunite and celebrate with family members, while investing in the economy of their respective towns. It is also not like Lagos where most events are celebrated on the streets, beaches, churches and public centres with colourful carols and carnivals.

Most people also recognised the fact that majority of Abuja residents are not indigenes of the territory, so they have to travel to their various states and local communities to celebrate the season with their relatives and friends who they had left behind to seek greener pasture in the FCT and as well as use the festive period to attend numerous family and communal development meetings.

Although, the security situation has not changed much in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria, residents of the FCT are beginning to loosen up and the city is beginning to come back to life with hotels, worship centres, offices, shopping malls, especially banks taking the lead with Christmas decorations.

Mrs. Agatha Okeke, an event manager explained that the Christmas is a period traditionally recognised and celebrated as a season of peace, goodwill and

dents To Avoid Bush Burning

An environmentalist Ibrahim Isa has called on the residents of the council to avoid bush burning which he said can result to loss of lives and property.

—By Chika Mefor

gwagwalada Boss Cautions Youths Against Violence The chairman of Gwagwalada Area, Abubakar Jibrin Giri has called on the residents of the area council especially the youth to shun violence and strive to live in peace with one another as wherever there exist peace, development assured.

By Chika Mefor

kuje Boss Urges Christians To

Pray For Unity

The chairman of Kuje area council, Hon. Shaban Tete has called on Christian faithful to use the period of the celebration of Christmas to pray for peace and unity in the council and the country at large.

By Igho Oyoyo

Kwali Council Boss Urges Chris-

tians To Pray For Peace

34

The chairman of Kwali Area Council, Ibrahim Daniel has reminded the Christian faithful to use the period of the celebration of Christmas to pray for peace and unity in Kwali , the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the country at large.

By Chika Mefor

34 FCT watch/NEWS

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Esu Of Bwari Urges Parents To Instil Discipline In Children

Yuletide: Clergymen Urge Christians To Pray For Peace

By Chika Mefor

Clergymen in the Church in the City (TCITC), a collaboration of over 25 churches in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on Christians to use the Christmas celebration as an opportunity of coming together in unity to pray for the peace and unity of Nigeria.

Pastor Goodheart Ekwueme, Senior Pastor of House on the Rock, the Refuge, made this known in a Christmas Carol organised by the Church in

The Esu of Bwari, Bwari area council, Ibrahim Yaro has called on parents in the council to strive to inculcate in their children moral values that will help them in life and make them better citizens of the country.

Yaro who was speaking during the Prize Giving Day of the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Dutse Alhaji, organized by an NGO, Project Read4life NIgeria stated that many children have been abandoned by their parents and are allowed to act as they chose adding that such act would be of a detriment not only to the family but to the society.

The Esu who was represented by the Madami Bwari, Timothy Dakweyi expressed concern over how most parents do not care about the welfare of their children in the school allowing them to come to school with dirty uniforms. ‘’They come with dirty uniforms and you wonder if they had even come of a house.

The parents do not strive to pay for their school fees or to buy text books for them. They always rely on the government and forget that they have their own bit to do in the training of their children,’’ he said.

He also called on them to desist from leaving the training of their children only to the teachers in the school adding that the responsibility of training a child lies on not just the teachers but also the parents.

He congratulated the teachers on the quality of education they have bestowed on the student of the school adding that with the talents he had seen the children display, the teachers were putting their best in the development of the children. ‘’ I am happy with what I saw here. The teachers here are doing their best. I urge them to continue doing their best.

The government is trying to.

When everybody do their best, progress will continue to be seen in the education sector,’’ he said.

By Igho Oyoyo

the City in Abuja, which some Gospel Ministers, like Solomon Lange and Kingsley Ike were coorganisers.

According to Ekwueme, the reason for the churches to come together to organise the Christmas Carol, was to gathered Christians together from different denominations to lift their voices in oneness to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“In this moment of celebration, Christians must contemplate, thoughtful and not just pause at the enjoyment that goes

with Christmas, but, have deep thought about the great price that God paid by coming to earth to die for our sins.

“The purpose of the birth of Jesus Christ, which led to him dying for us. Then, Christians should learn to live a live that is worthy of that heavenly purpose, most during and after the Christmas celebration. Christians should reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ during this period of celebration,” he said.

Pastor Solomon Lange, a Gospel Artiste and one of the

organisers said, “It is a good thing that churches come together to worship and have a good time with God. Instead of us to organise carol in our various churches, we decided to come together and lift up our voices to God, in a very crucial moment in the history of Nigeria.

He said, “It is a beautiful thing to do and that is what God is looking for right now, for people to come together in unity and pray for the nation, because, we are in a very crucial moment in Nigeria.”

Chicken roasters doing Christmas business at Wuse market, Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY JANE OKEKE

Gede Foundation Graduates, Empowers 90 Youths

By Igho Oyoyo

A non-governmental organisation under the auspices of Gede Foundation, has graduated no less than 90 young people as part of its contribution to community development and campaign to reduce the plight of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the society.

The event saw 90 orphans and vulnerable children gather

to be celebrated, with most of them graduating from secondary schools, having had their education financed by the foundation from the beginning, while others were graduating from skill acquisition centres, having completed their training, which was financed by the foundation.

The performance director of the foundation, Godin Etim, explained that the foundation has been funding the education of

and avails OVCs the opportunity for skill acquisition since 2003, that those who have graduated from skills acquisition would be given the needed tools to start their different vocations, each tool fitting the vocation for which they were trained.

“Since we began, we have touched the lives of over 4000 children from around the country and Abuja’s inner settlements (Kabusa, Pyakasa, Kuje, Giri,

Jahi, Katampe, Dutse Alhaji and a number of places that are not part of the city centre), just to give these young people something to live for by getting every form of meaningful support from our partners, both within and outside the country,” he said.

Etim also explained that the foundation values a secondary school education, because it gives the school-leaver the right to earn the minimum wage.

Abuja Lights Up As Christmas Draws Nearer

33

hope across national boundaries adding that it also offers Christians a unique opportunity to reinforce the same message of love, unity, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence to none Christians alike.

“Christmas celebration to many people, Christians and none Christians see the period as a unique one. That is why they look out for it with high

expectation. One other unique aspect of Christmas is the date, which is always December 25, which everybody knows, even none Christians and it has not changed for centuries, unlike other celebrations that change from one date to the other, apart from the New Year celebration which is January 1.

“During this period, Christians are expected to show love and

oneness, by sharing gifts with loved ones, which include neighbours which are Christians and none Christians. Also, Nigerians use it as a period of sober reflection, preparing our minds for the New Year with love and unity in our hearts,” she said.

In FCT, its administration prepared for the Christmas celebration by adorning of the environment with adorable

decorations. LEADERSHIP went to town to ascertain from the residents how they are going to celebrate the yuletide season.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP, Miss Acheini Igado expressed confident of the security situation in the capital city and insisted that she will visit relaxation centres with her family, as well as visit relatives and friends, including attending of church programmes.

FCT watch/feature 35

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Waste Collection: Taking FCT Youths Off The Street

Refuse collectors. photo by chika mefor Chika Mefor

People who we collect their refuse pay us from N20 to N100, depending on the size of the refuse we collect

Top 5 Security Guard Companies In FCT ➊ Kings Guards ➋ Infinity Security ➌ Flare Securities ➍ Deepcover Guards ➎ Olive Guards

Local waste collectors, popularly known as “Mai-bola’ are people who usually collect refuses from house to house and take them to refuse dumps. They are mostly seen within some parts of the city centre and in all the satellite towns of the Federal Capital territory (FCT).

These set of people usually move around, hitting their carts to make noise, with the intention of creating attention for people who have refuses to be collected.

Although, it is an informal job, refuse collection has become a job for many youths, not only in FCT, but all over the country. Youths who have no means of livelihood engage in this manual job to earn themselves income for their survival and that of their families.

Yayaha Ali, a native of Kano State, who lives in Dutse, is one of such youths who have earned a living through this manual job. He had started the job last year, when he came to Abuja to stay with his brother, who is an okada rider.

According to Ali, when he got to Abuja from Kano, there was

nothing for him to do, because he lacks any educational qualification, after depending on his brother for a long time, he was then adviced by his brother to start the manual job.

“So, one day, I decided to join some youth from the north that do the job, just to know how they do it and where they dump the refuses which they collect. After then, I started my own too,” he said.

Ali said he wakes up every morning to face his normal routine, which starts with his prayers, then he takes his breakfast and the day’s work begins, by moving from one household to the other with the cart he hires for N100 daily, drawing people’s attention by hitting his cart.

Ali who is a primary school dropout said the business has improved his lifestyle by clothing him, putting food on his table and had also provided for his people at home.

He disclosed that his target is to get a motor cycle like his brother, so that he can become an Okada rider, adding that with the bike he intend to buy with his present manual job, he will be able to make

more money that will allow him to get married and start a family.

“We do not really make much from this business. People who we collect their refuse pay us from N20 to N100, depending on the size of the refuse we collect. In a day, I make N300 to N500. After we have collected enough refuse, we take it to refuse sites to dump them,” he said.

The work of local waste collectors comes with it health challenges, because they do the job without properly gearing themselves for it.

They do not have hand gloves and boots to protect themselves from infection. They are at the mercy of the waste they dispose.

According to a health worker, Mohammedu Kato, these collectors face challenges like eye irritation, respiratory diseases, with coughing, sneezing, among others. Also, they are infected with skin diseases, especially scabies; minor injuries from stepping on broken bottles or sharp objects in the refuse and headaches from working in the sun.

Other health hazards the collectors face, including skin

and blood infections, which result from direct contact with waste and from infected wounds; eye and respiratory infections resulting from exposure to infected dust; zoonoses resulting from bites by wild or stray animals feeding on wastes.

Other diseases which they have the tendency of contacting is enteric infections transmitted by flies on wastes, chronic diseases like respiratory diseases and cancers resulting from exposure to dust and hazardous compounds, accidental injuries, infected wounds from contact with sharp items; poisoning and chemical burns resulting from contact with small amounts of hazardous chemical waste mixed with general waste; burns and other injuries from occupational accidents at waste disposal sites.

Another challenge they face that is not related directly to their work is the condition of places they live.

Many of them sleep outside shops and places of worship with no shelter to protect them from rain, sun or mosquitoes.

The local waste collectors also face challenges of not being trusted because of some bad eggs among them. One of them, Musa Baba told LEADERSHIP that he had severally been accused of stealing by some people he had went into their compound to collect their waste. ‘’I have been accused of theft so many times, but, God knows I am not. Sometimes, I do not blame the people who accuse me. Because, some people who do not fear God will go into a compound to collect refuse and when they see that there is nobody, they will steal people’s valuables,’’ he said.

Many a times, the collectors are also accused of collecting the refuse and dumping them on the road and inside drainages. ‘’I called on one and paid him N50 to take the refuse to the site.

When I returned from work, I saw the refuse at the back of my house,’’ Mummy Paula, a resident of Kubwa stated.

Ice Block Business Is Profitable – Olughara

By Nkechi Isaac

Contrary to the low profit perception of ice block business by entrepreneurs, Mr Felix Olughara who is into the business has said it is a very profitable venture.

Speaking in an exclusive chat with LEADERSHIP, Olughara said that he makes as much as N50, 000 per day from ice block sales.

He said, “People often neglect ice block business but it’s a very Olughara

profitable venture. I make as much as N50, 000 a day from the sale of ice block, depending on how good the market was for the day. I have a relatively big ice block making machine that takes up to 1,400 pieces of ice block which sells for N100 per piece.”

According to him, “the business is most vibrant during dry season because there is a high demand for ice block during hot weather,

a piece of ice block can sell for as much as N200 during this period because of the extremely hot weather.

“The business is normally slow during the rainy season because the weather is cold but we recoup our loss during the harmattan.”

Giving details of requirements to start up the business, Olughara said the most basic thing needed to set up the business is a fridge.

36

for the record Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Insecurity: ‘Our Approaches Towards Problem-solving’ by ekpenyong ita

Protocols It is with great joy that I stand here today to welcome everyone to this auspicious occasion of the graduation ceremony of Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 7.

This Course has grown in leaps and bounds since its maiden edition in 2008. As the pioneer Director and a founding member of this Institute, the EMIC was structured to enhance synergy between security and first responder agencies, develop broad outlook and capacity of participants to handle the ever complex nature of known and emerging security challenges, and boost their abilities to manage human and materials resource efficiently and effectively. And now as the DGSS I have the privilege to ensure that this vision is achieved.

I want to especially commend the management and staff of the ISS for their dedication and commitment towards these broad objectives. The Institute has been innovative and creative in expanding the scope and content of the Course. I am glad that forty-eight (48) participants from eighteen (18) agencies have gone through the rigours of this programme, and shall be graduating today.

I want to commend our graduants for their commitment and dedication to this programme. Your graduation is coming at a time when politicking ahead of 2015 general elections has reached its crescendo. This Course has equipped you with requisite knowledge, exposure and expertise to ensure a safe and stable environment in which the political processes can find a full expression.

Like every other country on earth today, Nigeria is grappling with its own share of global insecurity. Our efforts in the Institute have been geared towards improving the leadership skills at Executive levels to manage and contain these challenges. This is because our approaches towards problemsolving are multi-dimensional,

Jonathan

This is because our approaches towards problemsolving are multi-dimensional, with every agency having a critical role to play. As you leave this Institute today, I want to prepare your mind that a greater quality of leadership shall be expected and demanded of you, in your areas of responsibilities with every agency having a critical role to play. As you leave this Institute today, I want to prepare your mind that a greater quality of leadership shall be expected and demanded of you, in your areas of responsibilities.

Accordingly, as a Service our responses to prevailing threats to National security has been comprehensive.

They include continuous human capacity development, extensive intelligence collection programmes, and collaboration with stakeholders both within and outside the country. Our intelligence collection efforts

have made threat indicators more explicit and are also geared towards ensuring the success of government policies and programmes.

Above all we have endeavoured to bond and connect with our staff, as the issue of personnel welfare remains and will continue as top priority, despite dwindling financial resources. The result of such commitment is that our personnel are very very committed and have fully bought into my Vision and the Service’s Mission statements. In the past five years, this Service has recorded modest achievements.

The government, public and other stakeholders have shown obvious approval of our efforts to ensure a safe, stable and indivisible Nigeria. And this, I must repeat we owe to our dedicated, loyal and hardworking officers and men.

I wish to reiterate that Nigeria is on the path of lasting growth and development. And no machination by uninformed terror elements, or unscrupulous politicians with divisive tendencies, and other criminals elements, shall succeed against the collective will of the people to remain united. Accordingly, we owe it a duty to protect, and ensure the indivisibility of the nation. This we must uphold in the face of enormous security challenges which obviously are surmountable.

I want to thank President Goodluck JONATHAN GCFR, for his unwavering commitment towards improved security and unprecedented development of the Nation. National security is top on Mr. President’s agenda, and for that he has ensured that this Service is well equipped technically and steps taken to enhance her skills, knowledge and competences. This has helped the Service to contribute modestly to the Transformation Agenda of Mr. President.

Finally, I want to appreciate the participating agencies for their consistency in this programme.

To you my dear graduants, your EMIC certificate is worth much more than it seems. We have an understanding with the University of Ilorin that in three (3) months, upon your completion of this Course and another Course in the University, you can earn a Masters Degree in Security Studies. Also, we have concluded arrangements to launch the first ever intelligencecommunity journal in Nigeria.

Once again thank you and God bless.

– An address by the Dgss, E.E. Ita, at the graduation ceremony of participants of the executive intelligence management course held on December 20, 2014, at the Institute For Security Studies, Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja

politics today Tuesday, December 23, 2014

REPORTS ANALYSES REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

Jonathan

Buhari

Candidates Jonathan, Buhari: Chances And Challenges Ahead President Goodluck Jonathan will again face Gen Muhammadu Buhari in a contest for the presidency in 2015. George Agba and Adesuwa Tsan write on the strengths and weaknesses of both candidates.

While the critics see Jonathan’s chances as very slim in the next presidential election, many others hold strongly that voting Jonathan out would mean surrendering to the whims of some elites

I

f President Goodluck Jonathan’s fate in the 2015 presidential poll is going to be determined by what his critics say about him in terms of performance, then he certainly has to worry about his chances. For this set of Nigerians, comprising mostly of the opposition, there is nothing the president can boast of in the over five years he has ruled the country.

But in a political clime like Nigeria where elections are not merely won by theoretical views, there is no doubt that the president’s chances are still bright. For instance, his critics insist that Jonathan has demonstrated weakness and incompetence in the war against Boko Haram. They argue that the manner in which the insurgents hit on target with the needed accuracy

is evident that the commander in chief suffers a level of incapacitation that confounds the military.

There are many other Nigerians who believe, however, that not even a Buhari regime of 1984-1985 with its stern disposition would have done better in the present circumstance that Jonathan finds himself. The thinking is that insurgency itself is a design by those who opposed his 2011 presidential bid and even vowed openly during the general elections that they would make the country ungovernable if they lose.

While the critics see Jonathan’s chances as very slim in the next presidential election, many others hold strongly that voting Jonathan out would mean surrendering to the whims of some elites who, after failing to get power through the

ballot box, have resorted to terror by using the Boko Haram antics to scare the president out of power.

Pundits in this school of thought are of the opinion that it was these same people that had earlier made frantic but futile effort to discourage Jonathan from contesting the 2015 election. Having failed and left with no choice, they are now fueling insecurity to discredit his government.

Another factor that tends to work favourably for Jonathan in 2015 is the perception by some Nigerians that despite his imperfections, the incumbent president is still a better choice to Buhari. Some even believe that the All Progressives Congress (APC) ended up shooting itself on the foot by recycling Buhari, who, according to them, has become a serial election loser, to still contest with Jonathan.

Some political commentators say for the former head of state to come up for the fourth time to contest for the same office, he has become a perennial presidential candidate and that is a bad omen for

the APC. The PDP leadership may have congratulated Buhari as soon as he was announced winner of the APC presidential primaries because of this thinking. They believe that since their party has long perfected a way of defeating him in previous contests, it should have nothing to fear about; same old folk in the ring, you may say.

Most analysts believe that the president stands a better chance of winning the 2015 presidential race after making history as the first incumbent to be endorsed by his party as its candidate even before the primary. An attempt by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to achieve this in 2003 in the party caused bad blood among party faithful.

“The delegates, in voting for Jonathan to ratify the endorsement, had their eyes on patriotism, unity and stability, which his presidency has emplaced in the polity”, an analyst pointed out.

Another thing that would swerve ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 38

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38 POLITICS TODAY

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Candidates Jonathan, Buhari: Chances And Challenges Ahead ➔ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

sympathy to Jonathan is his declaration to his supporters three years ago that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

He repeated that statement recently during a launch to celebrate his declaration after he did it at the Eagle Square.

In Nigeria where its citizens have seen how politicians’ insatiable lust for power have led them to commit nasty and disgusting things, including performing rituals, many consider Jonathan’s disposition as hope for a new kind of politics that is free of demonic and occultic manipulation.

President Jonathan’s penchant for encouraging and practicing true democracy by creating an enabling environment where people from different backgrounds and views are accommodated would also be a plus to him in 2015. With his calm, patient and tolerant disposition towards the series of attacks on his government, person and family, he has remained vulnerable instead of using the instrument of power to deal with his critics.

During his formal declaration for the 2015 presidential election, Jonathan made an undertaking that no Nigerian has been or would be sent to prison or driven into exile for freely expressing his or her opinion on any matter.

Even the president’s opponents, including those in the opposition, have frequently taken a cue to benefit from this commitment to free speech.

His admirers commended him for adopting unique economic measures that enabled his government to reduce inflation, curb imports of needless goods and curtail crude oil theft

Jonathan’s Achievements It was Jonathan who signed into law, the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. This important legislation, long called for by the international community and civil society, provides the single most important instrument for public participation in fighting corruption. Besides, Nigerians won’t forget so soon how the Jonathan administration fought hard to contain the deadly Ebola Virus Disease which is raging many countries even at the present.

Another positive aspect of the Jonathan’s administration is that there had been relative noninterference with electoral and judicial matters. Supporters of the present administration count the conduct of free and fair elections in the country, including the 2011 polls said to be the most credible election in the country. They boast that this had been evident in the number of governorship elections in the country since Jonathan became the president.

Keen observers believe that Jonathan’s commitment to strengthening democracy in the country should be taken seriously.

They argue that of the five governorship elections conducted under his watch, his party won just

Mu’azu

one, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP) got one each, while APC had two.

Before his election as president in 2011, he had promised Nigerians that he would do whatever was necessary to reform the electoral process so that votes would begin to count and be counted. And in keeping faith with this promise, he set about reforming the electoral process without bothering about his own personal political interests.

Buhari’s Chances Trying for the fourth time for the presidential slot, General Muhammadu Buhari faced presidential party primary for the first time where he garnered a whopping 3,430 votes to emerge the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in a keenly contested primary election held in Lagos.

Buhari’s carved a niche in the democratic dispensation as the face of opposition in Nigerian politics.

His biggest selling point has been his uncompromising attitude, an attribute that has placed him at a point where his supporters see him as the only political messiah that can save Nigeria from drowning.

His reputation is based on his rule as military head of state in 1983, when he overthrew the civilian government in power and justified his action by reprimanding the civilian government of Shagari and describing it as exceedingly corrupt.

The popular “War Against Indiscipline (WAI) campaign, through which his administration used to set a new road map for the country’s politics, introduced strict economic and political policies, but like anything Buhari, the unique economic measure his short-lived government introduced was also passionately commended and criticised.

It would be recalled that in spite of the harsh economic realities

Odigie

of the time, Buhari rejected IMF loan and refused to adopt the IMF conditionality to devalue the naira.

While his critics blamed him then for resultant job losses, closure of some businesses and a decline in living standards, his admirers commended him for adopting unique economic measures that enabled his government to reduce inflation, curb imports of needless goods and curtail crude oil theft.

So, even though Buhari was overthrown on August 27, 1985 in a coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida, he has not ceased to be a factor in the country’s politics. This is even so as he has repeatedly sought to become a democratically elected president since 2003 when he first contested as the presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and was defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Since then, the retired general has never failed to contest in any presidential election in the country. In the April 2007 election, he also flew the flag of ANPP. For the April 16, 2011, he was the candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and polled 12,214,853 votes in a presidential election that featured 20 contestants.

Today, as Buhari prepares to fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 presidential election, many are keen to know whether it would be fourth time lucky for the general.

Buhari’s strength Generally accepted as a leader with strong character, Buhari is also described by his admirers as incorruptible. It would be recalled that he first came into national prominence when in 1976, he became the federal commissioner (minister) for Petroleum and Natural Resources under the then military head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo. Those who

worked under him at that point of his career and even before, when he was appointed military governor of the newly created North-East State, during the regime of the late General Murtala Mohammed, say he is consistently firm and determined.

As a presidential candidate, this image is considered a strong point for the APC, especially amongst the electorate who believe that most of the current problems President Goodluck Jonathan’s government are unable to handle promptly would require such a strong personality.

But this Buhari’s strength has also become his weakness. Critics consider his strong personality as a minus, as they say he would not be a listening president like Jonathan.

It remains to be seen, what advantage Buhari’s personality, which most Nigerians consider a plus, will bring to the fortunes of APC. What may be difficult in the build up to the elections is for Buhari to shrug off the impression that he is a Muslim fundamentalist with a fanatical following. Reference is always made of alleged comments suggesting his determination to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state.

This point has so far been countered

by Christians who worked closely with him but more has to be done to convince the electorate as Buhari’s critics will hold firmly to that to puncture his ratings ahead of the polls.

There are indications that to improve his performance in the Christian dominated South, Buhari will need to correct this impression of his being a religious fanatic which is behind the idea of having a Christian pastor as his running mate.

The fact that he is less of a talker also makes it difficult to really understand him. On rare occasions that he has spoken, the backlash is usually much, with most of the meaning misconstrued.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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40 Feature

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Oil Workers Strike And SSS Intervention Nigerians were last week thrown into another spell of long fuel queues and suffering occasioned by the strike action by the oil industry unions. CHIKA OTUCHIKERE writes on the Department of State Services’(DSS) intervention in the matter.

T

he nation woke up this week to a nationwide warning strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and their sister organisation, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG over the sack of a TOTAL staffer.

Many Nigerians who have been used to the hardship fuel scarcity unleashes on the society especially at the coming of the Christmas celebration and the beginning of a new year were already bracing up for another nightmare which usually ushers in a new price regimes in petroleum products.

In the past, when fuel scarcity erupted, it was usually provoked by the unions attempting to strike a new and better welfare package from the oil industry operators. The latest fuel scarcity however, came about following the transfer of a staff of Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited (Total E&P), Elo Victor Ogbonda from the Port Harcourt branch to the Lagos office and subsequent sack which the union protested and demanded for her reinstatement.

The refusal of TOTAL to reinstate Ogbonda and restore her to her Port Harcourt office compelled both the PENGASSAN and NUPENG to rally its members to invoke the industrial action which led to fuel scarcity thereby grounding economic activities for three days. Worried about the imminent threat to the nation’s security which the strike portends, the Department of State Services, DSS waded into the matter to mediate a soft-landing for all the parties involved and avert the breakdown of law and order.

According to the DSS deputy director of public relations, Marilyn Ogar who briefed journalists on the effort of the agency to broker a peace deal between the management of TOTAL and the unions, TOTAL reneged on an agreement between the two parties to return to status quo ante.

Ogar unequivocally heaped the blame of the strike action and attendant hardship on the economy on TOTAL which she

emphatically urged Nigerians to appeal to them to respect the agreement reached and reinstate Ogbonda and end the suffering they have imposed on Nigerians.

Ogar who disclosed that the matter was brought to the DSS office by PENGASSAN officials in November, following which the Service summoned the Total managing director, Elizabeth Proust, insisted that Total’s recalcitrance triggered the strike action.

“The issue is the on-going strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN which is biting hard on all Nigerians. We want to state that in November, 2014, PENGASSAN had written the Service to make a formal complaint about the transfer of Elo Victor Ogbonda to Lagos from Port Harcourt by TOTAL after she as elected as a zonal executive of the union.

“Consequently, this Service summoned the managing director of Total, Elizabeth Proust on November, 5 , 2014 to resolve the dispute. It was agreed that Ogbonda would be re-instated, posted back to Port Harcourt and granted leave of absence for the period she would serve as an executive of PENGASSAN. “However, PENGASSAN was later to inform this Service that Total had reneged on its promise to recall Ogbonda and that she remains sacked. Consequently, this Service contacted Total and was informed that the company will not go back on its sack order.

All entreaties to the company failed, thus culminating in the current strike and the attendant fuel scarcity,” Ogar said.

TOTAL in a swift reaction explained the position the company took in the incident adding that following a routine corporate reorganisation, 71employees from Port Harcourt and Abuja including Mrs. Ogbonda, were given letters of transfer to Lagos in August, 2014.

According to Total, Ogbonda received a transfer and inconvenience allowance of more than Nine Million Naira and then refused to proceed to her new location. She said instead of approaching the Company in which she was an employee, to re-consider her transfer, Ogbonda complained

Fuel queue in Abuja.

If every union executive that is transferred leads to strike action then the country and the oil companies are in for a big trouble. The security agency as well as the union should respect the laws and policy guiding the activities of the private sector, no matter which sector it is to a number of external parties and agencies and invited them to intervene in a routine internal employer – employee matter.

She sought to force a reversal of the transfer, citing her role as a Port Harcourt Zonal official of the union.

The company also claimed that at the same time Ogbonda absented herself from work without permission for over 30 days and got her employment terminated. “Total had the option to summarily dismiss Mrs. Ogbonda for refusing to proceed on transfer and/or for absenting herself for more than seven days without permission, both a clear breach of the terms of her employment contract which she signed.

“Total E&P was magnanimous in waiting for 30 days before terminating her with full benefits even though she has not yet refunded the transfer allowance of over nine million naira.

“A Labour Dispute process was launched at the Federal Ministry of Labour by PENGASSAN who then declined to pursue this option. Total E&Psupports this process which should be allowed to proceed to allow knowledgeable third parties to review the facts and make an informed decision with the participation of all parties.

Some labour watchers who reacted to the face-off between the TOTAL and the unions said the unions as well as the

Department for State Services had no reason to meddle into the internal affairs of a private company while the PENGASSAN and NUPENG did not have any reason to hold a nation of 180million people to ransom over a single individual’s issues with her employers.

According to a director of an oil service company, Mr Tony Preston, the affairs which led to the latest fuel scarcity was totally uncalled for and avoidable. He averred that the policy of a private firm, as long as it is within the ambit of the law, must be respected by any employee that comes to seek employment. He further stressed that if the working condition of the company said that an employee could be transferred to any part of the country, the demand of a union should not compel a private firm to change the policy.

An Abuja based labour expert, Comrade Nkechi Nnorom, in her view said the union were apparently over-stepping their bounds with the ultimatum give to the oil company over one staff who absented herself from work on the pretext of serving the interest of the workers union.

She queried whether it was the union that paid the staff or the company. “ If what they said is the bone of contention in the present PENGASSAN strike action then I must say that the union leaders

have began to act like sea pirates holding people to ransom and getting away with it. How can an employee be transferred from one station to another and even paid her entitlement, only for her to pocket the entitlement and still fail to comply with the transfer. And to compound the matter she absented herself from office for 30 days and still expect the company to retain her simply because she is a newly elected executive of a union. Which law are these union leaders interpreting?

“As for the SSS which called on Total to reinstate the employee, did they understand the issue and if they did why did they not compel the union to adopt a more peaceful approach to resolving the problem. If every union executive that is transferred leads to strike action then the country and the oil companies are in for a big trouble. The security agency as well as the union should respect the laws and policy guiding the activities of the private sector no matter which sector it is,” she said.

The Total management which apparently took the posture of the valiant in the strike action when it should be the contrary, restated their confidence in the oil unions and their willingness to continue in their mutual respect for each other.

“PENGASSAN and NUPENG have been strong representatives of our employees for more than 35 years and we fully respect the rights of our employees to participate in union activities.

We will continue to work with both unions in the interest of staff and the development of the oil and gas.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

REPORT OF THE

TRANSFORMATION

AGENDA

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

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LEADERSHIP in a bid to provide a true and objective picture of the successes and challenges of the Transformation Agenda is publishing THE REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA as told by the key actors themselves in their own words unedited.

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The Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has been hailed as successful in several areas like agriculture, power, roads, macro-economic stability, foreign-direct investment inflow, and the health sector, among others. Critics cite poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity and the contracting middle class as evidence that the Transformation Agenda is not working. So who and what do you believe? Welcome to the Situation Report.

Ministries, Paratatals and Agencies who have made impactful contributions to the Transformation Agenda are invited to tell their success stories in the REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA. Private sector companies and contractors who have successfully executed Transformation Agenda projects are also invited to show and tell their success stories in the historic REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

To participwaithteph:otographs, charts and graphs and call

sation’s achievements alo2,ngHenry Ubimago: 08068640944, ni ga or e th le pi m co y pl Sim 314390 7 Iyobosa Uwugiaren: 08:03 6, Tosin Allen: 0805211670wspaper 76 52 45 06 07 in am nj Be ne Adebayo nt Abuja resident a in m o d e th in it Show and tell

42

healthful

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

. . . C O N D U C I V E TO G O O D H E A LT H O F B O D Y O R M I N D

Obesity Can Cause ‘Silent’ Damage To Heart

Heart damage can occur in obese people without causing symptoms, and take place without other heart risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, a new study says.

The researchers said their findings about this silent heart damage challenge the common belief that the risk of heart disease in obese people is mainly due to diabetes and high blood pressure, which are common in obese people.

“Obesity is a well-known ‘accomplice’ in the development of heart disease, but our findings suggest it may be a solo player that drives heart failure independently of other risk factors that are often found among those with excess weight,” said lead investigator Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.

The study included more than 9,500 heart disease-free people, ages 53 to 75, in Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi and North Carolina who were followed for more than 12 years. During that time, 869 of them developed heart failure.

Severely obese people were more than twice as likely to develop

heart failure as those with normal weight, the researchers found. The more obese a person was, the greater the risk of heart failure.

Obesity independently increased the risk of heart muscle damage and the risk for heart failure, and this damage often caused no symptoms, according to the study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure- Heart failure refers to the heart’s inability to pump blood as it should.

“The direct relationship we found between obesity and subclinical heart damage is quite potent and truly concerning from a public health standpoint given the growing number of obese people in the United States and worldwide,” Ndumele said.

“These results are a wake-up call that obesity may further fuel the growing rate of heart failure, and clinicians who care for obese people should not be lulled into a false sense of security by the absence of traditional risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension,” Dr. Roger Blumenthal, director of Hopkins’ Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, said in the news release.

“Obese people, even when free of cardiovascular symptoms, should be monitored for the earliest signs of heart failure and counseled on ways to improve their lifestyle habits,” he advised.

The heart disease and diabetes that often accompany obesity may rob people of almost a decade of life and close to two decades of a healthy life, Canadian researchers report in a separate study.

“Not only is excess body weight associated with a significant reduction in life expectancy, but with an even greater reduction in healthy life years,” said lead researcher Dr. Steven Grover, a professor of medicine at McGill University in Montreal.

“While losing weight or exercising regularly is not easy for many of us, the potential benefits are huge,” he said.

For example, Grover said, a modest reduction in weight of about 10 pounds and as little as 30 minutes of daily physical activity most days of the week have been proven to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 60 percent.

“The potential benefits of losing weight and exercising in preventing a heart attack or stroke are also substantial,” he said.

“Appreciating the impact excess pounds has on our life expectancy and healthy years of life will hopefully provide health professionals with a new diagnostic measurement to motivate some individuals to make healthy changes to their lifestyle,” Grover added.

While the study found an association between obesity and life span, it did not prove that obesity shortens life.

Edward Gregg is chief of the epidemiology at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said, “Obese people, and particularly very obese people, have such a large increase in diabetes that it means that the average obese person will spend a very large portion of their life with diabetes and with other chronic conditions.”

At the same time, there is some good news, he said. “There has been progress in reducing death rates from heart disease, and there is good evidence that lifestyle changes and regular preventive care can reduce diabetes, heart disease and the disability that follows,” Gregg said.

Culled from Health Day

Lowering Blood Sugar

Eating At Other People’s Houses

Top 7 Ways to Prevent Ebola

➊

Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly

➋

Avoid shaking of hands hugging of people

➌

Use gloves and protective gears while handling patients

➍

Avoid contact with bodily fluids like sweat, saliva or blood

➎

Prepare your foods by yourself

➏

Avoid bush meats and suya of questionable source

➐

Avoid raising animals around the home

When I was a boy it used to make me nervous when we would eat at other people’s houses. I was an extremely picky eater, and I was sure they would serve me broccoli or Brussels sprouts or some other horrible food that would make me gag. I could trust my mom to make me foods I liked; everyone else was trouble! When I became a teenager I became’ so embar- rassed about telling people I didn’t like this or that food that I started eat- ing foods that were on my don’t-eat list. And I found out they weren’t so bad after all. In time I became fairly normal (at least in this respect) and ate pretty much what everybody else ate.

And then I developed bloodsugar problems. Once again I began to dislike the idea of eating at other people’s homes. I knew what my system could handle and had begun to tailor my meals to my weakness. But at other people’s houses I was likely to encounter things like lasagna, macaroni and cheese, baked potatoes, rice dishes, and chocolate cake with ice cream.

Eventually I learned ways and means to cope in these situations and I wanted to pass along a few tips to you.

Invitations to eat at people’s homes can be broken down into two categories: people you know well, such as relatives and close friends; and people you don’t know so well. With family and close friends no real problem should present itself If you are serious in your efforts to avoid diabetic complications, there is no way you will be able to keep it a secret, nor should you want to. People you spend time with and care about will soon discover that you are either a diabetic or a potential diabetic, and that you are absolutely serious about keeping your blood sugar low and living out your years in good health without all the miseries diabetes can bring. In 99 percent of the cases these people will applaud your efforts and admire your discipline. When they invite you to their house for a meal they will probably attempt to provide foods that will work for you. I have had some amazingly tasty low-carb meals served by people who don’t normally eat that way themselves, but were eager to provide me a meal I could enjoy without guilt.

That brings us to the other category: people you don’t know well, and who have no clue that you struggle with blood sugar.

Culled from 60 ways to Lower Your BLOOD SUGAR

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

5th

A doctor in Sierra Leone has died of Ebola, making him the fifth local doctor in West Africa to die of the disease.

20,000

Twenty thousand HIV positive persons are said to die monthly in Nigeria.

Rice Can Help Treat Cholera The main treatment for cholera involves oral rehydration therapy where the patient drinks water mixed with salts and glucose which can increase the toxicity of the cholera bacterium.

Scientists have now shown that replacing glucose with rice powder can reduce its toxicity by almost 75 percent.

“The problem is that the infecting bacterium also consumes glucose and that increases the expression of its genes that make it toxic,” said Melanie Blokesch from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne.

Having Food From Cans Lined With Bisphenol Can Increase Your BP Having food or drinks from cans lined with the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) could heighten your blood pressure, says a new study.

BPA, a chemical used as an epoxy lining for cans and plastic bottles, is everywhere, and its consumption has been associated with high blood pressure and heart rate variability.

Study author Dr. Yun-Chul Hong at Seoul National

University College of Medicine in South Korea, said that a 5 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure by drinking two canned beverages may cause clinically significant problems, particularly in patients with heart disease or hypertension. A 20 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Urine Test For Kids With Asthma Shows Promise Children with asthma might one day benefit from a simple urine test that could ensure they receive the right dose of medication to help them better manage their condition.

An Anglo-Polish research team found that a urine test can accurately measure levels of inflammation and find one particular sign that can predict a forthcoming asthma attack.

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways -- the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten and become narrower, and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell, causing breathing trouble and leading to symptoms of asthma.

Culled from zeenew.com

Culled from zeenew.com

Blokesch and Andrea Rinaldo at EPFL correlated data from a recent cholera outbreak in Haiti with the effectiveness of oral rehydration therapy.

Blokesch’s lab grew the cholera bacterium with different sugars and starch from potatoes and rice to see how each would affect the cholera toxin genes.

The scientists found that both the activity of the genes, as well as the production of the cholera toxin itself were increased when the bacterium was fed with glucose but they were considerably decreased when it was fed with starch from rice.

Culled from zeenew.com

Heart Patient- Avoid Rush Hour Traffic Avoiding rush hour traffic could curb your exposure to air pollution, thereby reducing risk of developing heart diseases or preventing worsening of existing heart diseases, a study has suggested.

“There is now ample evidence that air pollution is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” said corresponding author Robert Storey from the University of Sheffield, Britain.

“It not only makes existing heart conditions worse but also contributes to development of the disease,” Storey added There is a two-way interaction between air pollution and cardiovascular risk factors.

Obese people and those with diabetes may be at higher risk of the cardiovascular effects of pollution, while air pollutants may exacerbate and instigate the development of risk factors such as high blood pressure and impaired insulin sensitivity.

Culled from zeenew.com Avoiding air pollution,

Poisonous Mushrooms Could Help Cure Deadly Diseases

Toxic mushrooms may hold secrets to tackling deadly diseases as researchers have discovered that the fungi could help in the production of medicines capable of curing disease without the patient suffering any side effects.

The researchers discovered in mushrooms an enzyme called POPB that create the mushroom’s molecules that harbour missile-like proficiency in attacking and annihilating a single vulnerable target in the human liver.

These findings could lead to singleminded medicines with zero side effects, said co-lead author Jonathan Walton, professor of plant biology at the Michigan State University in the US. The team revealed how the enzyme contributes to the manufacture of chemical compounds known as cyclic peptides, a favourite molecule that pharmaceutical companies use to create new drugs.

“Mushrooms are prolific chemical factories, yet only a few of their peptides are poisonous,” he added.

Culled from zeenew.com

healthful Q &A According to a popular medical book, I may have an under-active thyroid gland. My hair, skin, eyes, and mouth are very dry; I have puffiness under my eyes, and I’m very sensitive to cold on my back.

But a blood test indicates my thyroid is normal. Are there other ways I should be tested for an underactive thyroid?

Not if you’ve had the two appropriate blood tests. One measures thyroid hormone itself, and one measures thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. Your symptoms could be caused by many other problems, including dry environment, medical conditions that dry out the eyes, and certain skin diseases.

Culled from Guide to Better Health

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

NIGERIAN INVESTMENT PROMOTION COMMISSION SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT

Re: A Tale of Two Ladies First, At NIPC (Response to an article published in the Daily Trust Newspaper of Wednesday, October 8, 2014) The attention of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) was drawn to a spurious and misleading article by respected veteran journalist and public commentator, Mr. Mohammed Haruna published in the Daily Trust and the Nation Newspapers of Wednesday October 8, 2014, by deliberately slanted to cast the agency in bad light and lower its estimation in the minds of the public which it serves.

When Mr. Haruna wrote an article titled “making a mountain out of a molehill” in Year 2010 in defence of his good friend, Engineer Bello the former Executive Secretary of NIPC, little did he realize that he would also be guilty of the offence which he lustily accused others of committing in the article.

1. NIPC as a credible and focused institution does not intend to join issues with the author of the story as it would be tantamount to distraction in the face of urgent and more pressing issues to realise the lofty vision of the agency and move it forward into the future. Although necessary, we have been reluctant to respond all this while due to pity for his informants, treasured relationship with our former Executive Secretary, and mindfulness of a proverb which says “Never try to mess up someone’s life with a lie, not when yours can be destroyed with the truth”.However, we are obliged to set the records straight and re-demonstrate the determination of NIPC to remain focused on its statutory obligations.

2. In the essay of October 8, Mr. Haruna raised shop-floor prattling to the status of official policy and inadvertently lent his not inconsiderable voice to an hitherto barely audible campaign of negativity by a minority set of aggrieved staff unwilling to jettison their stuffy, entitlement-laden work ethic, for the fresh air of progressivism now wafting through the corridors of the NIPC. 3. The story titled, ‘A Tale of Two Ladies First, At NIPC,’ amongst other wild accusations, unsuccessfully attempted to discredit the person of the Executive Secretary/CEO,Mrs Saratu Umar, the NIPC as an institution, and a number of ongoing progressive strides and transformative initiatives of the Agency. It is noteworthy that if Mr Haruna had respected the ethics of the noble profession of journalism that demands the presentation of both or all major sides of a controversy, there would have been no need for this rejoinder which aims to correct the deliberate falsehood and distortion of facts concocted to mislead his readers.The said article, betrayed a chauvinistic leaning and a language soiled with political undertones. It evidently achieved little in its entirely bogus, unsubstantiated and skewed analysis; and at best only succeeded in casting shadows on the author’s motives and adherence to the time-honoured journalistic principles of balance, fairness, accuracy and objectivity.This is immediately evident to an unbiased reader.

4. In his Year 2010 article titled “making a mountain out of a molehill”, Mr Haruna lashed out at the staff of NIPC who wrote a petition against Engineer Bello, citing “spates of sporadic victimization.” One wonders if Mr Haruna bothered to re-read this article before penning his last one, for he would have been minded to abide by his own admonition not to make ‘a mountain out of a molehill.’

5. For the record, the Management of NIPC is currently undertaking a number of unprecedented institutional changes targeted at building a strong institution, improving efficiency in the system, curbing corruption, and delivering responsive service to the investment community and the Nigerian public. Indeed, NIPC is currently undergoing a Corporate Transformation aimed at repositioning the Commission for greater delivery of its Mandate to the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians. As expected, any positive change is vigorously resisted by individuals who had before now capitalised on inefficiencies to perpetrate notoriety.

6. It is no doubt that the Commission has taken many strides from inception. However, to consolidate on previous successes and move the NIPC to a world-class status, Mrs Umar on assumption on May 26, 2014 conveyed to the Commission’s Staff, her vision to transform NIPC into “a gold standard of excellence on the continent and a world-class Investment Promotion Agency, comparable to any, in the world.”

7. She conveyed the Pillars of this Vision to include; Sound Corporate Governance Practices; Effective Risk Management Framework; Appropriate Best-in-class IT Infrastructure; Enterprise-wide Performance Management System; Standardized processes and Policies; Comprehensive Investment Promotion Strategy, an organizational culture of ‘international bestpractices’ and a high level of professionalism; Certification by the International Standards Organization (ISO) to attain process maturity and enhance NIPC’s service delivery, reliability and efficiency. Others are Business Process optimizationengineering and management, for efficiency, timeliness and effectiveness; Accountability, continuous innovation and dynamism to reflect a global and world class outlook; Effective communication and engagement with various stakeholders, as well as staff welfare and motivation.

8. So, to what purpose was the article? Was it to disparage the NIPC and the transformation initiatives under the leadership of Mrs. Saratu Umar? Was it averse to the anti-corruption stance of the Agency under the new transformative Management?

Due to space constraint, we will only address the key falsehood by providing the following highlights: 1. Mr. Haruna called her a round peg in a square hole. For the benefit of our readers, Mrs. Umar an Ahmadu Bello University graduate of B.Sc. Economics and a Mastersdegree holder of Business Administration with specialization in Finance and Banking, has 22years experience in development banking. A pioneer and still, a staff of NEXIM Bank, the well-rounded Banker, Economist, Strategist and notable change agent and change manager, constantly aims for the attainment of stakeholder expectations with the ultimate goal of improving the Nigerian Economy. From her first role as an Export Credit Officer in 1992, she rose through the ranks in the Bank, traversing all key departments. She headed various Departments including Trade Finance, Project Finance, Business Development and Advisory Services as well as Human Resources Development to mention a few. Furthermore, long before assuming headship of the NIPC, Mrs Umar has engaged in investment promotion assignments and also served as speaker in several Trade Missions in Europe, America and Asia aimed at seeking investors for Nigeria. We are inclined to assume chauvinistic bias by Mr. Haruna against the first ever female CEO of the NIPC, as he ought to know, that as a Technocrat, more so an Economist, that has had a 22-year development finance-oriented career, our new Executive Secretary/CEO is indeed a round peg in a round hole, and very well suited to handle a role that attracts investment to facilitate economic growth and development. We invite Mr. Haruna to intellectually and professionally engage Mrs Umar and then tell us thereafter, if he holds this uninformed and biased opinion about this woman, who is deeply passionate about the development and transformation of Nigeria.

2. The pettiness of the article was further reinforced by Mr. Haruna’s description of Mrs Umar as “Coming to the job with a baggage.” Yes, he was right,by hisseeming standards and sentimental leanings;as Mrs Umar brought along a baggage,comprising principles, commitment, patriotism and passion for greater and common good. These kinds of people, every well-meaning person would agree, our Dear Nation urgently needs more of, to attain its fullest potential. Mrs Umar has raised the ethical stakes and levelled the playing field for all staffers of NIPC. These may have been wrongly misinterpreted as ‘rubbishing the legacies of her predecessor.’ But it is most unfair of Mr. Haruna, to lump majority of our patriotic and forward-looking Directors with the previously privileged few, {three -3 out of eight-8}who are resistant to change, who were before now enjoying the spoils of favouritism and unethical practices and who are aggrieved from failed ambitions and aspirations. But, we borrow from the time-honoured saying to caution that those who live in glass houses must not throw stones.

3. On the issue of “Removing the Legal Adviser and Secretary of the Commission’s Board [Council] without the [Council’s] Board’s approval.” Mr Haruna, this blatant falsehood means Mrs Umar has removed herself! For the NIPC Act 16 of 1995 Part 1 (f) states that “the Council shall consist the Secretary of the Commission, who shall also be the Secretary to the Council.” So much for muck-raking journalism! We advise that statements that border on the sanctity of the Act – generously available on the internet - should be well researched prior.

4. If Mr.Haruna had bothered to crosscheck facts, he would have realized that the ‘spying operation’he accused Mrs Umar of undertaking, was nothing beyond a suggestion box placed at the NIPC Reception to give each and every staff of the Commission,a sense of belonging, the right to be heard, and to air their views on the organisation. For further information, section 11.3 of the Staff Conditions of Service is titled, “Suggestion Box.”Here are excerpts of her memo to the staff on this as part of the drive to promote a new tradition of inclusiveness, excellence, transparency and accountability in NIPC: “In line

with my commitment to encouraging inclusiveness and teamwork and ensuring professionalism for greater service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness, I hereby rely on section 11.13 of the Staff Conditions of Service to request for the following information from each and every staff: 1. Challenge[s] facing the Commission [if any] and/or any personal work-related challenge[s] militating against a staff’s efficiency and effectiveness; 2. Suggestions on how to overcome this[ese] challenge[s]; 3. Advise for the ES/CEO on how the Commission can be moved to greater heights.

4. All staff are encouraged to seize this opportunity and be part of the exercise. Responses should be clear, precise, honest, objective and without animosity.”

So, how does this reformative action translate to encouraging staff to write secret memos against each other? Who has committed atrocities and is afraid of exposure or jittery, about an honest and commendable exercise by a leader who wants to be in sync with her constituency? How does this translate to overstepping boundaries or derailing from the Agency’s set mandate or inciting staff against one another, as suggested by the highly libellous article?

5. On Mrs. Umar encouraging insubordination by publicly humiliating Directors and wilfully ignoring procedure in treating files, employing staff into senior positions without budgetary approval and in violation of the Federal Character principle and engaging contractors and employing consultants without due process.This obvious level of pettiness surely betrays the true intentionsof the writer and his sponsors which we choose not to dignify. However, can one of these “senior positions” be that of the Procurement Officer, a Deputy Director seconded to the Commission by the Bureau for Public Procurement in line with the BPP Stipulations, at the instance of the Executive Secretary? This was after her shock at the incredible infractions she met on ground, which included the non-constitution of a Tenders Committee for the seven years of the BPP Act? And yet, contracts were approved by a Procurement Planning Committee? Can Mr. Haruna bring these to the attention of his readers if confronted with factual evidence? We advise Mr. Haruna to undertake a verification next time, look carefully at his messenger and investigate their motive and antecedents before jumping to put his hard-earned name on the line.

6. For your further information, it may surprise readers to know that Mr. Haruna was just another victim of this orchestrated campaign of calumny by this cabal [comprising the aggrieved Directors and a few foot soldiers, a former Executive of the Commission and a high ranking member of the Council] as before coming to him, they had engaged in different tactics of distraction and failed, including forging an unsigned petition as far back as July 2014, claiming it emanated from the Staff Union.This, the Staff Union expressly disassociated itself from, issued a Communiqué to that effect and also requested for an investigation into the forgery and impersonation. The Cabal working differently and strategically to create a ripple effect, also went round offices and homes of highly placed and not so highly placed citizens on a campaign of calumny to misguide and mislead unsuspecting individuals against the person of the Executive Secretary, having failed to instigate the committed staff of NIPC, and to use the Staff Union for selfish aims. It is common place that when you fight corruption, corruption does fight back! No one should hold Nigeria to ransome.

7. In a recent desperate move, after Mr. Haruna’s publication failed them, the Cabal resorted to more derogatory and crude tactics by hiring about 15 thugs, miscreants and hoodlums to stage-manage a protest on November 3, 2014 at the NIPC gate, all in a bid to derail NIPC’s transformation and the Executive Secretary’s noble intentions for the Commission and the Nation.

The miscreants were chased away by the Staff of the Commission who invited the Police. If indeed, there was a so-called Petition to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, as claimed in Mr. Haruna’s article, Readers are hereby informed that NIPC has a Grievance procedure enshrined in its Conditions of Service. To date, nobody has come up with any Grievance. The Staff Conditions of Service expressly states as an offence punishable under the Conditions of Service for a Staff to take any Appeal outside the Commission without first exhausting the Grievance Procedure. Readers may refer to the Press Statement by the Ag. Director/Head, Human Resources Development Department, at a Press Conference organized by the Staff Union and Coalition of Civil Society Groups on November 7, 2014 at NUJ Secretariat, Utako, Abuja to denounce the stage-managed protest.

8. In spite of all these futile attempts, the new Management of NIPC remains resolute and focused on implementing its new Transformation Agenda and building a strong institution that will usher in a new dawn for a greater NIPC – one that will be better positioned to maximally deliver on its statutory obligations for the advancement of national objectives. As a visionary and dedicated leader, Mrs Umar knows a united front is important to achieve progress. She has therefore been assiduously working to unite the hitherto divided staff of the Commission as well as level the playing field, as exemplified by some new initiatives aimed at encouraging team spirit, bonding and unity amongst staff of the Commission.

9. It may also interest readers to know that the stage-managed protest at the NIPC gate came just two [2] days after a first ever staff workshop tagged ‘Leading Bold Change and Transformation,’ held on November 1, 2014 at Ajuji Best Western Hotel Apo, Abuja, for all senior staff of the Commission numbering about 200, as part of the Executive Secretary’s programme for transforming NIPC and carrying along all staff on this journey. This workshop was facilitated by Harvard Universitytrained Graduate and Fellow, Dr.Tayo Aduloju, who told the participants that every organisation requires two major things to achieve excellence: a Visionary Leader with a transformative Vision and a Leader willing to clear the path of all obstacles to achieve that Vision. He said NIPC was privileged to be ‘equipped’ with these vital tools, as it has a visionary Leader who from the onset had a well-articulated and innovative vision, a Leader willing to clear the path and in addition, a Leader who is ready to go the extra mile to mobilise her group to build an organisation of excellence, and finally, a staff willing to be part of this Vision.

10. As stated earlier, the Vision of the NIPC Leader is to make NIPC a gold standard Investment Promotion Agency in order to advance the country’s economy.She is passionate about this and also about the fact that NIPC ought to be a role model public institution as the window/gateway to the Nigerian Economy. She takes queue from the fact that the competition for FDI amongst Nations is quite high and a number of Countries owe their economic growth and development to Investments spearheaded by their Investment Promotion Agencies playing major roles in this regards e.g Singapore, Malaysia, UAE [Dubai], Japan etc. Thereby NIPC as the apex Government institution mandated to encourage, promote and coordinate investments in the Nigerian Economy must rise to the challenge and do it professionally. For if the Commission is not repositioned and re-engineered to meet up with modern trends and skills of investment promotion, it may be difficult for the institution to fully achieve its mandate in attracting more Foreign Direct and Local Direct Investment Nigeria requiredfor economic growth and development with resultant multiplier effects on job and wealth creation. Especially, in the face of dwindling oil prices and the urgent need to diversify our economy by developing the non-oil potential of our Nation and shoring up other revenue sources.

11. We have taken the pains to respond to Mr. Haruna’s article in great detail in order to set the records straight. NIPC Management and staff are all currently focused on working to provide excellent service to the public. Rather than “making a mountain out of a molehill”, with unnecessary noise and undue interferences that do no one any good - except the selfish and avaricious few with failed ambitions/aspirations, in addition to those who wish the commonwealth all to themselves we need veteran Journalists like Mr. Haruna to support the ambitious project of this great institution as a tool to contribute in transforming Nigeria.

12. The Management of NIPC is encouraged by the support of well-meaning Nigerians in its drive towards building a strong institution, a more open, accountable and effective system that will positively and significantly affect the Nigerian Economy and the average citizen. It, therefore, urges everyone to join hands in realising the noble intentions of NIPC. Without a doubt, there is a breath of fresh air at NIPC. This is a fresh beginning for the NIPC and times demand that all hands be on deck to enable it achieve its goals. It is a refocused and millennial NIPC working towards being a strong twenty first century-compliant organization.

We invite and welcome you to be part of our compelling story and to join our progressive Train. Thank you.

SIGNED:

MANAGEMENT NIGERIAN INVESTMENT PROMOTION COMMISSION

46 news Lagos Don't Confirm Verdict On 54 Condemned Soldiers, Falana Tells Court Martial

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Synagogue: Infrasonic Radiation Might Have Caused Collapse, Witness Tells Coroner

Dissatisfied with the recent verdict of the General Court Martial (GCM) which sentenced 54 soldiers to death on December 19, 2014, lawyer to the soldiers, Femi Falana (SAN) has called on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), MajGen Kenneth Minimah not to confirm the conviction and sentence passed on the soldiers as the verdict is characterized by miscarriage of justice.

Falana, who called on the COAS to discharge and acquit the accused soldiers on the 2-count charge of conspiracy to mutiny and mutiny filed against them, said the GCM members engaged in grave miscarriage of justice by failing to consider the defence of the soldiers and the serious points of law canvassed on their behalf.

The lawyer, who made this call in a petition he wrote on behalf of the condemned soldiers, also challenged the jurisdiction of the court according to him since the soldiers are not serving under the Army Headquarters Garrison the General Court Martial can not conduct their trial.

He also argued that “the GCM casually dismissed our serious objection against its jurisdiction on the curious legal opinion of the Judge Advocate that the issue of jurisdiction was not promptly raised by the defence.

“The Judge Advocate is not unaware of the elementary principle of law that the jurisdiction of a court can be challenged at any stage of the proceedings, even on appeal.

He also accused the GCM of bias which he claimed was manifested in the was the court descended to the arena as it pitched tent with the Prosecution.

According to him in the course of the proceedings the Prosecution had difficulty in securing the attendance of a particular witness.

To the dismay of the accused soldiers, the President of the Court suddenly stood down the matter, brought out his handset and began to call the General Officer Commanding 7 Division in Maiduguri, Borno State to make the prosecution witness appear in court.

Falana further stated, “The Judge Advocate was allowed to hijack the proceedings of the GCM. He "delivered" rulings on behalf of the GCM. Whenever the Defence raise objection to his ruling(s), he tells us to go to the Court of Appeal. Also the President and members of the GCM did not record any of the proceedings of the court; they relied on the notes taken on their behalf by the Judge Advocate in writing the judgment. On several occasions during the trial, the defence counsel applied for the record of the proceedings of the GCM but the requests were turned down without any legal basis.

By Olugbenga Soyele, Lagos

BY OLUGBENGA SOYELE, Lagos

An explosives consultant, Biedomo Iguniewei, yesterday told the Lagos State Coroner's Court that the collapsed guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) might have been felled by a high energy infrasonic radiation.

The witness who claimed to be an independent consultant with

specific interest in explosives and weapon research explained to the coroner that an infrasound is a type of sound measuring below 20Hz, which is below what the normal human ear could detect.

The graduate of Chemistry from the University of Maiduguri also said that he was in the position to reach such a conclusion on the basis of his work experience with the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria,

where he said he had worked for six years.

Iguniewei, who revealed that he is currently a post-graduate student of Explosives and Material Science at the Nigerian Defence Academy, revealed that consequent upon his background and research experience in explosives and military weapons, he took personal interest in the collapsed guest house and had consequently visited the church with

a view to carrying out a research and publishing a paper.

The witness, who is testifying on behalf of the church, further said, "I am of the opinion that what happened that day, especially with the strange plane-like objects seen in the video, was that an infrasonic radiation was fired upon the building and if you observe, you will discover that it took about 30 minutes for the building to come down."

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, SAN (middle); with widow of late Mr Sesan Ogunro, managing director and chief executive officer, Eminent Communications, Mrs Modupe Ogunro (2nd right); his children - Mr Sesan Ogunro Jnr (right), Timayo Ogunro (2nd left) and Fade Ogunro (left) during the One Year Remembrance Service of the deceased in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO BY BENEDICT UWALAKA

Spiritual Bath Tragedy: Police Vow To Find Fleeing Pastor

BY MATTHEW DIKE, Lagos

Lagos State Police Command has vowed to fish out the fleeing pastor of New Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ogombo, near Ajah area of Lagos State, to explain the circumstances behind the death of two brothers, Abiodun and Ayinde Oniru, who allegedly died during a spiritual bath in a stream in the area, at the weekend.

Lagos State police public relations officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu told LEADERSHIP at the state police command headquarters, Ikeja, yesterday, that police detectives attached to Ogombo po-

lice station arrested one of the pastors of the church who also served as the secretary to the church (name withheld), at the weekend.

Nwosu said the police had vowed to fish out the runaway pastor, Samuel Adesoji, adding that the case would be transferred from the police station yesterday.

The two brothers, Abiodun and Ayinde Oniru and their half-brother were said to have been moved to the church by their mother and step-father to observe the 'special' cleansing and were allegedly persuaded by the clergymen to do the bidding of God. The two brothers obeyed but their

half-brother refused and left the stream.

The spiritual bath turned sour when Abiodun and Ayinde drowned.

Police detectives attached to Ogombo police station were said to have stormed the church.

Nwosu said, "The police are doing everything humanly possible to arrest the main (senior) pastor who is on the run.

Police arrested the church secretary who is also a pastor. We want to transfer the case today from Ogombo police station to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti. Investigation is still ongoing".

Lagos PDP Guber Primary: Sheathe Your Swords, Group Tells Party Chieftains

By Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, Lagos

A Lagos-based group, Save Lagos Group (SLG), has urged the immediate past minister of state for defence and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, former PDP national vice chairman, (South-West), Chief Olabode

George, leader of the PDP in the state, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe and other gladiators in the state chapter of the party who are aggrieved by the outcome of the PDP governorship primary in the state to sheathe their swords.

The group said that the current imbroglio among the leaders of the party might affect the party's chances to win the forth-

coming gubernatorial election in the state.

The group stated that the recent war of words between Senator Obanikoro and Chief George/ Senator Ogunlewe would not help the party's unity ahead of the 2015 general elections but would continue to divide the party, which would not augur well for the party in the state.

The convener of the group,

Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, while reacting to the face-off between the two leaders of the Lagos State chapter of the PDP in a statement in Lagos yesterday, called on both camps to bury their hatchets in the interest of progress and development of the party in the state, and urged them to see politics as an opportunity to serve citizens of the country.

news NATIONAL 47

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sokoto PDP Chairman Urges EFCC To Investigate Governor The chairman of the Sokoto State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda over the purchase of 124 vehicles.

Milgoma made the call yesterday in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP in which he lamented that the anti-graft agency had failed to act on several petitions written by Sokoto State natives against the governor, giving the impression that the governor was a sacred cow.

Milgoma, who queried the source of the funds for the purchase, averred that the APC did not embark on any fundraiser, yet the governor distributed all the vehicles to APC stalwarts in the state.

“The chairman of the EFCC should commence immediate investigations into the source of funds used by the APC in Sokoto State to purchase and distribute 124 brand new vehicles to the state exco of the APC as well as the 23 local government chairmen, secretaries, youths and women leaders.

“We have wondered why the antigraft agency has failed to respond to dozens of petitions against pillage of Sokoto State’s lean financial resources by the Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko-led administration.

By Millie Ibe, Abuja

Medicine Graduates On Housemanship Will Not Be Mobilised – NYSC

By Chika Mefor, Abuja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said that graduates of medicine who are yet to complete their housemanship and have not fully registered with the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) with evidence of Certificate will no longer be mobilised for service.

In a press release signed by its director of press, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, it stated that the receipt of payment for registration by these prospective corps mem-

bers will no longer be accepted in lieu of Certificate of Registration.

The NYSC further stated that the decision not to mobilise those graduates still on housemanship was part of the 14-point resolution reached on Thursday, 18th December, 2014 during a PreMobilisation Workshop, held in Abuja with the theme ‘Deepening the Credibility of NYSC Mobilisation Process through ICT’.

The statement added that to ease the problem associated with exclusion of graduates of

affiliated institutions from mobilisation for service, parent institutions were advised in the resolution to carry along the affiliated institutions and ensure that names of the graduates are not expunged from Senate/Academic Board Approved result lists submitted to the NYSC. “Relatedly, all matriculation numbers that were assigned to graduates, but found to be invalid should be brought to the attention of the registrar of JAMB for verification.

“To guard against the bottle-

necks associated with the delivery of Exemption Certificates to Corps Producing Institutions, the old system of delivering simultaneously the Call-up Letters and Exemption Certificates to Corps Producing Institutions has been restored,” it said.

It further stated that from the 2015 Batch ‘A’ Service Year, mobilisation of prospective corps members would be effected on the basis of quota-carrying capacity of each institution as approved by the respective regulatory bodies.

short news Oyo APC Faults Folarin Over Attack On Ajimobi

Labour Gives Chime 21-day Ultimatum

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, has said that the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the 2015 general elections depicts bad news in the politics of the state, which the people would always loathe to hear, regardless of the manner of its presentation.

Reacting to an interview which Folarin granted a national daily yesterday, Oyo APC’s director of publicity and strategy, Olawale Sadare, in a statement in Ibadan yesterday, said that the former Senate leader had further compounded his credibility problem in the polity by exposing himself as an unrepentant desperado and master of double speak.

Enugu State workers have threatened to embark on industrial action if the state government fail to implement outstanding workThe choir of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement, Centre for Deliverance and Evangelism Church, Dakibiyu District, Kubwa, FCT, ers’ demands.

The workers warned that if the during their Christmas carol in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI state government continued to remain aloof to industrial relations practice in the state, they would embark on industrial action.

Barely four days to the closing date terday. to APC, which is being facilitated They stated this in a press stateThe aggrieved aspirants who had by one of the APC governors in the for the submission of candidates ment issued and signed by the names to the Independent Nation- rebuffed earlier entreaties by the APC South South region, will also accomEnugu State chairman of the Joint al Electoral Commission ( INEC) for governorship candidate in the state, modate every other politician in the Public Service Negotiating Council the 2015 governorship election in the Umana Umana, are now considering state who are opposed to the imposi(JPSNC) Comrade Igbokwe Chukcountry, the aggrieved 22 governor- their option following the manner in tion plot by Governor Godswill Akpawuma Igbokwe, who said that the ship aspirants under the platform of which the national leadership of the bio on the people of the state.

21-day notice was to push for the the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) PDP are handling the controversies The planned special reception for implementation of their outstandin Akwa Ibom have been under inthe PDP big wigs by the main oparising from the purported governoring demands. tense pressure to dump their party for ship primaries that produced the for- position party in the country will Accordfing to Igbokwe, the nothe All Progressives Congress ( APC). mer Secretary to State Government, be crowned by the formal adoption tice was in line with the principles of Gen. Buhari by a cross section of APC’s presidential aspirant, Gen. Udom Emmanuel, as the winner. of collective bargaining and indusBy Adebayo Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), is schedA close aide of one of the aggrieved Akwa Ibom electorate as their sole trial laws of Nigeria.

Waheed, Ibadan presidential candidate in next year’s uled to meet with the aggrieved govaspirants, who did not want his name Comrade Igbokwe said the JPpresidential election. ernorship aspirants, it was learnt yesin print, said the planned cross over SNC had various times communicated to government through correspondences on the need to resolve the outstanding workers’ demands but the Enugu State By CHIKA OTUCHIKERE, Abuja al, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu, of said the present leadership of the from landlords as their low and governor, Sullivan Chime-led adproviding accessible and afford- institute came up with Five Stra- irregular monthly pensions canministration’s insensitivity on the The National Teachers Institute able housing for members of staff tegic Policy thrusts aimed at mov- not promptly meet their rent obissue necessitated the 21-day no- (NTI) has conducted the ground- of the institute. ing the institute towards a first- ligations, said this informed the tice. breaking ceremony of the instiIn his speech at the ceremo- class organisation in effective institute’s management decision He asserted that the doors of tute’s Staff Housing Project in ny, the director-general said the service delivery to stakeholders. to partner with an Estate Develthe labour unioun were open for Issa community, Kaduna.

Housing project is in realisation Sharehu who observed that opment Company, Nurul-Suraj dialogue to avert the looming laThe event which took place of the cardinal role of the well- in this part of the world, work- Nigeria Limited to provide the bour crises in the state. last weekend is in line with the being of staff in guaranteeing ers after many years of dedicat- housing accommodation to be

By Nnamdi Mbawike, Enugu vision of the NTI director gener- organisational effectiveness. He ed service still face harassment paid for on monthly basis.

A’Ibom: Buhari Woo 22 Aggrieved PDP Guber Aspirants

NTI Commences Construction Of Housing Project

48 news NATIONAL Yuletide: TAN Begins Nationwide Outreach To Boko Haram

BY Ejike Ejike, Abuja Victims, Others Former Attorney General of the

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Agabi Lauds EFCC As Agency Honours 306 Officials

The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) said yesterday that it will sacrifice the merriment of the yuletide season to begin a nationwide peace, unity and humanitarian outreach to victims of the Boko Haram attacks and other internally displaced persons.

In a statement by its head Media and Publicity, Mr. Christian Udechukwu, TAN noted that the outreach which became necessary in the spirit of the yuletide season was in support of President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to the Jonathan campaign group, the sustained achievements of the president and the continuity of his administration were essential to guarantee peace, unity and progressive development of the country.

The statement made available to LEADERSHIP reads in part, “In the spirit of the yuletide season, TAN in support of President Goodluck Jonathan will commence a nationwide peace, unity and humanitarian outreach to ease the suffering of internally displaced persons. , Victims of communal rife, sectarian and political violence, terrorism and insurgency.

By George Agba, Abuja

Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN), has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to be resolute in its efforts to rid the country of economic and financial crimes.

Agabi, who was a special guest at the anti-graft agency’s maiden “Rewards and Recognition” ceremony at the EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja, noted that building Nigeria was a collective effort and EFCC had a pivotal role to play.

He said, “Our country is ours to build, and you are in a remarkable position, having been appointed to investigate and prosecute all those

who undermine that work through corruption.”

Agabi, in whose tenure as the AGF the EFCC was established in 2003, expressed delight that the commission, which faced teething problems at its inception, had grown to become an institution of repute within and outside the country.

In his opening remarks titled “We are called to serve”, chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, described the ceremony as 11 years in the making. He said that right from inception, the commission took a conscious decision to be different; thereby throwing a challenge to chart a totally new path in law enforcement in Nigeria.

Lamorde said, “Consequently, we

have set a very high standard for our staff, not only at the point of entry, but also in the discharge of their duties and for them to continue to stay employed with the commission.”

No fewer than 306 staff members of the EFCC were honoured at the ceremony for serving the commission meritoriously in various capacities.

While 87 of the awardees were pioneer staff, 161 staff members were celebrated for meritoriously serving the commission for the past 10 years.

Other categories of awards include Commendable Achievements, 34; Outstanding staff, 10; Noteworthiness, 5; Award for Meritorious Service Ex-staff Category, 7; Award for

Outstanding Performance, Ex-staff Category, 2.

Lagos zonal office received commendation for being a model and for distinguishing itself by securing the most number of arrests and successful prosecutions in court.

Agency Honours Ribadu Former EFCC chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who was returning to the EFCC for the first time after his exit, was also one of the awardees.

He said he doesn’t believe that there is an institution in Nigeria that has given hope and still gives hope to Nigerians than the EFCC. Ribadu said, “We believed we have clean hands and therefore we can clean the dirty faces of Nigerians.”

short news Kaduna Engages 2,550 Under SURE-P

INEC Makes Case For Women In Politics Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday advanced the cause for more women participation in politics. The commission also appealed for adequate projection of women interest by the media.

The national commissioner of the commission, Dame Nne Gladys Nwafor stated this at a one-day workshop on “Gender and Conflict Sensitive Reportage in the electoral process” which held yesterday in Abuja.

She lamented that “womenfolk especially those in politics are not adequately projected in the media”.

She continued “the media as a veritable tool for information has a critical role to play in managing and not magnify conflict and therefore in a position to promote peace and peaceful co-existence”.

She said, “With the current security challenges in Nigeria, the nation look up to the media to help mitigate conflict and propagate peace through their reports and broadcast”.

Also speaking, the deputy director on Gender Division in the commission, Mrs. Blessing Obiidegun stated that professionalism of media reporting is key element during election periods especially as it affects gender and conflicts.

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja.

L-R: National secretary general, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN ), Comrade Ibrahim Adeniyi, president RTEAN, Alhaji Musa Shehu Isiwele and permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Dauda Kigbu, during the inauguration of Joint Committee by Federal Ministry of Works and RTEAN on modern automobile workshop in all 36 states in Nigeria during the weekend. PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI

2015: ’INEC To Use Card Reader In Accreditation Of Voters’

BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Public Relations Officer in Sokoto State, Alhaji Mohammed Musa, has said that the commission will use the card reader for accreditation of voters during the forthcoming general elections to allow for transprent polls.

Musa spoke at a one day workshop organised by Nigeria Police Sokoto State Command for stakeholders ahead of the 2015 general elections.

He also disclosed that despite the

fact that many might doubt its ability to use card reader, INEC is very confident that it would be a huge success.

He said, “Though, some may say it is not possible but we are assuring Nigerians that it is doable hence we want to ensure that we get the very best for free, fair and credible election come 2015”.

According to Musa, it will be practically impossible to rig in the forthcoming elections, saying that INEC has removed polling units from traditional rulers’ residents, as well as religious places to ensure transparency.

He insisted that all efforts have been put in place to avoid the worrisome delay in voting which often time served as the cause of electoral violence.

He noted that INEC has also adequately addressed the issue of underage voting across the federation.

“Issue of underage voting has been giving INEC headache for quite a long time but now, we are on top of the situation hence all registration has been thoroughly edited. Though, not 100 but 90 percent sanitized. We have some of the under age cards with us now,” Musa added.

Kaduna State government has engaged 2,550 youths and women under the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) through its Youth Employment Development Programme.

The state governor, Muktar Ramalan Yero who performed the flagging off ceremony said the 2,550 youths and women are to provide community services within their respective areas of abode in the state as part of efforts to reduce unemployment in the state. The eneficiaries,were selected from the 23 local government areas. comprising ten persons (6 males, 4 females) from each of the 255 wards of the 23 LGAs.

By Isaiah Benjamin Kaduna

Former PDP Majority Leader, 20 Others Defect To APC In Edo

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin Cety

The ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State were reduced yesterday when the former majority leader in the State House of Assembly, Mr Frank Okiye, led 20 leaders of the party and hundreds of their sup-

porters to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing the leaders of the APC, including the governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Hon Okiye said he was delighted to reunite with his “ideological friends”.

He said, “We have walked into

the centre from various directions and I have found out that in life, the only thing that is permanent is change and I have found that the wind of change has taken off. This wind of change has been epitomized and demonstrated in the aggressive approach to liberate our people”.

Okiye added, “It is my pleasure to come out straight to identify with those things that have come from the administration of the Comrade Governor of Edo State. There is no gainsaying that change has taken place in Edo State whether anybody likes it or not.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

zonal watch

49

ANAMBRA IMO ABIA EBONYI ENUGU

Enugu 2015: Nsukka Diaspora Endorses Apc Guber Candidate

BY MIKE UBANI, Enugu

Ahead of the governorship election in Enugu State next February, indigenes of old Nsukka zone living in the Diaspora have endorsed the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Okey Ezea, as their candidate.

They made their stand known in a statement issued under the aegis of Nsukka Progressives Union (NPU), entitled, “Endorsement of APC gubernatorial candidate in

Enugu State,” and made available to journalists in Enugu at the weekend.

The three paragraph statement signed by the secretary of NPU reads in part, “We, members of Nsukka people in Brazil formally endorse the candidate of APC in Enugu State, Chief Okey Ezea.

“After series of consultations, we decided to endorse him, being an astute leader with vision.

“We are not considering party but personality and future of our

state.”

Reacting to the endorsement, Ezea said he was humbled by the support from his brothers in the Diaspora.

“By this stand, they have shown that they want nothing but the best for their state,” he said.

The APC governorship candidate said Enugu State should not be left behind in the wind of change that is blowing across the country, stressing that the people deserve better than they had gotten in

the past 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) rule in the state.

“From 2007, PDP government in Enugu State has collected N544 billion. If you look around the state, from Enugu to Oji River, from Enugu to Awgu, from Enugu to Nsukka, is it like a place they have spent N544 billion? Yet, we cannot provide free education,” Ezea said.

The APC gubernatorial candidate said he would provide

details of local government allocations to Enugu State for all APC members so that they would show it to market women across the state, who have been deprived of social amenities, including roads and other infrastructure in spite of the billions of naira that had accrued to the state. He appealed to the people of Enugu State to embrace change, pointing out that in sister Imo State with an APC controlled government, the children enjoy free education.

IGR: Law For Automated Machine Collection Underway In Anambra

Heads FROM the ZONE

By OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka

➔ Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, has inaugurated a seven-member committee headed

by Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, former national chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to assuage the feelings of aggrieved members of the party who are threatening to abandon the PDP following the outcome of the recent controversial primaries held in the state.

L-R: Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and wife, Nkechi with first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, during the funeral service of late Anyim Osigwe at Nkwere, Imo State

Anambra Traditional Rulers To Collect Taxes For Govt

BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka

➔ The Anglican Bishops under Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, last week threatened to resist any attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, to field a member of the Roman Catholic as governorship candidate, and also a member of the same church as the gubernatorial running mate. The Bishops argued that since the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is a Roman Catholic by faith, there was need for his running mate to be an Anglican.

Against the backdrop of dwindling national and state revenues, traditional rulers in Anambra State, have offered to assist the state government boost its internally generated revenue (IGR), through the collection of personal income tax from their subjects and payment of same into the state treasury.

The traditional rulers who made the proposal at the end of

a three-day workshop in Awka, the state capital, also urged the state government to introduce an annual cultural heritage festival to be held during the Christmas season to showcase the rich cultural potentials of the state.

The traditional ruler of Iseke kingdom, Ihiala local government area of the state, His Royal Majesty Emmanuel Nnabuife, told newsmen at the end of the workshop that the policy was necessary in view of

the declining allocation from the federation account to states, which according to him has made it necessary for states to shore up their IGR, so as to meet the demands of governance.

The traditional rulers stated that because they know every taxable adult in their respective domains, it would be difficult for any native to evade payment of his personal income tax.

They also noted with satisfaction the achievements recorded so far by the state.

Yuletide: Ngo Donates Food Items To Widows, Less-privileged

BY OBINNA OGBONNAYA, Abakaliki

An Abakaliki based NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), Chinedu Ogah Foundation, has donated food items worth millions of naira to widows and the less privileged people in Amagu Ikwo, in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi State, to enable them join the rest

of the world to celebrate this year’s Christmas.

Some of the items distributed include over 100 bags of rice, over 50 bags of salt, cartons of maggi, five big cows, cartons of nonalcoholic drinks and other food ingredients.

The beneficiaries numbering over 150, were drawn from the four villages that make up Amagu

Ikwo community.

Distributing the materials, the founder of the organisation and president of Ebonyi Youth Assembly, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, said that the food items were meant to give the beneficiaries a sense of belonging during this Christmas season, adding that “this is a period of sharing love.

To ensure transparency and effectiveness as well as avoid double taxation in the collection of internally generated revenue (IGR), the Anambra State House of Assembly, is currently debating on a bill for the introduction of automated machine for collection of all government revenues in the state.

The House last week held a public hearing on the bill which has already passed a second reading.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinwe Nwaebili, said the essence of the public hearing was to sensitise the people about the proposed law as well as get their opinion.

She reassured the people of the commitment of the legislators towards making good laws that would accelerate not only the pace of development in the state, but also improve the well-being of the entire citizenry.

The sponsor of the bill, Hon. Romanus Ugochukwu (Orumba South), said the bill seeks to establish a tax regime and administrative frame work that will enable the state collect the highest possible revenue without inflicting undue hardship on payers or widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

A participant in the public hearing, Mrs Oby Ibe, called for engagement of experts by the state government to handle revenue collection.

Cleric Urges Christians To Participate In Politics

BY STANLEY UZOARU, Owerri

A cleric and politician, Rev. Emmanuel Ihim, has called on Christians across the country, to actively participate in politics so as to bring about the needed change in the land, as well as instill credibility in the political process.

Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Ihim who is the executive director, Christian Citizenship Network International, said the lackluster attitude of Christians to politics had made it possible for “ungodly and materialistic politicians” to take over the country’s political space.

He pleaded with Christian parents to desist from discouraging their children who have interest in politics, from participating in politics.

50 zonal watch (South-East)

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

news behind the news

Why Governor Elechi Lost Grip Of Ebonyi State Pdp

BY MIKE UBANI, Enugu

the governor’s problem started after picking Prof Chukwu as successor without consulting some party chieftains

Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State is definitely not a happy man.

If he says that he is presently in a blissful mood, certainly he may be economical with the truth.

He became governor in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And being governor automatically conferred on him the status of leader of the party in the state.

Also as governor and leader of the Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP, he got the mandate to call the shots at both levels – determining who occupies what position in both government and party.

But today, power seems to have left him. And this is happening just five months to the end of his tenure as governor.

He was confident of going to the Upper Legislative Chamber in 2015, to represent Ebonyi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the PDP, but that dream seems to have been shattered.

He had also looked forward to choosing his successor – and he actually did so in the person of the former minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. But that choice ended up putting him at loggerheads with some major stakeholders of the party in the state. He was left with no choice than to surrender to superior forces within the party.

These forces had on November 1, 2014, hijacked the election of the three-man ad-hoc delegates in each of the 217 wards in the state.

The delegates that emerged from the exercise elected candidates for the forthcoming State and National Assemblies and governorship elections in the state.

But before then, President Goodluck Jonathan had following Governor Elechi’s complaint that his faction of the PDP in the state, was not involved in the November 1 exercise, directed that no primaries should take place in Ebonyi State until “the lingering issues were resolved”. Even then the national leadership of the party went ahead to conduct the primaries in the state, contrary to the president’s directive.

“It was unfortunate that after that decision (not to hold primaries in Ebonyi State) was reached, the leadership of the party defied the orders of the president, and went ahead to conduct a purported primaries in the state. The action of the PDP leadership to me is an affront on the Presidency”, said Governor Elechi, during a stakeholders meeting held last

Elechi

week at the Women Development Centre, Abakaliki.

Essentially, during the governorship primaries conducted by a team from the PDP national secretariat led by the governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, Dave Umahi, the state deputy governor, instead of Prof. Chukwu, emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in the state.

And going forward, the Umahi camp – goaded by the national leadership of the party – produced all the PDP candidates to fly the party’s flag in the State House of Assembly and National Assembly elections – thus leaving aspirants in Governor Elechi’s camp in the cold.

The picture on the ground today in the Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP, shows that the national leadership of the party has taken away the structure of the party in the state from Governor Elechi, and handed same over to his deputy, Umahi.

“What has happened is that Governor Martin Elechi has suffered political victimisation and humiliation by the powers that be in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And it is regrettable because he (Governor Elechi), has done so much to entrench the PDP not only in Ebonyi State and in the SouthEast, but also across the nation at large.

“Governor Elechi has been a passionate supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan who he regards as a victim of ethno/religious and political gang up. And for that reason, he has wholeheartedly supported Mr. President over the years and the party in the like manner.

“The taking away of the political structure of the PDP from him is a manifestation of the bad faith

which has been visited on him, and which has manifested from the leadership of the party.

“Governor Elechi faithfully pursued the policy of the party which is that two term governors will produce a successor, while first term governors will get a return ticket.

“He pursued it by making sure that he indicated his preference along with the other well-meaning Ebonyians and stakeholders for the very dependable and qualified Nigerian and Ebonyian in the person of former minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to be his successor.

“And that effort has been thwarted from what finally manifested”, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, chief press secretary to Governor Elechi, said in an interview with LEADERSHIP. According to Eni, “Between November 1 and December 8, there were so many anomalies and disputes that characterised the primaries and congresses that took place in the state, and in every turn, the governor laid complaints to the leadership of the party, which promised to redress the anomalies that characterised the entire exercise. But lamentably, the party eventually did not address it- which may indicate that some unfortunate compromises may have been made.”

Dr. Eni dismissed insinuations that Governor Elechi lost grip of the state chapter of the PDP following his weak disposition to politics and governance, but rather he said the governor’s travails followed the ‘decision of the powers that be to display bad faith, and to humiliate and victimise him”.

Today, questions are being asked on the streets of Abakaliki, the

state capital, as to why a governor that had in the last seven and a half years displayed absolute loyalty to the president and the party, be thrown away to the dust bin of history.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the governor’s problem started after picking Prof. Chukwu as successor without consulting some party chieftains from the state including the secretary to the government of the federation, (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. Anyim hails from Ivo local government area, while the former health minister comes from Afikpo North local government area. Both local government areas are in Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.

It was further gathered that the Elechi-led administration had since 2007, rendered the former Senate President irrelevant in the politics of the state. Instead, the governor, just like his predecessor, Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu, chose to make one James Aroh Nweke, who comes from the same local government area with the SGF, the political godfather of that council area.

In fact, when former Governor Egwu engaged the then Senate President in a titanic battle over the control of Ebonyi politics, Nweke who was then chairman of Ivo local council, allegedly sided with Egwu to the detriment of his kinsman – Anyim.

After Elechi became governor, he made Nweke commissioner for poverty alleviation and beyond that, gave him all the necessary trappings that conferred on him the political head of Ivo local government area. According to one source, Anyim was “in a political exile until he was made the SGF”.

It was also gathered that the state government goaded Nweke to pick nomination form to represent Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo/federal constituency in the lower legislative chamber, even after Senator Anyim had expressed interest to promote the aspiration of an unnamed politician from the affected area.

“The SGF saw the attitude of the state government on the matter as an affront to his office and person”, said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the source, following Governor Elechi’s failure to consult the SGF on the choice of his successor, the latter saw Umahi’s aspiration as an opportunity to bounce back to political reckoning in the state. He was said to have embraced Umahi with both hands when he (Umahi) apprised him of his political aspiration.

51

Tusday, December 23, 2014

world

news ➊

➍

➌ ➏ ➎

➐

➋

➊ Haiti Names Health Minister As Interim PM

Investigates Top Aide To Former President

Haiti’s health minister has been named as the country’s interim prime minister, replacing Laurent Lamothe, who resigned following several weeks of protests.

Florence Duperval Guillaume’s temporary appointment on Sunday is part of an effort to resolve a mounting political crisis over long-delayed elections.

China has launched an investigation into former President Hu Jintao’s most senior aide, state media report.

Ling Jihua is accused of “disciplinary violations”, Xinhua news agency said, which usually refers to corruption.

He was demoted in 2012 after reports that his son had died crashing his Ferrari sports car in Beijing.

➎ Essebsi Wins Tunisia Presidential Election

Beji Caid Essebsi has won Tunisia’s first free presidential election, beating rival and incumbent Moncef Marzouki with 55.68 percent of the vote, official results show.

Marzouki secured 44.32

percent of the vote, Tunisia’s High Electoral Commission said yesterday.

Sunday’s presidential run-off vote marked the final step in the country’s transition to full democracy.

A Spanish judge has ordered the king’s sister, Princess Cristina, to be tried along with her husband on charges of tax fraud - making her the first member of the country’s royal family to face charges in court since the royalty was restored in 1975.

In issuing the indictment on Monday, Judge Jose Castro went against a prosecutor’s December 9 recommendation that Cristina should be fined and only her husband Inaki, a businessman already being prosecuted in the case, should be tried.

Pakistan plans to execute 55 people in the coming days, after their mercy petitions were recently rejected by the country’s president Mamnoon Hussain, reports say.

Six fighters have been hanged since a Taliban attack on an armyrun school in the city of Peshawar last week left 149 people, mostly children, dead, triggering public anger.

➋ China

➏ Spanish Royal To

Face Tax-fraud Trial

A newly arrived Syrian Kurdish refugee girl cries as she sits in the back of a truck after crossing into Turkey from the Syrian border town of Kobani

➌ ’Uprooted Muslims ➍ Former Russian Trapped In CAR’ Minister Warns Of Hundreds of Muslims are “trapped” and living in “deplorable conditions” in enclaves in western parts of the Central African Republic, Human Rights Watch has said.

The organisation said in a report released yesterday, that displaced Muslim residents, forced to escape the conflict in other parts of CAR over the past 12 months, were now trapped in camps in the western half of the country.

‘Full-fledged Crisis’ Russia’s government has pushed the country into an economic crisis by not tackling its financial problems fast enough, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin said, as evidence mounted of trouble spreading through the economy.

As he spoke President Vladimir Putin prepared to hold emergency talks with Western leaders to try to resolve the stand-off over Ukraine.

➐ Pakistan Likely

To Execute Dozens Of Convicts

52 Business/WORLD NEWS

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

IMF Policies Blamed For Ebola Spread In W/Africa

Sierra Leone, along with Liberia and Guinea, have poor health facilities

Spending cuts imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have contributed to the rapid spread of Ebola in three West African states, UKbased researchers say.

It had led to “underfunded, insufficiently staffed, and poorly prepared health systems” in Sierra Leone,

Liberia and Guinea, they said.

The IMF denied the allegation.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak ever has so far killed more than 7,300 people, mostly in the three states.

“A major reason why the Ebola outbreak spread so rapidly was the weakness

of healthcare systems in the region, and it would be unfortunate if underlying causes were overlooked,” said Cambridge University sociologist and lead study author Alexander Kentikelenis.

Policies requiring that government spending be slashed were “extremely strict, absorbing funds that could be directed to meeting pressing health challenges”, the study said.

Mr Kentikelenis told the BBC’s Newsday programme that caps on wage bills meant countries could not hire heath staff and pay them adequately.

The IMF’s emphasis on decentralised healthcare systems had also made it difficult to mobilise a coordinated response to health emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak, he said.

—BBC

Wall Street Flat After 3-day Run

Obama

US stocks were modestly higher yesterday, after the benchmark S&P 500 notched its best weekly performance in nearly two months, as a sharp drop in Gilead Sciences reined in broader gains.

Gilead Sciences (GILD.O) slumped 9.9 percent to $97.71 as the biggest drag on both the S&P and Nasdaq 100 .NDX indexes. Express Scripts (ESRX.O), the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, has lined up a cheaper price from AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) for its newly approved hepatitis C treatment and, in most cases, will no longer cover Gilead’s treatments.

“That is very specific to Gilead, so that one is getting crushed, but it shouldn’t necessarily set a completely negative tone over the rest of the market, there is no reason for it,” said Ken Polcari, director of the NYSE floor division at O’Neil Securities in New York.

“The market has had a decent move the last couple of

days, so anything could cause people to take a little money off the table.”

The benchmark S&P index .SPX rose 3.4 percent last week, boosted by a 5 percent jump over three sessions, after the US Federal Reserve said it would take a “patient” approach toward raising interest rates and oil prices appeared to stabilize. The S&P energy index .SPNY surged nearly 10 percent for the week.

Brent crude LCOc1 hit a high of $62.97 and WTI crude rose to as much as $58.53 but reversed gains and turned lower after Saudi Arabia indicated it could increase its output.

Brent was last down 54 cents at $60.84 while US crude was last off 1.6 percent at $56.24.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 84.7 points, or 0.48 percent, to 17,889.5, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 2.68 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,073.33 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 11.64 points, or 0.24 percent, to 4,777.02.

Housing shares were lower after existing home sales slumped 6.1 percent to an annual rate of 4.93 million units, the lowest level since May. The PHLX housing sector index lost 0.5 per cent.

Trading volume is expected to be light this week due to the Christmas holiday, which could increase volatility.

U.S. equity markets will open for an abbreviated session Wednesday and be closed on Thursday.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc (ACHN.O) said it would test a combination of two of its experimental hepatitis C drugs which showed promise in separate studies. Its shares surged 17 percent to $16.63.

—Reuters

Alstom To Pay Record $772m To Settle Bribery Charges The French firm Alstom SA has pleaded guilty and will pay $772 million in criminal penalties to settle charges with the US Justice Department alleging the company bribed government officials to win business around the world.

The settlement announced by the Justice Department on Monday marks the largest-ever criminal fine levied by the United States against a company for violations of foreign bribery laws.

The fine will resolve charges related to a “widespread scheme involving tens of millions of dollars” in bribes around the world,

including countries such as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Bahamas, the DOJ said.

The Justice Department said Alstom paid more than $75 million to secure $4 billion in projects around the world. It said Alstom admitted to its criminal conduct.

DOJ said Alstom pleaded guilty to a two-count criminal information filed in a federal court in Connecticut and that Alstom’s Swiss unit also pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it conspired to violate federal bribery laws.

Alstom’s US power and grid

units each entered into deferred prosecution agreements with the DOJ and admitted to conspiring to violate bribery laws, the Justice Department said.

“We will not wait for countries to act responsibly,” Leslie R. Caldwell, assistant attorney general of the criminal division, said at a news conference.

Earlier on Monday, a unit of Alstom and two employees were also charged by the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom with bribing officials from 2002 through part of 2010.

Reuters

Pope Francis delivering his message in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, yesterday

CURIA SERMON: Pope Francis Deplores Vatican ‘Ills’ In Speech Pope Francis has sharply criticised the Vatican bureaucracy in a preChristmas address to cardinals, complaining of “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and “the terrorism of gossip”.

He said the Curia - the administrative pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church - was suffering from 15 “ailments”, which he wanted cured in the New Year.

Pope Francis - the first Latin American pontiff - also criticised “those who look obsessively at their own image”.

He has demanded reform of the Curia.

Pope Francis said some power-

hungry clerics were guilty of “coldbloodedly killing the reputation of their own colleagues and brothers”.

He compared the performance of the church’s civil servants to that of an orchestra playing out of tune because they fail to collaborate and have no team spirit, the BBC’s David Willey reports from Rome.

Before his election in March 2013, the pontiff had never worked in Rome, and he is clearly upset at the internal opposition he has encountered to some of the reforms he wants to carry out, our correspondent adds.

—BBC

Sony Hack: North Korea Threatens US As Row Deepens North Korea has threatened unspecified attacks on the US in an escalation of a war of words following the Sony Pictures cyber-attacks.

In a fiery statement, the North warned of strikes against the White House, Pentagon and “the whole US mainland”.

North Korea denies US claims it is behind cyber-attacks linked to a film that features the fictional killing of its leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea has a long history of issuing threats against the US. The latest statement comes days after the US formally accused the North of orchestrating a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures.

“The army and people of the

DPRK [North Korea] are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space,” a long statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency said.

“Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole US mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the ‘symmetric counteraction’ declared by Obama.”

It accused President Obama of “recklessly making the rumour” that North Korea was behind the Sony attack.

—BBC

OIL PRICE: Gulf OPEC Members Refuse To Cut Output Arab Gulf countries have vowed they will not cut oil production or hold an emergency meeting, despite a glut in global supplies and plummeting oil prices.

Powerful OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said on Sunday they would not cut production even if non-OPEC members reduced their output, while Iraq and the United Arab Emirates shrugged off calls for an emergency meeting of the 12-nation cartel.

“If they [non-OPEC countries] want to cut production they are welcome. We are not going to cut,

certainly Saudi Arabia is not going to cut,” Saudi Oil Minister Ali alNaimi told reporters on the sidelines of an energy conference in the United Arab Emirates.

Kuwait’s Oil Minister Ali alOmair agreed, saying he did not think a cut was needed.

“OPEC will not cut. Nothing will happen until June and there is no emergency meeting,” he said.

Iraq ruled out calls for an emergency session, with its oil minister, Adel Abdulmahdi, predicting oil prices would stabilise at about $60 a barrel.

53

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Samsung To Sponsor Beach Volleyball Tour In 2015 – Nimrod

BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

The year 2015 will witness several activities for beach volleyball in Nigeria, beginning with the Samsung National Tour, which begins in March, Chairman Beach Volleyball, Engineer Musa Nimrod has disclosed, while speaking on the side-lines of the 2014 National Open Beach Volleyball Champi-

onship which ended in Kaduna on Sunday.

According to him, beach volleyball players will have little rest in 2015 as the entire calendar will be busy for them.

“From March till December 2015, it would be from one activity to the other for beach volleyball, there would be no rest. They would be the U-17, U-19, U-20, U-21, Con-

tinental Cup and the big one, Rio 2016 Olympics elimination for Zone 3.

“Lest I forget, for the first time, beach volleyball will also be featuring at the National Sports Festival (NSF) for the first time in 2015,” he added.

He called on corporate organisations and public spirited individuals to partner with NVBF.

take away the youths from the streets and bring glory to the country.

Goodluck Ayansodike one of the two players who played for the NIS team said the competition has put him in shape and ready to face any challenge that might come their ways.

He hailed the effort of the Chairman of the Nigeria Beach Volleyball Association Engineer Musa Nimrod who he said has played a significant role in moving Beach Volleyball forward.

Habu Gumel, NVBF President

NIS Win 2014 Beach Volleyball Championship

By ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Beach Volleyball Team have emerged champions of the Kaduna 2014 Nigeria Volleyball Federation Beach Volleyball Open Championship which ended on Sunday at the Sports Arena, Murtala Square, Kaduna.

The NIS team beat their counterparts from Benue 2-0 to emerge champions. NIS defeated the Ondo State team 2-0 in the semi-final to qualify for the

final.

Team Ondo won the third position of the competition by defeating team Niger 3-2 in a pulsating encounter that dragged into five sets after both side lost to the two finalists 2-0 in the semi-final played earlier in the day.

Speaking after the presentation of trophies, Chairman Nigeria Beach Volleyball Association Engineer Musa Nimrod said this competition has identified new players and also pro-

vided other experienced players the avenue to put their skills in shape.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria would go far as far as Beach Volleyball is concerned, stressing the Federation would not want to waste their first place ranking and one of the best ways of doing so is by organising this competition.

He however called on the private sector for more support for Beach Volleyball, which he said has a lot of potentials to

Lagos Thrash Katsina To Win 2014 CBN Governor’s Soccer Cup fending champions who scored three goals in the first half and wrapped it up in the second half with two goals.

Katsina are playing for the first time in the final since 1981 that the competition started.

They beat the Central Bank of Nigeria Ilorin branch via a penalty shootout in the semi-final to qualifies for the final while Lagos defeated Umuahia branch.

Earlier on, the Umuahia branch of the bank defeated the Ilorin branch by a lone goal to emerge the third place champions of the competition in a pulsating encounter that saw the goal scored in the second half.

Ilorin had an opportunity to lev-

By ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

Defending champions, Central Bank of Nigeria Lagos branch have won the 34th edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor’s Cup Played at the main bowl of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna at the weekend by thrashing Katsina 5-0.

The Lagos branch of the bank were able to successfully defended the trophy they won last year during the 33rd edition of the competition played in Ibadan Oyo state.

Lagos defeated Katsina in a one-sided affair that saw the Katsina side fighting to find their footing, but were unable to match the hotness of the de-

Grassroots football club in action

LMC Condoles Lobi Stars Over Sarki’s Death The League Management Company (LMC) has commiserated with Lobi Stars on the death of their player, Audu Sarki who died from injuries sustained from an automobile accident.

Sarki was driving with his wife and child from his home state, Yobe to Bauchi when the accident occurred.

Chairman of the LMC, Hon. Nduka Irabor described the death of the player as sad and prayed that his soul will repose in peace. “It is a sad loss to the League and we commiserate with his family, the club and team mates. Most importantly, we pray that his injured wife and child recover fully and have the fortitude to bear this loss of their bread winner”, Irabor remarked.

Team NSC Was Outstanding At FEPSGA – Are

By ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

Irabor

el but missed a penalty awarded by centre referee, which would have dragged the game into spot kicks.

Speaking at the final match, Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele who was represented

by Alhaji Suleiman Barau, Deputy Governor Operation said the aim of the competition is to ensure the bank’s staff are fit mentally and physically to enable them perform their duties effectively.

He said the bank would continue to support and encourage the continuation of the competition though not aimed at hatching talents, but if talents are discovered they encourage and support them.

Team NSC finished fifth on the medals table of the 33rd edition of the Federal Public Service Games (FEPSGA) which ended at the weekend in Akure, Ondo State.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sports on the team’s performance, President of NSC Sports Club, Dr. Ademola Are, described the outing as a good one.

He said the team which was in Akure with only 11 athletes participated in only three events and was able to place fifth out of over 150 ministries departments and agencies that participated, a feat he described as outstanding.

“Our performance was good and we are proud of our athletes. The

Director-General of NSC, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye was on ground at the closing ceremony and was full of praises for the team. We did well even though we only participated in athletics, swimming and squash.

“We were able to win two gold, five silver and two bronze medals.

Apart from the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who are para-military and were able to grab most of the medals, our team did well and the DG was full of praises,” he said.

Speaking further, he said that the DG has promised to continue to motivate the athletes and encourage them to continue to do Elegbeleye better.

Follow these reports on leadership.ng/sports

54

sports

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Amuneke Describes Eaglets Draw As Fair Manu

Flying Eagles Will Win AYC Trophy – Manu Manu Garba, coach of the Nigeria U-20 team, has said that the Flying Eagles will aim at winning the African Youth Championship title in Senegal as well as qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup next year after they were paired against Senegal, Cote d’ Ivoire and Congo in Sunday’s draw.

Garba was at the helm when the Golden Eaglets defeated Mexico 3-0 in the final of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and he has chosen to promote most of the players that represented Nigeria last year at the cadet championship for the U20 AYC. In an exclusive chat with Goal on Sunday night, Garba said that his

hope is to ensure that the Flying Eagles qualify for the World Cup as African champions and he has enjoined Nigerians both home and abroad to pray for the team’s success in Senegal in March.

The coach affirmed that he was following proceedings and was able to get identities of Nigeria’s opponents at the AYC immediately at the end of the draws held in Cairo, Egypt the headquarters of Caf on Sunday.

He hinted that all the three teams paired along the Flying Eagles are no minnows to the AYC and that making an appreciable impact in Senegal would be paramount on his mind.

Ramos Relaxed Over Real Contract Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has said that he is in no rush to sign a new contract at the Bernabeu.

The Spain international has held talks with the European champions with a view to remain with Los Merengues after June 2017, when his current deal expires. “We’ve had meetings to speak about the contract extension but I’m not in a hurry,” Ramos told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. “I have two years left on my contract.

“This is something that doesn’t bother me at all. It depends on the club, not on me. I have a good relationship with club president Florentino Perez and we often speak.

Thanks to him I achieved a dream which was to join the best club

Ramos

in the world. I will be eternally thankful to him for that.”

This has been the most important year of my life not just professionally but from a personal level.

Ramos has enjoyed his best year at Real since moving to Madrid in 2005 in a €27 million transfer from Sevilla. The 28-year-old scored the crucial late equaliser in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in May to take the game into extra-time.

Real went on to win 4-1 to lift a record 10th European Cup. Ramos was also voted the best player in the FIFA Club World Cup tournament on Saturday after scoring in both the semi-final and the final in Morocco to help Real win the tournament.

Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, has described Sunday’s draw of the 11th African U-17 Championship-Niger 2015that pitched Nigeria against Niger, Guinea and Zambia in Group A as a fair deal, adding that his wards would be focussed at securing a ticket to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Chile.

“I think it is a fair grouping not minding the fact that we are going to face the host country, Niger,” Amuneke stated. “We are not going to underrate any of the teams and as I said before the draw, our sole objective in Niger is to qualify for the World Cup and after that, we can begin to talk about other things.”

Indeed, Golden Eaglets have their work cut out since they are going to battle against the host whom their illustrious predecessors, white-washed 10-1 on aggregate in the qualifiers for Morocco 2013 where they finished second and secured a ticket to the FIFA World Cup in the UAE - and eventually earned Nigeria a record fourth title.

“We are aware of the task ahead of us and what happened between the Golden Eaglets and Niger the last time is immaterial now,” noted Amuneke. “Our boys have to go

out there and show that this set of Golden Eaglets is good in their own right and we must first secure a ticket to the World Cup.” Though Zambia and Guinea are making a return to the competition after a break since they failed to qualify the last time in Morocco, Amuneke said they won’t be treated with kid’s gloves:”Both Zambia and Guinea showed they are a strong side during the qualifiers; so we are going to take all our matches seriously.”

In the other half of the draw, defending champions, Cote d’Ivoire would slug it out in Group B along with the trio of South Africa, Mali and Cameroon who incidentally were not in Morocco 2013.

Niger 2015 tournament will take place between February 15th and March 1 next year in Niger with the semi-finalists guaranteed a ticket to the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held between October 17th and November 8th, 2015 in Chile.

Amuneke

Doping: NADC Sanctions Seven Athletes

By ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

In a concerted effort to preserve the integrity of sport and combat doping in the Nigeria, the Fair Hearing Panel of Nigeria’s interim anti-doping organisation, the National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) met recently to adjudicate on seven pending cases of anti-doping rules violations which led to sanctioning the offenders.

This was contained in a state-

ment made available to LEADERSHIP Sports, signed by NADC’s Communications Officer, Efe Ovuakporie.

It informed that all seven cases involved weightlifters who tested positive to banned substances.

Six of the cases involved weightlifters whose urine samples were collected on 22nd October 2013 in an out-of-competition drug test in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and who were serving provisional sus-

pension prior to the hearing. The seventh case involved Miss Chika Amalaha whose urine samples A and B tested positive for banned substances in the class of diuretic and masking agent.

Nigerian teenager Chika Amalaha tested positive in a doping test conducted at the 2014 Commonwealth Games after she won gold in the women’s 53kg category and significantly marred Nigeria’s participation at the Games.

FIFA, Blatter In Secret Talks About President’s Future Secret talks between FIFA officials and Sepp Blatter have taken place over his future as the president of football’s world governing body, BBC Sport has learned.

The discussions, involving representatives from a number of football confederations, are understood to have started in October 2013, at the celebrations for the English Football Association’s 150th anniversary.

Blatter has since confirmed his intention to stand in May’s presidential election and seek a fifth term of office.

However, with the 29 January deadline looming for can-

didates to declare their interest, there is mounting concern amongst several FIFA executives over the governing body’s future direction and leadership.

Speaking in Manilla earlier this month, Blatter reaffirmed he has support from five of the six confederations that constitute FIFA. But BBC Sport has been told the recent crisis within the governing body, stemming from an investigation into alleged World Cup bidding corruption that culminated last week in the resignation of ethics committee investigator Michael Garcia, could yet have far-reaching effects.

Blatter

sports 55

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Juan

Inter Revival Down To Mancini – Juan

Messi and Fabregas

I’d Love Messi To Join Chelsea – Fabregas Cesc Fabregas has said he “would love” to see Lionel Messi to join him at Chelsea.

Messi’s future at Barcelona has come under a lot of scrutiny after he suggested last month he could leave the club in the near future.

Fabregas played alongside the Argentine in the Barca youth system and again in the first team when he returned to Spain following his time at Arsenal.

The 27-year-old has been a key component of the Chelsea team which currently sits top of the Premier League and says he

would love to team up with his former team-mate at Stamford Bridge.

When asked if he thinks Messi should join him in west London, Fabreas told Radio Marca: “I wish!

Why not? I’d love that to happen.

I’d be all for it.

“As a Barca man, I believe that Messi deserves to retire there for all that he has given the club.

“He is a legend that has changed Barca’s history. But, as his teammate and friend, without doubt I’d love to have Leo by my side.

This season Barca are Messi and

10 others. Messi has saved his team on many occasions.”

The World Cup winner was also asked if he felt Jose Mourinho would be a good fit to coach the Camp Nou club.

“I’d say that Barcelona have a style that he has already experienced and understands perfectly,” he replied.

“Chelsea play a very similar game: we want to be the protagonists, have possession and look to score. We may have a different system, but the philosophy is similar.

Juan Jesus says Roberto Mancini’s half-time team-talk inspired Inter’s second-half comeback against Lazio on Sunday.

Inter were staring down the barrel of a sixth defeat of the Serie A season after a Felipe Anderson double put Lazio into a 2-0 half-time lead at San Siro.

But goals from Mateo Kovacic and Rodrigo Palacio after the break earned Mancini’s side a 2-2 draw.

Centre-back Juan conceded that Inter were far below the required standard in the first half and credited head coach Mancini for their turnaround.

“We approached the game in the wrong way in the first half

but we turned things around after the break,” he told Inter’s official website.

“A lot of that was down to what the coach said to us at the interval. We need our second half approach for the full 90 minutes in matches and to consistently do the right things.”

A point means Inter head into Serie A’s mid-season break in 11th place and six points adrift of Lazio - who occupy the third and final Champions League position.

Full-back Danilo D’Ambrosio is confident that Inter have more than enough time to improve their league standing in the new year.

I Was Right To Leave Bayern For Madrid – Kroos

Hodgson

Hodgson Reveals Unusual Highlight

Kroos

Toni Kroos believes winning the Club World Cup proves that he was right to leave Bayern Munich and join Real Madrid.

The midfielder joined the Santiago Bernabeu side in the summer for a reported €30 million and helped them to win the trophy on Saturday, after a 2-0 victory over San Lorenzo in the final, just months after he was crowned a world champion with Germany.

And Kroos, who also won the Champions League and Club World Cup during his time at Bayern, says he is happy to cap off a fine 2014 with another trophy and feels vindicated in his de-

cision to join the Spanish giants.

“I’m so happy to win the Club World Cup for a second time,” he told reporters. “This trophy is so good for Real Madrid, we are a great family.

“I chose Real Madrid and now I’m so happy. I was right to sign for Madrid.

“Before coming here, I didn’t know what to expect, but I made the decision, I was looking for something new and I was lucky that I signed for Real Madrid.”

The midfielder reflected on what has been a wonderful year for him and feels he and his team can progress even further

in 2015.

“It was a great year, full of amazing moments, but you are not the champion of the world every year. Winning the final in Rio de Janeiro and lifting the cup was a very special moment.

“Germany had been waiting a long time for it. It was the best moment of the year. But 2014 was very good overall, so there are many good times to remember, “Now we are looking forward to the Copa del Rey and Champions League, there are many great opponents like Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.”

England manager Roy Hodgson’s highlight of 2014 was the moment his side bade farewell to the FIFA World Cup and avoided a torrent of abuse from supporters.

Defeats to Italy and Uruguay saw England exit the Brazil 2014 tournament at the group stage prior to the concluding 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.

Yet Hodgson has chosen the moment when the England squad addressed travelling fans after finishing bottom of Group D as his year’s best moment.

“If there was one highlight of the year which really totally revived my faith in the average man’s appreciation of football and his desire to support his team, then it would be the experience in Belo Horizonte,” Hodgson told FATV. “We played 0-0 against Costa Rica. We then went to the fans to

thank them - really probably expecting them to not be terribly grateful for our thanks - (and) the reception we got there was really quite incredible.

“I think if you said to me ‘tell me one thing in 2014 that’s had a major effect on your life’ I would say that.”

Hodgson, who referenced the retirements of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole in an end-of-year interview, hopes England have learned lessons from Brazil which they have taken into the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, which has begun with four wins from four matches.

“Fortunately we’ve managed to redress the balance somewhat since the World Cup,” added Hodgson, whose side finished the year with six wins out of six after friendly defeats of Scotland and Norway.”

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23.12.14 www.leadership.ng

Comrade Timi Frank

Tuesday Column:

A

gain President Goodluck Jonathan has kickstarted his 2015 presidential campaign by violating the laws of the land. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has told Nigerians to tighten their belts after imposing austerity measures.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has devalued the Naira due to falling oil prices. This has further weakened the purchasing power of already impoverished Nigerians. But for Jonathan, it is ‘austerity my foot, Nigeria is not broke.’ Reason why he last Saturday received a whooping N21.27 billion in illegal donations to finance his presidential campaign.

The exercise shows that the present administration is not in a hurry to refrain from its profligate, corrupt and licentious ways.

The huge donations witnessed at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Fund Raising Dinner held at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, grossly violates the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and all that bothers on good conscience and morality expected from the highest political office in the land. It also represents a direct affront on the people who are today being ruled by guile and deception.

The President certainly did not “give a damn” to Section 91(9) of the Electoral Act which expressly states that: “No individual or other entity shall donate more than one million Naira to any candidate” while receiving the donations. Some of the donors and donations as announced during the dinner include PDP Governors Forum - N1.05billion, Prof. Jerry Gana and his friends in the power sector - N5billion, Oil and Gas sector - N5billion, Mr Tunde Ayeni - N2billion, Chairman of SIFAX group - N100million, Transport and Aviation sector - N1billion, Agriculture - N500million, Power sector - N500million, Board of the Shelter Development Limited N250million, Construction sector - N310million, Road Construction

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 2,314

TUESDAY

N150

Jonathan, Profligacy And N21bn Illegal Campaign Donations

players - N250million, National Automative Association N450million, Rivers State PDP Chapter - N50million and Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) - N15million.

It is illegal, satanic, ungodly and unacceptable for the President and the PDP to continue to trample on all rules and regulations guiding donations and expected spending by candidates and political parties to prosecute elections in this country.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the antigraft agencies have continued to maintain conspiratorial silence. But they must act! The donation smacks of impunity and criminality. The INEC and the anti-graft agencies cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand. The Electoral Act has been brutishly violated and the law must be seen to take its course.

According to Section 91 of the Electoral Act, the maximum expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a presidential election is N1billion and N200million for governorship. The Electoral Act also placed a campaign ceiling of N40million and N20million respectively for senatorial and House of representative candidates. For election expenses into the State Assemblies and chairmanship for Local Governments and Area Councils, it is N10million. Sanctions for candidates who knowingly flout these campaign spending limits are as follows: For presidential - N1million or 12 months imprisonment or both. Governorship - N800,000 or nine months or both. N600,000 or imprisonment for six months is for senatorial candidates and N500,000 or five months imprisonment for House of Representatives candidates.

How come the power sector that recently got a financial bailout and its gas debts to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) settled by the CBN, could afford to cough out the sum of N5.5billion? If the power sector had the fund, why then did it wait for its legacy debt of about N36.9 billion owed to gas suppliers to be paid by the CBN? Why did the CBN had to intervene

— Anon

to the tune of $213 billion to help stabilize operations in the power sector? We must be reminded that the CBN is the banker to the Federal Government and the money in its possession belongs to taxpayers.

Nigerians must not forget in a hurry that the present administration is often long on promises and short in fulfilling them. For instance, Jonathan in 2011 said, “if voted into power within the next four years, the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for another four years.”

Sadly, it is true his administration cannot do anything about the suffocating power situation in the country.

Besides, Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution prohibits any association from contributing to the election expenses of any candidate or aspirant. However, PDP Governors Forum donated N1.05billion. Some Federal Ministries also made fatuous donations. These came against the backdrop that civil servants at both Federal and State levels are being owed salaries for upwards of three months for which they are currently gearing up for an industrial action.

Already, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) have threatened to call its members out on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government failed to pay their October and November salary arrears.

Notwithstanding the bad governance currently replete at the federal level, Nigerians must not despair because a credible party to clear the mess of the present administration and return our country to the path of probity, accountability, transparency and frugal management of national resources is set to take over the saddle of leadership in the forthcoming elections. Therefore, Nigerians must seize this golden opportunity to chase out treasury looters and financial scammers

08070888888 (text only)

The choice of General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) as the APC presidential candidate and Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate shows that the party is extremely sensitive to the aspiration of Nigerians by installing an All Progressives Congress (APC) national government in 2015. The signs that the APC is capable of revamping our economy, create jobs, defeat insurgency, boost healthcare and education and properly manage national resources are very clear and unmistakable. One is that APC governors have since demonstrated that governance is about the people and not those in position of authority as is the case at the federal level presently. Their sterling performances are there for all to see.

Above all, the APC has continued to prove critics wrong on all fronts.

For instance, not many people believed that the leaders of the party could be magnanimous and selfless enough to bury their personal aspirations and ego by allowing for an unbiased choice of its presidential candidate to lead the change. The APC’s presidential primaries have come and gone and every other thing is now history. The party has shown that it is an epitome of light and all that is good, therefore, it behooves on Nigerians to come out from darkness and follow that light in 2015.

The choice of General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) as the APC presidential candidate and Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate shows that the party is extremely sensitive to the aspiration of Nigerians and the geopolitical, social, religious and ethnic configuration of our country. GMB and Osinbajo are both tested trusted and proven proven personalities.

Their antecedents are well known.

timifrank@leadership.ng They were not imposed. They emerged from a very transparent and flaw-free party primaries. I dare say that the choice of Buhari has been hailed by all, while that of Osinbajo confounded the naysayers who hitherto were up in arms to taint the party as an ‘Islamic party’ should it be a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The leaders of APC have demonstrated uncommon wisdom in choosing its flag bearers. All other aspirants who partook in the primaries - Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah - are all noble men. The National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun did a great job by ensuring that the race was not restricted to a single aspirant but the “the more the merrier.”

The party lived up to its words and ideals. In their campaign tour across the country to solicit the support of the party delegates, the aspirants never dwelt on the personal and mundane, but on issues. They all espoused their vision and mission and called on the delegates to endorse them. Notwithstanding that a President that has been in the saddle for about six years could not tolerate others aspirants vying for the presidential ticket of his party against him, the APC presidential slot was come one, come all.

GHANA MUST GO Buhari will wipe out Boko Haram, create jobs — Osinbajo

Do you have posters in Sambisa?

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