46 CEOConfidential
tipoffs Compiled by Salome Anyasodo
SECRETS OF LONGETIVITY
Bug off with lemongrass
Commercial insect repellents will save you from mosquito bites, but many may contain dangerous chemicals. Studies show that some ingredients can combine with other compounds, including prescription drugs in your system, to cause brain drain cell death and other neurotoxic reactions including seizures. A natural substance, lemongrass oil, also called Indian oil of verbena, is a better choice for keeping bugs at bay. Look for products in healthy food stores that use lemongrass oil to protect you from biting insects.
BOOKMARK
What Every Angel Investor Wants You to Know Brian S. Cohen, John Kador Publisher:McGraw-Hill Education, 2013
As head of the New York Angels investment group, Brian Cohen has evaluated his share of start-ups. In “What Every Angel Investor Wants You to Know,” Cohen puts the reader inside the mind of an angel evaluating a start-up. He enters a deal not just as an investor but as an adviser, mentor, and rich source of contacts. He wants to get to know company leaders intimately and share their dreams of success. The advice is both inspirational and educational, ranging from helping to develop the right outlook on seeking investors to how to conduct due diligence.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
$300,000,000 Estimated amount Dubia holding company is diversifying its portfolio by investing into Dangote Cement
2,296
Estimated rise in death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak in history, according to World Health Organisation(WHO)
Why you should always bet on dreamers, not experts Experts are generally terrible at predicting the future. If you are an expert rolling your eyes, I offer these quotes as evidence: “There is not the slightest possibility of such journeys.” -American astronomer F.R. Moulston on humans going to the moon (1935). “The [atomic] bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.” -U.S. Admiral William D. Leahy to President Truman (1945). “There is no reason for any individuals to have a computer in their home,” -Ken Olsen, founder of DEC computer company (1977). These bold (and completely wrong) predictions, as well as many, many similar examples, prove that while experts excel at incrementally improving technology, disruptive ideas come from non-experts. Why? The more one knows, the more barriers one sees and the quicker one is to spot why crazy ideas will not work. Instead, it is dreamers like the Wright Brothers, or in contemporary times, Elon Musk with his vision of taking humans to Mars, who make the great leaps in tech and business.
but personally I believe that there is a better way to approach the limitations of experts. Do not try to think outside the box--Instead, think in another box. Most people are scared about doing something in an industry with which they are not totally familiar. When one is starting a new business, one does not need to know much about it. A lot of the work is blocking and tackling--it is the same type of stuff no matter what sector one is in. If one does not know much about the field, you’re able to ask a set of questions that an expert would never ask, and that allows you a very different thought process and a fresh approach.
Thinking in another box But what if one is an expert or industry veteran rather than a newcomer full of outlandish dreams--is it hopeless that you could help create true innovation? There are lots of ideas about how to get around the problems with expertise and help experts think outside the box,
How to be a productive nonexpert The idea is to apply the common knowledge of one industry in another where it is completely novel. That can mean having the courage to start a business in a niche that is unfamiliar, but it does not have to
involve starting up in a whole new sector. The principle can be applied within existing teams too. People who are experts in one field often prefer not to talk to those with different expertise. The truth is that non-experts will ask very basic questions that will often make the experts think on a more fundamental and productive level than those with similar training. As a leader, one can put this ability of nonexperts to spur the creativity of experts to use. If one is hosting (or attending) a lunch, for instance, never sit all the experts in similar fields together. Instead, ensure experts sit near someone who knows little about their work.That person may ask, ‘why are you doing it this way?’ An expert’s first response might be, ‘Thats stupid.’ But the second response will be, ‘but wait, that’s not a bad idea!’ Experts have their uses Of course, experts are not useless-far from it. Execution demands expertise, but leadership does not-it demands dreams (the crazier the better). Why are wild dreams so valuable? My mother once told me, ‘Go do what you want because the sky is the limit. ‘As I later learned working in the space industry there is no such physical thing as the sky-it is just a product of our imagination. Which means that, in reality, our imagination and the scale of our dreams are really the only limiting factors. Do not be fooled by expertise and begin to see false boundaries or underestimating those with wild dreams. Do that and one might end up being remembered for a spectacularly wrong prediction like the ones at the beginning of this post! Wouldn’t you rather be famous for an incredible, world-changing innovation instead? If so, bet on dreamers, not experts.
CAPITALISM Assume the worst about people, get the worst What they tell you Adam Smith said famously: ‘It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.’ The market beautifully harnesses the energy of selfish individuals thinking only of themselves (and at most, their families) to produce social harmony. Communism failed
because it denied this human, or at least, largely altruistic. We have to assume the worst about people (that is, they only think about themselves), if we are to construct a durable economic system. What they dont’t tell you Self-interest is a most powerful trait in most human beings. However, it’s not our only drive. It is very often not even our
primary motivation. Indeed, if the world were full of the self-seeking individuals found in Economics textbooks, it would grind to a halt because we would be spending most of our times cheating, trying to catch the cheaters and punish the caught. The world works as it does only because people are not the totally self-seeking agents that free-market economy believes them to be.
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
updates Compiled by Dan Udechukwu
7.6%
63.4%
Percentage rise in Kenyan supermarket chain Uchumi’s profit after tax for the full year ended June 30, 2014.
ENERGY
Facebook targets advertisers as 100m log on in Africa
$2.3m
Worth of contract JSE-listed gas and welding firm, African Oxygen (Afrox), last Wednesday said it had successfully managed to retain with petrochemicals giant Sasol.
$1.6m One in 10 Africans are logging on to Facebook every month to the world’s number one online social network said this week, presenting a new target audience for advertisers. Of those 100 million people, 80 per cent are accessing the platform via mobiles on a continent with very low internet penetration and smartphone ownership, it said. Facebook’s global mobile advertising revenue jumped more than 150 per cent in the second quarter, accounting for about 62 percent of overall ad revenue. “There is a fantastic opportunity for business as well if you are local or a global business. Knowing that there is all these people now in Africa that you can connect with, is exciting as well,” said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Seven in 10 African consumers access the internet through their mobile phones, compared with 6 percent who use desktop computers, according to an Ericsson study earlier this year.
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Percentage rise in Venezuela’s annual inflation rate, according to official figures published last Tuesday.
Man United predicts fall in profit after pitch woes
Manchester United is set to suffer financially as a result of a poor performance on the pitch. The football club predicts that profits and revenues will fall in 2015 after failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. The prediction comes as it reports a plunge in profits, despite record revenues for 2014. Net income fell 84% for the year to 30 June to $38.68m, down from $237.25m a year ago. Manchester United said that was due in part to last year’s profit being boosted by a one-off tax credit, without which it would have made a loss.
TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft set to buy Minecraft’s developer Mojang, say reports The video games studio behind Minecraft is in talks to be
taken over by Microsoft, according to reports. Worth of fine Taiwan It has been suggested that Mojang might sell for more than has placed on an edible $2bn. oil manufacturer In June, the Swedish studio said it had sold about 54 million over its sales of dirty copies of its hit world-building game. Since then it has also been recycled waste oil. released for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, further boosting
The UK and France get powerful jobs in the new European Commission, overseeing financial services and economic policy respectively.
General Motors has announced that by 2016, some of its Cadillacs will incorporate selfdriving functions. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a cruise function will be fitted in different top-of-the-range GM models.
SYMBO-LOGICAL Work out the value of each shape using simple arithmetic functions: (+) Plus (-) Minus (---) Division (x) Multiplication.Each shape has a different value and is a whole number. No shape has a value less than 1.
sales. Mojang’s founder, Markus “Notch” Persson has previously publicly criticised Microsoft.
TRANSPORTATION
Ethiopia bestowed top aviation accreditation by US
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has bestowed a Category 1 rating on the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) following several months of examinations. A category 1 rating suggests effective operational organization, flight safety and air space licensing; all of which are areas that the ECAA has excelled in. State Minister of Transport, Getachew Mengiste, revealed that this endorsement will allow Ethiopian Airlines to fly directly to the likes of Europe and the US without difficulty.
TECHNOLOGY
Apple Watch unveiled alongside new larger iPhones Apple has unveiled a smartwatch - the Apple Watch - its first new product line since the first iPad and the death of its co-founder Steve Jobs. The device runs apps, acts as a health and fitness tracker and communicates with the iPhone. While rival smartwatches already exist, experts said Apple had a history of entering sectors relatively late and then changing their direction.
HUB-WORDS
How many words can you make from the letters in the wheel? Each word must contain the hub letter G. Can you find a 9-letter word and at least 25 other words of four letters or more avoiding proper nouns?
LASt Week’S SOLUtIOnS SYMBO-LOGICAL
HUB-WORDS
9-letter word - ENIGMATIC Some other words of four letters or more containing the hub letter G: cage, gain, gait, game, gate, gent, geta, gnat (UK), giant, icing, image,magic, mange, tinge, acting, aiming, citing, eating, enigma, ignite, magnet, mating, taming, timing, imagine, mintage, teaming, magnetic.
48 CEOConfidential
updates Compiled by Dan Udechukwu
Sunday, September 14, 2014
$100,000,000
20.57%
Worth of loan Camac Petroleum has secured from Nigeria’s Zenith Bank to expand its offshore assets in the West African country.
Percentage by which the electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply sector slumped in the National Bureau of Statistics Q2 GDP report.
$300m
ECONOMY
Nigeria tops African retail investment ranking
Worth of minority stake Dubai is building in Nigeria’s largest cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement.
$1bn
West African economic power house, Nigeria has been listed at the top African nation providing the best investment opportunities for retailers, a ranking index report by African-focused Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) revealed. Nigeria, Africa’s largest population and economy, dwarfs leading economies such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya who came second, third, fourth and fifth respectively on the RMB retail index. Africa’s second largest economy, South Africa, was however ranked 15th, though RMB says the country remained the most attractive destination for overall investment. RMB, the investment banking unit of FirstRand, said the list was compiled using urbanisation rates, population size and growth areas as well as each country’s gross domestic product per capita. Analyst at RMB, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana said the factors used as criteria are probably “the most favourable prospects for retail investors” but cautioned that there could be changes as income dynamics change.
Value of money Nigeria Plans for Development Bank establishment, according to reports by Ventures Africa.
The Debt Management Office said, last Wednesday, it plans to sell N100 billion ($615 million) worth of bonds with maturities ranging from three to 20 years at an auction next Wednesday.
HEALTH
SLNI holds workshop for her HIV support group The Silver Lining For The Needy Initiative (SLNI) in conjunction with Marie Stopes Nigeria, held a one-day workshop for her HIV support group, Pearl ACTs in Abuja with a focus on the wellbeing and personality of women living with HIV/AIDS. In a press release signed and made available to CEO Confidential by the behavioural change communications officer, Mr Itodo Abbah, the workshop also addressed ways to improve on general lifestyle to staying and living healthy.
The concentration of loan portfolio in the banking industry in few sectors poses systemic risk for the economy, according to Afrinvest, a foremost investment banking firm, which released a report on the Nigerian banking sector recently.
According to Abbah, over 60 women attended the workshop that had facilitators engage them in motivational and empowerment talk; lectures on how to start businesses, health talk, love languages, family planning and cervical cancer. Highlight of the event was a raffle draw which saw three winners emerge. The first position won a bladeless fan, while the first and second runner-ups won mobile phones respectively.
FINANCE
Enterprise Bank introduces armed forces personnel loan scheme Enterprise Bank has again tailored its unique products and services to specially cater for armed forces personnel in line with the bank’s avowed desire to continually delight its growing clientele. The product, named “The Nigerian Armed Forces Special Personal Loan Scheme,” is designed to avail personnel of the Nigerian armed forces personal loans that will enable them bridge financial gaps at discounted interest rates. Created for officers currently serving in the Army, Air Force and Navy, from the rank of second lieutenant, pilot officer or midshipman, respectively, and upwards, the bank announced in a statement that subscribers to the loan will access various sums, which are available with repayment tenures of 12 to 36 months.
INVESTING
Nigeria SWF to buy stake in gas processing plant
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) will in a couple of weeks announce a major investment in gas processing plants with the aim of solving the problem of gas in the power sector of the economy, says Uche Orji, chief executive, NSIA, managers of the nation’s sovereign wealth fund. “In the next three weeks, a big investment in gas processing will be announced by the NSIA,” said Orji. Orji, who spoke in Lagos at the launch of “The Nigerian Banking Sector Report” by Afrinvest, said that the investment would be made out of the $200m for gas to power by the federal government.
MANUFACTURING
Hope rises for eastern auto market as new investors enter ANAMMCO
Nigeria is set to witness a rise of industry revivals and employment generation, following the regeneration of the country’s moribund heavy duty truck manufacturer, Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO). ANAMMCO, located in Emene, Enugu, which has been moribund for several years, is being recalled to life by an assembly contract agreement it signed with Transit Support Services (TSS) Limited. Sequel to the contract, TSS has acquired an assembly line in ANAMMCO and is set to commence full-scale heavy duty and articulated trucks assembly operations next month (October), a move that is expected to see the production of 100 trucks per month in the first phase.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR SUMMIT Homeland Security Summit Africa Accra, Ghana; November 18, 2014
The event is the region’s premiere event for ascertaining information about the latest trends in homeland security and the most advanced technologies for integrating capability across multiple agencies and directorates. Participants stand to gain the following among others in the event: Learn about physical and electronic security capability requirements from key decision makers in both the Ghana Police Service and regional forces; ensure your solution remains front of mind at a time of 13% increase in expenditure by 2015 in the Ghana-Nigeria market alone worth up to USD4bn.
CONFERENCE
SUMMIT
Drill & Blast Africa 2014 Johannesburg, South Africa; October 20 - 23, 2014
3rd Annual Banking Technology Egypt Summit Cairo, Egypt; November 9-12, 2014
The conference will discuss measures that can be taken to optimise mining operations through improving: *Drilling pattern analysis *Blast accuracy optimisation through better blast analysis *Fragmentation analysis. Delegates will hear practical presentations from Kevin Landley, Blast Hole Drilling Consultant, and other experts.
The conference will serve as a unique platform for government, banks and solution providers to meet and discuss market challenges, improvements and opportunities. Topics and themes have been engineered to address the core challenges and opportunities as set out by important stakeholders in the banking industry
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business
Police PFA: Litmus Test For CPS The recent yielding to pressure by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to allow the Nigeria Police Force establish its own Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) to manage the pension funds of its personnel has again unwrapped the integrity issue, following unresolved national indignity of epic misappropriation of pension money in the force. But the pension regulator, which approved the licence, sees no impairment in the decision. OChika Izuora writes.
T The NPF Pensions Limited was borne out of government’s rejection of the Nigeria Police to pull out of the CPS and the directive that they remain in the CPS
he Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) is a child of necessity by the federal government for workers to inculcate the culture of savings in a bid to sustain quality life post retirement. The CPS has a set of uniform rules, regulations and standards for the administration and payments of retirement benefits to workers in both private and public sectors. The National Pension Commission (PenCom) was also set up in line with provisions of the Pension Reform Act, 2004 which empowered it to regulate the pension sector and to form structures for level operation of the scheme and make sure that retirees get their pension as at when due. The regulator meanwhile had licensed 20 Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), seven Closed Pension Fund Administrators (CPFAs) and four Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) while over 5.9 million Nigerians have so far opened re-
tirement savings account (RSAs) with different PFAs and accumulated pension assets have crossed the N4 trillion marks. Under the scheme, employers are expected to subtract 7.5 per cent of individual workers monthly salary and contribute the same amount which will be credited into the workers’ Retirement Savings Account (RSA). The respective PFAs chosen at the discretion of individual worker is allowed to manage the accumulated funds, which is kept in the custody of PFCs chosen by the PFAs. Contributory Pension Safeguards PenCom has continued to beat its chest about the safeguards it put in place to ensure safety of contributors’ money including anti-fraud mechanism laced around its operation and the plugging of loopholes that fraudsters could take advantage of. The commission said PFAs and
PFCs are charged to sustain high levels of lucidity and responsibility and to give contributors unfettered access to information relating to their accumulated pension savings. Also, PenCom monitors investment activities of PFAs daily and the institution of strict pay-out authorisation requirements so as to ensure that PFAs are not thoughtless in their investment decisions, while ensuring that only the right beneficiaries would have right to use the pension money. In addition, pension assets held by PFCs are guaranteed to the full sum and value even as risks for instruments that pension funds could be invested in are rated constantly by the regulator. In addition to the engagement of Compliance Officer (CO) who is saddled with the assignment of ensuring acquiescence with the provisions of the law regarding pension matters, PenCom reviews the internal rules and regulations of
operators, keeps track of the activities of pension operators and gets regular reports of their activities. Under the plan, every PFA is required to preserve a Statutory Reserve Fund, into which shall be credited annually with 12.5 per cent of the net profit after tax or as predetermined by PenCom to meet claims. The commission also imposes legal and administrative sanctions for non-compliance with rules and regulations as any operator found wanting is sanctioned in line with the law among other things. “These checks and balances were embedded in the law to give the contributors rest of mind and encourage workers not to be sceptical about the new contributory pension scheme. The pension reform has addressed problems of past pension schemes to a large extent,” PenCom said. Nigeria Police Force pensions Exercising its statutory powers, PenCom recently issued an Approval-in-Principle to NPF Pension Limited, to manage the pension assets of men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). This is in line with the recommendations of the Oronsaye Committee, which advised that with the exception of the military which was granted exemption, no other federal government institution or force should be exempted from the contributory pension scheme. Explaining how the NPF Pensions came about, the pension regulator said it was borne out of government’s rejection of the Nigeria Police to pull out of the CPS and the directive that they remain in the CPS and seek administrative solutions to their grievances within the framework of the pension law. In compliance with this directive, the police authorities incorporated a limited liability company, the NPF Pensions Limited which has been licensed to operate as a PFA. “NPF Pensions Limited was found to have satisfied all the normal stringent Approval-inPrinciple conditions without any concessions. Consequently, the commission granted the NPF Pensions Limited an Approval-in-Principle for a licence to operate as a PFA,” the commission held. Benefits Notwithstanding the challenges posed by the licensing of the police PFA, there are many benefits that the pension industry as well as the Nigerian economy stands to gain from the establishment of the PFA. The first has to do with the sense of fulfillment among police officers ➔ CONTINUEd ON PAGE
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Police PFA: Litmus Test For CPS ➔ CONTINUEd from PAGE
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across the board. Currently, members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies are exempted from the contributory pension scheme by virtue of the nature of their job. The Nigeria Police Force, an arm of the security network in the country feels short changed not being allowed to go the way of other security agencies. They tried so much to pull out of the system, even taking their protest to the Presidency which directed them to remain in the scheme and find other means of addressing their grievances. Now with the establishment of a PFA specifically for them, they feel secured, believing that issues relating to their job and career specifically would be adequately addressed to suit their peculiar needs like other security agencies. In addition to this, they are also assured that their retirement savings will never be pilfered by anybody since the funds are under the custody of licensed Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs). Another equally important benefit is that PenCom will conduct biometrics for members of the force who joined the scheme. This exercise would ultimately put an end to the series of fraud in police pension department by accurately identifying police officers who have RSAs such that payouts would be made to the true beneficiaries only. The licensing of a Police PFA is also expected to help the Federal Government save money by plugging the holes in police pension management system and ensure that only the true beneficiaries get paid by government, putting an end to menace of ghost officers and multiple payments to some retirees.
There was a high rate of impunity in the system, because there is no serious consequences or risks for fraud and corruption and because there is no deterrence for crime. Several billions of naira had been stolen from police pension scheme
Operations of Police PFA The new police PFA would be managed independently by professionals who pass the Fit and Proper Persons test in addition to having satisfied the due diligence requirements and approved by the commission in line with the guidelines for appointment to board and top management positions of PFAs and PFCs. “NPF Pensions Limited will operate like any other licensed PFA where the pension assets under its management will be held in custody by licensed PFCs,” the commission assured. PenCom, has also put in place necessary structures to ensure that NPF Pensions would, at all times operate like any other PFA, observe all the rules and regulations applicable to PFAs and manage accumulated pension savings of men of the force without keeping custody of the fund. The legal question The pension regulator has also assured Nigerians and members of the police force who have RSAs and
are contributing under the scheme particularly, that there is no intention whatsoever to deprive them of their right to chose a PFA to manage their fund. “Every police officer will, in line with section 11(2) of the PRA 2004, be at liberty to transfer to another PFA of his/her choice,” the regulator stressed. Industry sources held that in line with relevant provisions on the opening of the transfer window, the industry is putting finishing touches to the necessary structures that would make it possible for the regulator to open the window. It is believed that soon RSA holders, including police officers would be free to move their accounts from one PFA to another. Transition period On the issue of transfer of N305 billion to the NPF Pensions, PenCom explained that what is being transferred is just the administration of RSAs of members of the police force. There is no movement of money or accumulated savings of police officers to anywhere, since the money is and would remain under the custody of licensed PFCs. To make the process smooth, the regulator has developed an Operational Framework guiding the reassignment of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and transfer of records of all Nigeria Police contributors to the NPF Pensions Limited over 18 months. It promised to continue to engage all licensed operators and stakeholders on the modalities for reassigning PINs and transfer of records for the benefit of the pension industry. Challenge for PFAs With the licensing of the police PFA there is palpable fear within the sector especially with other PFAs and particularly those currently managing RSAs of police officers about safety of the money even with the safeguards and also the fear of losing business. However, the industry has established that the number of workers in both private and public sectors who are eligible for the CPS to be 70 million or thereabout. Out of this figure, only 5 million subscribers have been registered by all the PFAs put together leaving about 65 million workers out of the scheme. Sources have it that the licensing of the NPF Pension seems to be the much-needed elixir for PFAs to be pro-active and aggressive to bring more people under the contributory pension net. They say that the market is very huge with so much untapped potentials and with a little push by the PFAs, the market would be deepened and pension penetration in the country would rise considerably. Another issue is the demand for compensation by other PFAs for the release of the RSAs to the Police pension. This demand sound genuine but some stakeholders ask if the NPF Pensions should compen-
sate or buy off the RSAs of police officers from the other PFAs and what happens to the accumulated commissions they earned on the accounts for nine years. However, in anticipating these and other challenges, the pension regulator has assured that it will continually engage stakeholders, particularly PFAs with a view to ensuring that the new development does not create rancour among the operators. Police defence of licence The police PFA now fully established has announced take off of operations in line with the provisions of the law. The PFA in a statement issued by Tony Ede announced that all police pension contributions are currently being transferred to First Pension Custodian which has custody of the funds whereas NPF pensions manages the funds and required to publish its account annually like any other PFA. Ede stated in the statement that the safety net that covers contributors fund in other PFAs is also covering police pension fund and members of the Nigeria Police desirous of owning their PFA in order to serve their unique needs and also use any profits from there to improve their welfare. Defending the ability of the PFA to sustain accountability, he said the viability of the NPF Pensions is assured citing the performance of other ventures owned by the Nigeria Police Force which are profitable companies that operate under relevant regulatory authorities. For example, the NPF Micro Finance Bank is one of the best run of its peers, the Police Insurance Company, Health Management Company and Police Cooperative welfare schemes are all doing very well, he said. He disclosed of plans to establish representative pension offices in all Police Formations and Commands in order to provide better services to Police personnel even as it is expected to operate like other 20 PFAs, within the provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2014 and guidelines issued by PenCom. Stakeholders’ reactions With the on-going plan to begin to retrieve police pension funds held by other PFAs, some concerned stakeholders have warned about infringement on the funds. They are of the opinion that the police which is burdened with funds mismanagement could compromise at any slightest opportunity. Reacting to the development while responding to LEADERSHIP Sunday enquiry, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the national co-ordinator of Network for Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), said though he understood the existing safeguards, there was a high rate of impunity in the system, because there is no serious consequences or risks for fraud and corruption
Abba
and because there is no deterrence for crime. Several billions of naira had been stolen from police pension scheme. The exact amount is not clear, but I recall that in January 2013, one of the eight civil servants accused of complicity in the illegal diversion of over N40 billion from the police pension funds Mr John Yakubu confessed before an Abuja high court that he connived with others and stole only about N23 billion.’ Nwanguma suggested the establishment of a new professional accounting system for the police embedded with due process and accounting safeguards to eliminate arbitrariness, mismanagement, abuse and corruption, adding that a new system that must ensure financial tracking, control and accountability should be put in place. But however, contrary to the insinuations that the N305 billion accumulated pension savings of members of the police force would be handed over to the police hierarchy, the fund remains in the custody of PFCs in line with provisions of the law. Also, NPF Pensions should be managed by fit and proper persons without any interference by the police hierarchy. The licensing of a PFA to manage exclusively retirement savings of workers in particular organisations is neither alien to the pension law nor the Nigerian pension industry. The Pension Reform Act, 2004 allows organisations that have a history of managing their own pension funds in the past to apply and secure license to continue the business as Closed Pension Fund Administrators (CPFAs) even though some stakeholders have expressed fear that the agitations against the licensing of the police PFA may not be unconnected to the activities of some people who are determined to bring back the police pension scheme to where it used to be in order to continue with the era of fraud and corruption.
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news
L-R: Deputy managing director, First City Monument Bank Limited, Mr Segun Odusanya; public relations officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi; executive director, Lagos and South-West, FCMB, Mr Femi Bakre and the divisional head, Transaction Banking,FCMB, Mrs Rolayo Akhigbe, at the customers’ forum on international trade business, organised by FCMB in Lagos yesterday. Photo By GBENGA OLAJOBI
EVD: Analysts Fear Nigeria’s Oil Production May Dip ... Total Oil Dismisses Fear By Chika Izuora, Lagos
GlobalData analyst, John Sisa has expressed fear that the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) may likely affect the oil and gas exploration and production in West African states, Nigeria in particular. He said Nigeria is the biggest producer in the African continent and whose challenge would have significant effect on the global market. According to him, the fear stems from the fact that West African exploration and production operations rely on expatriates who work and live in the region. Sisa noted that oil firms might withdraw staff and stop operations until the Ebola situation is controlled in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Sisa said: “Nigeria is the only country in the region with sufficient resources to contain the outbreak, but there is still a risk of uncontrolled spread of Ebola. As the eighth-largest crude oil producer in the world, there is a substantial threat of supply disruption, should the virus spread further in the country. “If the outbreak spreads further, it could potentially disrupt all Nigerian onshore oil production, equivalent to $40m per day.
Almost 80% of Nigeria’s total oil production comes from offshore areas, while the remaining portion comes from onshore areas considered high-risk Ebola zones. If the outbreak spreads further, it could potentially, disrupt all Nigerian onshore oil production, equivalent to $40m per day.” Sisa added that the virus has already affected the healthcare systems of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, who have partnered with private local and foreign companies to finance oil and gas exploration activities. He observed that, “Although most of the drilling in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia occurs offshore in water depths ranging from 300m-4,500m, almost all oil workers are based in onshore stations thereby exposing them to the deadly virus. “Oil workers who are local nationals and returning to their onshore homes in dangerous, infected zones could bring the virus to the drillships and platforms when reporting for duty.” Sisa said the virus, which has to date delayed exploration activities, may spread to East Africa, affecting operations in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. But, however, France oil majorTotal, dismissed such fears saying that it has taken measures to pro-
tect its personnel. Speaking on this issue in an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, chief executive officer of Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Mrs. Elisabeth Proust, who operates three clinics in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt said that in those clinics, medical personnel do temperature checks prior to this time. She said: “ We have questionnaires that check where you have been and how you feel. The questionnaire is administered to all staff in Nigeria, employees, contractors and expatriates and we also distribute this to our staff to use with their families, relatives and personal staff at home”. Speaking further, She said that at the clinics, the company had created isolation wards for use on suspected case. “This allows the suspected case to be completely isolated while we contact the operation centre. All clinics are now equipped with the Personal Protective Equipment or PPEs and other required equipment. Sanitizer dispensers are all over the offices and the campaign on basic hygiene, washing of hands with soap and water and proper information on how to avoid contacting the virus is on our intranet and posters all over our offices”, she said.
Guinness Share Price Drops By 4.13% Over Dividend By OLUSHOLA BELLO, Lagos Investors have continued to dump the shares of Guinness Nigeria Plc after the company released its audited results for June 30, 2014. The board of the company declared a total dividend of N5 billion, which represents N3.20 per 50 kobo ordinary share for the period under review. Since 2011, the company has been reducing its dividend payout, from N10 in 2011 to N8 in 2012 and further to N7 in 2013. Following the announcement of the results, the share price dipped by 4.13 per cent from N181 last Monday, the day the result was released to N175.80 last Tuesday. Capital market operators said that the decrease seen in the company share price was as a result of dissatisfaction by investors over the recommended dividend. According to the managing director of Highcap Securities Limited, Mr David Adonri, full year profit after tax of Guinness declined by 19 per cent, while the
dividend payout also declined. Therefore, its price is experiencing correction to reflect its true fundamental value. A stockbroker, Mr Tunde Oyediran said that the dividend payout is not impressive when compared to the price at which the stock is selling, saying that the company recorded a dividend yield of about one per cent, which is not impressive. He added that the company result slides across key financial indicators and the stock is experiencing market correction on the high price placed on it before the announcement of the results. “However, due to its float and institutional investors’ patronage, the price will not go beyond a particular threshold,” Oyediran said. Reviewing the company’s audited result for the period under review showed that it witnessed a 19 per cent drop in its profit after tax, from N11.864bn to N9.573bn in the period, while the company’s revenue at N109.202bn was 11 per cent lower than the N122.464bn it posted a year earlier.
Africa, Middle East Record 3.95m Tablet PC Shipments In 2nd Qtr By Chima Akwaja, Lagos
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) computer tablet market recorded a two per cent quarterly decline in shipments during the second quarter of 2014 to total 3.95 million units, according to the latest results released today by International Data Corporation (IDC). However, the MEA market remains the world’s fastest growing region as it continues to be an area of focus for all vendors operating in the tablet space. “The reasons for the quarter-onquarter decline in second quarter 2014 were two folds,” says Victoria Mendes, a research analyst at IDC Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. “We anticipated a slowdown in the Middle East due to the traditionally slow summer and Ramadan period, but there were also inventory pileups from the previous quarter in some parts of Africa and the Middle East, and these served to amplify the market’s deceleration.” Samsung’s 862,000 units in Q2 2014 were more than enough for it to hold onto first place in the market, despite suffering a double-digit quarterly decline. Its closest rival, Apple remained in second place after shipping 622,000 units for the quarter. Lenovo returned to the top three with 420,000 units, courtesy of a very strong push from the vendor as it targeted the region with numerous new tablet launches. Another vendor making great strides in the region is Asus, which climbed back to fourth place with a total of 284,000 units shipped in the quarter. Rounding out the top five MEA
tablet vendors for Q2 2014 was General Mobile with 282,000 units, primarily, the result of a very large education project delivered by the vendor in Turkey. “The tablet market is undoubtedly witnessing a shift in terms of vendor shares”, continues Mendes. “Traditional PC vendors, such as Lenovo, ASUS, Toshiba, HP, and Acer, are becoming much more aggressive in terms of their product launches and pricing strategies, and this is driving a considerable shift in consumer demand from low-cost Far-Eastern players to these Tier-2 brands. Furthermore, the two tablet giants, Samsung and Apple, saw their combined share fall six percentage points to 37 per cent in Q2 2014, a trend that is expected to continue as consumers increasingly opt for the best of both worlds in terms of price and quality offered by the traditional PC vendors’ new releases.” This increasing competition in the MEA tablet space is spurring a new approach from the market’s two dominant forces, according to Fouad Charakla, research manager at IDC Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. “With Samsung launching its 12.2 inch Galaxy Tab Pro this year and expectations of Apple launching a 12.9 inch iPad in 2015, it is clear that even these vendors are trying to expand their product ranges to include various sizes,” he says. “This comes amid concerns that they may miss out on new opportunities by restricting themselves to smaller devices, and these bigger screen sizes may also prove to be a better platform for penetrating the commercial space.”
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zonal watch
NIGER STATE KWARA STATE KOGI STATE BENUE STATE NASARAWA STATE PLATEAU STATE FCT ABUJA
Nasarawa SUBEB Partners ANA To Revive Reading Culture
Use Democratic Means To Settle Scores, Wada Advises Electorate BY SAM EGWU, , Lokoja
Kogi State governor, Capt Idris Wada has advised the electorates to employ democratic means in showing their disaffection for political office holders rather than engaging in uncivilized behaviours. Wada gave the advice during a ‘thank you’ tour to KabbaBunu local government area of the state. He decried the shameful manner youths throng the stadium, venue of the programme, to boo a federal lawmaker.
BY Donatus Nadi, , Lafia
The governor, who did not mince words in condemning the act, said: “Whether you like it or not, there are democratic ways of showing disaffection”. “Uncivilized behavior is not expected of Kabba-Bunu and it must stop. Politics of electioneering campaign is just starting now. Everybody should behave well, show of tendencies toward violence must not be entertained”, he said. Wada, who was disturbed by the development said that whoever goes against anti- thuggery Act would be prosecuted.
Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board(NASUBEB) has expressed its readiness to partner with the state chapter of the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA) to revive the poor reading culture among Nigerian students. Mallam Abdulkarim Abdullahi, the executive chairman of the board, stated this when he received the officials of the state chapter of ANA in his office in Lafia. He said that poor reading culture among students is a major factor responsible for the massive failure in 2014 West African Sec-
ondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and other examinations in the country. He said: “I want to thank you the officials of ANA for your commitment in promoting reading culture among Nigerian students in order to improve on the standard of education in the country”. “The massive failure recorded in examinations is due to poor reading culture among the students, look at the 2014 WASSCE result released recently; it showed that over one million students failed the basic subjects, this was a result of poor reading culture and a few other factors, he said.
200 Senior Citizens Receive Free Medical Treatment BY Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin
Heads FROM the ZONE
➔ Governor Jonah Jang. The Plateau State governor, Jonah David Jang on September 5, 2014 officially moved into the new ultra-modern government house built by his administration
➔ Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed. The Kwara State government has engaged 100 village health workers as part of strategies to enhance community healthcare in the villages across the state
L-R: Former governor of Ogun State and APC chieftain, Aremo Olusegun Osoba; former governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; former governor of Kwara State and husband of the celebrant, Senator Bukola Saraki; the celebrant, Barr Oluwatoyin Saraki; a businessman, Femi Otedola; speaker, Federal House of Reps. Hon Aminu Tanbuwal; president, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and former acting chairman of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, in a group photograph during the 50th birthday celebration of the wife of former governor, Bukola Saraki, in Ilorin. PHOto by Abdullahi Olesin
NERC Moves To Improve Services BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has commissioned a forum office in Jos, the Plateau state capital to handle complaints between electricity customers and electricity service providers. The chairman of NERC, Dr Sam Amadi said the Jos forum office was the 10th of its kind commissioned across the country, adding that the commission has given approval to open forum offices in all the 36 states of the federation. Amadi explained that com-
plaints that may come to the forum are complaints not settled at the Customer Care Units (CCU) situated in the Distribution Company, adding that electricity providers may also launch complaints against customers. Also speaking at the occasion, Plateau State governor, Jonah David Jang asked NERC to make the issue of metering paramount stressing that “Where the consumer is not sure of what he is paying for, there is element of exploitation there is element of extortion and mistrust.” Jang, who was represented
by the state commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Malam Idi Waziri , explained that the state was exploring rural electrification projects through the Shimankar power project aimed at supplying electricity to the Southern Senatorial zone of the state. The minister of Power, ProfChinedu Nebo, who was represented by Bola Laditan said the inauguration of the forum office will give confidence to electricity consumers and will serve as a stop point for resolution of all electricity disputes and complaints.
No fewer than 200 elderly people have been given free healthcare service for different ailments under an empowerment programme for the aged within Irepodun local government area of Kwara State. The three-day programme tagged: “Ageing Gracefully” was jointly organised by a philanthropist, Mrs. Adesola Oyinloye-Ndu, the Irepodun local government area and Landmark University Medical Centre, OmuAran. The programme attracted people from three wards within Omu-Aran township and other adjoining communities in Oro, Ajase, Arandun and Oko. Most of the beneficiaries received free medical tests, treatment and drugs for diseases like eye impairment, malaria, hypertension and diabetes. Oyinloye, a medical consultant, said that her desire to give back to the society by improving the life expectancy of the elderly people informed the organization of the programme. She said the programme was also aimed at sensitizing the older citizens on ‘dos and don’ts’ such as imbibing simple life style, good eating habit, and active and healthy living. “It has been my long desire to impact positively on the living standard of the people, especially as regard their medical status. “So when the issue of empowering the old people medically came up with the council chairman, Mr Luqman Owolewa and he bought into the idea, I decided to give all my support. “The whole essence is to educate the older citizens on what kind of activities they should be involved in and the kind of things they should eat so as not to create problems for their system as they grow older,” Oyinloye said.
Plateau Plans Demolition Of Shops, Gives Traders Ultimatum BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos
Plateau State government has given traders at the popular Abuja Market in the central business area of Jos, the state capital, seven days ultimatum to evacuate their goods from the market. The General Manager of Jos Metro-
politan Development Board (JMDB), Brigadier General Musa Gambo (rtd) gave the directive on in Jos while briefing journalists on the state government’s order that the shops at the Abuja market be demolished. “Some shops were locked up by government because of security reasons and the effect of the May, 20,
2014, bomb blast has gone a long way to affecting the structures and some of the structures in question are at the Abuja market; they are now defective and are not habitable for human beings to occupy, he explained. He maintained that there is the tendency for the collapse and this could lead to the destruction of lives
and property. “The government is giving the traders at the Abuja market seven days ultimatum to evacuate their goods from the shops. If they fail to do so, then the government has no option, but to mobilize to bring down the structures and their contents, he said.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
zonal watch (North-Central) 53
news behind the news
Suswam
News Behind The News Participants at the skills acquisition lecture. PHOTO BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN
Ahmadu Bello Foundation Tackles Youth Unemployment By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin
As part of efforts to address the problem of youths unemployment and its attendant consequences in the north, the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, SABMF, has flagged off a 30-day vocational and entrepreneurial workshop for women and youths in Kwara state. Selected 100 women and youths from all the 16 local government areas of the state participated in the programme. The workshop which would be replicated in all the 19 northern states of the country is aimed at addressing the twin- challenges of employment, youths and women empowerment. Declaring the programme open at the Government Secondary School, Ilorin, the chairman and chief executive of the foundation, Dr Shettima Ali, said that the workshop was put together to empower the younger women and youths to makng them self-reliant and employers of labour. He said addressing the unemployment problem would go a long way in solving the insecurity in the north and the entire country. Ali noted that the foundation was poised to train the youths towards taking their minds off things that fuel insecurity by empowering them to be employed gainfully and be positive in life. “I believe if we succeed in doing that, the level of insecurity in the country would drastically reduce all over the country”, he added. The Kwara State governor, Alh
Abdulfatah Ahmed, lauded the initiative which he said was in tandem with his administration’s youths employment scheme. Ahmed, who was represented at the ceremony by his senior special assistant on Youths Employment, Alhaji Saka Babatunde pledged to assist the beneficiaries of the programme with credit facilities through the relevant government agencies after the completion of the programme. Shedding more lights on why SABMF floated the entrepreneurial training programme, a member of the advisory council of the foundation, Gen Salihu Ibrahim said that the special intervention programme was designed to develop the capacities of women and youths on entrepreneurship and production skills in various trades in order to create jobs and promote self-reliance by encouraging productive and sustainable micro as well as small scale enterprises with capacity for expansion. “We consider this programme very unique in so many ways: Firstly, the foundation is named after our greatest and visionary leader, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and the Premier of northern Nigeria, of blessed memory. Secondly, that it is well known that the present Kwara State government and its good people hold entrepreneurship development very dear and seriously. Thirdly, it is our firm belief that the programme is laudable and has the potentials of harnessing the talents in our women and youths towards facilitating and
fast-tracking sustainable socio-economic development of Kwara State, in particular, the north and that of the nation in general”, he explained. This former chief of army staff noted that entrepreneurs were very critical for prosperity and economic wellbeing of the nation, adding that entrepreneurs are those who believe that there are no great limits to anything and, therefore, view problems, obstacles, constraints and challenges as opportunities, and are ready to turn trash to cash and waste to wealth. “The foundation’s entrepreneurship and vocational skill development programme is to help translate such belief into reality among women and youths of the northern region for common good”, he stated. According to him the Women and Youth Vocational Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WYVEDP) represents one of SABMF’s contributions towards addressing the enormous and daunting challenges of unemployment and underemployment across the northern parts of the country. “The foundation strongly believes that the way to arrest the situation is to motivate and prepare our women and youths to take up the challenge and be masters of their destiny. It is our sincere aspiration to see that this training programme, not only compliments what the Kwara state government is doing but also becomes useful to the participating individuals, their families, communities, the state in particular, and the entire north and the nation in general.
The foundation strongly believes that the way to arrest the situation is to motivate and prepare our women and youths to take up the challenge and be masters of their destiny
Benue: When Government And Workers Wrangle Over Salary Cut BY SOLOMON AYADO, Makurdi
The Benue State government and its workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are at loggerheads over the slashing of workers’ salaries. As a result, there was a total shut down of offices, markets and schools as civil servants and bankers refused to open for business. The workers also demanded from the state government, a refund of excess tax deductions from their salaries since 2011 as well as the refund of all deductions made in respect of the national housing funds. In Makurdi, the state capital and across the 23 local governments, all government offices were not opened for work, just as the popular modern market managed by the state government was also locked. Customers and shop owners were not allowed entry into the place. The situation inflicted untold hardship on the people of the state as economic activities were paralysed in certain places. Some students and office workers that unknowingly arrived for work were pursued out of the places, just as the state water board could not supply water to the public. Strangely, banks and other financial institutions in the state joined the industrial action embarked upon by the workers who shut their doors against customers. The bankers closed their offices in solidarity with the aggrieved workers who had down tools to protest the downward review of their salaries. At Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo and other major towns in the state, it was hell for customers, who went to banks to make withdrawals, even as the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) were not dispensing cash. A source in one of the banks hinted that the closure of the banks was in compliance with the directive of the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Just as the state government had quickly effected the salary slash, the NLC and TUC in the state, in a twist, suspended the strike action which lasted for about five days to pave the way for negotiation. This was arrived at during a meeting of the leadership of the NLC, TUC and Governor Gabriel Suswam at Government House, Makurdi. The meeting, which lasted for about five hours, ended without any immediate resolution.
54 zonal watch (North-Central)
Sunday, September 14, 2014
project report
The new Government House, Jos . PHOTO BY ACHOR ABIMAJE
Gov Jang Moves Into New Government House BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos
Plateau State governor, Jonah David Jang, on September 5, 2014, officially moved into the new ultra-modern government house in Jos. The project gulps the sum of N9.6 billion. Governor Jang will go on record as the first governor who deemed it fit to bequeath to the state a government house befitting the status of Plateau as the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’. The new government house located at Little Rayfield in Jos South local government council of the state was awarded by governor Jang on October 27, 2011 to an Italian firm at the cost of N4.4 billion. The contract sum was later reviewed to the sum of N9.6 billion with some additional works given to the contractor to handle including building a swimming pool at the new little Ray field government house. Construction works on the project began at the site in March 2012, and on September 5, 2014, Jang moved quietly from Jishe government lodge and office to the new government house designed to be developed in four stages, each with an independent foundation rising to the top of the hill from where most parts of Jos
tin-city can be viewed. Our correspondent who visited the new Plateau Government House complex, considered to be one of the largest in northern Nigeria, observed that the new governor’s office has facilities such as oval office, executive chamber for executive council meetings, conferences and press centre, among other facilities. Other buildings close to the governor’s office are buildings for government officials that work directly with the governor while a conference and banquet hall built within the complex, LEADERSHIP-Sunday gathered are meant for hosting major events with the conference hall of the new government house having a sitting capacity of 3,000 as well as upper sitting chamber. The banquet hall, on the other hand, is large with a presidential sitting capacity of 1, 000 guests. There is also the helipad, an area where helicopters can take off or land, while a 50 kilometers road has been constructed to provide access to the new government house including the dualization of old AirportUma bread road, Kukarin and fwavwei road networks at Rayfield as well the Bukuru-little Rayfield road with spurs, all
giving easy access to the new littleRay field government house, Jos. Other buildings in the new government house include a clinic with four private wards, office of the first lady and residential quarters for governor’s Aide De Camp (ADC) and drivers. The complex also made provision for a church chapel, where government officials can worship. Jang had during his recent inspection visit to the construction site reminded the Jang critics of the project that the building belongs to Plateau have a lodge in the state. people. He stated that beyond According to him, it is a big the fact that the Plateau new minus for our progress in evgovernment house is a public ery respect if we cannot sebuilding, “This is a democratic cure the president or visiting era where any Plateau citizen former heads of state, adding from whatsoever socio-eco- that, “Let me see any state in nomic background may wish Nigeria that can compare its to aspire for his or her turn government house with that in what he calls, “The peoples of Plateau State when we are building”. through with the construction The governor while justi- of this edifice”. fying the need for a new govThe state commissioner for ernment house noted that the Urban Development, Solostate never really had a govern- mon Maren, on his part, told ment house since the state was Leadership Sunday in an intercreated in 1967. view that the new government The old government house in house at little Rayfield is govRayfield was formerly a pres- ernor Jang’s response to the idential lodge and because of need for a permanent structure the conversion, presidents or to serve as both the governor’s former heads of state do not office and residence.
Governor Jang will go on record as the first governor who deemed it fit to bequeath to the state a government house befitting the status of Plateau as the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Parents Name Babies Born In IDP Camps After Governor Shettima, Deputy
By Abdulkareem Haruna, Maiduguri
With their dream of welcoming their expected baby with a colourful naming ceremony now shattered, Fatima and her husband attended to her pregnancy with mixed feelings.
The sweet dream for Fatima Modu, a 19 year-old nursing mother from Konduga local government area of Borno State, was to conceive and be successfully delivered of a bouncing baby boy for her darling husband, and perhaps give him a beautiful name at a grand naming ceremony. Luckily for her, barely two months after she got married last year God answered her prayers as she got pregnant, thus putting the entire members of her family into expectation of the day the baby would be delivered. As weeks turned into months, Modu, the enthusiastic spouse was busy putting up all necessary arrangements in place to welcome the bundle of joy into his family home in Damboa. The rams were purchased while minor repairs were effected on the house to accommodate the stream of family members and well-wishers that would come from far and near to grace the naming ceremony of their first child. That happy dream was however altered on the 5th of July, 2015 when the Boko Haram terrorists carried out a twin attack on the town of Damboa, 85km from from Maiduguri, the state capital. The attack, which resulted in the total destruction of Damboa town, had claimed the lives of over 50 soldiers and several other civilians. At least 15, 000 people of Damboa and its neighbouring communities were forced to flee their homes as the insurgents turned the nozzles of their weapons on soldiers and civilians. “While some of our people fled in the direction of Biu we had to run on foot towards Maiduguri,” recalled Fatima. “My pregnancy was 7 months old then, and I was too heavy to run, but I had to run for my dear life. My husband supported me as we walked, and jogged through the bush till we arrived Maiduguri”. In Maiduguri, Fatima and hundreds of other displaced persons were camped at the NYSC Orientation Ground where the state government catered for their upkeep. With their dream of welcoming their expected baby with a colourful naming ceremony now shattered, Fatima and her husband attended to her pregnancy with mixed feelings. The fear of being able to attend to the baby in an indecent environment like a refugee camp was the topmost of their concern. But about two weeks ago, Fatima had no choice than to yield to the call of nature when she laboured and was successfully delivered of a bouncing baby boy. Indeed, the baby was welcomed cheerfully by fellow Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). In Borno state, naming a baby is usually attended with a rich culture that emphasizes circumstance, rela-
Binta Umar with her two-week-old baby Zanna Mustahpa
tion or mood in which the child was born. But the most significant aspect of baby naming is the culture of name-sharing (takwara). Fatima and Modu did not waste much time to decide the name of their delightful baby as they announced to fellow camp mates that the new baby’s name would be ‘Governor Kashim Shettima.’ According to Fatima, “my husband and I decided to name the child after Governor Shettima because he was the one that came to our rescue when the world was falling down on us; I had almost lost the pregnancy even at seven months due to the stress of running about 80km to Maiduguri when the Boko Haram chased us out of Damboa. But when we arrived here, though we lost our home and our collective peace as residents of Damboa, at least we are not starving, and I was able to continue my antenatal before I successfully delivered baby Kashim Shettima”. “It is part of our culture that we give our babies the names of our benefactor or someone we hold in esteem or our parents or grandparents to show love and appreciation. And we are happy to name him after the Governor.” Fatima is not the only displaced mother who is showing appreciation. There are about two other mothers of ‘Baby Governor Kashim Shettima’ at the NYSC IDP camp. Aishatu Abubakar, another displaced young mother from Dam-
Maryam Abdullahi with her two-month-old baby Kashim Shettima
boa local government area of Borno state also has a ‘governor’ baby, delivered at the camp about a month ago. According to her, “my baby’s name is Governor Kashim Shettima because he was not born in the village but here in the city”. She explained that the baby was born while she was in the custody of the governor who had been feeding and providing shelter for her until she was able to deliver the baby last month. “We have no better name than giving him the name of the governor and we pray that he would grow up to be like the governor who is very kindhearted and caring,” she said. Maryam Abdullahi, a 24 yearold woman also gave birth to her son at the camp about two months ago, shortly after they fled Damboa town. According to her, the baby’s survival was due mainly to the medical attention she got at the camp. “We named him Governor Shettima too because he stood by us and gave us food, shelter and medical attention,” she said. “When one gets this kind of favour at a difficult time like this and suddenly a child is born, we can only show gratitude for all that he has been doing for us; we eat three times daily, we eat better food than what we had back at home, even though we still miss our homes”. Still in the same spirit, though Binta Umar, a 20 year-old young
woman, did not name her child after the state governor, her two weeks old baby was named after the state deputy governor, Zannah Umar Mustapha. According to her, “we love the governor very well, and we also appreciate the deputy governor because the baby was born on the very day the deputy governor visited us here in the camp. That was why we named the child after him”. When LEADERSHIP spoke with some of the women in the camp, they were all excited about pregnant women delivering safely while in such displaced condition. According to them, not recording any issue of mortality during child birth by expectant mothers had been a thing of commendation to the state government who provided all necessary facilities to ensure healthy living in the camp. From the foregoing, it appears that even in their shared difficulties occasioned by the attack by Boko Haram on their towns and villages, the displaced persons are still finding space to live normally in such abnormal conditions. But the concern is that given the number of women of child bearing age that are in the camps today, there are strong indications that there would be more Governor Kashim Shettimas to be born even as the question begs an answer: who among the little governors would someday earn the mandate to rule?
56 FEATURE
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Masa processing in progress PHOTO BY YAHYA SARKI
Why Masa Is Most Preferred Breakfast In The North To the respective communities in the country, there are meals considered as delicacies to each of them for breakfast. Just as Pap and bean-cake (Akara) is to the Yorubas, so is yam & spiced soup (Miri oku ji) to the Igbos while up north, it’s Masa (Rice flour meal). YAHYA SARKI examines why Masa or Waina served with horney or a variety of soups is gracing most breakfast tables today
I Aside its role on the breakfast table, Masa is highly cherished by people especially during naming or traditional marriage ceremonies
n the mornings, people take different types of food for their breakfast. These could be local foods like pap and beancake, tea, bread with omelette, cornflakes, noddles etc. But Masa as it is popularly known in Hausa land or Waina in Katsina State, is fast becoming a staple breakfast food for many families. Many people now prefer to take Masa to other foods in the mornings. Aside its role on the breakfast table, Masa is highly cherished by people especially during naming or traditional marriage ceremonies. It is usually taken with honey or soup, even alone. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered from some people who patronise the traditional
cuisine including those who sell it that Masa is fast becoming the breakfast choice of many people. Hajiya Habbi who resides in Shiyar Fada, Birnin Kebbi is in her fifties and claims to have been in the business of frying and selling Masa since the past ten years. Habbi said that families now take delight in having Masa for two reasons. According to her Masa is economical and can leave customers contented for a long duration of time. “You see I have been in this busines for over ten years and many people and families daily troop in to buy it in the morning. I sell one piece for just N40 only but before I used to go for N20. We offer variety of soups to our customers ranging from
chicken soup and cowtail, We start frying in the early hours of the morning everyday including weekends to meet our customers’ demands. I’ve profited a lot from this business and I appreciate how many people troop in to buy my Masa,” she said. Another Masa seller, Fareeda Musa in her thirties, owns a spot at GRA in Birnin Kebbi told LEADERSHIP Sunday that although she stated the business not long ago, the level of patronage has been tremendous. “Many people now want to eat masa in the morning instead of tea and bread because according to what the customers tell me, ‘Masa stays longer in the stomach than any other food’, what this means is that one can stay longer without feeling hungry.” She, however, complained of pressure from customers for quick service but she was quick to say that in a day she realises more than N10,000 as profit. A visit to some restaurants in the town also showed that the demand for Masa by now transcends breakfast time only. One restuarant Manager, Adamu Yahya explained that
patronage of the staple food has been quite impressive. “At least I realise a profit of N20,000 daily. Our customers always say they liked Masa because it stays longer in the belly, one just needs water from time to time,” he laughed. A customer, Alh Bello Sani said Masa is his number one choice in the morning “Yes it is my favourite. It is good and can sustain me for many hours without feeling hungry but as for tea, just give it one hour and you will pass it off. I enjoy taking masa with cowtail soup,” he said. Another customer, Usmanu Mohammed who has just finished eating masa when asked why he prefers Masa to other foods in the morning, simply replied, “Because Waina fills me with that air of healthiness. When I eat it, I can stay for hours without getting hungry or looking for what to eat,” he said. Masa or Waina although a traditional or local cuisine is a popular choice in Hausa land. Both the rich and the poor relish it. That is why during naming and marriage ceremonies, the menu is never without Masa.
57 FEATURE
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Tree Felling For Firewood Major Threat To Afforestation In Katsina
Katsina State is one of the worst hit by desertification which indeed, has continued to be exacerbated by indiscriminate felling of trees
“Well, this is the only business I have known since the past couple of years and it has been my only source of survival. With it I feed my family, send my children to school and do all other things.” These are the words of Mallam Musa Mannir (not real name), a 45-year-old firewood vendor. Mannir resides in Dankama village of Kaita council area of Katsina State, ironically, one of the areas worst hit by the ravaging effects of desertification. He said he has been in the business of selling firewood for as long as he can remember and insisted that “almost on a daily basis, I trek a long distance to get the wood which I sell to buyers to help me keep body and soul together.” Unlike Mannir whose style is to hew down and sell the trees in somewhat ‘subsistence quantities’, Mallam Hassan Idris Ajiwa, 27, is not into tree felling, rather he buys and sells firewood in ‘large quantities’. “Normally, I order for a truckload which contains about seven hundred bundles of the firewood. Of course, depending on the season, it takes three to four weeks for me to finish selling the truckload before ordering another load” “My supplier is based in Batsari and I understand he gets the wood from Rugu forest,” Ajiwa added and disclosed that he buys each bundle for N25 but sells to buyers at the rate of N35 each, thereby making profit of N10 on each bunch. He insisted that his major customers included those making and selling tea (popularly known as mai shayi in local parlance), owners of restaurants and of course, households. “A lot of people cannot do without firewood because it is the major source of energy for cooking particularly in the rural areas. Imagine a situation where people are hungry and cannot cook their food because there is no firewood” Ajiwa noted. When queried if he is aware that tree felling poses threat to the environment, Ajiwa answered in the negative stressing that “people have to cook food and the available and affordable source of energy for that is the firewood”. In Katsina, it appears scores of persons have turned tree felling for commercial purposes into a source of livelihood perhaps because firewood is the major source of domestic cooking energy with over 85 per cent of houses said to be relying solely on fire wood. Masa’udu Saifullah (not real name) is a forest guard in Kaita local government. He told our correspondent that the delay in reviewing forest laws so as to provide for stiffer penalties to persons caught felling trees indiscriminately had been
Some teens returning from a firewood-fetching trip. PHOTO BY MUAZU ELAZEH
In Katsina, tree felling for fire wood is continually assuming a worrisome dimension despite campaigns to halt it. In this report, Muazu Elazeh observes that although the tradition appears to be a long-held one, indiscriminate felling of trees for firewood is posing serious threats to the collective fight against desertification affecting the task of combating desertification negatively. It is common place to be welcomed by heap of dried firewood in most villages across Katsina State in spite of the fact that the state is one of the worst hit by desertification which indeed, has continued to be exacerbated by indiscriminate felling of trees. This is happening despite government’s concerted efforts and campaigns to avert the dangers of indiscriminate felling of trees and its consequences on deforestation and attendant consequences of land degradation. It was in appreciation of the need to stem the tide of indiscriminate tree felling for cooking that the state government introduced the Biogas project aimed at providing an alternative source of energy for cooking. Launched in 1999, at the remote village of Sabon Layi in Kurfi local government, the project was seen by many as a viable solution to the alarming rate of tree felling. However, findings revealed that the project has been in limbo. The Katsina State commissioner for environment, one of the ministries saddled with the responsibilities of addressing the growing environmental challenges facing the state, Alhaji Jamilu Danmusa recently admitted that desert control remained one of the major challenges facing the state even as he said the state was determined to address the challenges of desertification through the introduction of ‘Katsina green initiative.’ Danmusa said “Katsina green
initiative which is aimed at strengthening afforestation through aggressive campaigns for tree planting,” would key into the United Nation’s convention to combat desertification assuring that “adequate arrangements had been made to ensure the implementation of aggressive desert control strategies so as to mitigate the negative impact of desertification.” He stressed that the state ministry of environment was collaborating with relevant agencies and sectors “to ensure sustainable environmental management” According to Danmusa, the state government has produced adequate seedlings for planting as part of measures aimed at combating the menace. “We have to act quickly now as stakeholders to save our environment from the menace of desertification by saying no to deforestation, no to increased bush burning, no to over drafting ground water and increased soil salinity and most importantly, by promulgating laws and policies to this effect. “We are committed to providing adequate support and encouragement to tree planting to control the ravaging effects of desertification and drought. In this context, government will not shirk away from its responsibility of producing seedlings for planting in the shelter belts as part of the afforestation programme and land refurbishing and regeneration strategies,” he added. The Katsina State government’s “Green Initiative” is perhaps a
launch pad to its full involvement in the Great Green Wall project which is part of measures to support the onerous task of combating land degradation and desertification. Indeed, the Great Green Wall programme which aimed to provide shelter belt across border villages and towns across the state was one of the numerous approaches to address the menace of desertification. Essentially, the Great Green Wall (GGW) was an initiative of the African Union which was conceived with the objective of improving the resilience of human systems, ecosystems and indeed, natural resources of water, soil, vegetation and flora. The GGW programme is currently being implemented in the eleven frontline states that comprise Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Zamfara, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa and Borno. Speaking at the formal launching of the programme, Governor Shema enjoined citizens of the state to support aggressive tree planting, insisting that protecting the environment was the responsibility of all. “Katsina State government will remain committed to the Great Green Wall action plan,” Shema said, even as he disclosed that the state has forty-eight nurseries and raises over 2.5 million seedlings annually “all of which is distributed free to farmers”. But increasingly, there are concerns that unless concerted efforts are made in the area of providing alternative source of energy, the war on desertification may be far from being over.
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e-train
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Why Consumption Of Spirits Is On The Rise At Relaxation Spots Many owners of relaxation spots within and outside the capital city must have realised that fun lovers no longer find satisfaction in certain drinks. There is now an obvious shift from what obtained hitherto to strong alcohol drinks’ consumption. What could be the reason for this shift? ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM writes.
Pleasure seekers entertaining themselves with a blend of liquor and soft drinks at a relaxation spot in Abuja. PHOTO BY ANTHONY ADA
E The continued patronage of alcohol across Nigeria is no longer strange, although many have not really taken cognisance of the trend
ntertainment, leisure, goodcuisine and others are what fun-seekers are after in Abuja. Wherever things are happening, you are certain to see the old and young ready to make it worthwhile. For some time now, patrons of clubs, pubs, gardens, bars, lounges even some private homes are now turning to something stronger than what they have been taking. What is responsible for this? While some claim that the normal brew (lager and stout) are no longer as intoxicating as they used to be, others believe that the tension sometimes and the strength in ‘spirits’ or ‘hot drinks’ as they are locally called, is more fun-like than lager. LEADERSHIP Sunday’s investigation revealed that most patrons of available gardens, clubs, pubs, lounges prefer to take hard drinks or distilled spirits such as vodka, dry gin, whisky, brandy and others than to spend their money on bottles of beer or stout. When asked why they prefer the hard drinks, majority of those interviewed said it gets them intoxicated earlier, while others alluded to their potency even at minimal quantity consumed.
While many have condemned excessive consumption of alcohol, many believe that it is their right to consume whatever they feel is good for their health. Some researchers in the UK believed that drinking alcohol is evolutionarily novel, some hypothesis predict that more intelligent people drink more alcohol than less intelligent people. The human consumption of alcohol probably originated from the consumption of fruits. Fermentation of sugars by yeast naturally present in overripe and decaying fruits produces ethanol, known to intoxicate birds and mammals. However, the amount of ethanol alcohol in such fruits ranges from trace to 5%, roughly comparable to mild lager or light beer. (And you can’t really get drunk on light beer.) It is nothing compared to the amount of alcohol present in regular beer (4-6%), wine (1215%), and distilled spirits (2095%). Human consumption of alcohol, however, was unintentional, accidental, and haphazard until about 10,000 years ago. The intentional fermentation of fruits and grain to yield ethanol arose only recently in human history. The production of beer, which relies on a large amount of grain,
and that of wine, which similarly requires a large amount of grapes, could not have taken place before the advent of agriculture around 8,000 BC and the consequent agricultural surplus. Archaeological evidence dates the production of beer and wine to Mesopotamia at about 6,000 BC. The origin of distilled spirits is far more recent, and is traced to Middle East or China at about 700 AD. The word alcohol - al kohl - is Arabic in origin, like many other words that begin with “al,” like algebra, algorithm and alchemy. According to Mr Chucks, who was seen with his friend at Cirok bar, he said he was really used to taking beer not until he tasted and found himself preferring whisky and sometimes brandy. He stated that he just found himself shifting to this drink because he felt that he was just wasting his money drinking brews. A lady, an owner of a bar who craved anonymity said her customers now prefer to take harder drinks because they feel those who are manufacturing the brew have reduced the liquor content in favour of water. She said that’s why she had to buy more hard drinks like alomo
bitter, which they could mix with other beverage drinks. According to Emmanuel James aka DJ 2Zee, the reason for the continued patronage is the change in humidity. “The world is evolving. People who take such drinks believe that they are refined and without the tell-tale odour. And it’s also believed that one could move around without stress. It’s a great feeling. Having to do the hard drink even though it isn’t much, but still be satisfied. On the table at Eden Garden or platinum lounge, bottles of expensive brandy, whisky, are scattered all over while the drinkers smile as they lift the glass cups to their mouths and sipping and savour the liquor contents. Though their countenance always looks as if they are about to shed tears but their joy becomes discernible in their expression when they drop their drinking glasses. The continued patronage of alcohol across Nigeria is no longer strange, although many have not really taken cognisance of the trend. But as doctors and manufacturers would always say, if you want to drink, ‘Drink Wisely’.
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
I’m Campaigning For A Good Environment For Downtrodden – Iwuala Christabel Iwuala is the reigning Queen of Trust International 2014, also an ex-queen of Aso Beauty Pageant 2012, Queen of Tourism Imo 2013 and Miss Nigeria Entertainment Ada Nd’Igbo She is working towards fighting for the less-privileged using her crown. She spoke with ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM in Abuja We have not heard about you for sometime, what have you been upto?
(Laughs) I have been around though working on so many things to be set out in a short while.
Life is all about giving. If I could use this opportunity I have to put smiles on the faces of the afflicted, then I will be fulfilled
What have you been working on?
I’ve been working on my pet project, which will be out soon. It’s a foundation for humanitarian purpose and I know a lot of things still needs to be done towards achieving the goals. Talking about goals, what are your set goals?
My set goals are to put smiles on the faces of the afflicted. It’s titled: I CAN HELP? YES YOU CAN. It’s a fight against vices
such as child labour, child trafficking, cultism, rape all geared towards keeping a good environment. How do you want to achieve this?
I’m working on getting kind hearted Nigerians who can come in and assist in any way they can. I want people to use this opportunity to give back to the society. I have been among the less privileged and I believe in working to improve their lives especially those who are victims of trafficking, rape and other social vices. Where do you see this project heading?
I see this project heading for success because if you have a
just heart to give back to the people or society, you will be the justified. Life is all about giving. If I could use this opportunity I have to put smiles on the faces of the afflicted, then I will be fulfilled. Challenges
In my strive to meet up to the qualities and scores for the crown and after the pageant I fight my way through to make sure I get to that top where people look up to me and in return, am able to help. I also have to sometimes plead with people to assist in the successful planning of this project which is not easy. I believe that if there are people that would be able to help, my challenges would greatly reduce.
Iwuala
Our Earnings Go Into Music – Singing Duo The duo of Jean Abel and Wilfred Mathias are talented young artistes based in Bazza, Michika local government area of Adamawa State. They have an album, which debuted on May 6, 2014. Jean Abel spoke with RAHAMAN AIMAN on their love for music, among other issues. What inspired your going into music?
Actually the inspiration of Gospel as you know has to be from the Holy Spirit because at times when I am sitting alone, in my quiet moments the inspiration will just come and I will start making up something. The organisation I joined in church too is a singing ministry which also encourages us a lot. Tell us about how you started up in the music industry?
I started music in the early 90s. It was in the Catholic church because I am a catholic, I was in the choir and CYON as well which is a singing ministry itself. The youth CYON is a particular set of people called singing ministry where they control anything that has to do with singing.
What genre of music do you do?
I do highlife, reggae and worship, that is gospel. Who is your mentor in the music industry?
My mentor is thelate Lucky Dube [laughs] How did he influence the kind of music you do?
Each time I listen to Lucky Dube I am most encouraged, something tells me I can even sing the way he does. The album you guys released last May, is it your debut ... are your songs on the airwaves?
This is my first production and from the look of things the response is overwhelming. Al-
most everybody who heard our songs appreciate it and they are giving us confidence which is boosting out moral to do more. I must confess that due to lack of financial support we were not able to do anything until lately when we released this album on May 6, 2014. What are you doing about the promotion of your songs?
Actually that is what brought me to the FCT, because I’m from Adamawa State. I said I should come to Abuja so that some part of the songs will be given other people who could help in promoting it. We even went to Kaduna and I’ll soon be going to Gombe. What would you say have been your challenges so far?
You know we are two and our challenge is problem of money. Had it been we had somebody that will support us, even now we don’t have anybody to support us, but we are getting some support, though not as much as we expect. We are the ones that sponsor everything, I and my colleague.
Abel How do you fund yourselves?
I am working in a private school, whatever I earn in addition to what my brother earns we make sure we put into our music.
60 kiddies
Sunday, September 14, 2014
kiddies kingdom
SPOT the difference
By Chika mefor
08156719304 (SMS only)
The Adventure Of Nate And Nid BY Chika Mefor, Abuja
Nate and Nid are brothers who lived in the town of Nangelon. They attended Needy Primary School every day except Saturday and Sunday. T he boys were told in school that they would have their midterm break which means that they had the whole week to enjoy themselves. Mummy and daddy were scared of leaving them all alone in the house on the first day of the midterm break because they were very naughty but the brothers had sworn to be good until their parents come back in the evening. “Mummy, you don’t have to worry, we will behave as an angel that we are’’ they had told their parents. Their parents have a lot to worry about. Just last two weeks, the children had nearly set the house on fire with a match as they were trying to learn how the actors Aki and Paw Paw puffed their big cigarettes in the Nigerian movie, The Don. The other day, Mama Chichi, their neighbour had complained that she had caught the two brothers with her chicken, trying to pry the mouth open. When
asked what they were up to, they had replied that they were trying to count the teeth of the chicken. The two brothers have not yet recovered from the injuries they had inflicted on themselves as they tried the moves made by Dray who learned great moves in Karate which helped him to defeat his bullies in the movie, The Karate Kid . Yes, their parents had a lot to worry about as they all left for their work that morning. The kids had a dog called Ninja who was as bad as they were. He would eat all the leather shoes in sight. Nate and Nid’s parents have lost count on the many shoes they had to replace for outraged neighbours who Ninja has used their shoes as meal. They had always wanted to get another dog for the kids but the kids wanted no other dog than their Ninja. Home alone at last, Nate and Nid decided to play hid and seek. Nate was the first to hide under the cushion while Nid looked for him. When it was Nid’s turn, he moved to his father’s wardrobe and he came upon a white shinny bottle. Nid called on his brother to come check out the bottle. They were curious to know what actu-
ally was in the bottle. “Let us open it and know what is in there” Nid said. “But we promised to be good” Nate replied. There is nothing wrong with just looking, Nid replied. The brothers opened the bottle and seeing the content were tempted to taste it. Nid was the first to taste. “How did it taste?” Nate asked. “I don’t know,” he answered squeezing his face. Nate took a sip. They did not forget to give some to their dog, Ninja. A little while later, the three where running all over the house crazy as ever. They didn’t know that they had taken the wine their Dad had kept for his birthday. It had gotten into their head. When their parents got back, the house was like a mad house. The two boys and their dog were asleep on the floor of the sitting room. Not just asleep, the parents later noted, the kids and their dog were drunk! The kids told their story to their parent when they woke up. Their parents were so angry that they grounded them for the rest of the mid- term break.
puzzle
maze
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Precious Oluwadamilola Olore was 1 on September 2, 2014. Kiddies Kingdom wishes her long life and God’s blessings.
NEWS 61
Sunday, September 14, 2014
#BringBackJonathan2015: The Wages Of Impunity By Wole Soyinka The dancing obscenity of Shekau and his gang of psychopaths and child abductors, taunting the world, mocking the BRING BACK OUR GIRLS campaign on internet, finally met its match in Nigeria to inaugurate the week of September 11 – most appropriately. Shekau’s dance macabre was surpassed by the unfurling of a political campaign banner that defiled an entry point into Nigeria’s capital of Abuja. That banner read: BRING BACK JONATHAN 2015.
P
resident Jonathan has since disowned all knowledge or complicity in the outrage but, the damage has been done, the rot in a nation’s collective soul bared to the world. The very possibility of such a desecration took the Nigerian nation several notches down in human regard. It confirmed the very worst of what external observers have concluded and despaired of - a culture of civic callousness, a coarsening of sensibilities and, a general human disregard. It affirmed the acceptance, even domination of lurid practices where children are often victims of unconscionable abuses including ritual sacrifices, sexual enslavement, and worse. Spurred by electoral desperation, a bunch of self-seeking morons and sycophants chose to plumb the abyss of self-degradation and drag the nation down to their level. It took us to a hitherto unprecedented low in ethical degeneration. The bets were placed on whose turn would it be to take the next potshots at innocent youths in captivity whose society and governance have failed them and blighted their existence? Would the Chibok girls now provide standup comic material for the latest staple of Nigerian escapist diet? Would we now move to a new export commodity in the entertainment industry named perhaps “Taunt the
Victims”? As if to confirm all the such surmises, an ex-governor, Sheriff, notorious throughout the nation – including within security circles as affirmed in their formal dossiers as prime suspect in the sponsorship league of the scourge named Boko Haram, was presented to the world as a presidential traveling companion. And the speculation became: was the culture of impunity finally receiving endorsement as a governance yardstick? Again, Goodluck Jonathan swung into a plausible explanation: it was Mr. Sheriff who, as friend of the host President Idris Deby, had traveled ahead to Chad to receive Jonathan as part of President Deby’s welcome entourage. What, however does this say of any president? How came it that a suspected affiliate of a deadly criminal gang, publicly under such ominous cloud, had the confidence to smuggle himself into the welcoming committee of another nation, and even appear in audience, to all appearance a co-host with the president of that nation? Where does the confidence arise in him that Jonathan would not snub him openly or, after the initial shock, pull his counterpart, his official host aside and say to him, “Listen, it’s him, or me.”? So impunity now transcends boundaries, no matter how heinous the alleged offence?
The Nigerian president however appeared totally at ease. What the nation witnessed in the photo-op was an affirmation of a governance principle, the revelation of a decided frame of mind – with precedents galore. Goodluck Jonathan has brought back into limelight more political reprobates - thus attested in criminal courts of law and/or police investigations - than any other Head of State since the nation’s independence. It has become a reflex. Those who stuck up the obscene banner in Abuja had accurately read Jonathan right as a Bringback president. They have deduced perhaps that he sees “bringing back” as a virtue, even an ideology, as the corner stone of governance, irrespective of what is being brought back. No one quarrels about bringing back whatever the nation once had and now sorely needs – for instance, electricity and other elusive items like security, the rule of law etc. etc. The list is interminable. The nature of what is being brought back is thus what raises the disquieting questions. It is time to ask the question: if Ebola were to be eradicated tomorrow, would this government attempt to bring it back? Well, while awaiting the Chibok girls, and in that very connection, there is at least an individual whom the nation needs to bring back, and urgently. His name is Stephen Davis,
the erstwhile negotiator in the oft aborted efforts to actually bring back the girls. Nigeria needs him back – no, not back to the physical nation space itself, but to a Nigerian induced forum, convoked anywhere that will guarantee his safety and can bring others to join him. I know Stephen Davis, I worked in the background with him during efforts to resolve the insurrection in the Delta region under President Shehu Yar’Adua. I have not been involved in his recent labours for a number of reasons. The most basic is that my threshold for confronting evil across a table is not as high as his - thanks, perhaps, to his priestly calling. From the very outset, in several lectures and other public statements, I have advocated one response and one response only to the earliest, still putative depredations of Boko Haram and have decried any proceeding that smacked of appeasement. There was a time to act – several times when firm, decisive action, was indicated. There are certain steps which, when taken, place an aggressor beyond the pale of humanity, when we must learn to accept that not all who walk on two legs belong to the community of humans – I view Boko Haram in that light. It is no comfort to watch events demonstrate again and again that one is proved to be right. Thus, it would be inaccurate to say that I have been detached from the
Boko Haram affliction – very much the contrary. As I revealed in earlier statements, I have interacted with the late National Security Adviser, General Azazi, on occasion – among others. I am therefore compelled to warn that anything that Stephen Davis claims to have uncovered cannot be dismissed out of hand. It cannot be wished away by foulmouthed abuse and cheap attempts to impugn his integrity – that is an absolute waste of time and effort. Of the complicity of ex-Governor Sheriff in the parturition of Boko Haram, I have no doubt whatsoever, and I believe that the evidence is overwhelming. Femi Falana can safely assume that he has my full backing – and that of a number of civic organizations - if he is compelled to go ahead and invoke the legal recourses available to him to force Sheriff’s prosecution. The evidence in possession of Security Agencies - plus a number of diplomats in Nigeria is overwhelming, and all that is left is to let the man face criminal persecution. It is certain he will also take many others down with him. Professor Wole SoyinkaThe unleashing of a viperous cult like Boko Haram on peaceful citizens qualifies as a crime against humanity, and deserves that very dimension in its resolution. If a people must ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 65
States Turn To IGR As Revenue Allocation Crisis Deepens
BY WENESO OROGUN, Abuja, ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin, DONATUS NADI, Lafia And ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto
Indications have emerged that the deepening revenue crisis facing the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) for over 18 months is helping to refocus the attention of some states of the federation on internally generated revenue (IGR) to fund development spending, LEADERSHIP Sunday investigation has revealed. Kwara State estimated that the state government lost an average of N1 billion monthly in the last 12 months while each of the 16 local government councils in the state lost about N500million monthly during the period. The state commissioner for Finance, Engr Nurudeen Banu told LEADERSHIP Sunday in Ilorin yesterday that the problem of shortfall from the federation account to the states actually started early last year but added that the federal government was augmenting it from the period the problem commenced till August
2013. Banu, who admitted that the situation was very challenging outlined the state’s coping strategies: “We have been able to pay workers and pensioners salaries and are meeting our other financial obligations during this turbulent period because of our being very prudent. We were also able to raise our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N500 million to N800 million monthly.” Banu stressed the urgent need for the government and security operatives to stop oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the country since the federal government continues to blame the revenue shortfalls on these factors. “The federal government must find a lasting solution to this problem in order to ensure prompt payment of civil servants salary and delivery of developmental projects across the country for the benefit of the people,” he stated. Nasarawa State finance commissioner, Mr Husseini
Abubakar said that the state has endured fiscal challenges since November, 2013, due to dwindling federal allocation but stressed that it has not been allowed to cripple either the economy of the state or delivery of services by the government. He, however, noted that Nasarawa State has been able to cope due to Governor Tanko Al-Makura’s doggedness at ensuring financial prudence through blocking leakages which had hitherto led to drained public treasury In addition, he said the state government has also initiated measures which have added value and led to better fortunes in internally generated revenue through policies such as its land administration through Geographic Information System. In order to address this disturbing situation. Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, recently told a delegation of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Sokoto State chapter, led by it’s chairman, Alhaji Labaran Lumu Dundaye
paid him a courtesy visit equally attributed some of the reasons for the shortfall to oil theft. He noted that more than half of the state’s allocation goes to the state civil servants, even as he advocated for re-think on the state negligence of the issue of internally generated revenue. Wamakko said, “More than half of our allocation goes to the State Civil Servants who are less than 2 per cent of the total population of the state.” On the need for internally generated revenue to compliment the federal allocation, Wamakko said, “I am constrained that our allocation is dwindling because of oil theft. And we have bad culture of not paying tax but we have a unique culture in Sokoto State which expects government to do everything for them. LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that last month, Niger State governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who is the chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) confirmed to newshounds that for several months, the allocation to
the states from FAAC had been on the downward trend, hampering developmental strides of the administrations. The governor specifically said that in the last allocation, the state lost well over N100 million, a trend he said had been on since late last year. The minister of state for finance, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, while speaking at the FAAC meeting in July, blamed the decline in the amount which accrued to the federation account on oil theft and vandalisation of oil pipelines in parts of the country. Governor Aliyu, while emphasising the need for state governments to look inwards for more revenue, said that as a result of the low income from the federation account, some states had not been able to pay salaries to their workers for upwards of 20 months. “We are now left to think about how to fund development projects we promised our people, because of the shortfall in the money received from the federation account,” he said.
62 FOR THE RECORD
Sunday, September 14, 2014
The Quest For A New World Caliphate BY FEMI FANI-KAYODE
What is going on today in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Egypt is a direct consequence of the choices that America made and the implementation of American foreign policy in those countries over the last ten to fifteen years
The CIA has confirmed the fact that up to 30,000 soldiers are now fighting for ISIS, ISIL and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Given this sobering news, it is a matter of tremendous relief and indeed, joy that President Barack Obama has announced that it is the intention of the United States to “degrade and destroy” ISIL by launching a series of deadly airstrikes and to play a more vigorous and active role in the fight against terror. Our very own President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian Armed Forces have a lesson to learn from this newfound American initiative and resolve: it is time for us to take off the gloves and to despatch our own local equivalent of ISIS back to hell where they belong. It is time for us to recognize the fact that we ‘re are not just fighting against a group of barbaric, primitive and ignorant peasants, cave men and insurgents, who lack compassion and human decency, but rather that we are involved in a full scale civil war against a sophisticated, clever, determined, well-funded, well-motivated, well-armed and relentless enemy, who have plenty of resources and local support from elements within the political class and who are hell-bent on killing our people, raping our women, abducting our children, dismembering our country and taking us back to the 6th century. Had it not been for the admirable efforts of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, who was appointed National Security Advisor after the demise of General Patrick Azazi a couple of years back, things would have been a lot worse and Abuja would have still been under siege today. Had it not been for the sheer dexterity and immense courage of our intelligence agencies and armed forces, the towns of Bama, Konduga and a number of other communities in the northeast would still have been occupied by the Haramites today and Maiduguri itself, the capital of Borno State, may well have fallen by now. I have nothing but praises, gratitude and admiration for our uniform men and women that are fighting at the warfront and I pray for them every day. Regardless of a few set backs here and there, they really have done us proud. Yet things should never have got this bad in the first place and Boko Haram ought to never have been allowed to make the kind of inroads and impact that they have made in the last four years. Three years ago, I warned about this threat and offered similar counsel in a series of essays about Boko Haram. I also criticised what I considered to be the federal government’s inadequate response to the challenge at the time. Sadly, rather than listen, the majority of Nigerian politicians, newspaper columnists, government officials and professional commentators, as usual, condemned me roundly; they said that I was an alarmist and complained that I was being far too harsh on the enemy and far too extreme in my counsel. One particular individual, even accused me of being a “bloodthirsty and callous maniac who had no value for human life”. Clearly, they misunderstood
what Boko Haram stood for and they had no understanding of the nature of the beast that they were dealing with. Today, almost 20,000 cold-blooded murders and hundreds of abductions and kidnappings have taken place. The very same people that condemned me and ostracised me, three years ago for advocating that the Jonathan administration ought to “treat Boko Haram like a festering and putrid cancer”, “kill all the Haramites and their secret friends, allies and sponsors’’ and that “they should blow up the towns that were loyal to them or that harbored them”, are now commending my foresight. They are also burying their heads in shame and hiding under their beds whenever they hear the words “Boko Haram”. Worse still, those of them that are southerners are urging their fellow southerners that live in the north to leave the north as quickly as possible and move back to the south as a consequence of the scourge, as if that would not play right into the hands of the terrorists. The truth is that the majority of Nigerians are notoriously shortsighted people, who are not only undiscerning, but who also always choose to believe the best about the villains and the worst about the good guys. Sadly, this has played right into the hands and the horrific narrative of the beasts and terrorists that seek to decimate us and consequently, for the last three years, they have had a field day. Yet, if it is any consolation, this has been so throughout the world and not just in Nigeria. The Jonathan administration is not the only one that is slow in its initial response to the challenge presented by the islamists, and it is not the only one that failed to fully comprehend and appreciate the fact that the terrorists needed to be utterly crushed right from the outset. The Obama administration and indeed, the rest of the civilised world made the same mistake when confronted with similar terrorist organisations in North Africa, the Middle East and East Africa in the last three years. The result of that lack of foresight is the fact that today, ISIS, ISIL and the Islamic State have now become a threat to the entire free world. In Africa, groups like Boko Haram and Al-Shabab have drawn immense inspiration and courage from the successes of ISIL and ISIS in Iraq and Syria. ISIL is the greatest threat to world peace today and they have committed more horrors and indulged in more violence than any other islamist terrorist organisation that has ever existed. They are providing moral support for Al Qaeda in the North African Maghreb, Al Shabab in East Africa, Boko Haram in West Africa, Hamas in Gaza, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Chechnyan separatists in Russia, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Islamic Jihad in Algeria, Daesh in Lebanon, the Al Nusra Front in Syria and all the other vermin crawling out from under the woodwork in the name of violent Jihad and in an attempt to create a new world caliphate. Thousands of Christians, moderate Muslims and people of other faiths have been slaughtered in cold blood and abducted, raped and sold into slavery by
Fani-Kayode
the Boko Haramites and their allies and associates in northern Nigeria, the Cameroons and Mali in the last 4 years alone. This is a global war and we must ALL stand together to create more awareness and to fight it. I put much of the blame for the mess we are in on the doorstep of President Obama. He has been weak and naive on this matter right from the start. He refused to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation up until early this year even though by the end of last year, they had butchered, well over,15,000 Nigerians. This is inexplicable and it is indefensible. Even worse was his covert support for the rebels in Syria which included ISIS, Al Nusra and all the other Islamist terrorists that were, and still are, fighting the government of President Bashar Al Assad. This policy was not only shortsighted and counterproductive but it was also nothing short of being reprehensible. Ditto the support that some of America’s closest allies in the region including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and all the other countries in the Middle East that funded the so-called rebels that were fighting Al Assad. Thankfully, those rebels have not succeeded up until today. If they had done so, we would have had an ISIL/Al Nusra government in power in Damascus today and I cannot imagine what could possibly be worse than that for peace in the Middle East and for peace with Israel. On that score, I say thank God for the Russians, Hezbollah (yes, Hezbollah!) and Iran who saw that the greater evil was ISIL and Al Nusra and who supported Al Assad and stood with him against them. America and her allies have to sit up, do some real soul-searching and endeavor to stop creating the unholy mess that the the rest of the world has to later assist in cleaning up.
Let us face it: getting rid of men like Muammar Ghadaffi, Saddam Hussein and Hosni Mubarak was a big mistake. The Arab spring has turned into a neverending and horrific nightmare and that nightmare appears to want to consume the entire world in fratricidal butchery and never-ending carnage. Yes, those men were ruthless and brutal dictators but, at least, they were secularists, who knew how to deal with islamist terror and Al Qaeda and, at least, they kept the peace in their respective countries and regions. No, they were not democrats but neither are the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan or any other ally of America in the Middle East except for Israel. What is going on today in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Egypt is a direct consequence of the choices that America made and the implementation of American foreign policy in those countries over the last ten to fifteen years. It is simply perverse and barbaric. It is a tragedy of monumental proportions and it really does have implications for the entire free world and particularly for the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Israel. One thing is clear: whether we like to admit it or not, the violent terrorists with their barbaric vision of a new islamist world order are here to stay. We either do nothing, accept it and prepare for the worst or we fight it with all that we have got. I would prefer that we do the latter. Given the new-found resolve of the Americans in their struggle against ISIL and given the recent gains that the Nigerian Armed Forces have made in the war with Boko Haram, it is clear that we are now moving in the right direction. May God deliver us and may He grant us the victory in this noble quest. Femi Fani-Kayode is a former minister for Aviation
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Gastro-entritis Kills PDP Ward Chairman, 3 Others In Katsina BY MUAZU ELAZEH, Katsina
An outbreak of gastro-entritis at Dara village of Ingawa council area in Katsina State has claimed four lives including that of PDP ward chairman, Alhaji Umaru Dara. It was gathered that the victims separately complained of running stomachs and were reportedly passing watery stool and vomiting before being rushed to hospital. Sources said they died after futile attempts to save their lives by health
personnel at Ingawa general hospital. In an emotion laden voice, a family member of the deceased party chairman, who does not want his name mentioned described the death as too sudden. “Within short time, he complained of passing watery stool and vomiting. We rushed him to hospital only for us to hear this sad story. Allah knows best” Among early sympathisers to Dara village was the chairman of Ingawa LG, Husseini Dambo who
urged the bereaved families to see the incidence as ordained by God. Dambo who came short of shedding tears directed health personnel in the council area to urgently provide drugs to the village. When our correspondent contacted the executive chairman of Katsina State Primary Health care Development Agency, Dr Muawuya Funtua, on the emergency measures put in place, he promised to contact those on ground and get back but never did.
Families Of Soldiers Who Died In Defence Of Nigeria Will Not Be Abandoned – Jonathan BY ISAIAH BENJAMIN, Kaduna
President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, ordered that the Ministry of Defence should, as a matter of urgency, institute a special package for families of officers and men who lost their lives in defence of the nation’s territorial integrity. The President who, was the Reviewing Officer at the Passing Out Parade (POP) of 61 Regular Course and Short Service Course 42 (Army) at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna yesterday, said Nigeria cannot abandon those who died while
ensuring that other Nigerians live in peace, especially the fight against insurgency. According to President Jonathan, the cadets, who were subsequently commissioned into the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces, were coming at a time the nation was faced with internal security challenges; therefore, they must be prepared to protect the lives and property of law abiding Nigerians at all times. He told them that the military career, which they have voluntarily chosen, was not for chicken heart-
ed persons, hence the need for them to be courageous and discharge high level of professionalism as they move into their respective services. The Reviewing Officer, therefore used the medium to charge the armed forces to remain steadfast in defence of Nigeria’s territorial integrity. While noting that the Nigerian military is one of the finest in the world and the best in Africa, the president charged the passing out cadets to emulate their superiors in absolute loyalty to the nation and the civil authority.
#BringBackJonathan2015: The Wages Of Impunity By Wole Soyinka ➔ FROM PAGE 61 survive, the reign of impunity must end. Truth – in all available detail - is in the interest, not only of Nigeria, the sub-region and the continent, but of the international community whose aid we so belatedly moved to seek. From very early beginnings, we warned against the mouthing of empty pride to stem a tide that was assuredly moving to inundate the nation but were dismissed as alarmists. We warned that the nation had moved into a state of war, and that its people must be mobilized accordingly – the warnings were disregarded, even as slaughter surmounted slaughter, entire communities wiped out, and the battle began to strike into the
very heart of governance, but all we obtained in return was moaning, whining and hand-wringing up and down the rungs of leadership and governance. But enough of recriminations - at least for now. Later, there must be full accounting. Finally, Stephen Davis also mentions a Boko Haram financier within the Nigerian Central Bank. Independently we are able to give backing to that claim, even to the extent of naming the individual. In the process of our enquiries, we solicited the help of a foreign embassy whose government, we learnt, was actually on the same trail, thanks to its independent investigation into some money laundering that involved the Central Bank. That name, we confidently learnt,
has also been passed on to President Jonathan. When he is ready to abandon his accommodating policy towards the implicated, even the criminalized, an attitude that owes so much to re-election desperation, when he moves from a passive “letting the law to take its course” to galvanizing the law to take its course, we shall gladly supply that name. In the meantime however, as we twiddle our thumbs, wondering when and how this nightmare will end, and time rapidly runs out, I have only one admonition for the man to whom so much has been given, but who is now caught in the depressing spiral of diminishing returns: “Bring Back Our Honour.” – Wole SOYINKA.
NEWS ACROSS THE STATES 65
66 CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Pastor W.F. Kumuyi The Study Of God’s Word info@deeperlifeonline.org
Call To A winning Lifestyle (2) ➔
FROM LAST WEEK
No bird is created in the image of God or recreated in the image of Christ, our Saviour. No bird is a joint-heir with Christ. No bird has a place prepared for it in heaven. If God gives sufficient provision to sustain the life of birds, will He not take care of us who are His children? If He has given us Christ, will He not give us all that we need to sustain our lives? (Romans 8:32). CONSISTENT CONFIDENCE OF FAITH WITHOUT ANXIETY Matthew 6:28-30; Luke 12:27-31; Hosea 14:5-9; James 1:5-8; Ephesians 6:16; Romans 4:18-21; 8:32; Psalm 37:16-19; Romans 10:1113; Philippians 4:6-8,13,19. Worry is essentially distrust of God. Faith in God sets us free from worry and anxiety. He who believes in God will not worry or be anxious because he believes in the love of God. It is pointless to worry. Can worry or anxiety add one cubit to our stature? Prayer and faith added fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life (2 Kings 20:1-6) but has worry, fear, unbelief, anxi-
ety or discouragement ever added to the quality of any life? “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. If God so clothe the grass of the field ..., shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” To be worried and anxious about necessities of life shows that we are of little faith. If we have the manifestion of faith and we have received so great salvation, why should we doubt God in the area of material supplies? If God clothes the lilies of the field with a beauty which is beyond man’s power to imitate, how much more will He not care for His own children? Surely, God, a loving, compassionate Father will not be forgetful of man, the crown of creation. He will not forget His own. He will not forget you. ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY AND ANXIETY Matthew 6:26,27 Worry is a self-imposed, internally generated disease in the human family that slowly but surely kills many. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, the Healer of both mind and body, has provided an effec-
tive cure. The causes of worry and anxiety are many and varied. The rich and the poor, villagers and city-dwellers, men and women, married and unmarried, old and young, even the fortunate and the less fortunate all find things to worry about. Whatever the cause of our worry or anxiety may be, there is a cure that never fails. Permanently cured from worry and anxiety, there is no limit to how peaceful, purposeful and profitable our lives can be. The Lord has prescribed the means for total and perfect cure and we must follow His prescription. A fulfilled and fuller life awaits us as we become free from worry and anxiety. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is the great Physician as well as the great Master/Teacher. Effective teaching requires much repetition and that is what our Lord has done in the last ten verses of Matthew chapter six. The experienced teacher knows that it is not enough to teach an important principle of life only once; it needs to be repeated. So, He repeats, “take no thought” a number of times and illustrates it with convincing realities.
BEHOLD THE BIRDS AND STOP WORRYING Matthew 6:26; Job 38:41; 39:2629; Genesis 8:6,7; Psalms 84:35; 104:10-12,16,17; 145:1519; 147:7-9; Song of Solomon 2:11,12; Isaiah 34:13-16. “Behold the fowls of the air.” Jesus said, behold the birds and learn not to worry. Birds are inferior to men but we can learn from them; just like ants are much inferior to men, yet we are instructed to learn from them and become wise (Proverbs 6:6-11; 30:25). Above all, we are to learn from Christ who lived to fulfil the divine purpose without a moment of worry (Matthew 11:29). The purpose of creation and existence for the birds is different from the purpose of man’s creation and redemption. The birds eat, live and fulfil their divinely appointed purpose without worry and anxiety. Men, the crown of God’s creation and regenerated men, citizens of God’s kingdom are to discover the divine purpose ➔
TO BE CONTINUED
Bishop Matthew Daniels Insight For Living bishopmatthewdaniels@yahoo.com +234 811 189 6866
Overcome Procrastination
If you blame the task for being too difficult or tedious, you’ll procrastinate to conserve energy
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going,” (Ecclesiastes 9:10) The habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt. The attitude pattern of procrastination can be triggered in many different ways, so you won’t always procrastinate for the same reason. Sometimes, you’ll procrastinate because you’re overwhelmed with too much on your hands, and procrastination gives you an escape. Other times, you’ll feel tired and lazy, and you just can’t get going. Let’s now address these various causes of procrastination and consider intelligent ways of overcoming them. 1. Stress
When you are feeling stressed, worried, or anxious, it will be difficult to work productively. In some instances, procrastination may serve as a coping mechanism to keep your stress levels under control. A wise solution is to reduce the amount of stress in your life when possible, such that you can spend more time working because you want to, not because you have to. One of the simplest ways to reduce stress is to take more time for play. Benjamin Franklin advised that the optimal strategy for high productivity is to split your days into one third work one third play, and one third rest. This suggestion is to guarantee your leisure time. Hold your work time and your play time as equally important, so that one doesn’t encroach upon the other. Decide in advance what blocks of time you’ll allocate each week to family time, hobbies, entertainment, social activities and exercise. Then properly map out your work
hours. This can reduce the urge to procrastinate because your work will not encroach on your leisure time, so you don’t have to procrastinate on work in order to relax and enjoy life. I caution against overusing this strategy, however, your work should be enjoyable enough that you’re motivated to do it. If you are not inspired by your daily work, admit that you made a mistake in choosing the wrong career path, then seek out a new direction that will inspire you. 2. Laziness Often, we procrastinate because we feel too physically or emotionally drained to work. Once we fall into this pattern, it’s easy to get stuck due to inertia because an object at rest tends to remain at rest. When you feel lazy, even simple tasks seem like too much work because your energy is too low compared to the energy required by the task. If you blame the task for being too difficult or tedious,
you’ll procrastinate to conserve energy. But the longer you do this, the more your resolve will weaken, and your procrastination habit may begin to spiral toward depression. Feeling weak and unmotivated shouldn’t be your custom, so it’s important to dislocate this pattern as soon as you become aware of it. The solution is straightforward: get off from this mind set and physically move your body. Exercise helps to raise your energy levels. When your energy is high, tasks will seem to get easier, and you’ll be less resistant to taking action. A fit person can handle more activity than an unfit person, even when the task is difficult. 3. Lack of Motivation Center your work around an inspiring purpose, and you’ll greatly reduce your tendency to procrastinate. ➔
T0 BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
If God clothes the lilies of the field with a beauty which is beyond man’s power to imitate, how much more will He not care for His own children?
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
ASARI DOKUBO; WHERE IS THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA? Asari-Dokubo recently granted an interview in The Pilot newspaper which was published on Monday, September 1, 2014 with excerpts published in advance in the Saturday, August 30, 2014 edition of the same newspaper. www.nigerianpilot.com/2015-nobody-can-stop-jonathan-dokubo-asari Asari’s views were predictable, rambling and the tone rather bellicose. However, some of his views were unpatriotic and insensitive. Excerpts of his comments in the interview which we will react to in this advertorial are as follows: 1. ‘Nigeria cannot survive, so for me, I say kudos to Shekau’ You (Shekau) are doing my duty; he is doing what I am supposed to do, I am relaxed. Let them be doing it, let the army be running….’ 2. ‘..For me the president should overhaul the nation’s security’ We would have dismissed his remarks but we recall seeing Asari in a Channels television news report in the presidential villa attending the last Sallah celebration in the presidential villa. A few days prior to Asari’s visit to the presidential villa, he had made controversial allegations against a former head of state and commander–in-chief of the armed forces of the federation, General Muhammadu Buhari when he accused the General of stage managing the recent suicide bomb attack on his convoy. The nexus between the two incidents is the fact that if Asari has access to the presidential villa and makes spurious allegations against a former head of state who contested elections with Asaris’ ‘Ijaw kinsman’ without a public denouncement from the office of the incumbent president, one wonders if Asari speaks on behalf of some. At a time men and women of our armed forces and security agencies are working and fighting Boko Haram, it is the height of insensitivity if not treason to say ‘kudos to Shekau’. Shekau is the Boko Haram leader who is waging war against our dear nation. His views on whether Nigeria can survive are ill-timed when fellow Nigerians are fighting to defend their nation. The hundreds of thousands of displaced Nigerians, families of the dead, those kidnapped, raped and maimed do not know, nor understand, nor care about Asari’s views on the ’survival of Nigeria’ as espoused by Asari in his interview. His belief or in our opinion, delusion, that the insurgency is part of an alleged plot to stop President Jonathan from seeking a second term is irrelevant and irresponsible at a time our national security is being threatened. All that matters is the protection of lives under the watch of the Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is Asari’s brother, an Ijaw man. Asari stated that the president should overhaul the nation’s security and we ask; ‘yet again?’ Perhaps the time has come to remind Asari that the buck stops on the desk of his Ijaw brother, the Commander-in-Chief. President Goodluck Jonathan has been the Commander-in-Chief since February 2010 to date and the insecurity of the nation has deteriorated at an alarming rate to an extent that the territorial integrity of our dear nation is being threatened. The Wikipedia definition of a Commander-in-Chief is; ‘the person or body exercising supreme operational command and control of a nation’s military or significant elements of those forces’. Section 218 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that ‘The powers of the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the federation shall include powers to determine the operational use of the armed forces of the federation.’ We therefore ask Asari if President Jonathan, his brother and an Ijaw man has performed his statutory role as Commander-in-Chief meritoriously? With due respect to the president, he must have done his best to date. Asari knows that those who live in glass houses do not throw stones and that when you point your finger at others, four of your fingers point back at you
so we shall examine the role of our Commander-in-Chief and Asari’s Ijaw brother, President Jonathan. From February 2010 to date when the president assumed the powers of commander-in-chief, Nigeria has had three sets of service chiefs, five national security advisers and two director-generals of the department of state security services. Surely, all these fine officers cannot be incompetent so wherein lay the problem? Interestingly, the Nigerian army which is the largest branch of the Armed Forces has been headed by two Southerners since September 2010; Lieutenant General Azubike Ihejirika and the current chief of army staff, Lieutenat Kenneth Minimah. The director-general of the state security services, Mr Ita EKpeyong a Southerner has been in office since September 2010. Could Asari’s request that the president overhaul the nation’s security therefore be an indictment of the professional capacity of these fine officers? If so, we beg to vehemently disagree. After three sets of service chiefs and five national security advisers, the insurgency has increased to the current state where a caliphate state has allegedly been declared in the North East; the capacity of the Commanderin-Chief, Asari’s brother, an Ijaw man must be scrutinised. Common-sense dictates that the person who exercises the supreme operational command of the armed forces; the Commander-in- Chief, Asari’s brother and Ijaw man is held solely responsible for the outcome of all military operations. President George W. Bush did not sack his service chiefs after the unfortunate bombing of the twin towers; rather he rose to the challenge, rekindled the American spirit and took the unprecedented step of invading Iraq. Perhaps the Commander-in-Chief has taken his eyes off the ball and laid the security of the nation on the altar of partisan and possibly ethnic politics. It is not our intention to disrespect the office of the Commander-in-Chief but since this advertorial is a direct response to Asari’s ethnic centred interview; we are forced to remind Asari that the Commander-in-Chief is indeed an Ijaw man and the only person who has powers vested in him in as contained in section 218(1) of our constitution. We watch President Barack Obama current and public actions on Syria and the’ Islamic State’ in Iraq with envy compared with what obtains in our nation. It would lift the spirit of Nigerians to see their Commander-in-Chief behave in similar manner. President Barack Obama leads by example and made unscheduled visits to his troops in Afghanistan. We appreciate the fact that the level of insecurity combined with the alleged state of the military and security agencies as described by some as pitiful and unacceptable may not permit such visits but this is food for thought as the armed forces should have procured necessary equipment and training in the past four years and seven months under the watch of the Commanderin-Chief and Asari’s brother, an Ijaw man. If Asari thinks ‘the president should overhaul the nation’s security’ (yet again), some Nigerians are also thinking ‘the nation should overhaul the polity and presidency’ by not re-electing the current Commander-inChief, Asari’s brother, an Ijaw man despite the unprecedented media campaign by Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria and similar nongovernmental organisations who gladly inform us of the ‘numerous achievements’ of President Jonathan. For the citizens, the security of lives supersedes any other human requirement A Commander-in-Chief’s greatest achievement is the protection of the lives of citizens and the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity. Asari, ‘Where is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?’ The buck stops there!!! Barrister Hassan Oludotun Hassan Hassan & Co., Legal Practitioner & Attorney-At-Law
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opinion
Sunday, September 14, 2014
The Exercise Of Legislative Powers BY ALOZIE ANAEKWE
The pivotal position that the legislature occupies as the second estate of the realm cannot be over-emphasized. It exists to check the exercise of executive powers and balance the power equation necessary for the smooth functioning of constitutional, democratic and statutory institutions. For one, there is no way funds can be appropriated or expended without recourse to parliament. Witness the numerous government shutdowns in the United States; various executive bodies and agencies had to temporarily close down and lay off their workers due to a dispute between the White House and the Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, over the appropriate federal debt ceiling. It led to a refusal of the House to pass the quarterly budgetary proposals. Previously, the US Congress had also clashed with the White House during the Vietnam War over the latter’s authority to conduct military operations in the south-east Asian country and
neighbouring states like Laos and Cambodia. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed by Congress in 1964 gave broad authority to the White House to expand military operations against the communist Viet Cong forces and their allies in North Vietnam, but, as American casualties mounted abroad, anti-war demonstrations broke out in numerous US towns and cities. Opposition to the costly and divisive war intensified. Due to public pressure and the Watergate scandal that exposed the widespread abuse of executive power by the Nixon administration, the US Congress passed the War Powers Act of 1973 mandating the White House to seek authorization for further military operations after 30 days of the declaration of hostilities by the US government against a foreign enemy. Despite the passage of the Act, disputes continued over the authority to declare hostilities or expand military operations as successive US presidents refused to be bound by the provisions of the Act, believing that it unduly obstructs their capacity to respond quickly to
global crisis situations. As for the United Kingdom, the doctrine of separation of powers does not exist as parliament is supreme and it exercises executive and legislative powers simultaneously with the prime minister’s executive cabinet composed of members of parliament who automatically return to their parliamentary seats in the event of their resignation, dismissal or dissolution of parliament. In any case, any major decision of the prime minister’s cabinet must be approved by parliament and, in several cases, the latter has balked on authorizing some controversial policies. The most recent was its refusal to authorize British military involvement in the Syrian war. Also, the collapse of Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1990 was as a result of her majority Tory backbenchers in Westminster rebelling against her authoritarian leadership style after the dramatic ouster of Sir Geofrey Howe as chancellor of the exchequer and his subsequent denunciation of Thatcherite rule as “divisive and autocratic”. Even in our relatively nascent
democratic dispensation, the parliament, as represented by the National Assembly and other state and local legislative bodies, has continued to play its constitutional roles. In many cases, collision and conflict between the executive and the legislature has become the norm rather than the exception, as none wants to cede authority to the other in order not to be marginalized in the constitutional order of affairs. The National Assembly has, at times, been at loggerheads with the executive over the implementation of the budget, the passage of key legislation, the conduct of oversight functions and the appointment of key government officials, e.g., ministers, service chiefs and ambassadors. The implementation or nonimplementation of the budget as well as the over-sighting of the vast MDA, bureaucracy has been the main sticking points between the two arms of government. Barely, has one shifted ground for the other on those key issues Anaekwe, a constitutional lawyer, sent in this piece from Port Harcourt.
Shema, Opposition And Entrenchment Of Democracy BY HASSAN B NAGADO
A cursory look at popularity of politicians in the state can authoritatively reveal that apart from General Buhari, there is no single politician that is as popular as Governor Ibrahim Shema
The People’s Democratic Party, PDP has won the local government elections conducted on the 6th of September, 2014 after several postponements over the years. Although the opposition parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party, PDM and NCP, have boycotted the elections in the state, observers rated it as the cleanest, freest and fairest local government elections conducted since 1999. Although the opposition boycotted it, it is obvious that what they fear was never anything close to lack of fairness but rather fear of the strength and dominance of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, the PDP in the state. It is on record that preparations for the conduct of local government elections in the state have been on since last year, all political parties have been given adequate time to prepare for the election that was to be postponed several times. The election was to hold on August 6th when opposition raised concern and demand postponement, a call received by the state electoral commission as the election was shifted to the 6th of September, a month after it was ear-
lier scheduled. It is therefore both surprising and shocking when these four opposition parties came out few days to the elections to cry foul where there is none. The state’s electoral body was empowered by the local government elections laws to organise and conduct elections based on the provisions that include fixing dates for the elections after consultations, a process that was carefully and clearly followed to ensure the people are given elected representatives as their leaders. But as we all know, the reason behind the screeching by the opposition is never on fairness or lack of it, it is the fear of failure. Ever since the emergence of Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema as the Executive Governor in the state, and with the exception of the 2011 elections where internal disharmony nearly caused the ruling PDP a complete grip on governance in the state, opposition parties have never had a good day in the state. This is largely due to the growing popularity of a Governor who has spent seven years in service. Unlike many Governors whose popularity has nosedived with few months to their exit, the story is different in
Katsina. A cursory look at popularity of politicians in the state can authoritatively reveal that apart from General Buhari, there is no single politician that is as popular as Governor Ibrahim Shema. This is due to the unprecedented achievement recorded by his administration during the over seven years of service to the state. Since his emergence as the executive Governor of the state, education is taken seriously because education is the soul of society. Democracy cannot thrive in an unenlightened society. This is why his administration spent over N11billion Naira to complete the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University. He also built 34 Girl Child Primary Schools, Constructed 260 Conventional Secondary Schools and over 100 Primary Schools. Education is not only free in the state, but the government also pays the WAEC, NABTEB and NECO fees for all students. We have just released N800 million for the payment of the examination fees. The Government has also sponsored 700 students abroad for different courses. To promote good governance in the state the Governor has also addressed important sectors of the economy especially roads and other
critical infrastructures. His administration also executed 58 road projects including the ring road. He also invested N3.8 billion in the Songhai Agricultural project to introduce and sustain modern methods of farming which is the key to food security and higher income for farmers. This is in addition to youth empowerment programmes especially the Youth Craft Village which has trained over 5,000 students in 18 different trades such as computer maintenance and networking, GSM repairs, auto-mechanic and electronics, leather works, film making and photography to mention but a few. To execute these projects and the new ones initiated by this administration, he did not borrow a kobo from the inception of this administration in 2007 to date. He used the money of the state to develop the State. He also paid N240 million every month as pension and have implemented N18,000 minimum wage, using the best scale in the country as testified by state and national labour leaders. Workers in the state get their salary between 22nd-25th of every month. – Nagado wrote from Dutsinma and can be reached as nagado2000@yahoo.com
The parliament, as represented by the National Assembly and other state and local legislative bodies, has continued to play its constitutional roles
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NEWS 6
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➊ ➋ A convoy of Russian trucks that entered rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine
➍ ➊ Iraqi PM Orders Halt To Shelling BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq’s prime minister has ordered the army to stop shelling populated areas held by the Islamic State group. During a conference held in Baghdad, Haider al Abadi said the decision aims to prevent the targeting of “innocent victims” during military operations to drive out the militants from areas and cities they control.
But Mr Abadi vowed to continue military operations against the al Qaida breakaway group that has seized large territories in the country’s north and west after an unprecedented offensive in June. Fighting between Iraqi security forces and insurgents has taken its toll on civilians living in insurgent-held areas.
➋ Soldiers Refuse Palestinian Duties TEL AVIV, Israel – Dozens of reserve soldiers from an elite Israeli intelligence unit have publicly that they refuse to operate in the Palestinian territories, citing moral reasons. Soldiers from Unit 8200 - Israel’s equivalent of the US National Security Agency - aired their grievances in the Yediot Ahronot daily after sending a letter to the military chief of staff and the prime minister. “We veterans of Unit 8200, reservists past and present, declare that we refuse to take part in activity against Palestinians and refuse to be tools to deepen the military control in the occupied territories,” the soldiers wrote.
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The 43 soldiers, including some officers, allege that some of their unit’s intelligence work prevents Palestinians from leading “normal lives” and only serves to prolong the conflict. An anonymous soldier told Yediot that information gathered on a Palestinian’s personal life or health issues can be used against him for intelligence purposes. Israel has long relied on a network of Palestinian informers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, who help target militants and tip off security services to imminent attacks. Informers are often recruited through blackmail, the lure of travel permits and money.
Brotherhood Leaders Asked To Leave Qatar
DOHA, Qatar - A top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood group says he and other senior members are departing Qatar, where they had sought refuge following the ousting of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the crackdown on his supporters. Amr Darrag says in a statement posted on his Facebook page yesterday that a number of the group’s leaders are leaving Qatar following a request to do so by the Gulf mon-
archy. “We wanted to avoid embarrassing Qatar,” he says. Qatar was a close ally of Mr Morsi, and relations between Cairo and Doha have been strained since his ousting, with Egypt accusing Qatar of backing the Brotherhood. Many Brotherhood leaders fled Egypt after Mr Morsi’s overthrow, as security forces launched a sweeping crackdown on his supporters, killing hundreds in street clashes and jailing thousands.
Ukraine ‘Is Still In State Of War’
KIEV, Ukrain – Ukraine is “still in a state of war” with neighbouring Russia despite a ceasefire between Kiev’s forces and Moscow-backed rebels in the east, the country’s prime minister said shortly after a second convoy of Russian trucks rolled into Ukraine. Speaking at a conference with politicians and business leaders in Kiev, Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal is “to take the entire Ukraine”. “He cannot cope with the idea that Ukraine would be a part of
a big EU family. He wants to restore the Soviet Union,” Mr Yatsenyuk said. He did not mention the second convoy of Russian trucks that entered rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine earlier on Saturday, reportedly filled with almost 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid. The last truck crossed onto Ukrainian soil from the Russian border town Donetsk, some 200km (120 miles) east of the Ukrainian city with the same name, Rayan Farukshin, a spokesman for Russia’s customs
agency, said. He could not confirm the number of trucks, but news agency ITAR TASS reported that about 250 trucks were heading toward the city Luhansk. The Russian emergency ministry, which coordinated previous humanitarian aid deliveries to Ukraine, could not be reached for comment about the convoy. Col Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, told journalists that the convoy had crossed “illegally” onto Ukrainian territory.
➎ Rivers Diverted In Flood Region KASHMIR, Pakistan – Military specialists have blown up dykes in central Pakistan to divert swollen rivers and save cities from raging floods that have killed nearly 500 people in Pakistan and the Himalayan region of Kashmir and affected over two million others. The breaches at the overflowing
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Pakistan and neighbouring India. Pakistan’s military said it was still evacuating people and airdropping food. So far, 274 people have been killed in Pakistan and Pakistancontrolled Kashmir, while 200 have died in India-controlled Kashmir.
Many Migrants Feared Dead Off Malta
MALTA – Maltese and Italian militaries are searching for a group of migrants feared dead after a boat carrying them sunk 500kilometers (300 miles) south east of Malta. The Malta army said in a statement that survivors claimed their vessel,
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Chenab River were done overnight as floodwaters reached Multan, a city famous for its Sufi saints. Pakistani troops have been using helicopters and boats to evacuate marooned people since September 3 when floods triggered by monsoon rains hit Pakistan and Kashmir, which is divided between
with about 30 people on board, had been rammed by another boat. In all, 12 migrants - including two children, have been rescued since their boat was spotted on Friday. Several corpses were spotted in the vicinity, and two have been recovered.
Most of the survivors have been taken to Greece, the nearest landfall and within helicopter range. The numbers of migrants fleeing conflicts and risking the perilous sea voyages from Libya to Europe has swelled this year.
War ‘Is Madness’, Says Pope Francis
REDIPUGLIA, Italy – Pope Francis has urged the world to shed its apathy in the face of what he sees as a third world war, intoning “war is madness” at the foot of a Fascist-era monument to soldiers killed in the First World War. Francis’ aim in recalling those
who died in the Great War that broke out 100 years ago was to honour the victims of all wars, and it came at a time when his calls for peace have grown ever more urgent amid new threats in the Middle East and Ukraine. Standing yesterday, at an altar beneath the sloping Redi-
puglia memorial entombing 100,000 Italian soldiers fallen in the First World War, the pope said “even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction”.
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sports
NEWS
Emordi Eyes Double Over FC Taraba Kano Pillars technical adviser, Okey Emordi has said his wards will make it a double at newcomers, FC Taraba. The Nigerian champions will be the guests of FC Taraba in Wednesday’s Glo Premier League’s week 26 fixtures at the Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo. The Pyramid City side won the first fixture 3-1 at the Kano Pillars Stadium in Sabongari, Kano. Emordi said his wards are in perfect shape to contest for the three points that will give the side comfort at the summit. “We’re heading to Jalingo to confront FC Taraba with the sole aim to
fight for the three points at stake. The match is very crucial to our desire to stay at the summit till the end of the league season. “We know quite well that there is no small team in the Premier League. FC Taraba are good side as we’re hoping to carry the day. They themselves are equally planning to carry the day too. “We understand that both teams have what it takes to win the game; that’s why we believe that some elements of luck will smile on us to win the encounter. “The contest for the top spot is
NFF Election: Stakeholders Kick Against Venue
BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja
As the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is trying to put its house in order and organise an election that will put in place new board by the end of this month, some of the contestants have quarrelled with the choice of Warri as the new venue for the election. Some of them, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, questioned the rationale behind choosing Warri as the ven-
ue for the election when the current Chairman of Delta State FA, Amaju Pinnick is a top contender for the position of the president of the federation. According to them, natural justice demands the election should be held in a neutral ground to give all the contestants equal opportunity and prevent a situation where the entire electoral process will be hijacked by any group. “It is unfortunate that the NFF has taken a decision to move the
forthcoming election to Warri, Delta State where they hope to impose a particular candidate as the helmsman of the board. “There is no denying the fact that Amaju Pinnick who doubles as the chairman of Delta State Sports Commission and the states’ FA is contesting for the Presidency of NFF and choosing his base as venue for the election will give him undue advantage over other contestants. “NFF leadership should realise
that for them to organise an acceptable election which will bring lasting peace to the football house, they must not be seen as partial as that could lead to more crisis in the body”, they warned. The aggrieved members, while canvassing for a neutral venue for the election, threatened that they might be forced to boycott the poll, positing that allowing the poll to hold in Warri will put them in disadvantaged position and rubbish the entire electoral process.
Emordi
getting keener by the day. We just believe we’ll continue to get it right to stand off challengers,” said the former Enugu Rangers manager to supersport.com.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS Yesterday’s Matches Arsenal 2 - 2 Man City Chelsea 4 - 2 Swansea Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Burnley Southampton 4 - 0 Newcastle Stoke City 0 - 1 Leicester City Sunderland 2 - 2 Tottenham West Brom 0 - 2 Everton Liverpool 0 - 1 Aston Villa Today’s Match Man United Vs Q P R
Eagles Will Qualify For AFCON 2015 – Odunlami
Giorgos Samaras of Greece gets pulled down by Kunle Odunlami of Nigeria, as his teammate, Michael Uchebo tries to gain control of the ball during an international friendly match
Super Eagles defender Kunle Odunlami has said emphatically that the reigning African champions will qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Eagles have raised doubt in the minds of Nigerians over their ability to qualify for the final of the continental football showpiece with a beggarly one point from a
possible six in two group matches against Congo and South Africa. Odunlami however urged Nigerians not to bother their heads over the chances of the Eagles making it to Morocco as the side are determined to win the remaining four matches in the qualification race. “I’m certain we’ll qualify for the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations coming up in Morocco next January. “I don’t think there is any reason for panic or anyone to lose sleep over the possibility of us making it to Morocco. “We did our best in Cape Town against South Africa to amass the maximum three points but we ended up with a point.
“At least we didn’t lose the game, which would have spelt doom for us. We came back with something and we’ll work on the point. “Of course South Africa are coming here and that’s a certain three points in the kitty for us. We’ll visit Congo and deal ruthlessly with them to fetch us anoth-
er three points and we’re positive to earn six points at the expense of Sudan,” he said. Nigeria are in third spot in Group A log on one point against leaders Congo’s six points and South Africa in second spot on four points, while Sudan are in bottom place with no points after two rounds of matches.
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
EPL: Louis Van Gaal Retains Title Hope Louis van Gaal remains convinced that Manchester United can land the title this season, despite their disappointing start to the campaign. United have yet to win a competitive game this term and have taken just two points from their first three Premier League outings. Early leaders Chelsea are already ten points ahead of a side struggling to forge a fresh identity after a seventh-place finish under David Moyes last season. Incoming Dutchman van Gaal had set United an initial target of returning to the Champions
League with a top-four finish but, speaking ahead of today’s home clash with QPR, he insisted he could still mould his new-look side into winners. “Yes, it’s always possible because we still have to play a lot of matches,” van Gaal, when asked if his side could still win the league, said at his prematch press conference. We are not that far behind.” Van Gaal will hope a string of big-money arrivals can inspire a swift upturn, with Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo all in line for debuts at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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“You always want to buy the best players for the positions you need and we have done very well in the transfer market, in spite of not playing in the Champions League,” van Gaal, who also has British record signing Angel di Maria in his ranks, added.
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need a bit more time to assess how long he will be out but it’s a bad ankle sprain.” Sergio Aguero had given City a first-half lead before goals from Jack
Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez turned the game in Arsenal’s favour only for Martin Demichelis to head an 83rd-minute equaliser for the Premier League champions.
Bale Wants More British Players Abroad Gareth Bale believes more British players should play abroad at some stage in their career. The 25-year-old winger left the comfort of the Barclays Premier League last summer when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham for a worldrecord £85million transfer fee. Bale’s decision to swap the Premier League for the Primera Division was justified when he helped Real win the Champions
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Arsenal Wait On Debuchy Injury After City Draw Arsene Wenger is unsure of the severity of Mathieu Debuchy’s ankle injury and confirmed Danny Welbeck was replaced due to cramp on his Arsenal debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Debuchy was stretchered off with 10 minutes to go at Emirates Stadium and the France international full-back looked in some pain. Wenger has conceded Debuchy’s problem ‘doesn’t look good’ and he is waiting to learn the full extent of the summer signing’s injury. “Debuchy has a badly sprained ankle,” said Wenger. “How long will he be out? I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good. “People told me they
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League at the end of his first season in Spain. Few British footballers ply their trade abroad but Bale insists that more should do so. “I think the most important thing is you feel it’s the right move. If you feel you’re going to play, then I would encourage a British player to go abroad,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, the new culture, the new life. I felt like I wanted to challenge myself. It’s down
to the player himself whether he can kick on.” Bale enjoyed a fine first campaign in Spain he scored 22 goals in 44 Los Blancos appearances last term - but he is not about to rest on his laurels. “I definitely feel I can keep improving every season, improve my game in training every day,” Bale said. “We’re expected to try to win every trophy. We want to win every trophy. We’ll give our best.”
WILL ATIKU’S WEIGHT BEHIND BINDOW CRUSH THE FINTIRI, PDP FACTOR: Some analysts believe that Atiku’s intimidating political credentials will guarantee victory for the APC candidate, Senator Jibrilla, at the Adamawa gubernatorial election on October 11, but others hold the view that Fintiri as the acting governor has the incumbency factor to his credit.
ARE LAWYERS TRULY LIARS?: No one knows exactly how this belief began but some have had a personal experience or two that validate it in their hearts.
FRSC’S PLAN TO ENFORCE SPEED LIMITER: HOW FEASIBLE: The enforcement of the speed limiter is on commercial vehicles due to findings that more casualties are usually recorded in road crashes involving commercial vehicles which also accounts for 30 per cent of road crashes in the country.
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YOU ONLY REQUIRE TWO THINGS IN LIFE: YOUR SANITY AND YOUR WIFE — TONY BLAIR
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Aniebo Nwamu
The Sunday Column
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It would be easy to identify and pick up criminals of every description
3million Jobs In 300 Days
aniebo@leadership.ng
resident Jonathan set up the Steve Oronsaye panel to design a template for reducing the workforce, apparently because recurrent expenditure was consuming about 74 per cent of the federal government’s budget. Almost three years after the panel’s report was submitted, none of its recommendations has been implemented, apparently because it would not be “politically correct” to sack workers. One would therefore rightly regard the president’s directive to the “Jobs Board” he inaugurated on Wednesday to create 3million jobs within the next one year as a contradiction. The “Jobs Board”, composed of members of the president’s cabinet (Vice-president Namadi Sambo is the chairman) and some businessmen, would do well to tell the president the home truth: Government fails because, often, it diagnoses problems wrongly. It’s not the number of civil and public servants in the country that has created the problem; it’s the civil servants’ unproductivity. If the civil service were a social security scheme, it would be understandable. But workers ought to produce more than what they are paid. In Nigeria’s case, however, they are idlers, gossips, thieves and armed robbers. They work only for their pockets. Three weeks ago, this column discussed some of the ways jobs could be created by a government that is sincere. [“Helping The Poor To Help Themselves”, August 24] What I left out then is that stable power supply alone can create 5million new jobs instantly. Speed trains – the types that travel 600km to 700km per hour in Europe – can also create up to a million jobs per year and decongest cities like Lagos, Onitsha, Aba, Abuja and Port Harcourt; in fact, I would prefer to work in Abuja but not live in the city if I could see a train that makes the trip from my village in 40 minutes. Also, a successful war on corruption would free up funds that could create upwards of 1million jobs each year. If the state and federal governments stopped awarding contracts today and did all their jobs by direct labour, at least 2million jobs would be created instantly.
The possibilities are endless. Any of those ways would be more satisfying than the one produced by the GSM revolution. I remember Obasanjo and his acolytes used to gloat about creating jobs through the GSM, as if they invented the technology. And where are the jobs the GSM created here? Mainly jobs done by the girls we see sitting under umbrellas and selling recharge cards and SIM cards. Most of them make less than N5, 000 in a month. I am not a member of the “Jobs Board”. But I have a simple formula that could create at least 3million new jobs within the next 10 months in Nigeria. This space is not enough to discuss the minute details of my proposal. But, in brief, I suggest that, to create a productive civil service that would be self-sustaining, we need to start a new agency that would, within the next five years, swallow up the current civil servants both at the state and federal levels. Let’s call it “Fatherland Service” (FS); it would be driven by information and communication technology (ICT) in a country where there are now more than 60million users of smartphones. FS aims to divide the country into 150, 000 units – the same number of units that INEC is now creating. Call them 150, 000 mini-governments, if you like. Each has an average of 500 eligible voters or 1, 200 residents. For a start, FS hires 20 workers per unit to accommodate the required 3million jobs. What this means is that every resident within the unit is known by one or more of our 20 employees. To get a job in FS, the applicant must: • live within his/her unit • obtain the national identity card and voter card in the unit • own a smartphone with internet service • possess a minimum educational qualification of GCE. Our 20 men and women must be responsible for maintaining law and order and, therefore, account for any crime committed in their area. Using the smartphone, each is required to send daily reports to a central data base or server where another set of
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employees work 24 hours daily – processing information and giving the right information to the relevant authorities. This means that soldiers, policemen and other security agents to be hired must satisfy the above requirements also. Two soldiers each, for instance, will translate to 300, 000 jobs; three armed policemen will equal 450, 000 jobs. Two SSS/Civil Defence operatives in each unit will make up 300, 000 jobs. And so on and so forth… Are the shortfalls in these agencies now becoming evident? With such solid presence in all nooks and crannies of the country, FS would also organise all elections and censuses. There would no longer be any need for INEC ad-hoc staff or security operatives during elections. They would send the results instantly from the polling units. With this arrangement, some N200-300billion usually spent by INEC and SIECs each year is saved. Their jobs are not limited to security and elections. Some are, in addition, farmers (who have or lease farmlands), road marshals, tax collectors, health workers and personnel managers. Remember: there are 20 workers per unit. In the second and perhaps third tier of the FS organogram, only a few workers are left to coordinate the work done in the units. If such a corporation/service were to be in place today, would there be Boko Haram? Would armed robbers operate freely? No. It would be easy to identify and pick up criminals of every description – robbers, kidnappers, terrorists, rapists, drug addicts and thieves – within a short time. We wouldn’t be wasting money on “security”, INEC, ghost workers and unproductive agencies. Leaders would find the country very easy to lead. That is not all. Cities would be decongested and house rents would plummet. It would no longer be a case of having all federal MDAs in Maitama, Wuse and Garki of Abuja. Every worker would live and work within his/her unit – within trekking distance. A policeman from Akwa Ibom would no longer be asked to go and fight terrorists in Sambisa forest. A mono-lingual security op-
erative born in Nsukka would not be posted to Sokoto where people speak Hausa or Fulfulde. The attraction for one person keeping 10 cars would no longer be there; not everyone would even need a car. This idea is not utopic. It can work perfectly if there is political will. I know sceptics would ask: how would the jobs be funded? I bet it won’t be another set of GSM jobs or SURE-P jobs. It will be a public-private partnership (PPP) with all checks and balances, thanks to ICT. If we create 3million jobs with each employee receiving an average of N50, 000 per month, that translates to N150billion per month or N1.8trillion per year – much less than what the federal government now spends on security alone or what politicians will spend on electioneering between now and February. It is not equal to what the 36 states and Abuja pay their employees for doing nothing. Don’t forget that FS can later increase salaries by 300 per cent, because it can make the money three times over. Those who wish to transform the country must take tough decisions. Whether we like it or not, ideas still rule the world. Like my Facebook (Aniebo Nwamu) or follow me on Twitter (@aniebonw)
GHANA MUST GO Mbu nearly collapsed Rivers’ economy — Gov Amaechi
Was he “sharing” the money?
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