Leaderaship news

04.02.15

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

WEDNESDAY

No. 2,339

N150

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Conference/Awards Holds Tomorrow

By Bode GBAdeBo, Abuja

The much-publicised 2015 Annual LEADERSHIP Conference/Awards ceremony will be held tomorrow, February

5, 2015, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja.

The event, which kicks off at

9am, will be chaired by foremost pharmacist and chairman, Juli Pharmacy Plc, Prince Julius

Adelusi-Adeluyi, while Etsu Nupe and chairman, Niger State Council of Traditionally

jonathan, Buhari Storm Kogi, Niger, Kano > Page 6

Rulers, HRH Alhaji (Dr) Yahaya Abubakar, will be the royal father of the day.

Politicians, captains of ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

Airlines Operating Without Nigerian Pilots Will Be Grounded – Minister > Page 20

ReGiONAL jOiNT miLiTARY ACTiON

Troops Battle Boko Haram, Recapture Gamboru Town

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All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, acknowledging cheers from supporters during the APC campaign in Gombe, yesterday. Photo by adefemi adewuyi

Chibok Diary DAY

296

Bombardment Of Sambisa Mere Political Gimmick – BBOG Group > Page 2

2015

NIGERIA decides

COUNTDO

WN

Eligibility Suit Against Jonathan: We 10 Are Ready For Legal Battle – PDP > Page 13 DAYS TO GO

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chibok diary 296

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

DAY

Chibok TweeTs @obyezeks Seventy years after #Auschwitz liberation, the world continues to be an unsafe place with devilish killings like Humanity learned nothing? @Bukkyshonibare Day 289 of abduction 17 days to Presidential Election #BringBackOurGirls @rescueourgirls 289 DAYS since the #ChibokGirls were kidnapped.

We ask all of you, continue to rally. We will not be silenced. @MKabrik Very Very SAD!!RT"@Abu_Aaid: Day288 No rescue No update More abductions More deaths #BringBackOurGirls #StopBokoHaram” @EiENigeria 288! TWO HUNDRED & EIGHTY EIGHT DAYS OF CAPTIVITY! Please vote security for the #PeoplesDebateNG http:// thepeoplesdebate.ng/polls/ #BringBackOurGirls @Abu_Aaid We always repel and defend.

When will we attack? When will we take the war to them? #StopBokoHaram #PrayForMaiduguri @cimcbride2014 They're not back. And more atrocities are being committed daily by those insane devils. We have work to do! #BringBackOurGirls #human @AishaYesufu Is your conscience pricking you so hard that the only way you can live with yourself is to bring down those demanding #BringBackOurGirls?

Compiled by Ugochukwu Iroka

Members of the #BringBackourGirls (BBoG) group having a village square sit-out for the abducted Chibok girls in abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

Troops' Bombardment Of Sambisa Mere Political Gimmick – BBOG Group

By Chika Mefor and ejike ejike,

Abuja The #BringBackOurGirls group has described the reported news of troops’ bombardment of Sambisa Forest as mere political gimmick geared towards 2015 elections.

The group wondered why the troops would claim to have started bombarding Sambisa Forest 10 months after the abduction of the Chibok girls, and queried the rationale behind the bombardment after the Boko Haram insurgents had left the forest and taken over other communities.

One of the leaders of the group,

Dr. Emmam Shehu:, said: “We heard that the security troops bombed the Sambisa Forest. My question is, what is the reason why they had to wait up until now. When the abducted were abducted, why didn’t they go there?

Terrorists are taking over territories now and they are going to Sambisa Forest - to do what there?

“Also, the persons internally displaced by the insurgency want to go back to their land. They want government to reclaim their land so that they can go back and not bombard a forest, where the insurgents have since left.”

Dr Shehu described the belated action of government troops “as a

political gimmick geared towards February 14 (presidential election),” insinuating that the Jonathan administration wanted to make political capital out of the matter.

“The army said they didn’t want to bomb the forest so that the girls will not be hurt. So, what is their reason for going there now?”

Shehu further asked.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the director of defence information, Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade, had told the British Broadcasting Corporation that the military had been raiding the forest and other hideouts of the sect since Tuesday night.

According to the report, the army used it war drones to level some of the Boko Haram camps.

He however did not give the casualty figures.

The army had said that its forces were still committed to securing the civilian population at whatever cost.

“We are still committed in ensuring that we degrade their ability to continue their activities and eventually eliminate them,” Olukolade said.

“The mission is on. There are no allowing terrorists anywhere. As many times as they come, it will only give us the opportunity to decimate them.”

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our stand Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Go Get Your PVC

N

ow that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for collection of the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) from Saturday January 31 to Sunday February 8, Nigerians who have not yet collected their cards must avail themselves of the opportunity and get their PVCs. In a statement recently, the commission claimed to have secured the last batch of 3.4 million PVCs, bringing the total number of voter’s cards successfully processed and circulated to 68.8 million.

INEC’s decision to extend the deadline for collection of PVCs is, in our opinion, in order. However, to further ease the collection process and ensure that no potential voter misses this opportunity, the federal government should consider requests being made for a two-day public holiday to allow, especially, public servants time to perform this civic duty. It is common knowledge that the PVC distribution process suffered a sluggish start, for which INEC has already received some flak from the public. With the little time

at the commission’s disposal to salvage the situation, dedicating two work-free days to PVCs collection won’t be too much a national sacrifice on the part of the government.

We are particularly worried that, despite frantic efforts to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised, many PVCs have, allegedly, been left uncollected. Admittedly, the process of collecting the cards is discouragingly clumsy, yet every registered voter has an obligation to collect his or her PVC and vote in the election. The issue of unclaimed cards is a challenge to INEC. Many, including students and public servants, have changed their location since the last election in 2011.

INEC should devise a creative

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

means of ensuring that these people not only get their cards, but also participate in the election.

INEC’s barrage of challenges is on record. But by far, the commission’s Achilles heel is its perennial logistics challenge. It has become a national cliché that INEC connotes constant lack of preparedness. It is difficult to blame those who criticise the commission for its logistics quagmire, judging by the fact that it had four years to prepare for the coming general election. With the kind of sloppy arrangement we have observed in the commission’s preparations so far, its N92.9 billion election budget is far from justified and it should be willing to accept responsibility for most of the challenges it is facing.

Regardless, the electorate can still make the coming elections credible by fully participating in the process. It would be unfortunate if, with the kind of crowds at campaign rallies, voter apathy as a result of logistic problems leads to low turnout. It may call the credibility of the polls to question.

This is why all registered voters should collect their PVCs before February 8.

Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah

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

Leadership Holdings

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

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

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

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

4 NEWS

Troops Battle Boko Haram, Recapture Gamboru Town

By Bode Gbadebo, Abdullahi Umar, Abuja With Agency Report and Abiodun Oluwarotimi, New York

Troops serving under a joint military coalition, comprising Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, yesterday reclaimed the border town of Gamboru in Borno State, which has been under the control of Boko Haram for months.

According to military sources, the battle for the soul of Gamboru, south of Lake Chad, followed the deployment of hundreds of troops from the regional force to an area close to the town of Diffa in Niger Republic.

The road from Gamboru to Fotokol in Cameroon is one of Boko Haram’s major supply routes. The insurgents’ use of the track has been hindered since Cameroon deployed special forces to the area in mid-2014, leading to fierce fighting in the area.

For almost an hour, Chadian warplanes struck positions held by Boko Haram, while armoured vehicles rolled across the bridge linking Fotokol town in Cameroon with Gamboru in Nigeria, clearing the way for the infantry.

Up until now, Chad’s military had conducted air strikes against the heavily armed extremists, while waiting for authorisation to operate on the ground in Nigeria via Cameroon, which had recently endured Boko Haram raids.

The Nigerian army had also announced the recapture of Mafa, Malumfatori, Abadam and Marte towns.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has given the assurance that the cooperation of the Lake Chad region countries against Boko Haram has in no way compromised the territorial integrity of the country.

The assurance is coming on the heels of insinuations that troops from Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republics have flooded the northeast of the country to battle the terrorists often without the knowledge and permission of Nigerian authorities.

However, a statement posted by the DHQ on its blog, defenceinfo.mil.ng, yesterday, asserted that it was Nigerian forces that plan and drive the current onslaught against the terrorists on all fronts.

It further explained that most of the troops contributed by the three countries to the Multinational Joint Task Force had been deployed to towns close to Nigerian borders and are not actually operating from within Nigeria’s territory, while those in Nigeria are fighting alongside Nigerian troops.

“Contrary to the impression being pushed in some quarters, it is the Nigerian forces that planned and are driving the present onslaught against terrorists from all fronts in Nigeria; not the Chadian Forces as is being

propagated by some foreign media,” the defence headquarters stated.

It explained that while it is true that these countries are collaborating with Nigeria, their troops’ contributions are not as massive as to make the kind of impressions being peddled around.

“Nigeria’s territorial integrity remains intact,” he affirmed.

The message reads in part: “The countries that make up the Lake Chad Basin Commission also had some understanding, which now enables a massive move against terrorists from all angles. For instance Chadian forces have been deployed in Baga Sola, which is a Chadian territory.

“There have been some joint deployments and patrols around Kirawa, Ashgashiya and other locations in borders of Cameroun, Nigeria and Chad as part of these operations. Chadians and others are however keying into and working in concert with the overall plan for an all-round move against the terrorists as agreed.”

Security Council condemns Boko Haram’s latest attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon The United Nations Security Council yesterday strictly condemned the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, pointing to an attack on February 1, in Borno State, and to increasing attacks in the Lake Chad Basin region, including on January 29-30, against Chadian forces deployed in Cameroon near the town of Fotokol, which killed four Chadian soldiers and injured 12 others.

In a statement issued to the press in New York, the 15 members extended their condolences and sympathies to the families of those killed and injured, and to the people and the governments of Nigeria and Chad.

Recalling their presidential statement of January 19, this year, council members reiterated their deep concern that the activities of Boko Haram are undermining the peace and stability of the West and Central African region.

They urged the region to enhance regional military operations and coordination to more effectively and immediately combat Boko Haram. In that regard, they commended the Chadian army’s swift assistance in Cameroon, which resulted in neutralisation of 123 Boko Haram combatants and the capture of others.

Members of the 15-State body reaffirmed that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including the actions of Boko Haram, constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

A SHORT LIVING TO BEGUIDE 100 to a LONG LIFE

Listen, Look, Feel (and Record Your Body’s Features)

Do, however, bring your personal health diary with you to share at your next appointment. You can buy or access equipment to take your blood pressure at most pharmacies, and some tools can even be downloaded as an application for your smart phone.

I’m a big believer in what’s called personalised medicine, which means customizing your health care to your specific needs based on your physiology, genetics, value system, and individual circumstances. Medicine is finally at a place where we have the technology to tailor treatment and preventive protocols to an individual, just like a seamstress can tailor a garment to a person’s body. But it all begins with you. You won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of personalized medicine until you take a close look at your unique body.

Below is a list of general questions to ask yourself during your personal checkup every couple of months after you’ve completed the intense three-month initiation diary:” • How would you rank your overall energy levels?

• Anything abnormal to report (skin, hair, sensations, breathing, appetite, digestion)?

• Do you suffer from any chronic conditions?

• How bad is your stress level on a scale of 1 to 1O? • Are you happy?

• What do you want to change in your life?

• What is your weight? (Aim to measure your weight once a week or every two weeks.)

Of course, these questions should also be asked on day 1. And be honest.

LEADERSHIP Conference/Awards Holds Tomorrow FROM FRONT PAGE

industry, media executives and other crème la crème of the society from across the country are expected to grace the ceremony. Former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has confirmed his attendance to receive the LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2014 star award.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Reclaiming Nigeria: A Pathway.”

The keynote speaker is a world-class diplomat and former Nigerian permanent representative to the United Nations, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, who will speak on the conference’s theme against the backdrop of past and current challenges in the nation-building process and chart a way forward for the country.

LEADERSHIP star award recipient, Obasanjo, will also speak on the conference’s theme.

The founder, LEADERSHIP Group, Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, will deliver the welcome

address while the audience expected at the event would have ample time to respond to the lecture.

At the event, the LEADERSHIP Awards for Excellence would also be bestowed on outstanding Nigerians who have done exceedingly well in various spheres of our national life, steadying the troubled ship of state and keeping hopes alive in the country in 2014.

In addition, deserving government agencies and corporate organisations would be honoured for the cutting-edge products and services they rendered to the Nigerian people last year.

Other star award recipients include Borno State governor Kashim Shettima, LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year 2014; Nasarawa State governor Tanko Al-Makura, LEADERSHIP Politician of the Year 2014, and MD/CEO of one of sub-Sahara Africa’s foremost indigenous integrated energy groups, Oando ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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6 NEWS

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Jonathan, Buhari Storm Kogi, Niger, Kano

By Abu Nmodu, Minna, SAM EGWU, Kogi and Michael Oche, Abuja

The campaign trains of both the presidential candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday continued moving across the northern and southern parts of the country and making promises to the electorate.

Jonathan in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, reassured the people of the state that he would fulfil all his electioneering promises, stressing that from what he had seen so far, PDP had no rival in the state.

Jonathan, who address the crowd in Lokoja Confluence Stadium, when his campaign train stopped in the confluence city, stressed that he would not renege on any promise made.

He recalled that Ajaokuta steel complex was a project that any meaningful government would not toy with, considering the present downturn in the fortune of crude oil, noting that the

economy had to be diversified to incorporate solid minerals which abound in Kogi State.

According to him, voting for PDP and its candidates in the next elections was the sure way of meeting the demands of the teeming population.

The president, who was also in Minna, Niger State, for campaign, visited for Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, at his hilltop residence, where he received the blessing of the former military president.

Babangida, while giving his support for Jonathan, stated that Nigeria will be safe in the hands the PDP candidate, considering his passion for the country.

Jonathan on his part described Babangida as a stabilizing force for the nation that other statesmen should emulate.

Jonathan’s visit to the former military president came barely two weeks after Buhari made a similar visit to him during which he gave similar presidential blessing to the APC flag bearer.

Meanwhile, at the rally, Jonathan pledged to empower

the youths and give them more opportunities, even as he insisted that the PDP was paving the right way for the country.

He also said his administration would create opportunities for the youths and give them leadership positions to prepare them for the future.

Meanwhile, Buhari yesterday in Kano described the subsidy regime of the present government as a big fraud, accusing the administration of handing oil importation business to friends and cronies.

Speaking at a roundtable with members of the private sector in Kano, he said Nigeria had the capacity to refine petroleum products to meet its local demand.

He also said the federal government showed its incompetence by not being able to rescue the Chibok girls.

He said, “I spent three and a quarter years in the petroleum industry; as far as Nigeria is concerned, I am confused who is subsiding who.

Nigeria’s petroleum industry was developed by Nigerians.

As far as I know, we didn’t

borrow a kobo to build the Port Harcourt refinery, which had the capacity of 50, 000 barrels and was upgraded to 100, 000 to complete another one of 150, 000 barrels. ‘‘So Port Harcourt had the capacity of refining 250, 000 barrels a day of Nigerian crude. We were not importing anything. I signed the contract personally of Warri and Kaduna. Each one, 100,000.

We laid more than 3,000kms of ground pipes. We built more than 20 depots.

“Subsequent governments became net importers. Our refineries are not producing.

They will rather call a friend, give him contract to import PMS or diesel rather than maintain our refineries and make them work.

The industry has been destroyed by corruption.

“So, the problems of APC are enormous. When we come, the infrastructure we have, we will try and revive it so that we don’t become importers.

How can we be producing 2.2 million barrels per day and still be importing? This corruption is inexcusable”.

Speaking on the assistance

of the Chadian army to help in the current fight against Boko Haram, Buhari said, “If Chadian armies are coming to fight Boko Haram for us in order to secure their own country, then something is really wrong with the leadership of this country.’’

The APC presidential candidate also pledged that if voted into power, his administration would encourage local manufacturers by imposing higher taxation on importers.

He said, “From points of entry to the factory sites, you don’t have to go through 100 checkpoints - Custom, immigration, military, police we shall remove them because they are increasing our problem.”

Speaking on the Chibok girls, he said the government never took the issue of the rescue of the girls seriously.

“For eight to nine months, you don’t know what is happening to them.

This government is very incompetent. At first, they were denying it. They were telling lies after lies; both by the security agencies and the presidency.”

Electioneering Campaign: FRSC Boss Warns Against Traffic Violations LEADERSHIP...

BY Ejike Ejike, Abuja

The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi has restated the commitment of the FRSC to provide safer road environment for all categories of road users during the electioneering campaigns, warning however, that the Corps would not tolerate acts that could compromise safety.

The Corps Marshal stated

this yesterday, while addressing participants at the strategic session organised by the FRSC to review the performances of the Corps in the last year and setting strategic agenda for the 2015 operational activities.

Expressing satisfaction with the current level of road safety awareness in the country, the Corps Marshal condemned the attitudes of some people who undermine traffic rules and regulations during electioneering

campaigns by indulging in dangerous acts.

“Electioneering campaign period poses certain challenges to road safety in the country, as some people tend to capitalise on the political rallies to engage in acts such as overloading, speeding and road obstruction, thereby causing inconveniences to other road users” he said.

He further stated that “It is our collective responsibility to enlighten members of the public

on these hazardous behaviour and punish violations, so that people can guide against the practices during the campaign rallies,” he stated.

Speaking further, the Corps Marshal informed that all Commands across the country have been given specific instructions to check the excesses of motorists and other road users during the electioneering campaigns in order to make the roads free and safe for all.

Troops Battle Boko Haram, Recapture Gamboru Town FROM PAGE 4

and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed.

Reiterating their determination to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations, members underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of acts of terrorism to justice.

They also urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security

Council resolutions, to cooperate with the relevant authorities in that regard.

The council also reminded states that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, particularly international human rights.

French planes carrying out reconnaissance missions against Boko Haram In a further sign of mounting international action to combat Boko Haram, the French government has said that it military aircraft are carrying out surveillance missions

to help countries bordering Nigeria tackle the insurgents.

The African Union (AU) has authorised a force of 7,500 troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin to take on the militants, and is expected to seek a United Nations Security Council mandate which could also include logistical support from other countries.

“Our air force is carrying out reconnaissance missions, but not over Nigeria; our support is limited to neighbouring countries such as Chad and Niger,” French defense ministry said.

Speaking yesterday at

a ceremony marking the accidental death of nine French airmen in Spain last month, French President Francois Hollande earlier said the country’s military aircraft were currently operating over Nigeria.

Clarifying Hollande’s comments, the presidential palace said French planes were not flying over Nigeria, but that France was “cooperating” in the fight against Boko Haram.

Hollande had said in May that Rafale fighter jets would be used for reconnaissance missions to help find over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram on April 14

FROM PAGE 4

Plc, Adewale Jubril Tinubu, LEADERSHIP Business Person of the Year 2014.

Other distinguished recipients include the founder of Aiteo Group, Benedict Peters, LEADERSHIP CEO of the Year 2014; MD/CEO, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Gimba Ya’u Kumo, LEADERSHIP Public Officer of the Year 2014; MD/ CEO, Unity Bank Plc, Henry James Semenitari, LEADERSHIP Banker of the Year 2014; Asisat Oshoala, LEADERSHIP Sportsperson of the Year 2014; the Chibok Girls, LEADERSHIP Young Persons of the Year 2014, and Ali Nuhu, LEADERSHIP Artiste of the Year 2014.

From the corporate world, Stallion Group will receive the LEADERSHIP Company of the Year 2014 Award; Jaiz Bank, LEADERSHIP Bank of the Year 2014; Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc, LEADERSHIP Microfinance Bank of the Year 2014; Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), LEADERSHIP Government Agency of the Year 2014; Brains & Hammers, LEADERSHIP Brand of the year 2014; and Innoson Vehicle, LEADERSHIP Product of the year 2014.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

7

8 news extra

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Group News Editor: Tony Amokeodo APC Accuses FG Of Plotting To Use Courts To Scuttle Elections Barely 11 days to the February 14 presidential polls in the country, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the federal government of plotting to use the courts to scuttle the forthcoming elections.

The national publicity secretary, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who said this at a press briefing yesterday in Lagos, noted that the advocates of the postponement of the general elections have resorted to using the courts to disqualify the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and scuttle the polls.

He said, “This followed the obvious failure of their clandestine campaign to have the elections postponed ostensibly because of the poor distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by INEC. “Despite sponsoring pseudo-experts and cash-and-carry analysts to make the television rounds to canvass for the postponement of the election, in addition to instigating protests against INEC, Nigerians have rejected the call for election shift, which is a big blow to those who want the elections postponed to give the Jonathan administration time to recover lost ground.”

By George Okojie, Lagos

Supreme Court Fixes March 19 For Sovereign Wealth Fund Suit The 36 states of the federation have accused the federal government of frustrating every move to settle the disputes on the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) out of court.

They dragged the federal government before the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of the SWF. When the case came up yesterday, the court fixed March 19 for the hearing of the suit after all attempts to make the parties settle out of court had failed.

The panel of Supreme Court justices headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed had earlier insisted that the parties should go and settle out of court as there was nothing to adjudicate on by the court.

“If lawyers and parties are sincere, then go back and settle this matter out of court. The matter is straightforward; there is nothing this court will adjudicate upon”, the CJN held.

Reacting, counsel to the federal government, Ahmed Abdulmalik submitted that there was need for the court to adjudicate on the matter as the states have been deceiving themselves that there is a fund called Sovereign Wealth Fund.

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

L-R: Borno State governor Kashim Shettima; chairperson, Northern Governors’ Wives’ Forum and Benue State first lady, Yemisi Suswam and other first ladies, during the presentation of relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno State.

CJN Warns Tribunal Chairmen, Members Against Compromise

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

The chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed has advised 242 chairmen and members of the 2015 Election Petition Tribunal not to allow politicians to distract them from carrying out their constitutional duties.

He warned that the National Judicial Council (NJC) will not hesitate to punish any law officer who compromised.

While swearing-in the tribunal members, the CJN urged them to make use of the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2010; the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules and Practice Direction as their working tools.

“I need not remind you that the

tribunal’s assignment is very laborious and that you are likely to be overstretched in the handling of election matters. Praises and condemnation will be meted out to you in the course of discharging your duties. Unfortunately, some of the condemnations will come from our partners in the temple of justice. I urge you not to be deterred by the uncomplimentary comments of some politicians and litigants anytime judgement is given against them”, he stated.

He also said that members of the tribunal were painstakingly selected based on their integrity and competence and that the NJC will not hesitate to deal with any judge who allows himself to be influenced by any interest group.

He said, “I, therefore, urge you all, in doing justice to the petitions before you, to be careful and thorough in your review of the petitions and responses, the pleadings, the physical evidence, the arguments of learned counsel of the parties. You must ensure that all petitions must be founded upon grounds which are contained in Section 138 of the Electoral Act and not on extraneous provisions of the law as the tribunal is not a court of vain inquisition.

“It is, therefore, apt to remind you that your integrity is sacrosanct. There is no alternative to integrity and it is not negotiable.

You must ensure that your acts are in strict conformity with the law. Therefore, you must shun acts such as the acceptance of gifts or fa-

vours from counsel and politicians, and the exchange of illicit communications with parties, which acts will erode the integrity of the tribunals irretrievably.

“It is pertinent to emphasise that Section 134 of the Electoral Act is clear that all petitions must be filed within 21 days of the declaration of the result of an election. You must also bear in mind that Section 285 of the Constitution and Section 134(2) of the Electoral Act 2010 are also clear that all petitions must be heard and judgements rendered in writing and delivered in open court within 180 days of the filing of that petition. Any petition presented outside of the statutory time must not be countenanced for any reason”.

Jonathan Signs HIV/AIDS Anti-discrimination Bill Into Law

By Winifred Ogbebo and Victor Okeke, Abuja

President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the HIV and AIDS AntiDiscrimination Act 2014 into law.

The bill is a reflection of Nigeria’s commitment to stopping all forms of stigmatisation and discrimination targetted at people living with HIV/AIDS. However, the national coordinator, Network of Persons Living With HIV/AIDS (NEPWHAN), Mr Edward Ogenyi, said he was unaware of this landmark achievement.

He said it was rather unfortunate that the agency saddled with the control of HIV/AIDS in the country, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) would downplay the significance of the event given the efforts made towards getting the bill passed since 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, this landmark legislation makes provision for the prevention of HIV-related discrimination and provides for access to healthcare and other services. It also provides for protection of the human rights and dignity of people living with HIV

and those affected by AIDS in Nigeria.

A statement made available to LEADERSHIP by the NACA DG, Prof John Idoko, said the new law is a source of renewed hope that all acts of discrimination against people living with HIV such as recruitment and termination of employment, denial of access to services including healthcare, education, association and other social services will quickly reduce and ultimately end.

According to him, the law is the latest addition to Nigeria’s commitment to end the AIDS ep-

idemic by 2030.

Part of the statement reads, “During the past four years alone, close to 4 million pregnant women were tested for HIV and now know their status, while 8.2 million adults in the general population were tested.”

“By 2013, the number of HIV infections had declined by 35% and Nigeria is pursuing efforts to stop new infections altogether. The number of sites providing services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV increased from 675 in 2010 to 5,622 in 2013.”

news extra 9

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Rivers: PDP, APC Trade Words Over Court Bombings The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are at each other’s throat over the bombing of three High Court premises in Rivers State on Monday.

Some yet-to-be-identified arsonists had carried out their nefarious activities on the courts in Degema, Isiokpo and Port Harcourt, burning many documents in the process.

Reacting to the incidents, chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, blamed APC for the bombing and said the state leadership of the party “must explain the reasons” for their action.

However, his APC counterpart, Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, fired back saying the PDP and its supporters were well known for violence and spate of bombings across the state.

Obuah, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, said he was worried over the unscrupulous and unrepentant nature of those who wished the judiciary dead in the state.

Noting that the latest bombings were coming shortly after judiciary workers in the state suspended the eight-month-old strike, the PDP chairman said APC should be asked why it took delights in the continued closure of courts in the state.

By Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt

Facilities For Kano IPP Ready For Installation – Kwankwaso Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has said that the state Independent Power Projects (IPP) will soon take off as the two power generation turbines for Tiga and Challawa Gorge Dams have arrived in the state for installation from India.

Kwankwaso disclosed this yesterday while inspecting four containers of electrical components for the Tiga IPP that arrived Kano on Monday.

He added that the eight similar containers for Challawa IPP were already at the site.

A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations to the Kano State Governor , Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, also quoted Kwankwaso as saying that the four containers were displayed to the people at the state government house so that those who cannot go to Tiga and Challawa could have a glance at the multi billion naira machinery.

The governor said, “Both the two projects were approved at the sum of N14.2billion, in addition to N2billion for conveying the electricity to the city”, saying that but for the determination of his administration, the projects would not have been realized.

By Abubakar Salihi, Kano

L-R: Kano State governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso; deputy governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje; attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Barr Maliki Kuliya; commissioners Hamisu Mohammed Lambu, Zainab Audu Bako and Aminu Mukhtar Dan’amu, during the inauguration of the 3 commissioners, yesterday. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

My Meeting With Gov Amaechi Not Political – Lamido

By Muh’d Zangina Kura, Dutse

Governor of Jigawa State Sule Lamido has finally broken his silence on his secret meeting with Governor Rotmi Amaechi of Rivers State held over the weekend at Dutse Government House, saying that the meeting was in national interest.

The governor who hosted the meeting debunked the rumour that the meeting was politically motivated and aimed at paving

the way for his possible defection to All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Lamido stated this while addressing thousands of PDP supporters at the party’s campaign rally held at Kaugama local government of the state.

“It’s true I had a meeting with Chief Rotimi Amaechi, a director -general of All Progressives Congress presidential campaign but what we discussed was above personal interest but purely on the collective national interest.”

According to him, “People are speculating that I’m planing to dump PDP; others said I have joined the APC. All of that are not true. I will never dump PDP, not to talk of joining APC. “The major issue we discussed was the exodus of northerners from the South and southerners from the North because of the forthcoming election; this is very alarming and we must look for ways to tackle this problem which portends a great threat to the de-

mocracy, conduct of election and the existence of the nation as a single entity.”

He noted that Amaechi, a Christian from the South is campaigning for Buhari - a Muslim from the North, while I, Lamido, a PDP stalwart, a Muslim from the North, is campaigning for Jonathan - a Christian from the South. “ I believe in our positions; we have a role to play to ensure the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians,” he said.

PDP Paid N6bn To Pastors To Campaign Against APC, Buhari – Amaechi

By Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt and Chika Otuchikere, Abuja

Rivers State governor and directorgeneral of Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of bribing some Christian religious leaders with N6billion to campaign against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.

He accused the compromised religious leaders of circulating documents to Nigerians alleging that APC and Buhari will Islamise the entire country if elected into power during this month’s election.

Amaechi, who spoke yesterday during the APC governorship campaign rally at Emohua, headquarters of Emohua local

government area of Rivers State, said Nigerians are too enlightened for an individual or a political party to Islamise the whole country, and advised the affected pastors to return the money to the coffers of the federal government.

The governor said, “Some pastors collected N6billion and they are circulating documents and telling you not to vote for an Hausa man, not to vote for a Muslim; that they want to Islamise Nigeria.

Tell them to return our N6billion.

“They gave them N6billion; they should return it to the federal government coffers. They will tell you that Buhari wants to Islamise Nigeria; tell them we are too educated. I am a Catholic, but no Catholic priest has told me that story right now in the Catholic Church because I will ask him how.

“If any pastor tells you that, tell

him to return the money. Nobody can Islamise Nigeria; they have commercialised Jesus Christ.

They should stop commercialising Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and Saviour.

“You know what Jesus Christ did in the temple, he chased them away. We shall chase away those pastors who have collected money from PDP to tell us lies. We shall chase them away on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He stated that the 2015 general election in the state would be a referendum between him and President Goodluck Jonathan, saying, “I told the President that the election in Rivers State is a referendum between him and me. I told him anywhere I go, I will show what I have done. Let him show what he has done.”

Earlier in a speech, the APC governorship candidate in the

state, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, promised to complete all projects started by the Amaechiled government in the state, as well as tackle insecurity in communities in the state.

Meanwhile, Governor Rotimi Amaechi has given reasons why the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will not Islamise the country if he wins the election.

According to Amaechi, the issue is unnecessary as the nation’s constitution has already guaranteed freedom of worship and association to all citizens in the country.

“Nobody can Islamise Nigeria.

I also want to warn church leaders to stop commercialising the church of Jesus Christ, especially those men of God who collect money from the PDP to give false prophesy,” he said.

10 news NATIONAL Don’t Politicise Insurgency, Minister

BY MILLIE IBE, Abuja Tells Nigerians

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

NSITF Seeks NTI Collaboration For Teachers’ Insurance

The minister of Youth Development, Mr Boni Haruna has called on Nigerians to desist from politicising the issue of insurgency in the Northeast by insinuating the culpability of the federal government.

In a press release signed by the assistant director, Press and Public Relations, Olusola Abiola, the minister who was also a victim of the insurgency stated that it is unthinkable, absurd and most illogical for anybody to insinuate that the government was promoting terrorism.

He added that people making such insinuations have been put to shame by the successful military operations leading to the liberation of Gombi, Hong, Maiha, Mubi, Michika and very soon Madagali.

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has sought the collaboration of the National Teachers Institute (NTI) for insurance cover for teachers, its staff and stakeholders to better their lots.

The managing director of the insurance company, Malam Umar Munir Abubakar made this request when he led the management team on a courtesy call on the director general and chief executive of the NTI, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu in Kaduna.

Abubakar said the fund pays 90 per cent of each contribution and it covers injuries, death and even

rehabilitation of the contributor where an injury resulted in a situation where the affected person cannot go back to his or her former source of livelihood.

He stressed that they want to cover teachers nationwide due to the increased risk they face in the course of their job as evident in the North East geo political zone of the country now. He explained that the old scheme favoured very few but the new and reformed scheme favours every contributor.

In the quest to have more Nigerians key into the scheme, the fund has visited 205 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to sen-

sitise their staff he stressed. The NTI is strategic due to its role in teacher training and capacity building, he asserted.

Responding, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu said the aim of the NTI has always been to provide the best platform for teachers for optimum output, better living condition and retirement into a life of ease. He assured that the institute will key into the scheme by sensitising not just the teachers, but teacher trainers and other staff of the institute as well as contractors and stakeholders.

“Though there is a limit to what we can ask the teachers to do, but

we will try to let them see the benefit of the scheme to them so that they will key into it. We will also ensure that our contractors comply with the rules and regulations. of the NSITF” Sharehu assured.

The DG however suggested to the insurance fund to make similar sensitization visit to Universal Basic Education (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) among other stake holders due to their influence to ensure teachers key into the scheme.

Present at the courtesy call were Executive Management of the NTI and other principal staff.

short news

By Chika Mefor, Abuja

Minister Donates 13 Vehicles To Boost Jonathan Campaign

Court Fixes Feb 11 For Fresh Suit Against Jonathan The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the service of court processes on President Goodluck Jonathan in a fresh suit filed by four senior citizens seeking his disqualifications from the February 14 presidential election.

The plaintiffs, Professor Tunde Samuel, Dr Junaid Mohammed, Mr Razak Adeosun and Yahaya Ezeemoo Ndu, prayed the court to restrain President Jonathan from contesting the office of the President of Nigeria in the general elections.

The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Yusuf Ali (SAN), who led other five SANs are contending that by the provisions of Sections 135 and 145 of the 1999 constitution, Jonathan is not eligible to contest for the election having taking oath of office as president more than twice.

The court however fixed February 11 for accelerated hearing.

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

‘Malnutrition Responsible For 50% Of Deaths Among Children’

Out of the estimated one million under-five deaths that occur in Nigeria annually, malnutrition directly or indirectly accounts for about a half of these deaths.

The national programme manager of Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday saying that children are suffering the dire consequences of the conflict in the north as they lose their homes; miss out in school and risk their lives.

He said “Almost 30 per cent of Nigerian children are underweight, meaning they don’t weigh enough for their ages”, adding that, “the percentage of children who are wasted or too thin for their heights has also steadily increased.”

By Winifred Ogbebo And Victor Okeke, Abuja

L-R: Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola SAN, discussing with the assistant Inspector- General of Police, Zone II, Mr Joseph Mbu (left) during his courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Ikeja, yesterday.

Kano To Support Fagge LG In Free Health Care Delivery

By Abubakar, Salihi, Kano

The deputy governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has promised that the state government will support Fagge local government in the provision of free health care.

He made the assertion at the launching of the distribution of hospital equipment and consumables worth

N15 million purchased by the local government and distributed to all primary health centres.

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje expressed government’s appreciation to the council for equipping all hospitals with modern working tools.

Highlighted that it will not only provide succor to patients of the Local Government, but will also decon-

gest General Hospitals being managed by the State Government.

He then assured Fagge Local Government of the State Government’s commitment to upgrade and expand some primary health care centers to general hospitals in the area to complement its efforts of assisting citizens in the area of accessing affordable health care services.

Elections: Police Counter-terrorism Unit To Guard INEC Officials

By CHIKA OTUCHIKERE, Abuja

The Nigeria Police have concluded arrangements to deploy its Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) to guard officials and materials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Force Public Relations Officer, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu made this known yesterday in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, in which he said operatives of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) would also

provide special security for the electoral officials and the ad-hoc staff during and after the elections.

Ojukwu who said the police high command had put in place strategies to ensure free and fair polls also allayed the fears of the general public of any unpleasant occurrence during the period of the election.

“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Suleiman Abba has directed Special Forces in the Police, which include officers and men of Special Protection Unit (SPU) and Coun-

ter Terrorism Unit (CTU) to provide special security for INEC materials and officials as well as its ad-hoc staff during and after February, 2015 general elections.

“The IGP stated this while appraising the preparations for general elections during a briefing with senior officers in Abuja. This directive further demonstrates the readiness and the resolve of Nigeria Police Force to protect our nascent democracy and to ensure hitch free and credible general election.

Minister of transport, Senator Idris Umar, yesterday donated 13 operational vehicles to President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign office in Gombe State.

Handing over the vehicles through the state coordinator, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo at the Jonathan campaign office in Gombe, the Umar commended the coordinator and his team for their boldness and strong determination to see to the success of Jonathan in the February 14 presidential poll.

He assured the coordinator of their continous support at all times. Highlight of the event were the presentation of the operational vehicles to each of the 11 Local Governments in the state and two for the state campaign headquaters.

By Ebriku John Friday, Abuja

“It was equally restated by the Police High Command that some of the strategies put in place to ensure free and fair polls in February 2015 by Nigeria Police Force are already being implemented.

“It also allays the fears of the members of the public before, during and after the general elections as they are enjoined to fully collaborate with the police and report any suspicious movement in their areas to the nearest police station,” Ojukwu said.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

business

BDCs Get $30,000 Special Intervention From CBN

By Bukola Idowu, Lagos

As it continues to find ways to tackle the illiquidity in the foreign exchange market and the prevalent pressure on the naira, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it would sell $30,000 to bureau de change (BDC) operators in a special intervention on February 6, 2015.

This is aside its weekly foreign exchange sales to the bureaux de change (BDCs).

The apex bank had commenced increased dollar sales to the BDCs last week Wednesday as pressures on the naira continue to amount at the parallel market with the Nigerian currency selling at N211 to the dollar on the streets.

The naira, which added value on Monday at the CBN and oil companies dollar sales to sell at N188 to the dollar at the interbank market, sold at N189.6 at the interbank yesterday and N211 at the bureaux de change. The CBN,

in a circular issued yesterday to all authorised dealers and the BDCs and signed by the director, Trade and Exchange Department, Olakanmi Gbadamosi, stated that “in order to improve the liquidity in the BDC segment of the foreign exchange market, the CBN will be intervening in the market by selling $30,000 to interested BDCs on friday, February 6, 2015.

“This is in addition to the weekly sales to the operators.

Interested BDC operators are therefore advised to fund their

NEWS/BUSINESS 11

$300m

Amoun of increase in First Bank Brand value

accounts on or before Wednesday, February 4, 2015, before the proposed intervention.”

Speaking to LEADERSHIP on the proposed intervention, the chief executive of Sabil BDC, Aminu Gwadabe, described the development as a good one and one that would improve the value of the naira at the parallel market, adding that the CBN should maintain the tempo of forex supply so as to stabilise the value of the naira at the BDC segment.

BUSINESS QUOTE The difference between a topflight creative man and the hack is his ability to express powerful meanings indirectly.

Vance Packard, writer (1914-96)

4 Banks Move Up On Top 500 Banking Brands

BY Bukola Idowu, Lagos

Four Nigerian banks, First Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Access Bank, have moved up on the global banking brands by The Banker magazine of Financial Times and Brand Finance, London, United Kingdom, in their annual 2015 The Top 500 Banking Brands.

According to a press release signed by the Nigeria country representative of the magazine, Mr Kunle Ogedengbe, First Bank for the fourth consecutive year ranked number one in Nigeria and moves from number 382 in 2014 to 336 this year.

Also Zenith Bank moved to number 388 from 453 in 2014, Guaranty Trust Bank moved to 417 from 422 while Access Bank made its first entry into the ranking.

Brand value of First Bank increases to $300 million in

2015 from $228 in 2014 and according to the Economics editor of the magazine, Silvia Pavoni, the brand value is “the licensing rate that a third-party would need to pay to use that company’s brand.”

Commenting on the methodology of the ranking, Pavoni said Brand Finance obtained brand-specific financial and revenue data; modeled the market to identify market demand and the position of individual banks in the context of all other market competitors; established the royalty rate for each bank; calculated the discount rate specific to each bank, taking account of its size, geographical presence, reputation, gearing and brand rating and discounted future royalty stream (explicit forecast and L-R: Group managing director/chief executive officer (CEO), Diamond Bank Plc, Mr Uzoma Dozie; CEO, Nigerian Stock perpetuity periods) to a net Exchange (NSE), Mr Oscar N. Onyema; chairman, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Chris Ogbechie and executive director, Business present value which is the Development, (NSE), Mr Haruna Jalo-Waziri at the closing ceremony of the bank at the NSE, yesterday. PHOTO BY BENEDICT UWALAKA brand value.

Gwarzo Restates Commitment To Dematerialisation Of Share Certificates

by OLUSHOLA BELLO, Lagos

As part of measures to boost investors’ confidence in the Nigerian capital market, the acting director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo, has restated the commission’s commitment to dematerialisation.

Gwarzo gave the assurance yesterday in Abuja at the visit of the management of the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) at the commission’s head office.

Dematerialisation refers to the conversion of share certificates to an electronic form which is domiciled directly with the CSCS. Gwarzo admitted that the CSCS plays a very critical role in the capital market and disclosed that the SEC is now ready to conclude the dematerialisation process in the market. According to him, “We have already commenced the dematerialisation process; we are ready to work with stakeholders to ensure that we conclude the process and we will be

in the market in the next few weeks to tell people to open their accounts, sort out the issues with e-dividend and get ready for dematerialisation. We will make use of radio jingles, newspaper adverts, among other enlightenment tools.”

Gwarzo re-emphasised that public enlightenment is critical and that after them, all stakeholders can then work on other parts of the issue to bring it to a conclusion. He also announced that in the next few weeks, the commission

will launch its complaints management framework so that issues can be handled from the lowest levels to the top Speaking earlier, the managing director/chief executive officer (CEO) of the CSCS, Kyari Buka, assured the commission of its full co-operation and support to its initiatives. He said, “Sustainability of the regulatory agency is one of the things dear to us.

Our hope and belief is that even in acting capacity things will continue and there will be sustainability of the entity. The

regulatory framework that has been started will continue.

“Dematerialisation is one of the things very important to us. We very strongly believe that many of the things that have happened have something to do with dematerialisation. If share certificates are in electronic form, many of the issues relating to the paper certificates will not arise.”

Follow these reports on leadership.ng/business

12 NEWS/BUSINESS

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

ICPC To Introduce Compliance Scorecards

BY Kingsley Alu, Abuja

As part of efforts towards ensuring compliance with ethical conducts in public institutions, there are strong indications that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) will introduce an Ethics and Compliance Scorecard for use in ministries, departments and agencies of government soon.

The indications emerged at the end of a 2-day Stakeholders’ Validation Meeting on the ICPC Ethics and Compliance Scorecard in Abuja, powered by the ‘Justice For All’ of the British Council.

Earlier in his remarks, the anticorruption manager of the ‘Justice For All’, Emmanuel Uche, reiterated the commitment of the council to the strengthening of the institutional mechanisms against corruption in Nigeria. He described the scorecard as critical to the assessment of the extent of compliance of public institutions to ethics in Nigeria.

“The 2-day event is part of Justice for All’s support towards strengthening Nigeria’s work in the area of anti-corruption and coordination among different agencies working in the justice sector. It is supported by the DFID and aimed at providing assistance to the ICPC to review its draft Ethics and Compliance Scorecard. The scorecard is an

instrument of the ICPC to access the level of corruption and vulnerability of MDAs in Nigeria and will help to strengthen their systems, processes, procedures and mechanisms to ensure that there is reduced vulnerability and the risk for corruption within the ministries.

“The Compliance Scorecard will basically help the ICPC to check the level of exposure of these MDAs to corruption and, therefore, be able to proactively check areas where corruption may likely happen. Nigeria has jumped into the pit of corruption.

Coming out of it will require a lot of work, commitment and time. A lot of things need to be put in place and that is what we are putting in place.

“When fully implemented, just like the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Nigerians can look forward to an annual scorecard that shows the comparative level of vulnerability and corruption risk exposure of MDAs of the government in Nigeria.

The philosophy is the same with the Transparency International Corruption Index. The scorecard is, however, not based on perceptions, but real assessments,” Uche said.

Lending her voice, a corruption prevention expert, Isabella Igbokwe, described the scorecard as geared towards enhancing the preventive capacity of the anti-corruption agencies through systems’ review.

According to her, the tool would enable the ICPC to have a platform to assess the MDAs comparatively, with the view to finding out their level of compliance with institutional mandate and accountability issues.

“It will create a platform for comparison on the corruption levels of the MDAs. This will help them sit up and strengthen their capacities.

It will be compulsory for all MDAs to implement it,” she said.

Sh, however, advised the anti corruption agencies in the country to sit up and lead by example, describing them as not left out in the assessment.

While encouraging anti-corruption agencies to be proactive in their operations, instead of waiting for petitions from the public, she said the scorecard would help set standards for performance.

Other organisations present at the event were the National Planning Commission, Sure-P, ministries of aviation, interior, works and the office of the Head of Service of the Federation. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that participated in the meeting are Integrity Nigeria, Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption (MIIVOC), Center for Citizens’ Awareness (CCA), Say no Campaign, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), among others.

Stock Market Sustains Upward Trend

By Olushola Bello, Lagos

The Nigerian stock market sustained its upward trend with a further gain of 0.46 per cent despite sell-offs in defensive stocks such as Nigerian Breweries, Forte Oil and Dangote Cement.

The All-Share Index rose by 136.07 points or 0.46 per cent to close at 30,018.35 from the 29,882.28 achieved on Monday.

Also, the market capitalisation, which opened at N9.953 trillion, appreciated N46 billion to close at N9.999 trillion.

Seven Up led the gainers’ chart by N6.50, to close at N157.20 per share. Wapco gained N2.01 to close at N86, while Guaranty Trust Bank grew by N1.02 to close at N21.51 per share.Nestle appreciated by N1 to close at N805 while UAC Property went up by 86 kobo to close at N9.99 per share.

On the other hand, Nigerian Breweries recorded the highest price loss of N3 to close at N146 per share. Forte Oil trailed

with a loss of N1.60 to close at N221.45 while Dangote Cement dipped by 70 kobo to close at N157 per share.

Union Dicon lost 69 kobo to close at N13.11 while Unilever depreciated by 32 kobo to close at N34.08 per share.

In all, the volume of shares traded increased by 55.71 per cent as investors exchanged a total of 396.808 million shares worth N3.81 billion in 4,885 deals as against the 254.843 million shares valued at N3.25 billion traded in 5,501 deals on Monday. Dangote Sugar emerged as the investors’ delight, accounting for 86.48 million shares worth N709.57 million. Access Bank exchanged 57.15 million shares valued at N301.72 million while FBN Holdings sold 53.13 million shares worth 372.11 million. Diamond Bank exchanged 37.69 million shares valued at N136.86 million, while Zenith Bank sold 29.22 million worth N485.15 million.

2015 NIGERIAdecides 10

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

COUNTDO W

THE CAMPAIGN FALLOUTS, THRILLS & FRILLS

www.election2015.leadership.ng

The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation has said it is ready to defend the eligibility of its presidential candidate, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest the February 14, presidential election in court.

Director of Legal Affairs of the campaign, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode SAN, said this while reacting to a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The plaintiffs in the suit which include Prof. Tunde Samuel, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Mr. Razak Adeosun and Yahaya Ezemoo, are asking the court to stop Dr. Jonathan from contesting, putting himself forward and/or accepting to contest for the office of President, Federal Republic of Nigeria at the 2015 presidential election.

But Kayode described the suit as a political game play being played for the umpteenth time, affirming that “we will meet in court” saying that the case is a flagrant and desperate abuse of court process.

He argued however that the main issue over Jonathan’s eligibility is not about taking Oaths of office but about being elected, stressing that to be

The kernel of Section 135(2) relates to the date of taking oath of office of any president, alive or dead.

This provision reiterates the four-year tenure of an elected president, and no more

DAYS T OG

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Eligibility Suit Against Jonathan: We Are Ready For Legal Battle – PDP

Fani-Kayode

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qualified to contest, a person must not have been elected as president on any two previous elections.

The lawyer lamented that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is being forced and tricked into violating the law by doing electronic voting using the card reader for the election, saying it violates Section 52 Electoral Act, which provides for open secret ballot system.

Expressing the resolve of the campaign team to defend their presidential candidate, Kayode said “even though, President Jonathan was sworn in as President in 2010 by the operation of the Constitution (sections 146(1), it was mainly to conclude President Yar ‘Adua’s tenure,not to serve a four year elected tenure. That tenure expired on May 29th 2011, when, if Yar’Adua were alive, he would have had to vacate office. Unless of course if he had secured a second term mandate.

“The kernel of Section 135(2) relates to the date of taking oath of office of any president, alive or dead. This provision reiterates the four-year tenure of an elected president, and no more.

A presidency expires after every four years, irrespective of who started or concluded the tenure.

Thus Section 135(2) of the 1999 Constitution relates to the tenure of an elected president or the vicepresident who may conclude the tenure where the elected president could not conclude his tenure. That is the purpose of Section135 (2).

“The other constitutional issue is the meaning that may be given to Section 137(1) (b) which provides: “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President, if (b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections”.

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

Oyegun

Call For Postponement Of Election IllConceived The Women wing of Katsina state chapter of All Progressive Congress (APC) has flayed the call for postponement of forth coming polls describing it as ill concieved and deliberate attempt to set the nation many steps backward.

Speaking in Daura, during a rally organised by APC Women Presidential Campaign Initiatives, the Katsina APC Women leader, Safiya Mamman Daura said those championing postponement of the elections are against change and so do not mean well for the nation.

She insisted that women, as wives and mothers, have continued to bear the brunt of the on going mayhem by Boko Haram and other harsh policies of present government stressing that the women folk are most desirous of change.

Mrs Daura enjoined women to guard their voters card and ensured they vote on election days “so as to help bend the arc of the nation’s history in a direction that will ensure good future for us and our children including generation yet unborn” In a brief speech, the Katsina State Cordinator of APC Women Presidential Campaign Initiatives, Ambaru Sani Wali, said the rally aimed to emphasised the need for women to support current efforts for change in the nation.

By Muazu Elazeh Katsina

Nasarawa PDP Guber Candidate To Create 15,000 Jobs In 6 Months The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nasarawa State, Alhaji Yusuf Agabi, has promised to create more than 15, 000 jobs in the first 6 months if elected as the governor in February 28 elections.

Agabi made the promise in Panda Development Area of the state during the PDP campaign rally in the area.

Agabi said if elected his administration will create employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the state so as to reduce the unemployment rate in the state.

Agabi explained that his administration will fully engage the youths in its activities and provide a platform for them to harness their potentials.

“My administration has designed a template that will work with the youths to move the state forward and ensure that the youths are fully equipped to be self reliant”.

He explained that local government areas in the state will be given a mandate to create small scale industries that will absorb the youths and enable them fully realize their potentials.

By Donatus Nadi, Lafia

Agabi

FACTCHECKER Nigeria Election Tensions Rise Specter of Break-Up As Nigeria approaches its most divisive and closely fought election since the end of military rule in 1999, its leaders are having to reassure voters that Africa’s most populous nation will remain in one piece. The Feb. 14 vote pitting President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian popular in his southern oil-producing Niger Delta region and in the east, against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim favored in the north and religiously mixed

southwest, is already proving violent, with the electorate in Africa’s biggest economy more polarized than for decades. “Despite the much-vaunted fear that our nation may not survive the elections ... I remain optimistic that we have ... the maturity to rise above the challenges,” Senate President David Mark told parliament last week.

“Our nation will not disintegrate after the elections.” Ever since 1914, when Britain carved Nigeria out of a swathe of West

Africa that was home to diverse peoples speaking more than 500 languages, it has been dogged by the question of how viable it is as a unified nation state. However, most analysts say that even if serious bloodshed follows the election, as many expect, the worst-case scenario of a break-up of a country of 180 million people remains unlikely. “Nigeria has an enormous capacity to absorb risk,” the International Crisis Group’s Africa director Comfort Ero said.

“While there are significant concerns about the elections, we are not predicting breakup.” However, she added that the republic was “in deep trouble, probably more than at any time since the end of military rule ... or even the civil war.” The last time a bit of Nigeria tried to secede, it triggered the 1960s Biafra civil war in which more than a million people died. After that it seemed Nigerians were better off together.

Culled From Reuters

14 NIGERIA DECIDES NUMBERS 1– Nigeria has had one prime minister in its history, Tafawa Balewa

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Rally Against Multiple Candidacy

5 – Number of civilian President Nigeria has had 5 – Number of the country ‘s president or Head of state to die in office 8 – Number of Military Head of state Nigeria has had since independence 9 – Number of years General Yakubu Gowon stayed as head of state 11 – Number of years General Olusegun Obasanjo stayed as head of state, both as a military and civilian president

Coalition of Anambra Youths protesting against multiple candidates at INEC headquarters in Awka yesterday photo by nan

Youths Are Experienced Enough To Assume Leadership In Nigeria – Nasko The Niger State PDP Gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Umar Nasko has posited that contrary to the belief in some quarters youths are not inexperienced and incapable of handling leadership positions.

Nasko made his position known yesterday while receiving Grand Peace Award from the Commonwealth Youth Council CYC presented by the president of the Council, Comrade Ahmed Adamu. He said it was in realisation of the capabilities of the youths that the People Democratic Party PDP always give youths consideration adding that the party is the only party that have given youths the opportunity to aspire for

INECWATCH

leadership offices in the country unhindered.

To reciprocate this gesture Nasko appealed to the youths to avoid anything that will bring violence and that no matter the level of provocation, the youths should resolve not to be provoked.

He declared “I want to remind all the youths that we will be provoked but we have to resolve that we shall not be provoked.

We have to resolve that we will be peaceful, use our voting power wisely and are of good conduct.”

Consequently he pledged to live up to the expectations and aspirations of the youths and that he will uphold the trust and confidence of the leaders and elders in the country saying

We have to resolve that we will be peaceful, use our voting power wisely

“I accept this award with all sense of responsibility, it is a big weight and I believe that I will not let the 1.2 billion youths in the Commonwealth Youths Council down. I will not disappoint you.”

Meanwhile the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) President has called on youths in the country not to allow them to be used in any kind of election violence urging them to work towards ensuring the election is conducted peacefully.

According to him, the forum is working towards ensuring that no youth or citizen of the country is killed because of politics stressing that the youths are the ones to ensure peaceful elections in the country.

by Abu Nmodu

QUOTES

➔General Muhammadu Buhari Corruption affects our ability to secure ourselves and it also undermines the performance of the economy,”When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Federal Commissioner for Finance, we did not borrow money to fight the civil war.

But they rushed to the National Assembly to borrow N1billion to fight Boko Haram.”

We are here to further strategise on how to allay the fears of members of the public, in particular that of the electorate with regards to the exercise of their franchise. I want to say without any hesitation that the police are prepared and would continue to do everything to provide security for the general public.

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba “Politicians should observe and assist law enforcement officers in making sure that violence do not take place; they should even hand over their members who are involved in violence.

They should make resolution not to seek for the release of their members who are arrested for violence. All these are provided in their code of conduct; so, it is a collective responsibility of all

PVCs: Group Protests At INEC Office

Despite the assurances by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) that all the Permanent Voter Cards,(PVCs) for the elections are ready, a youth group has protested at the headquarters of the electoral commission demanding a postponement of the election over concerns that the many eligible voters will not get their cards to vote before the election day.

The group, under the aegis of Forum for Democratic Change,FDC, led by its National

coordinator, Solomon Chuks, claim that going ahead with the election this month,will disenfranchise Nigerians.

Chucks,who presented the group’s protest letter to the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said “the PVC which is supposed to be one of the instruments of votes has not been fully circulated around Nigeria.

“Those people who actually remain under scorching sun to sign their names for these PVCs have not gotten these things,

yet elections are fast approaching,”he said.

He continued, “I want to correct one impression. This is not a protest. It is a procession to register the grievances of the Nigerian masses as regards the coming election.

The Nigerian masses believe that what is worth doing is worth doing well.”

The group, which met at the Unity Fountain, in Abuja, matched to the INEC headquarters, holding banners and placards that advocate for the election postpone-

ment.

Some of the placards raised by the marching youths had inscriptions such as: “An injustice to one is an injustice to all; “INEC do the right thing”; “We demand for the extension of election to allow Nigerians exercise their franchise”; “Election is for general participation, not for selective few”;Don’t disenfranchise Nigerians” among others.

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

NIGERIA DECIDES 15

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Thousands Of Pvcs Unclaimed In Jonathan’s community In Bayelsa Thousands of Permanent Voter Cards at the home community of President Goodluck Jonathan were yesterday identified as being among the over 30,000 voters cards tagged as unclaimed in the 502 wards of the existing Eight Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had last week expressed concern over rising voters aparthy to the collection of the Permanent Voters Card in the state with a over 30,000 estimated voters yet to claim their cards.

Leadership investigation showed that the apathy among voters was caused by lack of access to places where they registered and the

failure of the political leaders to provide logistics for easy transportation to communities where they registered.

While many indigenes of the coastal communities of Ekeremor, Nembe, Southern Ijaw and Brass blamed the officials of the State Government of playing lip service to the issue of collection of permanent voters card, others said if the state government and its officials had shown the same zeal which was shown during

voices

registration ,every voters would have claimed their cards.

Leadership visit to Otuoke community yesterday to monitor the collection of voters card showed that the existing polling units, including Polling Unit 39, where the President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to vote, is characterized by voters apathy.

A check at a collection centre located after the Community Hall showed an estimated 1,200 cards yet unclaimed. According to an indigene, the permanent voter cards are made up of polling units numbered 17, 37,28,25,20,21.

While many copies of Permanent Voters Card belonging to the protocol and security aides of the President were sighted at the collection centre, others including the Permanent Voters card belonging to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Bolade Igali were said to be missing as it has not be supplied by INEC. Some of the kinsmen of President Goodluck Jonathan in Otuoke community called on the President to use the February 5th Presidential Rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State to allow his aides and friends that registered in the community to claim their voters card.

Osa Okhomina, Yenagoa

PDP On Course For VictoryMu’azu

Mu’azu

“As our robust and issue-based campaign goes into its final week, the Peoples Democratic Party is very much on course for a deserved victory at the forthcoming polls.

We have put our best foot forward and in reviewing the campaign tour so far, I have no reason to doubt that victory will be the reward of our hard work,” “When the campaign started, it was clear that the opposition had gone far in distorting the achievements of our great party.

When they shout ‘change’, they don’t tell Nigerians what they want to change. Do they want to change the sound educational policy of the PDP which has been hailed all around the country as the route to transformation of the country’s democratic institutions?

In the north, the popularity of our Almajiri schools system has finally solved the educational backwardness in the three zones of the giant north. We shall follow this up with a revolution of the normadic education system started positively by the Babangida regime in the 1980’s and we would have wiped out ignorance.

“On insurgency, positive results are emerging from the

combined forces of our neighbours who have realised that Boko Haram is not just a threat to Nigeria, but also a major regional threat and the need for a combined effort to wipe out this al Qaeda-inspired menace should be dealt a fatal blow by a combined regional force. What will APC change in tackling insurgency as they have claimed every day of the campaign? Absolutely nothing!

All that they will change is that they will apply their propaganda expertise and confuse Nigerians even more.

“The PDP juggernaut is up, running and is unstoppable.

Political campaigning is not about mounting the soap box and shouting APC Change! APC Change! Change without proper analysis and costing is simply time wasting. I expect that the APC should have handed down what their budget would look like this year if they won, and show Nigerians where they will get the money to finance their mountain of promises, but nothing of the sort has yet happened as campaign closes.

“This is the least that Nigerians deserve, not a conglomeration of failed political parties with nothing to offer than to promise heaven and earth. If the PDP was merely lily-livered, it should have collapsed with all the poaching of our best brains and the defection of our members. Yes we were knocked down, but we are not out.

We have in fact stood up to their challenge and now pummeling them to submission.

trending @Zahra_Buhari: President GEJ and his team making a big deal of GMB not attending THEIR debate, should ask themselves why GEJ boycotted the 2011 debate Jonathan

ANSWERS

1.

General Ibrahim Babangida spent how many years in office?

2.

3.

Who is Nigeria ‘s first and only prime minister?

Nigeria Civil war lasted how

4.

many years?

Interim President Ernest Shonekan spent how many years

5.

in office?

Who is the first minister of the Federal Capital Territory?

1. 8.

2. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa 3. 2 years, 6 months 4. 3 months 5.John Jatau Kadiya

QUIZ TEST YOUR POLITICAL IQQ

@DrLotenna: Just look at all the shallow so-called achievements that these #GEJVictory2015 people are trying to sell Jonathan with. We can’t be fooled! @doyinokupe: Buhari will not debate anywhere. Reason:All the organisers are compromised according to him. @Princekunle: “@SegunObasanjo: GEJ and AIT went after Buhari’s late wife and daughter. How low can

Jonathan get ?” That’s ridiculous and irresponsible. @vonapochi: Why ‘ll @ buhariosinbajo refuse to participate in a presidential debate or afraid to lose political points @abati1990 @ renoomokri @doyinokupe @PdpNigeria: GMB never executed any in the region when he was head of state and has so far failed to articulate an acceptable blue-print for development.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

2015,

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES LIMITED

c

(A SUBSIDIARY OF LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS GROUP)

2015 ANNUAL

CONFERENCE & AWARDS CEREMONY Chairman PRINCE JULIUS ADELUSI-ADELUYI Former Minister of Health and Chairman, Juli Pharmacy Plc.

Royal Father Of The Day HRH. ALHAJI (DR.) YAHAYA ABUBAKAR CFR Etsu Nupe

Keynote Speaker PROF. IBRAHIM GAMBARI

Former Nigerian Permanent Representative To The United Nations

Theme: “Reclaiming Nigeria: A Pathway” STAR AWARDS 2014 LEADERSHIP PERSON OF THE YEAR Chief Olusegun Obasanjo LEADERSHIP GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR Alh. Kashim Shettima

LEADERSHIP POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR Gov. Tanko Al-Makura LEADERSHIP BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR Adewale Jubril Tinubu

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2014

LEADERSHIP CEO OF THE YEAR Benedict Peters Founder, Aiteo Group LEADERSHIP COMPANY OF THE YEAR Stallion Group LEADERSHIP BANK OF THE YEAR Jaiz Bank LEADERSHIP BANKER OF THE YEAR Henry James Semenitari MD/CEO, Unity Bank LEADERSHIP GOVERNMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria SMEDAN

LEADERSHIP PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Innoson Vehicle LEADERSHIP MICROFINANCE BANK OF THE YEAR Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc. LEADERSHIP PUBLIC OFFICER OF THE YEAR Gimba Ya’u Kumo MD/CEO, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria LEADERSHIP BRAND OF THE YEAR Brains and Hammers LEADERSHIP ARTISTE OF THE YEAR Ali Nuhu LEADERSHIP YOUNG PERSONS OF THE YEAR The Chibok Girls LEADERSHIP SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR Asisat Oshoala

Venue: Sheraton Abuja Hotel Time: 9:00am Date: February 5th, 2015

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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20 NEWS/BUSINESS

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Airlines Operating Without Nigerian Pilots Will Be Grounded– Minister

BY Samson Echenim, Lagos

The minister of aviation, Osita Chidoka, in an speech, yesterday, said the federal government has stopped all aircraft registered as private from doing charter services and other commercial operations.

Chidoka, who reeled out a series of important reformative actions of the ministry under his

leadership said any private airline doing commercial operations without regularising its operations before February 5, 2015, would be grounded by the regulators.

The minister, who stated the reforms in a keynote address at a ceremony shortly before the unveiling of the Aviation Commits, a reformative customercentric initiative, also directed that all airlines

operating in Nigeria without a Nigerian pilot in its crew by July 1, 2015, would also be grounded, as he said airlines can now operate round-the-clock and no longer limited by time.

As part of the aviation reforms, all agricultural products exports are to be exempted from paying the five per cent cargo charge. Also, all domestic airlines would be required

to train their pilots yearly as they would only get their Airline Operators’ Certificate (AOC) renewed on a satisfactory plan for training their pilots, in addition to other existing requirements.

The minister said, “By the February 5, 2015, all private registered aircrafts in general aviation operation which also provide commercial services will be grounded

by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). “We will publish their names and we are saying that none of them will be on our airspace if they do not regularise their operations. We hope they will all come under this regulatory purview.”

He said the ministry will also harmonise charges to avoid multiplication of levies. He also said the Aviation Commits

initiative is a customercentric step by the ministry to “bring back the customer.”

The initiative will be a campaign to create awareness on the passengers’ bill of right. “It is aimed at re-packaging, re-branding and redirecting the aviation industry in Nigeria towards enhanced service delivery and customer satisfaction,” the minister said.

FG TO Develop Diary Production Zones

BY Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja

The minister of agriculture and rural development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has proposed the establishment of dairy production zones with a view to operating a modern dairy system that would increase milk production in Nigeria.

The minister made the proposal over the weekend when the Management of Friesland Campina WAMCO paid him a courtesy visit at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the director of Press, Tony Ohiare, and made available to Leadership yesterday, it revealed that the minister suggested the need to establish a Dairy College where people can learn to be dairy farmers.

He said, “We need to create a young generation of dairy farmers and young entrepreneurs and the ministry would be willing to set up young dairy farmers with funding support.”

Adesina commended WAMCO for scaling up their milk production from 100,000 litres to 2.2 million litres, adding that Nigeria has no business importing milk rather than producing it. He proposed the creation of two dairy production zones in any of the 14 staple crops processing zones (SCPZ), and assured the readiness of the ministry to provide the necessary infrastructures.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

P RO P ERTY

Open Defecation Bane To Achieving Healthy Enviroment Page 22

Feature

Housing: Promoting Investment Will Boost Economy Page 23

News NITP Mulls Land Use Platforms To Tackle Insecurity , Fraud NESREA: Acting DG Promises To Build On Good Legacy Stakeholders Knock Free Cookstoves, Urge Local Production

22 HOMES & PROPERTY

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Open Defecation Bane To Achieving Healthy Enviroment

By Patience Iive Ihejirika, Abuja

Lack of access to toilets is quite literally killing children, making adult sick, and slowing progress day after day

The lack of toilet facilities and indiscriminate disposal of faeces on the environment has remained a threat to the health and general well-being Nigerians.

This menace has been identified as a major cause of cholera and other diseases, leading to the death of over 10 million children under the age of five since year 2000.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88 per cent of cases of diarrhoea are caused by lack of access to basic sanitation, unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene provision. Globally, over 12million children are estimated to have died from 2000 to 2013 because of diarrhoea diseases, of these deaths, 10.6million have resulted from lack of these services.

A recent survey has revealed that globally, 2.5 billion people still lack access to sanitation, causing water sources, homes and surrounding environments to become contaminated and contributing to poor health and preventable child death.

According to a World Bank report, Nigeria loses N455 Billion (equivalent to US43billion) annually due to inadequate sanitation, equivalent to 1.3 per cent of the country’s GDP. It has been estimated that meeting the MDG targets on

water and sanitation alone would save 3.2billion adult working days and 443 million school days annually, increasing workforce productivity and long-term earning potential, particularly for girls.

In an open letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban KI moon in 2014, with signatories representing over 620,000 health professionals globally, it was highlighted that without basic sanitation, children have no choice but to live and play in areas contaminated by human waste.

The letter hinted that seven out of ten children in Nigeria do not have access to a basic toilet, which alongside unsafe drinking water and a lack of hygiene services, contributes to three of the main killers of children.

WaterAid Nigeria Country Representative, Dr. Micheal Ojo, has said that the danger of poor sanitation and dirty water have been known for around 150 years, yet 121 million people (about 72 percent of the population ) do not have access to toilet in Nigeria and nearly 40 million still defecate in the open.

He noted that this lack of access to basic sanitation harms the health of children and often leaves a lifetime legacy of disease and poverty.

“Those children need our government to collectively step up and commit that by 2030

Men defecating openly in drainage.

no home, hospital or school will be without a toilet and clean water.” He stressed.

The Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF Nigeria, Kannan Nadar, noted that “access to toilet remains the unmentionable, shameful secret for even some very prosperous countries, but its invisibility doesn’t make it harmless; in fact, it is quite the reserve.

Lack of access to toilets is quite literally killing children, making adult sick, and slowing progress day after day”.

Nadar called on states, communities and individuals, principally to bring the taboo subject of toilets and open defecation from the shadows and discuss it frankly, and agree on talking the problem.

However, in spite of the efforts of various relevant bodies towards ensuring that the menace becomes a thing of the past, open defecation remains a challenge in the country.

In a visit to Dangbayan community in Jikwoyi, FCT, it was discovered that over 50 per cent of the houses in the community do not have access to toilet facility.

In Dangbanya, open defecation is a common practice and the people do not see the need for toilet facility because to them, there is nothing wrong in defecating opening in their environment.

One of the residents who is also an indigene of the community, Amina Dauda, said, “It is not as if we are dirty people or that we do not want to provide toilet facilities in our houses but you see, this is our tradition, our parent did not make use of toilet, we grow up seeing them defecating in buses around our home, so we have simply taken after our parents and I don’t think there is something with that.”

Another resident, John Isua, said he personally prefers to defecate outside. His reason being that it saves him the stress of going to fetch water for the sake of flushing toilet This is a similar situation in almost every other community in the FCT and across the country. The ugly situation further dwindle Nigerians hope of overcoming deaths and diseases resulting from poor hygiene and sanitation.

HOMES & PROPERTY 23

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Housing: Promoting Investment Will Boost Economy

By GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos

Until recently, the truth is that Nigeria government and stakeholders seemed not to have really recognised the initiative as a driving force for fast tracking national development

For any investor that clearly understands the dynamics of the Nigerian economy, the real estate sector is a viable sector to invest.

The country has tremendous investments opportunities, given its natural and human resource abundance.

The only reason experts feel the reverse had been the case over the years is because the potential of Public, Private, Partnership initiative, which holds the key to the nation’s emergence as one of the greatest economies in the world in the next decade has not been fully tapped.

Until recently, the truth is that Nigeria government and stakeholders seemed not to have really recognised the initiative as a driving force for fast tracking national development.

According to professionals, the missing link has been responsible for lack of constructive engagement between the government and the private sector to achieve its policy objectives.

But recent successes recorded in mass housing delivery using the Private Public Partnership option in the country seems to indicate that some kind of national economic healing is underway.

Faced with the daunting challenges of delivering housing units and good infrastructure to majority of the of its populace , the present government in Nigeria both at state and Federal Government levels more than ever before in the anal of the nation’s history embraced the Public Private Partnership (PPP) option in infrastructural development.

The concept designed to involve the private sector in the provision of infrastructure like housing, roads has paid off both at state and federal levels.

For instance, the Lagos State Government has recorded its first lease-to-own housing scheme and it was inaugurated not long ago by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola .

The first phase of the Co-operative Home Ownership Incentive Scheme (CHOIS) City residential estate in Agbowa-Ikosi is demon-

stration of how smart investment from the private sector in housing can bridge housing deficit.

The initiative, which comprises 280 two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 180 three-bedroom semi-detached, is private sector initiative aimed at addressing the housing deficit in the state.

The feat has been well acknowledged because it also represents government’s first step in its planned lease-to-own scheme.

According to Lagos State Governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola the project is a partnership between state government and First World Communities and it is expected to provide 10,000 homes to complement government’s effort in community development under the Cooperative Home Ownership Incentive Scheme (CHOIS).

He explained that the ability to become a landlord in this initiative will be tied to the occupant’s income, pointing out that there are many people in the society who need a home and can get loan from their employers.

Fashola said such people have been hampered because there are no houses to buy, while some also need the support of government to become landlord.

“This is what the Lagos State Mortgage Homes and CHOIS City are meant to address. This is our first establishment of leaseto-own that involves gradual payment in which after 15 years, one will become the owner,” Fashola explained.

Haring on how it works, the private developer of the scheme and President of First World Communities, Brig-Gen Tunde Reis, (rtd), said the first phase of the project, comprising 10,000 homes.

He said it would be built across the three senatorial districts of Lagos State, with the core aim of delivering housing for the low and medium income households in sustainable communities through lease-to-own schemes.

According to him, “The pilot project, CHOIS Garden, developed at Abijo Government Reservation Area (GRA) along the Lekki-Epe Expressway is to have

An estate in Abuja

over 2,000 homes with over 500 already built and allocated. Agbowa’s target is 4,000 homes, Epe-Ibeju is 1,000 while Badagry axis is to cover 3,000 homes. All in such a way that ability to afford it is tied to one’s income and continued prosperity.”

Reis said an advantage of this scheme is the ease of payment available to prospective owner, saying once a prospective buyer pays 10 per cent of the total purchase price for his choice house, he is entitled to take possession of the house.

He said this payment serves as the initial deposit and upon the completion of payment, in the form of rent, the home ownership and title passes on to the buyer.

Another developers observers believe is genuinely making frantic efforts to bridge housing deficit in the country is Cornerstone Construction Limited To encourage home ownership, the Chairman, Cornerstone Real

Estate Limited, Mr. Lanre Okupe, said his firm decided to boost homeownership among Nigerians and others by introducing a promotional offer for the first five buyers into the phase II project.

Title to the land, according to Okupe, is registered Deed of Conveyance and subscribers shall however receive Deed of SubLease as evidence of their title to their respective plots.

The developer said the Ofada housing scheme in Ogun State which has been structured into phases I and II is a homeowners’ delight, pointing out that while phase I is a developed 15 acre land, phase II is an undeveloped 35 acre land.

Okupe said although the entire estate is sitting on 500sqm to 600sqm land, only the serviced plot in phase I, enjoys perimeter fencing, tarred estate road, borehole water, good drainage system, PHCN transformer, internal reticulation and street lights.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Stakeholders Knock Free Cookstoves, Urge Local Production

By Patience Ivie Ihejirika, Abuja

Scavenger’s abode at Kugbo in Abuja. PHOTO BY JANE OKEKE

NITP Mulls Land Use Platforms To Tackle Insecurity , Fraud

By GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos

As part of measures to tackle problems of insecurity and fraudulent use of the nation’s land resources, the Nigerian Institute Of Town Planners(NITP) has said it would no longer look on as the reckless use of land fuels haphazard development of cities in the country.

The President of Nigerian Institute Of Town Planners, Dr. Femi Olomola who stated this at the inauguration of Land Use Planning Report committee in Lagos, said the institute will henceforth, ensure that land use in the country is in tandem with global practice to tackle problems of insecurity and fraud.

He said, “Against this background priority number one was on our seven-point agenda

is the creation , evolution of an omnibus and multi-use Land Use planning report which will address pressing national issues of security and fraud .

The art, science and profession of Town Planning principally revolve around ensuring the orderly arrangement and use of land having absolute regard to overriding public interest.”

“The report shall therefore be exclusively prepared by Registered Town Planners. It is planned to accompany applications for building plan approvals, permits; issuance of Certificate of Occupancy; opening of corporate accounts with banks and incorporation, registration of new companies with Corporate Affairs Commission.

He said the envisaged universal professional use of

this document calls for flexible Term OF Reference (TOR). The concept, Olomola noted, is novel and calls for creativity.

Olomola explained that, “TOR is best contextualized in this scenario of our imagination of a plot of land measuring say 648 square metres (the usual 60 feet by 120 feet). The plot can either be developed or vacant.

Imagine a minimum of 1,000 metres radius (say 55plots ) drawn round the plot thus giving a minimum area of 3,142, 000 square metres (314 hectares approximately) .”

The renowned Town Planner further affirmed that a thorough Land Use analysis of this land must be carried out followed with the land use analysis map with all the identified land uses coded in the NITP –approved

professional colour code.

“A twelve to fifteen page report on the plot has to be written addressing the following, that is the Name of the owner of the plot, information on title to the land, type of existing development or proposed on the plot, building plan, permit number if there is an existing development on the plot of land and a detailed location plan on site,” he said.

“Statement on current government approved or proposed town planning development covering the area where the plot is located, regional, master , district , local plan as applicable. Report on the land use survey , analysis; Professional opinion on the proposed use of the plot in question.”

NESREA: Acting DG Promises To Build On Good Legacy

By Patience Ivie Ihejirika, Abuja

The Acting Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Lawrence Chidi Anukam, has expressed gratitude for the

opportunity given to him to serve and promised to build on the good legacy left behind by the pioneer Director-General/CEO of the agency.

In a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary, NESREA, Sule Oyofo, the Acting Director-

General/CEO, who assumed office in December 2014, has since held several top management and Departmental meetings with members of the agency.

He has as well briefed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Mrs.

Nana Mede Fatima about the programmes and activities of the Agency.

Until his assumption of office, Dr Lawrence Anukam, was the most senior director in the Agency and was in charge of Planning and Policy Analysis.

The stakeholders representing energy companies, policy makers, donor agencies and NGOs have kicked against the free clean cookstoves initiative by the federal government, suggesting that the money budgeted for the project should be given out as loans to investors to boost local production of the stoves and create employment opportunity.

This development follows on the heels of the Federal Government’s award of a contract of N9.6 billion for the supply of clean cookstoves, NNPC’s launch of the “kerosene correct” campaign and a new presidential initiative on cooking gas soon to be launched.

According to a press statement by the communications officer of International Center for Energy ,Environment and development, (ICEED), Adewale Ajibade, stakeholders at the Clean Cooking Energy Expo and Conference in Abuja, rejected government’s initiative on free cookstoves.

In his presentation, Robert van der Plas, a leading international household energy consultant estimated that one million additional households are created in Nigeria every year. “For the Nigerian National Clean Cookstoves Market Development programme to be effective, it must be ambitious and built on sound fundamentals. He emphasised that a private sectorled market is a necessary condition for success.

The stakeholders concluded that free stoves will undermine the long-term viability of investments in the household energy market. They demanded that government should create an enabling policy environment for a private sector-led growth of the cooking energy market estimated to be about N800 billion annually.

However, they proposed a reduction or removal of duties and VAT on cooking energy and equipment. Dayo Adeshina, President of the Nigeria LPG Association insisted that the government should reduce tariffs, expand LPG infrastructure and provide its access to finance.

According to him, “Nigeria is a gas nation and our current production of LPG is over ten times the local consumption. We must set the policies right for this sector to grow.”

Partners of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves unanimously agreed that the federal government should use the N9.6 billion to stimulate local production of cylinders and cookstoves.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

PRESS

NEWSPAPER PROPRIETORS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

STATEMENT NEWSPAPER PROPRIETORS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

TR

UT H

& REASO

N

2015 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE The Presidential Debate leading up to the February 14 elections will hold on February 3, 2015.

The debate is scheduled to take place at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Already, President Goodluck Jonathan has accepted to participate in the debate. In a letter dated January 14, 2915, to the initiators of the debate - Channels Television, ARISE Television as well as THISDAY and Guardian Newspapers Limited on behalf of The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) - Senator Ahmadu Ali, Director General of the Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the President “has accepted to participate in the debate”. While General Buhari Campaign Organisation have indicated - in principle - that they would also participate in the debate, no official letter has been received from them at press time.

Both President Jonathan and Major-General Mohammadu Buhari were formally invited to the debate. In a letter dated January 11, 2015 to both presidential candidates and delivered the same day, the organizers noted that “too many of the troubles we now face stem from governance: decisions made behind closed doors, regulations removed when no one was looking, or reckless actions and impunity across the polity.” The letter added: “Our nation is strongest when our elected leaders are accessible and accountable to its citizens, explaining decisions and answering tough questions. That standard of openness and transparency must start long before Election Day on February 14, 2015.”

The organizers include ALL member organizations of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Channels Television and ARISE Television. And footage will be made available LIVE to all broadcast stations as well as on social media:Twitter, Facebook and Google. The audience for the debate will include civil society groups, youth groups and other stakeholders.

Attendance at the debate will be strictly by invitation.

SIGNED

Feyi Smith Executive Secretary, Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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30 News north-central

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

PDP Is Most Trusted Political Party – Mark

By Solomon Ayado, Makurdi

Senate President David Mark said yesterday that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the most trusted political party, describing it as a development-driven platform that has brought progress in the country.

Mark stated this in Oju and Obi local government areas of Benue State during the flag off of his senatorial re-election campaigns. He said that enhancing physical development is his priority.

According to him, the entire people of the Benue south senatorial district have confidence in him as demonstrated by voting him into the Senate and that he would not jettison the trust bestowed on him but would promote human and physical devel-

short news College of Accountancy Commissions Market For Host Community Nigerian College of Accountancy (NCA), Kwall, near Jos, the Plateau State capital which is a training arm of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) has commissioned a built-up market of 40 open shops for the host community.

In addition to the market which consists of four blocks of 10 shops each, ANAN also built a motor park with capacity for eight vehicles. Both projects sited next to the 382-acre college complex is close to a police station which ANAN built earlier as part of its social responsibility projects.

By Achor Abimaje, Jos

opment in the area.

“The ruling PDP is the most tested and trusted party that has brought rapid development to the people. And so the angels coming under the guise of opposition have nothing to offer, they should not deceive you and make sure you all vote for the PDP,” Mark stated.

He insisted that he would focus more on the development of education in Igede land; negotiate for the re-opening of the College of Education Oju, and enhance creation of additional employment opportunities for the teeming youths.

Mark stated further that he would, if re-elected, boost commercial agriculture, promote young men and women in various sporting activities and alleviate poverty among others.

Transport Workers Won’t Be Used

By Desperate Politicians– Barde Former vice chairman, Motor Dealers Association of Nigeria, Niger State chapter, Suleja, Alh Barde Ikon Allah Suleja has declared that his association and that of other road workers will resist any attempt by politicians to use them to cause trouble during this month’s polls.

Barde, the CEO of Barde Motors spoke with LEADERSHIP yesterday in Abuja ahead the February elections in which road transport workers are often tools in the hands of politicians.

“We are calling on our members and other road transport workers not to allow themselves to be used to cause trouble during the forthcoming elections nationwide. And I advice people to be calm and vote for credible candidates because we need peace and not to end up in pieces. I am calling on our members nationwide not to riot before, during or after the elections because we don’t want any crisis.”

The transport boss and traditional title holder in Suleja pleaded with politicians and leaders to accept the outcome of the elections and support anyone given the mandate so as to have peace.

By Onjewu Dickson, Abuja

short news

‘Jonathan Will Get Over 70% Fulani Votes In The North’ The national coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Fulani Support Group, Alh. Husseini Muhammad, has said that Fulani will give Jonathan 70 percent votes in the north come February 14 presidential election.

Speaking to newsmen at the PDP campaign rally in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State, Muhammad said that Fulani are the highest beneficiaries of the Jonathan administration and will reciprocate by giving him their votes.

Muhammad doubles as the secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders in Nasarawa State.

By Donatus Nadi, Lafia

L-R: Former President Ibrahim Babangida; President Goodluck Jonathan and Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu, during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization’s visit to the former president in Minna, Niger State, yesterday. PHOTO BY REMI AKUNLEYAN.

Maku’s Kinsmen Pledge Total Support For Al-Makura

By Donatus Nadi, Lafia

The kinsmen of the former minister of information, Labaran Maku, Akun Development Area of Nasarawa State has pledged total support to Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s second term bid.

Declaring their position yesterday in Akpata during the campaign rally of Al-Makura, John Apus said that only AlMakura can restore the lost glory of the Eggon people.

Apus maintained that the Eggon people have never had it so good as in the administration of Governor Al-Makura since the creation of the state in 1996.

“We have three commissioners in the cabinet of Al-Makura apart from other appointments such as head of service, advisers and he also held us in high esteem more than any other tribe in the state”.

He explained that Eggon had no reason not to vote Al-Makura bearing in mind the numerous people oriented projects execut-

ed by the All Progressives Congress led administration in the state.

“We have three high quality asphalt road within the first two years of his administration apart from water supply which he resuscitated after 15 years of being moribund”.

In his remarks, Al-Makura promised to turn the Eggon community into a hub of economic activities through resuscitation of agricultural activities and commercial ventures.

Insecurity: Eggon Group Commends FG’s Presence

By Onjewu Dickson, Abuja

The Eggon Cultural and Development Association (ECDA) has commended the federal government over the deployment of military personnel to the southern and northern parts of Nasarawa State where crises had erupted. It however called on the federal government to ensure more military presence in the localities as this month’s polls approaches.

In a statement by the leader-

ship of ECDA jointly signed by acting president Hon Usman Offor and public relations officer Enoch Maku, respectively, the cultural group said of recent the scale of attacks on the Eggon communities have lessened owing to the deployment of military personnel to affected areas but that there is need to extend the gesture to other parts of the southern senatorial zone with similar experience.

“We hasten to add that attacks have not completely ceased as

there are still attacks not at the scale that used to be witnessed until recently. Since the attacks have political objectives, we appeal that the number of soldiers be increased and maintained in these areas until after the fast approaching general elections.

“There are fears, which are well-founded that fake soldiers and more mercenaries will be unleashed on these areas with the sole aim of denying the people the chance to perform their civic duty of casting their votes.”

Group Urges Women To Vote APC In Plateau

By Achor Abimaje, Jos

Plateau State women have been urged to mobilise for positive change, by massively voting the All Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels of leadership in the forthcoming elections.

The call was made by Mrs. Ruth Meamane Gokas, yesterday, in Jos, at a voter sensitisation workshop organised by the APC Buhari Women Initiatives for Positive Change (APCBWIPOC) Plateau State chapter, saying “the need for voter education cannot be over em-

phasised.”

She said that women constitute half of Nigeria’s population but established restricted practices have not allowed women to take advantage of their number and position in order to significantly influence the decision making processes.

According to her, the potentials of half of Nigeria’s population remains unexplored and the scope of labour, energy and human resources available for national development is restricted.

“To remedy this, it is essential

that a commitment to women development and rights become a concern of all Nigerian women including men who share faith in the principles of justice, equity and human rights,” she added.

Mrs.Gokas said the women and all other electorate are expected to obtain their PVCs, and be at polling centres at 8:00am.

“We need positive change for security, we should know that our destiny is in our hands, so vote wisely vote APC, vote rightly for positive change,” she appealed.

news north-East, north-west 31 PDP Not Threatened

By APC In Taraba – Ishaku

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Elections: Sheikh Gumi Floats NGO, Harps On Violence-free Polls

By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna

As part of efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections this month, revered Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has floated an election monitoring non-governmental organisation (NGO), ‘My Choice, My Pride Foundation’.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, he said people should be allowed to carry out their cam-

paigns, which should be issuesbased, peacefully without any form of harassment or intimidation.

The Islamic scholar spoke extensively on his foundation’s preparedness to monitor the elections across the federation and transmit same to the entire world, stressing that whoever inflicts pain on people in the course of campaigns will not win the elec-

tion because God is against violence.

He further called on party supporters to shun every form of violence during and after the elections.

As part of measures to guard against violence, Sheikh Gumi urged politicians to accept the results of the elections and appealed to aggrieved persons not to take the laws into their hands but to

seek legal redress thereafter.

“People should accept the result of the election and whoever is not satisfied should go to court and not take laws into their hands.

“Violence can mar the election; people should be patient with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because they are improving; they are not perfect which is normal with human beings.”

L-R: Vice president, My Choice My Pride Foundation (MCMPF), Alhaji Adamu Yaqub; president, MCMPF, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi and publisher, Desert Herald newspaper, Malam Tukur Mamu, during a press briefing ahead of 2015 presidential election at Isa Kaita Road in Kaduna, yesterday. PHOTO BY GBENGA ABIOLA.

short news Darius Pledges To Construct Rural Roads, Create Jobs In Taraba The PDP governorship candidate in Taraba, Arc Ishaku Darius has promised to construct rural roads and create job opportunities for the youths through mechanised agriculture.

The PDP candidate made the vow while addressing PDP supporters yesterday in Zing.

He told the people that Taraba is blessed with agriculture and mineral resources that would turn around the economic fortunes of the state if access roads and the right agricultural policies are put in place.

By Andrew Ojih, Jalingo

Sule Lamido’s Associate Defects To APC

By Abubakar Salihi, Kano

The former commissioner of works in Jigawa State and an associate of Governor Sule Lamido, Aminu Umar Sidi Yan’leman has said that he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of lack of internal democracy in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Aminu Yan’leman who spoke to LEADERSHIP in Kano yesterday, said he has seen internal democracy in APC in Jigawa and across the nation, whereby primaries were conducted for all elective

posts, including that of president.

“I have decided to defect to APC where there is internal democracy, unlike in PDP in Jigawa where only selected individuals were allowed to purchase interest forms from the party leadership in the state”, he said.

According to him, it is sad that a member representing his constituency, Malam-Madori/Kaugama has been at the National Assembly for 16 years, but has never raised a motion, yet he was given automatic ticket to rerun.

Yan’leman said that with his

level of education and experience and above all, his loyalty to the party and Governor Lamido, he should be called upon to give his constituency a deserving representation in the National Assembly, adding that he vied for the position but was denied by the Jigawa PDP leadership.

He said that he and thousands of his followers all over Jigawa will not continue to be used, and called on all his supporters to vote PDP out of Jigawa government and all other elective posts including the presidency.

Arrest Attackers Of My Campaign Train, Sabo Kente Tells Police

By Andrew Ojih, Jalingo

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship flag bearer in Taraba State, Chief David Sabo Kente has called on the police to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the violent attack on his campaign train at Suntai in Bali area of the state.

The special assistant to Kente on media and publicity,

Mr David Adeboye who made the call yesterday in Jalingo on behalf Kente said the arrest and prosecution of the attackers would serve as deterrent to enemies of democracy in the country.

He noted that the aggression was a handiwork of a few hoodlums rather than the Suntai people in general.

“We wish to state that this

minor incident is not a reflection of the feelings of Suntai people toward our principal and his party.

“We, therefore, urge our supporters to remain calm and exercise restraint in the face of this unprovoked aggression which was sponsored by some disgruntled politicians, whose popularity is beginning to wane,” Kente said.

short news

NGO Treats 70,000 Malnourished In Katsina Children An international non-governmental organisation, Save The Children International (SCI), has treated no fewer than 70,000 malnourished children in the last five years in Katsina State.

The SCI communication and advocacy officer in Katsina, Miss Suzan Akila stated this during an advocacy visit to media houses in the state.

Susan said the NGO is concerned with addressing challenges of children and women.

By Muazu Elazeh, Katsina

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Taraba State and former minister of state for Niger Delta affairs, Darius Ishaku has said that his party is not threatened by the mammoth crowd that greeted the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in the state.

Ishaku stated in an interview with LEADERSHIP recently that the PDP campaign will see more people coming out to support President Goodluck Jonathan as the party enjoys the people’s support at all levels.

He said, “The people feel federal presence in Taraba, appreciate it and are anxious to see Mr President because they know a lot more will be done if the PDP is returned to power especially the Mambila Hydro Power plant in the state.”

He explained that the PDP government under Danbaba Suntai did a lot and Sani Abubakar, the acting governor, is doing much more.

“You are aware that he has brought peace to the state and people are quite happy with the peaceful atmosphere that exists in the state, so we are not frightened by the APC, though they came and destroyed some people’s cars and houses but all that was contained,” he said.

Ishaku promised peace, economic turnaround, youth empowerment and revitalisation of the ailing industries in the state.

By Victor Okeke, Abuja

Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara Women Groups Endorse Jonathan Women under the auspices of PDP Women Volunteers from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states have unanimously endorsed the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the February 14 presidential election.

Former PDP Sokoto State women leader, Hajiya Rabi Aliyu Kiyawa, stated this while briefing journalists after their one-day interactive session with over 15 women groups and associations from the three states which held in Sokoto.

Hajiya Rabi said women from the three states of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara have assured that their votes and those of many of their siblings will go to PDP candidates, especially President Goodluck Jonathan, who they see as one of the best and most reliable leaders that carry women along in terms of nation-building.

She said women, including professionals, traders, housewives and those who believe in the development and positive future of womanhood around the three states have clearly indicated their interest to volunteer and campaign for the success of the PDP because of the assurance that it is only the party that can deliver, protect women’s rights.

By Ejike Ejike, Abuja

32 news south-west Election: Makinde, An Agent Of Change – TUC The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Oyo State has supported the governorship ambition of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Seyi Makinde, describing him as an agent of revolution.

The congress at an interactive session held yesterday at the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Staff Club, Dick Road, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said this followed the observation of his activities and programmes as well as his comportment and doggedness.

The state secretary of the union, Olusegun Sotiloye, who made the assertion, asked his members to treat the governorship hopeful like a new born baby, who has not offended anybody, saying, “Let’s treat ‘Omi Titun’ (Makinde’s slogan) as ‘Omo Titun’ (newly born baby); no blemish; he has not offended anybody.

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Former Speaker, Etteh Defects To APC In Osun

As Aregbesola canvasses for votes for APC candidates

By Joshua Dada, Osogbo

Former speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with thousands of her supporters in Irewole, Ayedaade and Isokan Federal Constituency in Osun State.

Speaking at a rally led by the governor of Osun, Mr Rauf Aregbesola,

to the federal constituency to drum up support for the candidates of APC in this month’s elections starting from Ikoyi in Irewole local government area of the state, the former speaker said her coming to the party was long overdue.

Etteh told the huge crowd that she decided to join the APC because of the party’s progressive policies and love for the masses, saying that her decision was to join the progressives so that she would be able to contribute her quota to the development of

the people.

She commended Governor Aregbesola for the positive change he has brought to the state in the past four and a half years, noting that the transformation of the state under APC is glaring for all to see.

While admitting the former speaker and her supporters in Ikoyi, Apomu, Ikire, Araromi Owu, Orile Owu and Gbongan, Aregbesola enjoined voters in the local government areas and the whole state to vote for all the candidates of APC across the board.

Aregbesola Laments Nigerians’ Silence Over Alleged N30trn Missing Fund The governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola has lamented what he described as the criminal silence of Nigerians at the mind-boggling revelations that about N30trillion of Nigerian money allegedly got missing under the watch of the finance minister, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala.

Aregbesola, while receiving representatives of students of Nigerian polytechnics who visited him at Osogbo yesterday, said it was amazing how corruption had become so entrenched in the country that the mention of N30trillion common wealth missing under the government of President Goodluck Jonathan has not been greeted with trepidation.

By Joshua Dada, Osogbo

Lipede Family Donates N7m For Church Project In memory of the late Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Oyebade Lipede, his family yesterday donated the sum of N7million as “seed money” for the construction of a new church for the Anglican Communion.

The church which will be built to accommodate 600 parishioners is to be located at Abule Olokuta, along Idi-Aba area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Bishop of Egba Diocese (Anglican Communion), Rt. Revd Emmanuel Adekunle, disclosed this at the 10th Remembrance and Posthumous Centennial Birthday of the late Oba Lipede held at Cathedral of St. Peter, Ake, Abeokuta.

By Gbenga Adeboye, Abeokuta

Osun State deputy governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; South West coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign, Governor Rauf Aregbesola; president, National Association of Osun State Students ((NAOSS), Offa Poly chapter, Mr Akintunde Maruf and secretary general, National Association of Polytechnic Students, Mr Seriki Ibrahim Olawale, during a visit to declare support for Gen Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, in Osogbo, yesterday. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Jonathan Billboards: 2 LG Bosses Quizzed Over Vandalisation

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

The police in Oyo State have interrogated two council bosses in connection with the vandalisation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign billboards in Oyo town on Monday.

The council bosses are Mr Soji Ojuawo, caretaker chairman, Oyo West local government and Mr Mutairu Adekunle, chairman Oyo East local government.

A police source said in Ibadan yesterday, that the council bosses presented

themselves for interrogation and made statements yesterday afternoon following the invitation sent to them a day earlier.

The source also explained that the council chairmen denied knowledge of the vandalisation, claiming that the local security men on duty were responsible.

He said the situation compelled the police to also invite the security guards on duty at the council secretariat near the vandalised billboards.

When questioned, the security guards

were said to have denied any role in the act, saying the chairmen only instructed them to pack the remains of the demolished billboards.

The source, however, said that the council bosses later promised to ensure that the billboards are re-erected at their former positions.

When contacted, the police public relations officer (PPRO), DSP Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed the visit of the local government chairmen to the Ojongbodu police division.

short news 2015 Budget In Line With Economic Reality Ekiti Govt Ekiti State government yesterday said that the size of its 2015 budget was in line with the present economic reality in the country.

It also clarified that the federal government is yet to refund the money spent on the construction of Trunk ‘A’ roads in the state.

The commissioner for finance, Chief Toyin Ojo, who stated this during the presentation of the 2015 Budget analysis in Ado Ekiti yesterday, said the global economic recession that has cut down the oil proceeds in Nigeria has taken its toll on the finances of the state.

Besides, he said the dwindling federal allocation accruing to the state and huge debt inherited by Governor Ayodele Fayose’s administration prompted the cut in the budget.

Fayose had few weeks ago signed into law, a sum of N80.784 billion as the 2015 appropriation law tagged ‘Budget of Reality’, contrary to a sum of N103.

55 billion assented to by former governor Kayode Fayemi in 2014.

By Alo Abiola, Ado-Ekiti

977,727 PVCs Collected In Ondo – REC

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday disclosed that 977,727 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected in Ondo State by eligible voters, out of a total of 1,494,169 received in the state by the commission.

The resident electoral commis-

sioner (REC) in the state, Mr Segun Agbaje, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja, added that all non-sensitive materials for the elections will be moved to all the local government areas in the state by this weekend.

He said, “We are preparing very well for the elections as we ought to do in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amend-

ed). All non-sensitive materials would be deployed to the LGAs before the end of the week as security arrangements for their movement are almost concluded with the state commissioner of police and other security agencies”.

“We received a total of 1,494,169 PVCs in the state out of which we have distributed 977,727 representing 65.4 per cent, remaining

516,442 representing 34.6 per cent. This is as of Monday, February 2. As we speak now, the figures must have changed because the distribution is still ongoing”.

He further said the training of electoral officers had been completed while that of supervisory presiding officers (SPOs) started on Monday, February 2, and will end on February 4.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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for the record

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Christians, Beware Of Dogs! ➔ CONTINUED from yesterday

By Sharon Faliya Cham

The secondary school pupils were left to their fate...’’, and that the insurgents ‘’drove into the school premises in nine Hilux vans at around 11.20pm Monday and started the operation which lasted for more than 5 hours’’ and some of the surviving students recounted that ‘’We shouted for help but nobody came to our rescue, not even Police and military men, to help.’’

Now, one striking national feature or raging story at the time of this particular attack that attracted worldwide attention and condemnation was the Sanusi Lamido Sanusi saga. Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was just unlawfully and controversially removed from office as Governor of the Central Bank by President Goodluck Jonathan for daring to expose the unconscionable theft of 20 billion dollars from the country’s oil establishment, and in his character of protecting corrupt public officials, he left those that he should have fired over this ‘’missing’’ sum in office, an action that drew global attention and condemnation. For example, the LEADERSHIP Friday newspaper of February 21, 2014 boldly wrote on its front page that ‘Outrage Trails Lamido Sanusi’s Suspension’ and THE NATION newspaper of Saturday, February 22, 2014 also had it boldly expressed on its front page that ‘SANUSI: OUTRAGE SPREADS’. So therefore, as is the nature of rogue regimes, a lifeline was necessary to deflect public attention from this raging controversy and its condemnation from all quarters (except CAN, though, that kept quiet as they always do on issues of corruption and scandals involving this corrupt regime), and hence the withdrawal of soldiers from Buni Yadi on a Sunday and the following day, Monday, ‘’Boko Haram’’ struck for five hours, and all of that during the course of a stringent State of Emergency in that area!

It did not just stop there, for the Goodluck Jonathan regime also wanted to use this False Flag attack to score some political victory over the same Sanusi Lamido Sanusi they unlawfully removed from office, just like they have always used it to blackmail men of integrity like General Buhari and the entire northern Nigeria. A couple of days after this massacre of poor school kids, President Jonathan’s Special Assistant on New Media, one ‘’Pastor’’ Reno Omokiri, was busted by some tech savvy individuals using his ‘’Boko Haram’’ name of Wendell

Simlin to send a forged document to some news sites allegedly linking Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to ‘’Boko Haram’’, suggesting that the Buni Yadi school massacre may have been pulled off by Sanusi to show anger over his removal from office, and this also exposed the illogicality and unreasonableness of their usual argument and propaganda linking top northern Muslims of sponsoring the ‘’terrorists’’ even while it is the same north and their leaders that have become the subject of attack and destruction, and you also wonder how a Sanusi Lamido Sanusi could have ordered soldiers off their checkpoints for ‘’Boko Haram’’ to pass and commit mass murder, and this should explain to everybody the type and quality of pastors around President Goodluck Jonathan, which further establishes why the Holy Bible admonishes us to beware of dogs!

In any case, ‘’Boko Haram’’ was to later come seeking to blast away Sanusi Lamido Sanusi along with hundreds of Muslim worshippers at the palace central mosque after he became the Emir of Kano, and that was even after a stiff opposition from the PDP and President Jonathan in the same way ‘’Boko Haram’’ sought to bomb away General Muhammadu Buhari in June 2014 after he scathingly criticised the regime of President Jonathan for corruption and incompetence. Somehow, in the strange logic of this ‘’Boko Haram’’ and those maliciously lying against General Buhari and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the sponsors, ‘’Boko Haram’’ can seek to bomb off their sponsors if and when they disagree with, or criticise the government of President Goodluck Jonathan! Strangely and mysteriously, this ‘’Boko Haram’’ goes after Emirs, Islamic clerics, top Muslim politicians from the

opposition party, and then gets busy destroying Muslim dominated towns and cities like Bama, Baga, Gwoza, Gamborun-Gala, Mubi, and many others while the leadership of CAN led by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and Reverend Musa Asake will be shouting on northern Muslim leaders to dialogue with ‘’Boko Haram’’! This must be a strange ‘’Islamist terror group’’ seeking to destroy Muslim politicians, Muslim clerics, Emirs and their subjects in order to establish an Islamic Caliphate. Caliphate for whom then? Will they import Muslims to be citizens of the so called Caliphate?

Certainly, the puppeteer pulling the strings of this puppet Boko Haram knows what he or she is doing, don’t you think?

And truly, the heat generated against the Goodluck Jonathan regime due to the unlawful removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from office abated, or rather, it became channelled towards mourning and condemnations of the Buni Yadi schoolboys’ massacre!

Can you now see how False Flag operations work for their purveyors? Deflection of attention and determination of subjects of public discourse!

Curiously and mysteriously, CAN, the National Assembly and the media also let this huge clue on the Buni Yadi school massacre by ‘’Boko Haram’’ pass away with CAN and some media writers always deliberately pointing fingers at the wrong places.

Number five The mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014 that generated massive propaganda

by President Goodluck Jonathan’s supporters against northern Nigerian leaders also appeared to be a carefully orchestrated plot to

achieve the objective of further polarising Nigerians along religious lines going by how the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other noisy dogs went about seeing the girls in terms of religion and not in terms of humanity, and even when it was reported that about 50 or so girls have escaped from their abductors, CAN and other noisy dogs lied to the whole world that the escapee girls were Muslims, and that the abductors chose to detain only the Christian girls, suggesting that, as they have always lied on this ‘’Boko Haram’’ fraud, the mass abduction was a conspiracy by northern Muslim politicians, but it later turned out that the escapee girls were almost ninety percent Christians, which made me suspect that it was a plot to widen the disunity between Christians and Muslims, for, truly, at that time, some Nigerians have started believing that lie. And instead of these so called Christian leaders and their cohorts to as much as even convince President Jonathan to visit and comfort the parents and families of these abducted schoolgirls, they were rather seeing and reading Muslim versus Christian colours as if the blood colour of Christians is different from the blood colour of Muslims, or as if a Muslim blood donor cannot donate to a Christian.

In any case, it took the coming and intervention of a 17 years old Muslim Pakistani girl, the brave and intelligent Miss Malala Yousafzai, to as much as convince President Jonathan to agree to see the parents of those abducted girls, something that the Chief Priests in CAN refused to do. We must clap for this Malala girl for convincing a ‘’Christian’’ President to see Christian parents of Christian abducted girls even if he had to ask them to come to Abuja to see him so that he could ‘’greet’’ them!

How low could religious leaders sink?

Christians, Beware of Dogs!

Well, up till date they have not been able to explain to Nigerians and the world how ‘’Boko Haram’’ could operate freely and even abduct such large number of girls in an area they imposed a stringent State of Emergency rule on, with their soldiers operating unlimited numbers of checkpoints all across. However, a statement by the President of the Kibaku Youth Association, Mr. Moses Zakwa, on page 23 of the Sunday PUNCH newspaper of May 4, 2014 suggests the federal government knows a ➔ CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

FOR THE RECORD 35

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Christians, Beware Of Dogs! ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

great deal on how those girls were abducted. Mr. Moses said ‘’..... There was an attack on the college at Buni Yadi, Yobe State; with that incident, government should have beefed up security around all the schools.

Before the attack, Chibok had 95 soldiers deployed in the community, but they withdrew about 75 the day before the attack.... I don’t know the reason why they did that. The reasons are best known to them....’’

Again, have you seen a case of soldiers being withdrawn before an operation by ‘’Boko Haram’’?

Who withdrew the soldiers? The propaganda by Jonathan’s support base was to attempt to implicate the Borno State Government and the usual northern Muslims that everybody in such propaganda loves to accuse as those responsible for this mass abduction, but who among them had or have the authority to withdraw soldiers for ‘’Boko Haram’’ to strike and destroy their own communities, or to even abduct their own people? For what purpose? Are we as Christians being fair to accuse any Muslim politician or Muslim religious leader of these heinous crimes when we have a Christian President and Commander – in – Chief; a Christian Chief of Army Staff; a Christian Chief of Air Staff; a Christian Chief of Defence Staff; a Christian Chief of SSS, and a Christian Chief of the NIA? Why are they in office and in charge of all the security structure? Who are those running the show of the State of Emergency? And why did CAN and all the other propagandists deliberately look away from this open fact that soldiers were withdrawn in such large number out of Chibok town before ‘’Boko Haram’’ came to do their enterprise?

And has CAN ever identified with the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners even once, or do they despise the group like the Jonathan regime despises them for drawing global attention to the abduction and the gross incompetence and corruption that dresses the Jonathan administration?

In any case, the proof of who can order soldiers from checkpoints or from any place to another place came from a key aide of President Jonathan himself. Doyin Okupe, President Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, was reported on page 9 of the Saturday PUNCH newspaper of March 1, 2014 saying ‘’They (military) can only take order from the President who is their Commander in chief.

The army does not take order from civilians.’’

So, if Nigerians and the world must know how soldiers often mysteriously disappear from their checkpoints for ‘’Boko Haram’’ to pass and operate freely, the right person and authority to explain such mystery has been identified

by Doyin Okupe.

Number six The Nyanya bomb blast on

Monday, April 14, 2014 that claimed so many lives at a major motor park also came on the heels of two major scandals that rocked the Goodluck Jonathan led regime.

The first scandal to blow open was the fraudulent recruitment into the Nigerian Immigration Service embarked on by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, wherein about 6.5 million job seekers in all the 36 states plus the FCT were conned to part with some cash as purchase fee for a job recruitment form each for just 4, 000 vacancies whereas there was no adequate preparation made for the so called recruitment exercise which was made to hold across the states in the country on Saturday, March 15, 2014, and which resulted in stampedes that caused more than 20 job seekers to lose their lives without President Jonathan sacking the minister, and in spite of various investigative reports by both chambers of the National Assembly heavily indicting the minister, some reports even suggested that this minister also enjoyed the cosy protection of the President of the Senate, General David Mark, and the minister was therefore left to continue his ‘’work’’. This caused widespread outrage and anger, and became the subject of public discourse with some human rights groups even staging street protests across the states demanding the sack of the minister and for adequate compensation for families of the deceased job seekers.

As if that was not enough scandal for a government known for its penchant for corruption and scandals, another one quickly followed that of Abba Moro through the story that broke out that Jonathan’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AllisonMadueke, blew 10 billion naira on a chartered plane. All this in the same month of March 2014.

How much outrage could you get out of these two scandals that blew in quick succession? But then came the bomb blast on that Monday morning, the 14th April 2014, and the subject of public discourse was also altered towards the bomb blasts and the outrage against the Abba Moro and Diezani scandals subsided.

Now forget the Hausa boys usually rounded up and presented to the media by the State Security Service as the bombers. Thanks to The PUNCH newspaper for an investigative work shortly after that blast, for the newspaper reported on page 8 of their Saturday edition of April 19, 2014 that the Nyanya motor park bombers came in military uniform. A witness with a shop around the vicinity of the park told the newspaper that ‘’Somebody that slept there told us he was there when two men in Army uniforms entered and parked there.

“Two of them came in two cars.

They parked the car and left in the other car around 2am. The person that saw them could not challenge them because they were in military uniform. They left in the second car.

Oritsejafor

“When he woke up around 5am, he still found the car there. Because he was disturbed, he sent one of his boys to our office but we had not come by then. The bomb exploded when the boy he sent was returning and he died in the bomb blast....’’

Now, feeling relaxed and secured in his job after the monumental scandal of the job racketeering fraud he perpetrated, which, in any serious nation on earth, he shouldn’t have lasted more than a day in that job and would have definitely faced prosecution, Abba Moro was later reported on page 8 of THE NATION newspaper of Tuesday, July 29, 2014 saying that ‘’No country changes leadership during crisis.’’

He was campaigning for his principal, President Jonathan to his tribal kinsmen who came visiting him, and was alluding to the fact that since there was insecurity in the country, it should be unwise for the country to elect another president to replace his principal, which all together means and proves that the ‘’Boko Haram’’ crisis is truly contrived by a corrupt rogue regime that has nothing good to offer Nigerians. ‘’Boko Haram’’, from all indications, has become a bloody ticket they wanted to latch on as the key that will perpetuate their corrupt, malicious, evil, divisive and lawless regime, otherwise, how could such a minister who should have been behind bars publicly endorse insecurity as the reason for the continuity of a regime that guarantees no security. Given that logic, and considering they are not interested in solving it, it means they could use it as reason to stay in power for life so that they can continue to bleed the country dry of its wealth and significance, which is what they have been doing since Nigeria had the misfortune of hosting them as leaders.

Let me also quickly chip in another scandal that warranted another ‘’Boko Haram’’ attack to douse the outrage and condemnation that followed it, and that is the controversial and needless State Pardon President Goodluck Jonathan granted to his erstwhile boss, DSP Alamieyeseigha, on March 12, 2013.

Without doubt, this pardon, which really reaffirmed Jonathan’s choice of promoting corruption by standing with the corrupt, generated national and international outrage, and before you could say ‘’STEALING IS NOT CORRUPTION’’ multiple bomb explosions ripped off five luxurious buses at a popular luxurious buses park in the city of Kano in the evening on Monday, March 18, 2013 killing over 60 people – just six days after the controversial pardon. The target was clearly carefully chosen, as most of the passengers that throng that particular park are Igbos, which, as it seemed, was aimed at urgently disuniting Nigerians from their collective and united outrage and condemnation of the Alamieyeseigha pardon, and the bloody trick worked.

Public discourse shifted from the corruption of pardoning corruption, and, as is customary of Nigerians, insults were being hurled at northerners as ‘’Boko Haram’’ would want with various Igbo groups urging their people to leave the north ‘’since northerners don’t want Igbos to live with them again’’ as was commonly alleged.

Time and space would not permit all the sequence of some major ‘’Boko Haram’’ attacks that often follow one government scandal or the other, but the major point is, northern Nigeria appears to be the centre of experimenting this False Flag subject, and it could be due to another secret agenda most likely unknown by some of the ‘’northerners’’ involved in this agenda, which was the reason I spoke of ‘’agenda inside agenda’’ a while ago, which now takes me to a plot exposed on page 50 of the DAILY TRUST newspaper of Thursday, October 28, 2010 titled ‘STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE IJAW NATION: OPERATION FLUSH’ conceived and hatched in April 2010, shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan was confirmed as Acting President and shortly before President Umaru Musa Yar’adua died on May 5, 2010.

— To read the full article, visit: www.leadership.co.ng ➔ TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

36 OPINION

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Imperatives For A New Paradigm

By Olabode Okusanya

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them – William Shakespeare Nigeria’s socio-economic and political space, like every other country in the world, is controlled by men and women who have come into such places of influence by birth, appointment or sheer dint of hard work. These are the people who, by virtue of their positions determine and pre-determine the course of the nation by their actions. They cut across the different compartments of our nation’s politics and financial sector, helping to ensure that the twin forces of wealth and power are at their disposal.

The present state of the nation is fundamentally a consequence of the decisions of these leaders who have managed our resources and patrimony over the last five decades.

Going by the stark reality of our failed state, the men jostling for power across the political spectrum cannot be deemed to be capable of making meaningful propositions to expand the economy and avert future depressions and economic downturns as the slump in world oil prices has shown.

Looking at what our top politicians are offering in this election, it has become obvious that a new set of leaders has become a desperate necessity for the survival of the nation. This is why a broad look at fresh, vibrant and intelligent options must be made as we linger at a crossroad in the progress of the nation.

Globally, different nations have produced such great men and women like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, who turned the nation from an obscure country into a frontline state before relinquishing power. Nigeria too abounds with such men and women, and one of such new lights who represents a ‘directional shift in the leadership of our nation’, is Rev. Chris Okotie. He has consistently been hampered by the inability of

Okotie

the present generation of leaders to accept any meaningful change and alignment with his paradigm shift philosophy.

The pastor-politician’s Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, was frustrated out of the 2015 general elections by the coalition of the ruling cabal and its quango – the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, only to be offered a belated re-certification by the Commission after the closure of presentation of candidates, thereby making his promise to contest in the 2015 presidential elections nonfeasible.

But he has been preaching the concept of a paradigm shift, and recommended in an article published on his Facebook page, titled-“Corruption as crime against humanity“, that; “What can engender real change in Nigeria is a shifting paradigm in leadership with the enthronement of a new generation of leaders who are not the product of the corrupt “Godfathers” polity that is reproducing itself in the shape of Godsons who are even more corrupt than their progenitors.The emerging new generation of independent leaders, unencumbered by the pressures of political merchandising and defence to corrupt king makers, would be

Our politicians are not re-inventing the political wheel.

The problem is the loyalty of office holders to power blocks, godfathers and cronies rather than the constitution

able to utilise resources for real development…”

To move the country forward, the exit of the old brigade politicians from the scene will water-down the attrite potency of their influence and engender an atmosphere where a level playing field would exist. This is the only real hope for Nigeria, because the godsons, who are schemed to take over from them as the next wave of politicians can’t wield their kind of long-entrenched influence. They have been bidding their time in the wings, building their individual political machinery followership and fiefs, and waiting for their chance to coxswain leadership for their own ends.

The problem that has hampered real progress is that the political influence of our old warlords transcends just wealth. It combines wide political tentacles with a large group of cronies in different strata, religious affiliations and ethnic groups. This is the niche that is lacking with the new politicians who cannot rally together such a wide berth.

Our politicians are not reinventing the political wheel. The problem is the loyalty of office holders to power blocks, godfathers and cronies, rather than the constitution. As the rest of the world seeks to conquer new frontiers of economy, technology, quality of life etc, Nigerians should not continue to accept the mediocrity of our political class, which consigns us to a stagnating existence.

FRESH was one party which began to alter the paradigm of politics in Nigeria, showing that it can transcend mere power broking for its own sake. Though the party has been edged out of the 2015 general elections, the current men of power who still control the political sphere must be only too aware that true change has begun and it is closer now than when we began this democratic experiment in 1999.

–Okunsanya, public affairs analyst wrote in from Lagos

Mitigating Electoral Violence In The 2015 Elections

By Armsfree Ajanaku

Electoral violence is any act of violence or threat of violence directed at individuals or materials related to the electoral process. These acts or threats of violence are usually intended to disrupt an election or influence its outcome. Early Warning Systems encourage early or rapid responses to triggers and incidences of violence in the preelection, election day and postelection processes of an election.

For early warning systems to help prevent or mitigate election-related violence, their monitoring and reporting processes have to be effective.

Without careful planning, skilled personnel and technology, it will be impossible to put

effective violence monitoring and reporting systems in place.

In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported that 800 Nigerians lost their lives in that year’s postelection violence. Electoral violence remains a major concern in the lead up to the 2015 general elections. In a report titled, “Nigeria’s Dangerous 2015 Elections: Limiting the Violence”, the International Crisis Group (ICG) expressed grave concerns that the 2015 elections may be embroiled in widespread violence.

They identified the growing tensions between Nigeria’s two major political parties, primordial divisions in the country’s politics and apparent bias by security agencies as indicators that the 2015

elections may be violent.

Reporting cases of violence or early indicators that a situation may become violent during the 2015 electoral process and receiving early responses from relevant authorities is expected to mitigate electoral violence and facilitate peaceful elections next year. Achieving this is at the heart of a partnership between the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG).

TMG will deploy the ‘Quick Count’ methodology to observe the 2015 elections. Since the Quick Count is restricted to providing accurate data on election day processes and vote tallies, TMG’s Quick Count structures in all of Nigeria’s

774 local government areas were given the additional responsibility of observing and reporting on trends in the preelection period.

Quick Count Supervisors trained to identify and report on early warning signs of electoral violence including gender-based electoral violence commenced the observation of political activities and violence in the preelection period on November 14, 2014. They are collecting data on a wide range of issues including voter education, political party campaigns, election process violence, political party or candidate violence and statesponsored restrictions on political activities.

–Ajanaku is the media manager of Transition Monitoring Group

Rights Watch Emmanuel Onwubiko www.huriwa.blogspot.com

Hate Speech; Social Media And The 2015 Elections

M

y first ever encounter with the internet was long after my high school in 1987. So you can all see that I have had to struggle to join the club of social media enthusiasts and ever since I have had no regrets except for the wrong use to which the social media platforms have been put into by religious zealots and political thugs.

Mark Zuckerberg, according to Wikipedia, was born on May 14th 1984 but by the time he began classes in Harvard he had already achieved a reputation as a ‘programming prodigy’. It is clear that Zuckerberg is a quiet young man but he has achieved fame and fortune and in my Igbo land it is often said that a young child that has washed his hands well will dine with the elders.

Let me proceed to say that I agree with a lot of scholarly conclusions to the effect that the social media has proven itself to be the greatest bastion of free speech on the Internet.

A certain scholar wrote in a website identified as www.dawn.com that “Governments have usually refrained to interfere in this domain and until now the arena is marked with a great sense of openness. People express their political and social views publicly and in a rather frank manner. But this fondness for freedom of expression has led to the emergence of a disturbing trend over the years as the line between freedom of speech and hate speech has become blurred”.

“Users online are posting, uploading photos and videos and commenting without considering how it vilifies other groups or persons,” so said the website aforementioned.

In the context of this write-up, it is regrettable that the popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others have become potent weapons for near diabolical attacks targeted at political opponents as Nigeria prepares to hold one of the most contentious general elections in over five decades or indeed since Nigeria gained her flag independence from the British in 1960.

The 2015 general elections have been turned into a theatre of hate speeches and campaigns coloured in a form that defies logic and common sense. Various politically motivated hate speeches about various candidates and especially the two leading presidential candidates have been bandied.

I am sure if experts should collate analyses of contents of the social media this year, Nigeria will rank top because arguably more than 40 million young Nigerians who have since graduated and have no means of livelihood have found solace in the various social media platforms and are busy churning out divergent messages.

The use of ‘hate speeches’ in Nigeria, preparatory to the coming general elections has become notorious to an extent that you would think and feel that sooner rather than later Nigeria may witness genocidal killings similar to what occurred in Rwanda some few years back between the Hutus and Tutsis.

THE NATION’S CAPITAL 37

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Elections: Group Urges Youths To Shun Violence

By Igho oyoyo

A religious group, Association of Christian and Muslim Youth for Peace and Development (CMYPD) has called on youths to embrace peace and shun violence during the upcoming February general elections.

Speaking during a press conference, in Abuja, the secretary general of the group, Mr Yusuf Ibrahim, said youths not to allow themselves to be used as instrument of discord in the society in the upcoming polls.

Yusuf urged youths in the FCT and the entire nation to desist from any act that is capable of jeopardizing the unity of the country, saying, “no human being is worth dying for, not to talk of politicians that would tell you ‘yes’ today and say ‘no’ tomorrow.

“We are advising the youths to desist from any issue capable of causing crisis in Nigeria, if any politician asks you to perpetrate violence ask him/her to use their own children to do it. So, that if it is a good thing their children benefit from it, if politics or religion is worth dying for their children should also go for it.

“So, we call on politicians to stop using religion as a means to campaigns, they should tell Nigerians what they are going to do for them and what they have done in the past. Religion preaches peace and we should uphold the ethics of religion by preaching peace anywhere we find ourselves. We should vote for anybody of our choice, irrespective of the religion and ethnic background.”

According to him, “It is quite unfortunate that we

Feb Polls: Woman Leader Tasks Women On Voting By chIka MeFoR

Woman leader of the FCT chapter of the APC, Mrs Hailmary Aipoh, has called on women in the territory to come out and participate actively during the forthcoming February general elections.

Aipoh was speaking during the APC rally in Gwagwalada said the era when women sit at home and allow their male counterparts to vote was over and called on them to wake up and join in the fight for the development of the country.

Aipoh said, “The era of jumping and clapping of hands for people is over. Nigerian women should wake up and join their male counterpart to fight for the development of the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.

“In this rally, we are letting the women know that their destiny is in their hands and that their vote is what they will use to change their destiny. The era staying in the kitchen and letting the men folk do the work is over.”

She urged women who were yet to collect their PVCs to strive to get it as it was the only way they will be able to exercise their right and vote in the person who will bring about the needed development in the territory and Nigeria.

L-R: Managing director of abuja Market Management Limited, alhaji abubakar Farouk; emir of Jiwa, alhaji Idris Musa and newly elected chairman of Wuse Market Traders association, chief Raphael okorie, during the Inauguration of the new market executives, yesterday. photo by Nkechi isaac

Wuse Market Inaugurates New Excos

By NkechI Isaac

Wuse Market Traders Association (WUMATA), yesterday, inaugurated new executives, after over 10 years, to oversee the welfare of traders in the market.

Giving a brief history of the traders association, during the inauguration at the market premises, the outgoing chairman, Chief Mathew Nwigwe, said the inaugural meeting of the founding members of WUMATA was held in November 1994, with the aims and objectives of bringing all the various commodity units in the market under one central umbrella, so they can all speak with one voice, and to solicit for the welfare of the traders through dialogue.

According to him, “It was through the instrumentality of this association that we were able to negotiate for the welfare of traders during and after the demolition of temporary shops in the market between 1995 and 1998, and for the first time traders were given direct shop allocations.”

Delivering his acceptance speech, the newly elected chairman, Chief Raphael Okorie,

reiterated his commitment to build a market of their dreams, where every traders opinion will count.

“We shall protect the poor and weak amongst us while upholding the principles of justice and respect for the fundamental human rights of all traders. These we hope to achieve through dialogue, consultations and negotiations with superior arguments for the overall benefits of all members,” he added.

He called for the cooperation of traders to achieve the onerous task, saying the success of the leadership mandate is a collective responsibility.

Earlier in his remarks, the group managing director of Abuja Investment Company Limited (AICL), Dr Musa Musa, represented by the managing director of Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML), Alhaji Farouk Usman, congratulated the traders for resolving the challenges that dogged the market leadership and electing a new set of leaders after about 10 years without a central umbrella.

Alhaji Usman said the FCT Administration has shown unwavering commitment to the

development and renewal of the market environment as well as the welfare of traders and other users.

He said, “It has through a number of its interventionist projects/partnerships ensured that the market retains its position as number one shoppers delight. The most recent of them are the state-of-the-art security equipment and surveillance systems like the CCTV, bomb detector, XCAT, etc, deployed to further secure the lives and properties of the market users, as well as, the mega solar paneled roof donated by the Ministry of Power to supply uninterrupted power to hair dressers and other ancillary users within the market.”

He further said that market managers will work together with the newly elected executives to fast track the goal of the FCTA to make the market a number one shopping and tourism destination in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Emir of Jiwa, Alhaji Idris Musa, tasked the new leadership to promote peace, fairness and unity in the market, even as he urged traders to allow the leaders to lead them by not interfering with their leadership.

CORONATION!

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Allah Ya Taimaki Sarki! Allah Ya Ja Zamanin Sarki!!

38 news south-South south-East Buhari Only Needs 4 Years To Fix Nigeria-Group

BY Patrick Ochoga, Benin City years of the PDP at the federal lev-

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Why PDP Has Failed For 16 Years – Oshiomhole

The Friends of Buhari Organisation Network (FBON) in Akwa Ibom State has declared that it will only take the former head of state, General Muhamadu Buhari four years to fix Nigeria.

Speaking at a forum held yesterday in Uyo, the national coordinator of the group, Saint Athanasius Okon, said that Buhari’s selfless disposition could best be understood when one realises that the former Head of State has only two houses in Katsina.

St Athanasius underscored the importance of peace during and after the forthcoming elections and enjoined supporters to eschew violence, warning that “Buhari is completely against any form of violence”.

By Bernard Tolani Dada Uyo

Polls: Navy Reaffirms Support To INEC In Riverine Areas The Nigerian navy has reaffirmed its support to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) especially in riverine areas before, during and after the forthcoming general election.

The new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola, gave the assurance yesterday in Calabar during a tour of facilities within his command.

Babalola, who expressed satisfaction with the level of infrastructural development put in place by his predecessors, promised to sustain the feat.

This, the FOC stated even as he disclosed that the proposed Nigerian navy reference hospital in Calabar will also be opened to the public, especially members of the host community when fully completed.

By Lanre Arotimi, Calabar

INEC Distributes Over 80% PVCs In C’River – REC The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said so far, it has distributed over 80 per cent of the permanent voter cards (PVCs) in Cross River State.

The state’s resident electoral commissioner (REC) Mr. Sylvester Ezeani, disclosed this in Calabar during an interaction with journalists in his office.

Ezeani, who frowned at the alleged attacks on some journalists during the last primary of political parties in the country, also disclosed that the commission recently received 3,057 card readers in preparation for the forthcoming elections.

“Cross River as at the 28th of this month has over 80 per cent of the total cards distributed to the citizens of the state.

By Lanre Arotimi, Calabar

Governor of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed for 16 years because the party cannot give what it doesn’t have. He said the PDP-led federal government has become the weak link in Nigeria’s federal system and the time for change has come for the country to move forward.

The governor said another four

el would worsen the hardship and sufferings of Nigerians as it is a government full of deceit.

Speaking at the campaign rallies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ovia North East, Ovia South West and Egor local government areas of Edo State, yesterday, Oshiomhole said, “We have looked at all the indices. The truth is that the federal government has become the weak link in our development

process. We can’t create jobs because there is no power.

“Everywhere I go to in Edo, people are protesting over blackout.

The state government provides the transformers, but private people come to collect the bills whether they give light or not.

“When you watch television, they tell you they have done railways, that trains are working everywhere.Among you here, who has entered a PDP train? Is it on tele-

vision we will keep seeing it? The Gelegele Port, have they done anything there? Can you have a government that keeps deceiving its people? You cannot fool us forever. The story in Edo is the same everywhere. They have failed everywhere.

“Nobody can give what he doesn’t have. PDP has no answer to the challenges of this nation and therefore cannot solve our problems”, he noted.

short news

NEMA Commences Campaign On Fire Disaster Prevention The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced a sensitisation and public awareness campaign toward s reducing disaster situations in the society in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking at the occasion organised

by NEMA in Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha (right) in a handshake with a chieftain of Ohaneze Ngigbo, Senator Offia Nwali (left), during collaboration his visit to the governor in Owerri. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE. with State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for traders across Akwa grained corruption, much

BY Patrick Ochoga, Benin City hosa University, Benin City, didate.

Ibom State, at He said, “Our endorse- has been achieved in recent said traditionally, academiItam Market, Itu An intelligentsia group un- cians offer researched knowl- ment of President Jonathan years under the TransformaL.G.A, the state der the aegis of the Academ- edge for public consumption in his re-election bid stems tion Agenda and other credeputy governor ic Alliance for Good Gover- however he urged academi- largely from many recorded ative programmes for gainLady Valerie Ebe nance (AAGG) has endorsed cians all over the country to achievements under his ad- ful employment of Nigerian acknowledged President Goodluck Jona- support the re-election bid ministration and the Trans- youths.” the contributions than for the forthcoming of President Jonathan. formation Agenda.

Professor Guobadia asof NEMA through presidential election. It also “The business of gov- serted that the re-election Guobadia explained that donations of called on all Nigerians to detailed research was carried ernance is a steady and on- of Goodluck Jonathan is various relief come out enmass to vote for out on each candidate’s poli- going one. Truncation of assured and urged the presmaterials to the PDP presidential candi- cy stance, key sectoral anal- policies and programmes ident not to renege on promdisaster victims date. ysis and opportunities for has been the bane of leader- ises made in his second term across the Convener of the body, Pro- transformational develop- ship in Nigeria. Despite de- and for the construction of country. fessor Sam Guobadia, deputy ment before throwing their cades of blind leadership, the Gele Gele Port in Edo

By Bernard Tolani vice chancellor, Benson Ida- weight behind the PDP can- ineptitude and deeply in- State.

Dada Uyo

Academicians Back Jonathan’s Re-election Bid

Utterances, Actions Of Politicians May Derail Democracy – Group

BY ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, Port Harcourt

A non-governmental organisation, the Nigerian Renaissance Forum (NRF) has warned that utterances and actions of some notable politicians and their followers may end up inflaming and over-heating the already tensed polity and are capable of derailing the nation’s political experiment.

NRF, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, yesterday, and

signed by its chairman and secretary, Mr Marshal Kunoun and Ms Hilda Dokubo, respectively, said it was worrisome that there may be post-election violence like it happened in 2011.

The statement also condemned what it described as a deliberate effort to frustrate the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan by some people who felt it was either their birthright to rule the country perpetually or that the

president must defer to them in the administration of the country.

The group stated that traces of intolerance of opposing views, parties and candidates were manifesting in many ways and in different parts of the country, especially in the North.

NRF noted that while there were many political parties soliciting for the votes of the people, the activities of prominent politicians within the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had become a source of worry to the international community. The statement reads in part, “The activities of the prominent players, being APC and PDP, have even attracted world leaders like Koffi Anan, former United Nations Secretary General, who participated in a peace forum that culminated in the signing of an agreement to conduct themselves with decorum.

politics today Wednesday, February 4, 2015

REPORTS ANALYSES REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

Beyond the display of confidence and solidarity by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State when President Goodluck Jonathan led his campaign to the state, lay a seething tussle for control of the party’s structure.

The battle for soul of the party in the state was sequel to the defection of the state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, from the Labour Party (LP) to the PDP, a situation which naturally unsettled the hitherto relatively calm waters of the PDP in the state.

While the defection of Mimiko into the PDP narrowed the opposition in the state to just the All Progressives Congress (APC), a division set in and this led to two factions- the Old PDP which is being led by Chief Olusola Oke, Arc Olusola Agbesua, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, Hon. Dayo Omolafe and a host of others, and the New PDP (LP defectors) which is led by Mimiko himself, Dr. Dare Bada, Mr. Tokunbo Modupe and several others.

This poses the question to the chances of the PDP in the state, viz-a-viz the opposition APC that is lurking in the shadows and waiting to take full advantage of the situation.

Jonathan, who told the mammoth crowd that although there were issues, expressed optimism that they would be nipped in the bud before the general election

How it Began Upon his return to the PDP, the seeming take-all approach of the governor was greeted with resentment. This led to defection of some members of the party including Mr. Femi Agagu, a brother to the late governor of the state, Dr. Segun Agagu.

While Agagu moved to the APC, some other party’s leaders defected to the Labour Party.

Attempts at arresting the crack in the party resulted in a truce to share available elective seats. The governor insisted on taking over the party’s State Executive Council’s structure which precipitated the resignation of the then state chairman of the PDP, Mr. Ebenezer Alabi, who had been at the fore against the total takeover bid of the governor. He had filed a suit in court, which he later withdrew.

However, while the Old PDP set up a state executive council led by Dr. Olu Ogunye as its chairman, the New PDP at the national headquarters declared that it had gotten the mandate and approval to take charge of party executive in the state.

Shortly after, the Old PDP led by Dr. Olu Ogunye went to court, which ordered Mr. Clement Faboyede, who was leading the Old PDP state

Mimiko

Ibrahim

As Jonathan Intervenes In Ondo Pdp Crisis Ahead Of Polls executive council to vacate the office since he was not the authentic chairman. By that judgement, Dr. Olu Ogunye-led exco took charge of the party’s affairs in the state.

In a bid not to hurriedly take sides, President Jonathan refused to recognise candidates from the factions.

Still, members of the Old PDP like Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, Chief Olusola Oke, Hon. Kingsley Kuku and some others continue to express reservations over the wholesome takeover of the party structure by Mimiko and high tendency that only aspirants of the New PDP would be given tickets by the governor to fly the party’s flag in the February, 2015 elections.

Jonathan’s Visit The intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, in the festering divide, when he led other party stalwarts to Akure, the Ondo State capital to campaign for votes, was needed.

The presidential campaign in Ondo State which was shifted by one week, because of the power tussle, underscored the enormity of the challenge.

The campaign had brought together all the contending political actors in the state and more.

Governor Mimiko; DirectorGeneral, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO), Dr. Ahmadu Ali; the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Hon. Kingsley Kuku; the Chief of Staff to the President; former PDP governorship candidate and ex-

National Legal Adviser of PDP, Chief Olusola Oke; Vice President Namadi Sambo; PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, were all there. Clearly, the uniting factor was President Jonathan.

Hitherto, another attempt at soothing the frayed nerves appeared not to have followed through, even though the president was able to work out an endorsement from the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who alluded to the need to work on the friction within the state’s chapter of the party, stressed the need for all the stakeholders, leaders in Ondo state to bury the hatchet in the interest of the party.

He urged them to drop their personal agenda for the overall interest of the state, and the party, said state has the record of providing progressive leadership in the person of late governor Michael Ajasin, activists like late Gani Fayehinmi, (SAN), among others.

Jonathan, who told the mammoth crowd that although there were issues, expressed optimism that they would be nipped in the bud before the general election. He stated that all party members must be prepared to sacrifice personal interest for the interest of the state, just as he pleaded with business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim and Chief Olusola Oke to work in unison with governor Mimiko.

According to him, “for the PDP family, I use this platform to state that we have to work hard to make sure that Jimoh Ibrahim and the

governor join hands together in the interest of the state.

“Mimiko, Ibrahim and Oke, the three of them must sit down to discuss the development of the state. They must not sit down to discuss personal things or individual interests. They must work together to make sure that collectively, we attain the development of the state and the nation at large,” he said.

Before then, Both Mimiko and Oke, had pledged support for President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP. They individually declared to work for the president, extolling the virtues of his administration.

But putting the situation in perspective, Kuku told some journalists that peace had returned to the party with leaders, stakeholders ready to bury the hatchet to ensure the victory of the President and the PDP at the pools.

He however added that some corrections must be made to the effect that the original members of PDP before Mimiko returned to the party, must be carried along if there must be true and genuine reconciliation.

Kuku said, “For me, my ultimate goal is the development of this state and the ultimate is Jonathan, I can give him and I have given him everything except my life.”

On the crisis in the party in the state, he said, “The President has assured the leaders who feel aggrieved that after the victory, he will not forget them. We all agreed that there are some of our leaders that the coming of the governor has affected their political calculations.”

The way forward On the peace move, he said, “The peace process I have been leading is meant to benefit all of us including Mimiko. Most fears being entertained are based on life after election. We know that the integration is truly very difficult and it is difficult from the angle of the old PDP but we are moving and we will be there. The governor has agreed to open up his government to accommodate the old PDP members even up to the level of the State Executive Council. We cannot be tired.

“The last meeting which I hosted saw our party faithful agreeing that they are not leaving the party for anybody. The only politician we have lost in the old PDP is Victor Olabimtan. Femi Agagu and others do not have political relevance. But there is no doubt that the coming of the governor has added value to PDP”.

Muyiwa Oyinlola, Group Politics Editor

oyinlolamuyiwa@gmail.com

39

40 POLITICS TODAY

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

February 14 will make it your third year in office.

Studying some of your statements and body language, it seems you are uneasy. Can you identify the challenges you have faced and how you are dealing with them?

When I came in and I looked at my programmes and the available funds, I thought I had funds to embark on these ambitious programmes

I have been in political service for quite some time and I have been exposed to service for our people even before I ventured into partisan politics.

At no time did I believe that being the governor of Bayelsa State was going to be a bed of roses. I knew clearly what the challenges were but there are things I have come to find out that I didn’t imagine before.

For example, the cynicism of much of the Bayelsa public, the negative mind set and the passion for believing negative rumours and blackmail, and the way false propaganda spreads in this state. Some of these things I had a fair idea of but I didn’t know the extent and you won’t even know until you are a governor.

When we came in the revenue situation was not so bad, it was far better during the days of my predecessor, at least towards the end of his tenure but then I didn’t also imagine that some time down the line, we will be managing deductions from our monthly revenue such that as at today, what we presently receive is about 40%, even going to less than 40% of what we received when I started.

When I came in and I looked at my programmes and the available funds, I thought I had funds to embark on these ambitious programmes in every sector but I didn’t imagine that about a year down the line, funds will dry up such that today we are receiving just about 40% of what we started with.

So, these are clear challenges.

The political challenges are always there, even challenges you didn’t expect will come from every quarter. Again one thing I have discovered is that unlike other states, our people are used to pulling somebody down, to imagining negative things, stories and even saying negative things. We don’t know much about how to support somebody to succeed; it is as if in leading the state to the next level, they don’t have any role to play.

This is the season of politics all over the country and Bayelsa is no exception. What is the government doing to ensure the delivery of free, fair and credible election in Baylesa State?

This state has less political challenges. We are far more stable politically than many other states around and the reason is obvious.

Dickson

Dwindling Federal Allocation Hampers My Development Plan – Dickson When Seriake Dickson became Bayelsa State governor some three years ago, he promised to turn the state to a new-Dubai and also make unemployment a thing of the past in the state.

When he spoke to newsmen, including OSA Okhomina, last week, he explained some of the challenges he is facing in delivering the good. Excerpt Firstly, because of our mature tolerance and approach to handling political issues.

Secondly, the political calendar is such that the governorship election is not coming up right now and sometimes that is why we wonder why some people have started getting unduly excited.

After all, there is no governorship election or nominations right now to take place in this state. All those who mean well for this state should be rallying round me as leader of the PDP, the president’s party, to solidify the home-base and then mobilise support for the President. But unfortunately, you are aware of the deliberate acts of distraction that are going on. But as I said we are not distracted, we are committed to doing what is right and proper.

I am a tolerant politician and a democrat. I have always believed in the fact that people should be encouraged to exercise their franchise freely and that has

been demonstrated in so many ways unlike the situation that existed before we came.

When you came in you talked about turning Bayelsa into a mini-Dubai but with the fall in revenue accruing to the state do you still have that vision? Secondly, why do you embark on town hall?

First, let me take the issue of the town hall meeting. There are many of my officials who are always out there explaining various aspects of our policies.

We have several people who are doing that particularly those who are in the information team. I didn’t want deliberately to play politics too early because I knew that I have a very heavy mandate in terms of development. I came in with a vision to provide security, to bring about development and to spread prosperity. So our vision is on the three areas of security, development and prosperity,

and that is how this issue of the new Dubai came in. We hope to now step up our game in terms of explaining more to the people.

Our vision of Bayelsa being the new Dubai is on course even in the light of the current financial realities. Everyone in Nigeria and indeed the world knows what is happening to the world economy and in the economies of countries like Nigeria that depend solely on crude oil sales. And for a state whose revenue depends wholly on derivation, I don’t need to tell you how affected we are. You now see why from the beginning I talked about the need for diversification of our economy so that we don’t depend too much on this very volatile commodity called crude oil over which we don’t have any control over. The dynamics of the oil business in the international market would be outside your control.

Unfortunately the reality came upon us much too soon than I expected. It is a major challenge because there are states in this country that cannot pay salaries of their workers as we speak.

And this is a message to Bayelsans and Bayelsa civil servants. We have never owed salaries. We make sure salaries are paid promptly. There are states that are owing salaries for 4,5,7 or more months, and you are not seeing riots and demonstrations in those states.

Indigenes of Bayelsa State, in the course of my interaction, have highlighted areas they would want interventions in the areas of internal roads, good drainage systems, potable water and housing. What is government doing in these areas?

When we came on board, we designed our master plan of the state along the lines of promoting security, development and prosperity.

And because we wanted this place to be the new Dubai you can see the type of mega projects and they cost a lot of money.

And most of these projects have a construction period of 3 years and some 3 and a half years; that is assuming we even have the funds because of the terrain and the technical requirements.

Now, less than two years into the tenure, we have this massive economic slowdown that has affected and reduced our earnings to about 40%. So we are not in a position now to contemplate any new jobs. I had thought that by the time we finish these big roads, then we now expand most of the internal roads. For the second flyover bridge project that we wanted to do, we had even spent up to N500 million on compensation because of the space that it will occupy and that is a heavily built up place.

news Lagos 41

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Lagos Accuses PDP Members Of Vandalising Gani Fawehinmi Park The Lagos State government has accused members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of vandalising equipment and artifacts kept at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park during a campaign rally the party held recently in Lagos.

The state commissioner for environment, Mr Tunji Bello who disclosed this to journalists said the level of vandalisation at the park located in Ojota area of the state was appalling.

He lamented the high level of destruction and vandalisation of monuments and equipment built with tax payers' money, saying it is the third time in the life of this administration that such a show of recklessness is being displayed by PDP members.

Bello said while the state government is not against the use of the park by individuals and the public, it should be noted that they were built for public use and not for political rallies.

The commissioner, who frowned against the wanton destruction of the entire landscaped site and equipment that adorn the park in the name of a rally, said despite the fact that the facility was built by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government it does not use it for rallies.

By George Okojie, Lagos

Lagosians Decry Clampdown On Electronic Billboards The ongoing clampdown on electronic billboards in Lagos State by the officials of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on Lagos Third Mainland Bridge has attracted wide condemnation by motorists and commuters who daily ply the route.

A cross-section of Lagos motorists and commuters on their way back from work lamented the pervasive darkness resulting from the shutdown of the electronic billboards popularly referred to as LEDs by outdoor advertising professionals.

According to a statement by the campaign director of Lagos Commuters Advocacy Group, Mr Fidelis Ojeih, the development represents a setback for our civilisation.

The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) had last week embarked on a protest march against alleged impunity by the Federal Ministry of Works and some of its agencies for illegally erecting lamp-posts and billboards in Lagos metropolis without following laid down rules and regulations.

Specifically, LASAA and some federal agencies with the relevant stakeholders have been locked in controversy over indiscriminate posting of PDP presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan’s billboards and posters on electricity posts in Lagos State.

By Olushola Bello, Lagos

LASU Re-issues 9 Withdrawn PhD Certificates To End Crisis

By George Okojie, Lagos

Determined to end the lingering crisis rocking the Lagos State University (LASU), the school authorities yesterday said that nine out of the 10 staff of the university whose PhD certificates were withdrawn have been reissued their certificates after making the necessary corrections.

The interim chairman of the

Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), LASU chapter, Mr Ayodele Asokere disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Lagos State University Main Campus, Ojo. Asokere who paraded seven of the nine affected PhD holders said the university authorities had before now ordered that the affected certificates be returned for obvious corrections, adding

that nine out of them who are staff of the university complied with the instruction, while only one of them, the factional chairman of ASUU-LASU failed to comply.

He said there is no crisis in the university, saying those fanning the embers of crisis in the institution are outsiders who are working in collaboration with a few disgruntled elements in the

university.

He said the university environment is peaceful, adding that both the academic and nonacademic staff of the university are fully and dutifully engaged.

He said: "Please do not be misled by mischief makers and propagandists who are determined to create panic where there should be none and indeed, there is none".

short news Rotary Nigeria To Raise N20m For Charity

L-R: Alhaji Rasaq Okoya; former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande; the late Molade Okoya-Thomas' first son, Deji and former minister of industry, Chief Kola Jamodu, at the late Okoya-Thomas' residence in Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO BY

Okoya-Thomas: We've Lost An Uncommon Patriot – Ikuforiji

By Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, Lagos

The speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji has described Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas as an uncommon patriot, a foremost sports administrator, an industrialist of uncommon pedigree and a philanthropist, whose great contributions towards human and sports development can never be wished away in a hurry.

He made this known while re-

acting to the sudden demise of the business mogul in his office yesterday.

He said, "The sudden demise of this uncommon patriot, a juggernaut in the socio-economic and human development, has robbed our nation of one of her very best citizens ever to emerge on this part of the planet.

"For a man like Chief OkoyaThomas to have totally dedicated his entire life to our nation and her people makes this uncommon son

of Nigeria and Lagos State a hero of all seasons.

It is on record, for instance, that the sports philanthropist has in the last four decades single-handedly sponsored the Annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship that has produced several international stars for our state and country, simply because he believed that nothing could be greater than devoting one's life to the promotion of healthy development for the nation's teeming youths".

'400,000 Out Of 1.6m UTME Candidates Secure Admission'

By Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, Lagos

The resource person to the Global Organisation on Open Education Resources and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Abel Cain, has said that only about 400,000 candidates from a total of 1.6 million that sat for the Unified Tertiary Matricula-

tion Examination (UTME) in Nigeria were able to secure admission.

This was disclosed yesterday at a workshop for staff and management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Lagos.

The resource person, who said the statistics were derived from the revelations of the Nation-

al Bureau of Statistics and the various ministries of education, suggested that for the country to overcome the challenge of limited access, she must support and empower the open and distance learning system.

He said most candidates seeking admission into the nation’s various tertiary institutions during the 2013/2014 academic ses-

As part of its humanitarian efforts, Rotary International, District 9110, Nigeria is set to raise N20million ($100,000) to promote education, improve health care and alleviate poverty.

The fund will be raised at the forthcoming annual Rotary Foundation Dinner/Dance holding on March 27, 2015.

Speaking at the press conference yesterday in Lagos, the district rotary foundation chair, PDG Richard Giwa-Osagie said, “The Rotary Foundation is the vehicle through which many rotary projects and programmes are executed with the funds donated

by Rotarians and friendly individuals and organisations.”

By George Okojie, Olushola Bello and Samuel Abulude, Lagos

sion were unable to secure space, describing the development as alarming but redeemable.

According to Abel, virtually all the leading universities in the world, including Harvard University, Yale University, among others, have adopted MOOCs as a way of opening up access to all categories of students free of charge.

42

stories of the Wednesday, February 4, 2015

...NEWS WITH A HUMAN FACE

GUN ATTACK: Police Sergeant, 2 Others Shot Dead

By Osa Okhomina, Yenagoa

It was a bloody day in Nembe and Southern Ijaw Areas of Bayelsa State following two separate attacks on a police patrol team and a boat conveying workers of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in the state.

While a policeman sergeant and two civilians were shot dead in a shootout with suspected militia group along the Opiama community in Nembe Local Government Area, the boat conveying four Agip workers from Amasoma community to Ogoimbiri community in Southern Ijaw was attacked and the workers abducted and taken to an unknown destination.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the attack on the police patrol van belonging to the state Special Security Squad, known as Operation Doo-Akpo, was carried out by youths suspected to be members of a militia group.

One version of the incident claimed that armed youths attacked the Police Patrol Van and engaged them in a gun duel which led to the death of two of the attackers and a policeman.

Another version claimed that the shoot out between the armed youths and the policemen occurred after an argument over the refusal of the youths to pay transport fare from Nembe to Ogbia via Amakalakala.

The deceased police sergeant was identified as Mathew Simon. An eyewitness told LEADERSHIP that “this time around, they were not successful as the policemen engaged them in a gun duel. One of the policemen died while the police said they killed two of the militants. The militants escaped with the dead bodies of their colleagues.”

It was gathered that the patrol van was drafted to guard workers constructing the Ogbia-Nembe road.

At the Southern Ijaw end of the state, gunmen suspected to be sea pirates operating with a speedboat attacked a boat conveying four employees of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and abducted them.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the workers were traveling on a speedboat from Amasoma to Ogoimbiri, all in Southern Ijaw.”

Their speedboat was double-crossed by gun-wielding men who shot in the air to frighten them. The gunmen took them into their boat and zoomed off.

Our river is a death trap”, the security source said.

When contacted, the police public relations officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said he had yet to get details of the incident.

Woman feeding her children at a public square in Kuje, Abuja, yesterday. Photo By Ogoh Joseph

POLICE BRUTALITY: Policeman Kills Man In Benin

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin City

There was pandemonium yesterday evening at the New Benin Market in the ancient capital city of Benin, Edo State, following the killing of a middle-aged man.

The man, whose name could not be ascertained at the time of this report, was allegedly shot dead by a policeman close to the traffic light along the busy Upper Mission road in the state.

It was gathered that the incident occurred following an argument between the trigger-happy policeman and a commercial bus conductor.

Sources close to the troubled spot said the policeman had shot the bus conductor at close range over an unknown reason.

The incident forced owners of shops and other business outlets within the area to flee while ticketing agents of the state government made a detour to an unknown location as miscreants took

advantage of the tense atmosphere to unleash terror on every available trader and market women with the intention of extorting money from them.

Angry bus drivers and others, who were moved with sympathy for the deceased and the manner of his killing, went wild in protest and attempted setting the divisional police station close to the New Benin Market ablaze.

Soldiers attached to the state anti-crime outfit, Operation Thunderstorm, were drafted to the area and gunfire continued to be heard. Hoodlums were said to have also attacked any policeman on sight to avenge the death of the youngman, forcing officers to pull off their service uniforms.

Efforts to contact the police public relations officer of the Edo State Command, Mr. Joseph Edoigiawerie, and the commissioner for police, Mr. Folusho Adebanjo, failed as they did not pick calls to their GSM phones.

ROBBERY: Grandmum Weeps Over Stolen Umbilical Cord

BY MATTHEW DIKE, Lagos

A grandmother wept profusely in Agboju area of Lagos State, on Monday, when robbers snatched her bag containing the placenta of her daughter and grandchild.

The victim identified as Mrs Onwumere was said to have been returning from a private hospital where her daughter delivered a baby boy when the robbers snatched the bag near Agboju market.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the two robbers who were operating on a motorcycle moved close to the victim before they snatched the bag around 9pm.

Mrs. Onwumere disclosed that the bag also contained N8,500 and that she was so shocked that she could not shout.

Amidst tears, she said, “The bag contained the umblical cord (placenta) of my daughter and grandson. I was just returning from the hospital to prepare pepper soup for my daughter who just delivered a baby in a private hospital. I went to purchase leaf because I already had other ingredients at home. I was shocked and tears rolled down my cheeks.

I cursed the robbers and will continue to curse them for snatching the cord,” she said.

THUGGERY: 2 Gangsters Die In Shootout

BY MATTHEW DIKE, Lagos

There was pandemonium in Ajegunle area of Lagos State, yesterday, when political thugs exchanged gunfire which led to the death of two people.

LEADERSHIP gathered that a politician (name withheld) vying for the Senate was accompanied by his supporters, including suspected thugs, from Amukoko in a campaign, but when they arrived Ajegunle area, some thugs loyal to another politician of same party, wanted to know why they had to encroach into the area without informing them. An eye witness, Ibrahim, said the Amukoko thugs called Campus Boys were the first to open fire, causing their opponents to fire back.

He said two people were shot dead while about six people were wounded during the process.

LEADERSHIP gathered that a top politician vying for another tenure in the Lagos State House of Assembly on APC platform, Ladi Balogun heard the shooting and quickly called the policemen attached to Ajegunle division.

The acting divisional police officer of the Ajegunle police station, SP Augustine Chime, led a team of policemen to the scene.

Upon seeing patrol vehicle approaching, the thugs took to their heels to evade arrest.

Ibrahim disclosed that, “All the appeal for peace made by the politician proved abortive as both thugs pulled out their guns.

Passers-by and residents of Layinka, Barra, Arumoh, Oduduwa, Olowojeunjeje, Alayabiagba, Iyalode, Ojora, and Bale streets respectively, scampered for safety.

Alayabiagba Boys were the hoodlums that faced the visiting Amukoko hoodlums.

“I had to run into somebody’s house when I saw the guns with hoodlums. They were many,” he said.

STORIES OF THE DAY 43

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

day

Photo News

FRAUD: Italian Arraigned For Defrauding Zenith Bank Of N717m OLUGBENGA SOYELE, Lagos

Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered that a Nigerian-based Italian businessman, Piero Allan Franchillo, be remanded in prison custody for allegedly defrauding Zenith Bank Plc of the sum of N717 million.

The Italian was arraigned before the court on a five-count charge of advanced fee fraud, forgery and altering of documents by lawyers from the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigerian Police.

The accused person, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts, a development that made the court to order that he be kept in custody pending the hearing and

determination of his bail application on February 7.

Before the case was adjourned, the prosecutor, Mrs Susan Ezema had informed the court that the foreigner conspired with others who are still at large, to obtain about N717 million from Zenith Bank, for the construction of a Mall at Effurun, Delta State.

Ezema also alleged that the accused person fraudulently converted the money to his own use rather than executing the project for which the sum was obtained.

She said the alleged offence was committed between August 2013 and April 2014, at Zenith Bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.

L-R: Director, Disaster Risk Reduction (NEMA), Mr Alhassan Nuhu; acting director -general, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Mr Moses Beckley, and representative of director-general, Mrs Adetokunbo Idowu, during a two-day National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Preparation in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO.

ACCIDENT: Trailer Crushes Pregnant Woman, 3 Others

BY KOLA EKE-OGIUGO, Asaba

A trailer load with goods worth millions of naira, yesterday along Illah-Ebu expressway in Delta State, crushed a pregnant woman and three others to death, leaving two other persons who were by the road seriously injured.

Eyewitness said the driver narrowly escaped being mobbed by the irate youths in both communities (Illah & Ebu) where the incident occurred.

It was reliably gathered that the trailer allegedly rammed into the pregnant woman when one of its tyres pulled out while descending down the Illah hills, but, unfortunately, the driver’s bid to veer off from where the victim stood waiting for a commercial vehicle, proved abortive.

The trailer with registration number AA169SL, after killing the pregnant wom-

an and three others ran into the bush where the driver and his conductor sustained minor injuries.

Our eyewitness further said that the victims before help came their way, died on the spot, a situation where the angry mob almost set ablaze, the trailer.

DSP Celestina Kalu, police public relations officer in the state who confirmed the incident, disclosed that the trailer driver was arrested and detained at Illah Police Division to avoid breakdown of law and order by the angry youths, including relations of the deceased.

Sources said the pregnant woman was joined in holy matrimony barely a year ago to a highly placed businessman in Illah community as she was pregnant for her first baby. Relations of the victims as at the time of filing this report , were seen at the accident scene, wailing.

NABBED: Police Arrest 2 Men With AK47 Rifles In Delta

BY KOLA EKE-OGIUGO, Asaba

Two Fulani herdsmen have been arrested in Delta Sstate on the charges of unlawful possession of Ak47 rifles.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest in Asaba, said the herdsmen were arrested at Aboh, Ndokwa East local government area of the state, with the rifles and magazines containing 30 rounds of live ammunition.

She said the suspects, Usman Hallin and Idin Adamu, were riding on a blue Qlink motorcycle, marked NSK 136 QB, when they were apprehended by the police at Setraco junction, Ashaka, Aboh road.

In a similar development, the PPR0 said the patrol team attached to a division in Warri, while on township patrol along Okpe street off Iyara Road, Warri, ran into a group of suspected cultists.

On sighting the policemen, the said suspect cultists took to their heels and abandoned one black bag containing one locally made pistol, two daggers, mask cap and one torch, and escaped to an unknown destination, she said.

In yet another case of arrest of arm robbery suspects, Kalu said operatives attached to Dragon Patrol Team 03 while on patrol along Benin/Asaba expressway, intercepted a gang of suspected armed robbers operating at JOC filling station, Umunede.

The hoodlums, on sighting the policemen, opened fire on them and in the ensuing gun duel, one of the criminals, identified as Junior Ocheonye, 20, was shot and arrested, while others ran into the bush.

Items recovered from the hoodlums included one locally made double-barrel pistol with a live cartridge, two GSM handsets, a bag containing two wallets with one US dollar and a suspected N1,000 note.

L-R: Principal partner, Nextier Advisory, Patrick Okigbo III; special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, and partner, Nextier, Segun Olukoya, during the development discourse on solving the Boko Haram challenge organised by Nextier in Abuja. PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI

R-L: Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mustafa Pulat, and deputy chief of mission, Yusuf Selcuk, during their visit to LEADERSHIP GROUP’s Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY JANE OKEKE

The people’s winner of the Commonwealth music competition (2014-2015), “The Port Harcourt Male Ensemble”, performing their winning song at the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC ) electoral sensitisation programme, tagged “Say No To Election Violence,” in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY DELE DAMISA

44

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY

Council endorsed the useful phone numbers submitted by the security agents for easy access in case of any emergency on the metropolitan Roads. Accordingly, the public may easily Contact KAROTA for: Breakdown of Vehicle(s), Traffic Congestion, Accidents, Illegal / Wrong Parking to kindly Call KAROTA through the following number – 08091626747.

Similarly, the State Police Command could be contacted on – 08032419754, 08123821575. In addition, the State Fire Service can also be contacted on – 07051246833, 08191778888.

KANO STATE GOVERNMENT

th

186 KANO STATE EXECuTiVE COuNCiL MEETiNG PREPARED BY COUNCIL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, KANO. Office:This request was submitted from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport. The details presented were appraised and Council approved the release of the sum of N20,036,063.25 for the stated purpose.

ENGR. RAbi’u MuSA KwANKwASO, FNSE

iii. Presentation on the Need and Request for Funds to Enable Provision of Minimum Requirements for the Full Take – Off of Informatics Institute, Kura Permanent Site:Prominent amongst the employable skills acquisition institutes established by the present administration, is Kano Informatics Institutes with its permanent site in Karfi, Kura Local Government.

Council approved the release of the sum of N62,551,707.91 to enable provision of the requirements for the full take – off of the Kano State Informatics Institute at its Kura permanent site on Contractual arrangement to be supervised by the State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport.

Executive Governor, Kano State

Kano State, under the leadership of Governor Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE, stands out as a legendary copious 2015, beacon in the delivery of services by Government across all sectors towards fulfillment of promises/resolutions to satisfy the genuine aspirations of the good people of the State for the betterment of their lives. Series of approvals continually granted and ensured of being executed on public spirited/oriented projects/schemes/ programmes attest to this as available indelible records of the performance by MDAs across all sectors show.

iv. Request for Funds to Enable Procurement and Installation of 350KVA Electricity Generating Set/Accessories at Kano Informatics Institute Permanent Site, Kura:The Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport substantiated through contents of this memorandum, the need for submitting this request for consideration by Council.

Approval was granted for the release of the sum of N16,257,189.38 for the stated project to be executed on Contractual arrangement under the supervision of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport.

The tangible physical developmental, perceivable socio – cultural and positive economic transformations and other achievements recorded need no emphasis in this medium. Verification survey and conduct of opinion polls can confirm the commendable trend in continuation with which the Kano State Executive Council held its one hundred and eighty sixth (186th) sitting on Sunday 1st February, 2015 (11th Rabi’ul Thani, 1436AH).

v. Request for Funds for the Supply and Installation of Furniture and Electricity Standby Generating Set at the Kano State Sports Institute Permanent Site, Karfi:Approval was granted for the release of the sum of N18,179,673.75 for this project to be executed on Contractual arrangement under the supervision of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport.

Forty (40) memoranda from eight (8) MDAs were tabled for deliberation of which Council approved twenty five (25) cutting across six (6) sectors for execution with an expenditure of Two Hundred and Eighty Five Million, Seven Hundred and Ten Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy Four Naira, Twenty Nine Kobo (N285,710,174.29) covering twenty one (21) projects while the remaining four (4) are on policy issues as follows; 1. THE INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT/MAINTENANCE SECTOR A total of fourteen (14) or more than 50% of the twenty five (25) memoranda approved for execution by the Kano State Executive Council at its one hundred and eighty sixth (186th) sitting are under the infrastructural development/maintenance sector.

Accordingly, the fourteen (14) memoranda approved for execution under this sector can be further sub – divided into four (4). Viz; provision of public utilities; provision of roads/related structures; provision of housing and urban beautification (7, 4, 2 and 1 respectively) as follows; • Provision of Public Utilities:i. Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Professional Fees in Respect of the Kano State Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency:Council approved the release of the sum of N405,350.00 to the State Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency to enable payment of professional fees to the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria as well as the International Zoo Educators. The request was endorsed by the office of the Secretary to the State Government and presented to Council for consideration on behalf of the Kano State Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency. ii. Request for Funds for the Supply and Installation of Furniture at the recently Completed Deputy Governor’s

vi. Presentation on the Need to Convert Imam Wali Local Government Development Center to a Health Facility (Cottage Hospital):Council noted, considered the details presented and approved the conversion of the under – utilized Imam Wali Local Government Development Center to a fully functional Cottage Hospital under the State Ministry of Health.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health was instructed to set the stage for the provision of required facilities with a view to putting the new hospital to use in two weeks time. Furthermore, the Council approved the naming of the new hospital after Mallam Imam Wali. vii. Request for the Provision of 250KVA Electricity Generator at the Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso College of Basic and Remedial Studies Tudun Wada:This institute is among the 24 institute established by the administration of KWANKWASO in the state. It is intended to provide for remedial courses as the state has only one of such institutions.

The details submitted on the plausible reasons that prompted submission of this request from the Ministry of Higher Education for consideration by Council warranted for the granting of approval as requested thereby mandating the State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to carry – out the assignment accordingly.

• Provision of Roads/Related Facilities:i. Request for Funds to Enable Continuation with Enforcement of the Street De – Congestion/Illegal Motor Parks Operations in Kano Metropolis:Cognizant of the policy of the present administration to decongest metropolitan roads and eliminate the operation of illegal motor parks, this request was presented to Council for consideration.

Council appraised the request and approved the release of the trimmed sum of N10,000,000.00 to cater for the two (2) items required (Logistics and Allowances) for three (3) months (January

– March, 2015). All activities are to be supervised by the State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport. ii. Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Accrued Expenditure on Maintenance/Running Cost for the Street and Traffic Control Lighting Project (November – December, 2014):Council approved the release of the sum of N28,336,000.00 to enable the State Taskforce Committee on the Installation/ Repairs/Reactivation of Street and Traffic Control Lights pay its accrued expenditure executed on loan for the stated duration on maintenance/running cost. iii. Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Compensation for One (1) Property Omitted Amongst those Affected by the Construction of 5KM Road at Ungogo Town:The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning reported to Council, through contents of this memorandum that, one (1) item (structure) was erroneously omitted when the successful payment of compensation for structures affected by the 5KM Road Projects at Ungogo Town in Ungogo Local Government Council Area was undertaken.

Council approved the release of the sum of N892,350.00 to enable payment of the stated compensation according to the details presented.

In a related development, Council urged the Contractors handling the construction of the 5KM Road projects across the 44 Local Government Areas of the State to hasten its complete. iv. Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Compensation for Twenty Five (25) Properties (Items) Affected by the Construction of Koki/Daurawa Road Leading to the Newly Constructed Secondary School:Council approved the release of the sum of N30,926,350.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable payment of compensation for twenty five (25) properties (items) affected by the construction of Koki/Daurawa Road leading to the newly constructed Secondary School according to the details presented.

• Provision of Housing:i. Presentation of Progress Report from the House Numbering/Street Naming Committee:Council was notified, through contents of this Progress Report that the recently approved (ratified) and released sum of N266,303,000.00 was judiciously utilized with progress categorically reported from five (5) of the eight (8) Municipal Local Government Council Areas which include Nassarawa, Dala, Ungogo, Gwale and Kumbotso.

Specifically, the Committee submitted a joint report from Gwale and Ungogo Local Government Council Areas with highlights as follows; completed buildings = 175,978; uncompleted houses = 15,078; plots = 29,349.

Council acknowledged the presentation and directed for continuation of the project by the Committee so as to enhance facilitation of Data/Information relevant to planning. ii. Request for Funds to Enable Refund of Overpayment in Respect of Some Sold GP Houses:Council approved release of the sum of N6,746,300.00 to three (3) Individuals as refund for the overpayment for the GP Houses sold to them by the State Government under the present administration.

• Urban Renewal/Beautification:Request for Funds to Enable Establishment and Settlement of Masquerade Plants at the Permanent Site of Kano Informatics and Sports Institutes:The Horticulture Institute, Bagauda reportedly completed its own version of the cited project waiting for proper transplanting of the nurtured seedlings at the two (2) institutes estimated to cost the sum of N3,607,180.00.

The idea behind the planting of the Masquerade Plants is to provide

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2. THE EMPOWERMENT SECTOR The empowerment sector was further endowed with the granting of approval by the Kano State Executive Council at its one hundred and eighty sixth (186th) sitting for the execution of six (6) memoranda, five (5) of which are on provision of access to professional/academic education while the other one (1) is on provision of access to capacity building for serving civil servants as follows; • Provision of Access to Professional/Academic Education:i. Request for Funds to Enable Purchase of One Way Air Tickets for One Hundred and Ninety Seven (197) Kano State Indigenous Students Sponsored for One – Year Top Up Degree Programme at International University of East Africa, Uganda:The content of this memorandum recall Council on its earlier approval for the sponsoring of one hundred and ninety seven (197) State Indigenous Students to pursue a one year top – up degree programme at the International University of East Africa Kampala, Uganda.

So far, the students have successfully completed their studies and awarded with various class of degree as follow; • Forty nine (49) – first (1st) class.

• Ninety (90) – second (2nd) class upper.

• Forty four (44) – second (2nd) class lower.

• Fourteen (14) – pass.

The details presented above was considered as authentic on the referred students having completed their studies and due to return home which prompted Council to approve the release of the sum of N32,702,000.00 to the Ministry of Science and Technology, as endorsed by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for the stated purpose at N166,000.00 each. ii. Request for Funds to Enable Conduct of 2015 IJMB Marking Exercise and Payment of Affiliation Fees by the Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies:The content of this memorandum is requesting for funds to cater for the conduct of the year 2015 IJMB Examination, marking Exercise and Payment of Affiliation fees.

The sum N11,945,200.00 is being requested to enable the successful conduct of the examination in terms accommodation, feeding, honoraria and refreshment for external supervisors, allowances for internal coordinators, procurement of chemical and other consumable for practical examinations, etc.

Accordingly, Council considered and approved the release of the requested sum for the undertaking. iii. Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Expenses Incurred in the Conduct of Head Count of Sponsored Kano State Indigenous Students at Crescent, Bells, Igbinedion and American University, Yola:Ensuring accountability, the Ministry of Higher Education led a high powered team to conduct the actual head count referred. Details were presented along with the request for the release of the sum of N1,267,450.00 incurred in conduct of the exercise.

Accordingly, Council considered and approved as requested. iv. Request for Funds for the Payment of Allowances/ Expenses in Respect of Special Assignment Conducted to Verify the Number of Kano State Sponsored Students at Al – Qalam University, Katsina:The content of this memorandum recall members of Council of the directives given to the State Ministry of Higher Education to visit Al – Qalam university Katsina and take head counts of the State sponsored students at the Institution.

Against the background of the foregoing, the sum of N388,275.00 is being requested as duty tour allowances in respect of the Ministry officials who conducted the head count of the State sponsored students at the Institutions.

Accordingly, Council considered and approved as requested. v. Request for Funds as Special Grant on the Second (2nd) Batch Kano State Indigenous Students Admitted into the Nigerian Law Schools:In continuation with fulfilling the policy on free education of the state, thirty one (31) Kano State Indigenous Students were cleared by the authorities at the Kano State Ministry of Higher Education as qualified for second (2nd) Batch admission into the Nigerian Law Schools (2014/2015) academic session.

Council approved the release of the sum of N10,385,000.00 to the Kano State Scholarship Board in respect of the thirty one (31) second (2nd) Batch Kano State Indigenous Students admitted into the Nigerian Law Schools (at N335,000.00) each.

• Provision of Access to Capacity Building for Serving Civil Servants:Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Statutory Dues to Four (4) Senior Government Officials at the Kano Pilgrims’ Welfare Board:The content of this memorandum is from the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Board intimating Council on the communication it received from National Hajj Commission of Nigeria regarding a programme on pilgrim leadership management jointly organized by EDUGUIDE and ALHARAMIN Ltd schedule to take place in Riyadh.

The memorandum further recall the outstanding performance of the State during the last four (4) operations particularly the just conducted 2014 Hajj which earned the State (Kano) reputation in both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia with an award of excellence by the establishment for pilgrims from African and Non – Arab Countries.

Accordingly, Council approved the release of the sum of N5,683,000.00 to enable the four (4) Senior Government Officials to attend the programme jointly organized by the EDUGUIDE and ALHARAMAINPILGRIMS Ltd on pilgrims’ leadership management at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

3. THE COMMERCE/INVESTMENT SECTOR Cognizant of the need to protect commerce (trading) and investment into viable ventures in Kano State (covertly named as the center of commerce), the Kano State Executive Council approved the execution of two (2) memoranda under the commerce/investment sector at its one hundred and eighty sixth (186th) sitting as follows; a) Presentation of Performance Report/Retirement of Expenditure (4th Quarter, 2014) and Request for Operational Funds for the First (1st) Quarter 2015 by the Kano State Consumer Protection Council:Council appreciatively acknowledged the presentation of the Committee’s performance and approved the release of the recommended sum of N5,000,000.00 as endorsed by the office of the Secretary to the State Government to enable the Consumer Protection Council operate in the first (1st) quarter of 2015. b) Presentation of Report from the Seventeen (17) – Member Committee on the Kano – Katsina – Maradi (2KM) Cross Boarder Initiative:The 17 – Member Committee assigned on the cited initiative (project) carried out its mandate and submitted its report which was concisely summarized to six (6) items and presented to Council for consideration based on which approval was granted as requested by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Tourism and endorsed by the office of the Secretary to the State Government for clearance to enable the commencement of the assigned duties of the Committee.

4. THE EDUCATION SECTOR The Kano State Executive Council approved the execution of only one (1) memorandum under the education sector at its one hundred and eighty sixth (186th) sitting in continuation with the unwavering attention accorded the sector as follows; Request for Funds to Enable Conduct of Midterm and Final, Mass Literacy Classes Examination (2nd Circle):The content of this memorandum recall Council of its’earlier approval granted to the State Agency for Mass Education for the conduct of giant Mass Literacy Campaign for the period of 2012 – 2015 which led to the establishment of 8,074 classes with an enrollment of 403,700 adult, 16,148 facilitators and 440 supervisors.

It is pertinent to note that, the programme has tremendously assisted in rising the adults literacy level in the State.

In this regard, the sum of N5,000,085.00 is being requested to cater for the smooth conduct of mid – term and final examination as funds for the procurement of examination materials, allowances for invigilators as well as monitoring logistics.

Accordingly, Council considered and approved as requested.

5. THE HEALTH SECTOR The prominence accorded the health sector and provision of vital services related to it prompted Council to approve execution of the only one (1) memorandum from the sector as follows; Request for Funds to Enable Provision of Operational Funds to the Multi – Agency Taskforce on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking:Cognizant of the significant role played by the cited Taskforce on the fight against the unwholesome activities of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, Council approved the release of the recommended sum of N14,961,000.00 as operational funds (January – March, 2015) to the Multi – Agency Taskforce on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

6. THE ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION/PROTECTION SECTOR Matters of the environment are considered of priority by the present administration cognizant to which the Kano State Executive Council approved the execution of the request related to the sector as endorsed by the office of the Secretary to the State Government. Thus; Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Monthly Allowances to the Three (3) Private Members of the (MIREMCO) (October, 2014 – January, 2015):Specifically, the three (3) Private Members of the Kano State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) requested for the release of the sum of N440,000.00 as four (4) months sitting allowances (October, 2014 – January, 2015).

Council noted, considered and approved as requested.

UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES AT THE 186TH KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SITTING 1. SWEARING- IN OF THREE (3) NEWLY APPOINTED COMMISSIONERS Council witnessed the successful swearing – in of three (3) newly appointed commissioners on Sunday 1st February, 2015 at the Council Chamber Government House, Kano by Governor Engr.

Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. The appointment is to fill the vacuum created by the resignation of some Commissioners so as to contest for elective offices. The newly appointed Commissioners/ portfolios are as follows: i. Alhaji Aminu Mukhtar – Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Finance. ii. Engr. Muhammad Hamisu Abubakar - Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Rural and Community Development. iii. Hajiya Zainab Abdu Bako – Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Science & Technology.

In the same vein, Council congratulated the new members and urged them to discharge their official responsibility with fear of Almighty Allah.

2. COMMISSIONING OF KWANKWASIYYA HOUSING ESTATE BY GEN. T.Y. DANJUMA (Rtd) Council delightfully acknowledged the successful commissioning of Kwankwasiyya Housing Estate by Gen. T.Y. Danjuma (Rtd) on Wednesday 28th January, 2015. The General in his remarks commended the laudable performance of the present administration in Kano State under the capable leadership of Governor Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE towards infrastructural development across various sectors.

3. KANO ECONOMIC AND COMMERCE DIALOGUE ORGANIZED

BY AMERICAN EMBASSY IN ABUJA Council noted the successful conduct of the organized Economic and Commerce Dialogue by the American Embassy held on 22nd January, 2015 at Abuja attended by the Kano State team, headed by the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Co-operatives and Tourism. The forum provided an opportunity to Kano Business Community to discussed vital issues related to Trade and Investment promotions at national and International level.

4. PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATE TO STATE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM (SSIT) MEMBERS AND LAUNCHING OF TEACHING SKILL PROGRAMME (YEAR 2) Council noted the successful presentation of Certificates to State School Improvement Team and launching of Teaching Skills Programme second (2nd) Phase for the year 2015 in the State in collaboration with DFID-ESSPIN as development partners by His Excellency the Deputy Governor/Honourable Commissioner, Ministry for Local Government on Literacy and Numeracy initiatives for Primary 4 and 5, initiated by the present administration for Primary 1-3 in 2013/2014.

5. PRESENTATION OF AN AWARD TO GOVERNOR ENGR. RABI’U MUSA KWANKWASO, FNSE Council noted the presentation of an Award to the Governor as “True Champion of Women Empowerment” during an organized three-day Bazaar/Exhibition on Women Finished Products by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with the Grand Coalition of Women Empowered by the present Administration.

Signed:

Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports & Culture

www.kn.gov.ng/new

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SCHOOLS, EDUCATION, & FAITH PLATFORM

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF

SPECIALISED CLASSIFIEDS PAGES KEbbI INTEGRITY & AccOUNTAbILITY INITITIvE

KEbbI TRANSPARENcY AdvOcATES

IKATE bAPTIST cHURcH cAc/IT/1236

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named ORGANISATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for Registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act,1of 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ORGANISATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the companies and allied matters act No.1 of 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for change of trustees under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Shehu Musa Wakaso 2. Barr. Umar Bello Magaji

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Shehu Musa Wakaso 2. Barr. Umar Bello Magaji

THE AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES ARE: 1.To ensure integrity and accountability in governance.

2. To ensure probity and minimum wastage in government spending.

3. To monitor and appraise government policies and projects.

4. To train and develop leaders for public assignments.

5. To empower and engage youths in productive ventures.

THE AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES ARE: 1.To ensure integrity and accountability in governance.

2. To ensure probity and minimum wastage in government spending.

3. To monitor and appraise government policies and projects.

4. To train and develop leaders for public assignments.

5. To empower and engage youths in productive ventures.

Any objection to the registration of the above named Church should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, P.M.B 198, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Any objection to the registration of the above named Church should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, P.M.B 198, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: EMEKA ALIOHA, ESQ b.c. ALIOHA & cO. NO. 95, 11TH cREScENT, KAdO ESTATE, AbUjA 08035046609

SIGNED: EMEKA ALIOHA, ESQ b.c. ALIOHA & cO. NO. 95, 11TH cREScENT, KAdO ESTATE, AbUjA 08035046609

EGbE OLOdOdO ASSOcIATION

UMUAGU OKPU EKOLI FAMILY UNION

AMbROSE EZE IvOKE FOUNdATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No 1 of 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No 1 of 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Engr. Jonathan Achara Ivoke 2. Mr. Emmanuel Chukwu Ivoke 3. Chief Uwadiegwu Obasi 4. Mr. Uchenna Ivo

THE TRUSTEES: 1. Engr. Jonathan Achara Ivoke 2. Mrs. Maureen Nkechi Ivoke 3. Dr. Julius Ajah 4. Barr. Eric Ogudu

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Engr. Olajide Adeniyi 2. Chief Otumba Ibitade Aruwajoye 3. Olusegun Awolowo Esq 4. Prof. Yemi Akinwumi 5. Engr. Oluseyi Makinde THE AIM ANd ObjEcTIvES ARE: 1. To promote peace, justice equity among its members and the society.

2. To build the minds of young persons and sensitize them for a better society.

THE OLd TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Emmanuel Adejumobi Adeniran 2. Bolarinwa Adesola Adedamola 3. Gabriel Ekundayo Makinde 4. Emmanuel Adeyemi Abolade 5. Miss Serah Modupe Jacobs THE NEW TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pa Oluranti Ademuyiwa 2. Deacon Abiodun Akanmu 3. Barrister Ayo Opadokun AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES REMAIN THE SAME Any objection to this application should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SEcRETARY

AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES ARE: 1. For rural empowerment

THE AIM ANd ObjEcTIvES ARE: 1. Empowerment of family members.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within twenty-eight (28) days of this publication.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within twenty-eight (28) days of this publication.

SIGNED: SEcRETARY

SIGNED: bARR. EUdORAH EZEONYE

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: bARR. EUdORAH EZEONYE

FRIENdS FOR AId INITIATIvE

HIS GARdEN ON EARTH MINISTRY

OLUKALUKU FOUNdATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

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

TRUSTEES: 1. Alh. Mua’zu Dan Asabe Umar 2. Abubakar Lawal 3. Ibrahim Ahmed Amah 4. Kabir Abdullahi Malumfashi 5. Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim 6. Murtala Sani Aliyu

TRUSTEES: 1. Reverend Adigun Amos 2. Pastor Alonge Omojola 3. Lady Evangelist Abolade Adigun 4. Deaconess Janet Alonge

AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES: 1. To foster unity, peace, love and understanding among the members.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SEcRETARY

LEGAL NOTIcE IN THE HIGH cOURT OF jUSTIcE OF THE FEdERAL cAPITAL TERRITORY, AbUjA Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

ScHEdULE dEcEASEd NAME ANd AddRESS JUMMAI SHEHU

APPLIcANTS FOR GRANT Shehu Muhammad and Aminna Shehu guardian to Abdulrahaman M. Bashir No. 19. Niger State Malali Kaduna State

ICPC Abuja Who died on the 9th December, 2014.

Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015.

The father, sister and son of the said deceased.

SIGNED bARR. HAFSAT SAdIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

For booking or inquiry call

> HENRY UBIMAGO 08068640944

AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES: 1. To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: MR. EMMANUEL AGbO (cHARTEREd AccOUNTANT) 08039341826

AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES 1. To promote mass literacy amongst indigent members of the society through the provision of food, shelter, clothing, moral and financial assistance.

2. To promote entrepreneurial development amongst indigent members of the society through enlightenment campaigns, seminars, trainings and programs.

3. To promote and encourage family and community building programs.

Any objection to the application should be forwarded to the registrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi street, Maitama Abuja PMB 198, within twenty-eight (28) days from the date of this publication.

Signed: OKEcHUKWU ObINKA ESQ 08037075205 (SOLIcITOR)

GOd’S PROMISE GLORIOUS PROPHETIc cHURcH

WAZIRIYYA FOUNdATION FOR UNITY ANd PROGRESS

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pastor (Mrs.) Love Peter Udoh - General Overseer/Chairman 2. Pastor Michael Jumbo Mkpa - Assist. Gen. Overseer/Vice Chairman 3. Elder Ettebom U. Akpan - Secretary 4. Elder Peter Udoh - Treasurer 5. Elder Idongesit Friday Akpan - Member 6. Evangelist Ekaette Idongesit Akpan - Member 7. Mr. Godwin Peter Udoh - Member

TRUSTEES: 1. Abdullahi Zubairu Zuru 2. Abubakar Musa Sambawa 3. Abdulazeez Saidu Yauri 4. Hadiza Musa Zuru 5. Alh. Musa Akambi 6. Sani Mu’azu Jega 7. Lawal Harande 8. Rukkayatu Umar 9. Joseph Auta 10. Christiana Alhassan Kamba

AIMS ANd ObjEcTIvES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

AIMS & ObjEcTIvES: 1. To promote self reliance among the youth.

2. To assist less privileged people within the society.

3. To visit hospitals and clinics to assist patients

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SEcRETARY

> AUGUstINE 08032325988

THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. Aderonke Opoola 2. Olamide Gidado Olayinka-Sulu

> GLORIA OKwUM 08038722368

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SEcRETARY

> ABIGAIL sAMBO 08064382438

> GLORIA RAPHAEL 08061356519

> GLORIA ODIO 08034285851

> GRACE OJO 08035054444

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

LEGAL NOTICE

AS-SAKEENAH ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

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

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

declaration as to next-of-kin Whereas the person/persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS GODDFREY O. MBANEFO 37 Noukchott Street Wuse Zone 1, Abuja APPLICANTS FOR GRANT CHIDIEBERE MBANEFO AND IFECHUKWU MBANEFO 37 Noukchott Street Wuse Zone 1, Abuja SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Awoniran Kazeem Oluwafemi 2. Lawal Jubril Ajibade 3. Badewa Maruf Abiodun 4. Akindele Shakirullah Olayemi 5. Shittu Kazeem Olanrewaju 6. Famuyiwa Dauda Alabi AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To promote brotherhood among muslims.

2. To preach peace and peaceful co-existence among the people.

3. To remind muslims of their duties to their creator.

DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS Mercy Temisan

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015. Durumi, Abuja

FREEDOM IN CHRISTY CHURCH OF GOD

JESUS THE GIVER BIBLE CHURCH

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Nwaolisa Augustine Odashi 2. Nzekwue Tina Isioma 3. Uzowulu Onyisi Joseph 4. Ofuogu Gift Yomi 5. Gbunor Izuka Johnson

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pst. Okechukwu Stephen Iheanacho 2. Pst. Okorie Peter Ogbonna 3. Okechukwu Blessing Chinyere 4. Nevezi Doughter Blessing 5. Nwanuka Lovelyne

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

Signed: SECRETARY

IHIMA COMMUNITY SCIENCE SECONDARY SCHOOL OLD STUDENT’S ASSOCIATION

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS Michael Yusuf

APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Yekerenge Michael Yusuf guardian to Reumah Michael Yusuf

106, NAF Camp (BSW) Abuja

Who died on the 21st November, 2014. Flat 17, SNCO Block 7 NAF Base Abuja Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015.

The widow and daughter of the said deceased.

SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Alh. Salihu Utaru Yahaya 2. Siaka Aniwe 3. Dr. Phillips Ohiare Salawu, Fca 4. Chief Isaac Jegede 5. Mashud Umar

- Chairman

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To foster unity, brotherliness, social and economic interaction among members.

2. To protect and project the name, image and interest of Ihima community secondary school.

3. to work towards the educational and social advancement of the association.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: POPOOLA GRACE ESQ; (SOLICITOR) 08051373257

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF EGGONLAND

STRONG TOWER OF GRACE EMBASSY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Society has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The General public is hereby informed that the above named Ministry has applied for registration with the corporate Affairs Commissions under part “C” of the companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mal. Jibrin Yusuf Danladi 2. Umar Abdullahi Galle 3. Mal. Sambo Ibrahim Idde 4. Mal. Nasiru Al-Kasim 5. Hafis Shuaibu Muhammad 6. Muhammad Ibrahim Umar 7. Barr.Iliya Ibn Aliyu.

8. Alh. Ayuba Akwakibi 9. Mal. Umar Marafa 10. Mal Saleh Yakubu

- Chairman -Secretary

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pastor Promise Excel Ugoala - Chairman 2. Pastor Mrs. Blessing Promise Ugoala - Secretary 3. Mrs. Alice Gbara Nkameme 4. Brother Samuel Ubani 5. Brother Bright Onuoha.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1 To create forum for the promotion of Islamic brotherhood in eggonland and other settlements.

2. To establish education foundation for award of scholarship to less privileged muslim students of eggon extraction.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

ELIJAH

I, formerly known and addressed as ITOH SUNDAY KEKONG now wish to be known and addressed as ELIJAH OSOWALE EGBE. All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

COSMAS

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EBOREIME MONALISA OTIWO ATESEME now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs COSMAS MONALISA OMOTIMEWO. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To build the destinies of men through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To spread the Gospel of God’s power and grace.

3. To bring people into the place of divine leadership of Jesus Christ.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistraGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Street, Maitama Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Chairman

SIGNED: ILIYA IBIN ALIYU, ESQ.

CHINYERE

I, formerly known and addressed as CHINYERE UZODINMA now wish to be known and addressed as CHINYERE UZODINMA ASHIMO. All former documents remain valid. National Teachers Institute (NTI) Kaduna and the general public note.

TALATU

I, formerly known and addressed as TALATU SIMFA WAKAMA now wish to be known and addressed as TALATU SIMFA OMOKHOMION. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

UBOHO

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UBOHO UBONG UDOKANG now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UBOHO UDOKANG ASHIWHOBEL. All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

IBIWARI

I, formerly known and addressed as IBIWARI NGOZI ODUKWE now wish to be known and addressed as IBIWARI NGOZI CHUKWU. All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Temisan Bethel guardian to Favour Joseph Amoji

Who died on the 23rd November, 2013. Block E 31, Flat 366 CBT Quarters

The sister and son of the said

deceased.

SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

PORT HARCOURT MALE ENSEMBLE MINISTRY The general public is hereby notified that the above named MINISTRY has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Engr. Ogboru Dennis 2. Dr. Osuigwe Nkem 3. Mr. Jumbo Lawrence 4. Mr. Amunye Bob 5. Mr. Harry Cyril 6. Mr. Joel Olam 7. Mrs. Izonfuo Gloria AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To propagate the word of God within and outside our society through music.

2. To develop human integrity through music.

3. To engage young men with musical potentials and maximize them to glorify God to the benefit of mankind.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

LEGAL NOTICE Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE

AEDC

Signed: S. A. BAKARE, ESQ SOLICITOR

- General Overseer - Vice Chairman - Secretary - Provost

Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE

NUWA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS LOT SIMAN PATIENCE NUWA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NUWA PATIENCE OLOLADE. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

CHIOMA

I, formerly known and addressed as MRS CHIOMA MARIA URASOANYA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS CHIOMA MARIA UKASOANYA. All former documents remain valid. IBTC Pension Ltd. and the general public note.

PUBLIC NOTICE the federal republic of nigeria

companies and allied matters act lfc 2004 company limited by shares members’ voluntary winding-up setra asphalt limited rc 635763

notice of meeting for the final winding-up of setra asphalt limited

Notice is hereby given to the Members and Creditors of Setra Asphalt Limited (‘‘The Company) that the meeting for the final winding up of the company shall be held on the 6th March 2015 at Plot 192, Block 11 No. 10, Makeni Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja by 10:00am Prompt.

The object of the above meeting shall include: • •

To lay bare the books/Accounts of the company To repay the shareholders the balance of their Capital Accounts.

Please endeavour to attend as this is the final meeting before the final winding up

adebola olubanjo liquidator

IFEANYICHUKWU

I, formerly known and addressed as IFEANYICHUKWU FAITH NKEONYE now wish to be known and addressed as IFEANYICHUKWU FAITH ROBERTSON. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

OSASONA

I, formerly known and addressed as ABOYEJI OLUWATOYIN AFOLAKE now wish to be known and addressed as OSASONA OLUWATOYIN AFOLAKE. All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

AYO-OLULEYE

I, formerly known and addressed as ADELABU OLUWANIFEMI ADESOLA now wish to be known and addressed as AYO-OLULEYE OLUWANIFEMI ADESOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

ATUNDA-OLU

I, formerly known and addressed as AGBELESOLA GBEMISOLA PRECIOUS now wish to be known and addressed as ATUNDA-OLU GBEMISOLA PRECIOUS. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

51

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 IBIBIO MATURE MINDS BUILDERS CLUB

loss of document

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF EGGONLAND

The general public is hereby inform that the above named Club has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, of 1990.

This is to inform the general public of the LOSS OF THE FOLLOWING ORIGINAL LAND DOCUMENTS: 1. DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 1234, MEASURING ABOUT 1500M2 BELONGING TO ALHAJI MOHAMMED SANI KASIMU, SITUATED AT DUKWA LAYOUT, DATED 30/4/2001.

2. DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 2462 MEASURING ABOUT 1000M2 BELONGING TO ALHAJI ABUBAKAR BANDE (A9), SITUATED AT OLD KAIDA VILLAGE EXPANSION LAYOUT AND DATED 2/4/2004.

3. DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 1081, MEASURING ABOUT 100M2 BELONGING TO AJIYA YAKUBU, SITUATED AT OLD KAIDA VILLAGE EXPANSION LAYOUT AND DATED 2/4/2001.

4. DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 92 OLD KAIDA ROAD EXTENSION LAYOUT BELONGING TO AHMED BELLO DATED 25/3/98.

A ll efforts made to trac e the s aid mi s s ing documents proved abortive. Please if found kindly return to AGIS or the nearest police station.

General public to take note.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Society has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

GOD’S GENERALS (FOUNDATION FOR THE NEEDY)

Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Islamic Foundation

CATHDiZA WIDOWS AGRO EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE

The General public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of Company and Allied matters Act, 1990

The General public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of Company and Allied matters Act, 1990

This is to inform the general public that the above named association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission to be registered as an in corpoate trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. GARBA A. SHANI 2. MUHAMMAD MUSTAFA IBRAHIM 3. LIMAN GANA MUSTAFA

The Trustees are: 1. Most. Rev. Dr George Jonathan Dodo 2. Rev. Fr. Michael Pius Kagarko 3. Barrister Jacob Alason Madaki 4. Simon Ayuba Bakut 5. Titus Marcus

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Comrade Ime Ebu - National President/ Founder 2. Comrade Charles Archibong Etok 3. Comrade Alfred Okon Ndem 4. Comrade Mary Emmanuel Etuk 5. Comrade Michael Edet Obot - National Secretary 6. Comrade (Mrs.) Elizabeth Efiong Akpan AIMS/OBJECTIVE: 1. For development and empowerment of members.

2. To ensure that all members enjoy equal right and justice.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28days of this Publication.

Signed: Comrade Ime Ebu National President/ Founder.

The trustees are: 1. STEPHEN EBERE AKWAJAH (Chairman) 2. CHUKWURA EZEODILI 3. UREH IKENNA BEDE (Secretary) 4. MARTINS OKORIE ANI 5. ANTHONY SUNDAY EZEH 6. DONATUS SUNDAY OGBUNIBA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES are: 1. To help the sick, the needy, the poor and the unemployed in the society.

2. To spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the society.

3. To assist the government in infrastructural development.

4. To carry out social orientation, reorientation and awareness discourse, crusades and campaigns.

5. To sensitize people and instill in people good moral and social values.

SIGNED: TOCHUKWU CHARLES IGWEZE (ESQUIRE).

Tochukwuigweze@yahoo.com 08035528916

- MEMBER - CHAIRMAN - Secretary

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To Provide Islamic Education and scholarship for peace and unity 2. To Provide charitable and philanthropic service to humanity 3. Establishment of Trust fund for research to pupil’s especial Girl child Education.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: R.C NO. NAME Alhaji Garba A. Shani 0402849.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mal. Jibrin Yusuf Danladi - Chairman 2. Umar Abdullahi Galle -Secretary 3. Mal. Sambo Ibrahim Idde 4. Mal. Nasiru Al-Kasim 5. Hafis Shuaibu Muhammad 6. Muhammad Ibrahim Umar 7. Barr.Iliya Ibn Aliyu.

8. Alh. Ayuba Akwakibi 9. Mal. Umar Marafa 10. Mal Saleh Yakubu AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1 To create forum for the promotion of Islamic brotherhood in eggonland and other settlements.

2. To establish education foundation for award of scholarship to less privileged muslim students of eggon extraction.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: ILIYA IBN ALIYU, ESQ.

Aims and objectives.

1. Training in various agricultural techniques.

2. Providing targeted audience with enterprenourship training.

3. Monitoring and evaluation of performance.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: secretary

GOD’S DELIGHT FOUNDATION FOR ALL NATION MINISTRY

GOSPEL LIGHT INTERCESSORY AND LIBERTY MINISTRY

THE CORD OF SCARLET THREAD FOUNDATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named ministry has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named ministry has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Prophet Henry Udochuckwu Inyama 2. Pastor Mrs Jennifer Ifunnaya John 3. Pastor Collins Inyama

The Trustees are: 1. EVANG (MRS) BLESSING NWOKORO 2. EVANG (MR) CHUKWUBUIKEM NWOKORO 3. BARR LINDA OKOROJI

This is to inform the general public that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

Aims and objectives: 1. To preach the gospel 2. To take care of the welfare of its members 3. To establish local branches for the propagation of the gospel wordwide.

4. To employ and deploy, train and ordain ministersn for the furtherance of the work of the church.

Aims and objectives: 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND THUS CARRY THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO VARIOUS PARTS OF NIGERIA,AFRICA AND TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. 2.TO RAISE AND RECONCILE THE YOUTHS BACK TO GOD,THEREBY MAXIMIZING THEIR GOD GIVEN POTENTIALS. 3.TO RESTORE BROKEN HOMES AND JOY OF MARRIAGE TO THE SINGLES. 4. TO TEACH THE UNDILUTED WORD OF GOD (THE HOLY BIBLE) AND TO GUIDE BEHAVIOURS TO ALL TRUTH.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication sign secretary

The Trustees are: 1. PHARM. INIOBONG LOUIS JOSIAH 2. ENGR LOUIS UDO JOSIAH Aims and objectives: 1. To sensitize the women in health issues 2. To create awareness and help in skill acquisition.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general.

Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication

Signed: secretary

sign Chairman

THE CHOSEN NATION OF CHRIST BIBLE CHURCH

HILTOP CHURCH OF CHRIST - AKWA IBOM

LEGAL NOTICE

This is to inform the general public that the above named CHURCH has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named CHURCH has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

The Trustees are: 1.APOSTLE FELiX DAVID 2.PASTOR MRS JOY FELIX DAVID 3 EVANG. IDORENYIN BASSEY IWA 4. DEACONESS IMA SUNDAY 5. ELDER OKON EDEM NTUK

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication signed: Chairman

OKEKE

Rhoda

I, formerly known and addressed as Rhoda Bitiyong Dodo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Rhoda Nicholas Arthur. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

abiazie

I former known as miss aririatu patience c. Now wish to be known as mrs abiazie patience .C. All for documents remain valid. Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri nysc and general public take note.

Kenneth

I, formerly known and addressed as Odo Kenneth now wish to be known and addressed as Kenneth Okwudili. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication

DIKE

VICTORIA

I, formerly known and addressed as VICTORIA OZIOMA ONYEBUENYI now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs VICTORIA OZIOMA COLUMBUS All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

OHAZURUIKE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EMEREONYE IJEOMA PAULINE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OHAZURUIKE IJEOMA PAULINE All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

AFIABOR

I, formerly known and addressed as FREEMAN AGNES OSTELIU now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs AFIABOR AGNES OSTELIU All former documents remain valid. General public note.

APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Sterling Bank, Nass Abuja

Nnonyerem Livinus Njoku and Emmanuel Njoku

Who died on the 9th October, 2014.

No 1460 Abogo Largema Street

Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015. Central Area Abuja

The brothers of the said deceased.

sign Chairman

I formerly known as miss OKOROH MARYJANE IFEYINWA now wish to be known and address as Mrs. DIKE MARYJANE IFEYINWA. All former documents remain vilid. General public to please take note.

Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS Regina Onyemazuwa Njoku

Aims and objectives: 1. To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Aims and objectives: 1. To preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I former known as MISS EZEGWU CHIAMAKA FRANCISCA. Now wish to be known as MRS OKEKE CHIAMAKA FRANCISCA. All for documents remain valid. Department of Nursing Science Unizik Nnewi Campus, Nysc and general public take note.

The Trustees are: 1. MINISTER EMMANUEL ETIM ABIDIAK 2. BRO SUNDAY EFFIONG UDOFIA 3. DR ASUQUO ANWAWA 4. BRO EFFIOK UDOEFE 5. BRO SUNDAY BROWNSON EKONG 6. BRO SAMUEL BASSEY AKPAN 7. EVANG. ELIJAH EFIONG UDOSEN 8. BRO(DR) UWEM ASUQUO IBANGA

SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

Charity

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Charity Pring’ar Datok now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Charity Pring’ar Maina All former documents remain valid. General public note.

OSOKOYA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss MOJEED FOLASHADE MUYEEBAT ARIKE now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs OSOKOYA FOLASHADE MARY All former documents remain valid.

General public note.

OSARIEME

I, formerly known and addressed as OSARIEME AKENBO,Osariemen Akenbor now wish to be known and addressed as OSARIEME LUCIA EYEREGBA All former documents remain valid. General public note.

ADEOMI

I, formerly known and addressed as AKANBI Kehinde Ronke now wish to be known and addressed as ADEOMI Kehinde Ronke All former documents remain valid. General public note.

52

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 GOOD SHEPHERD VICTORIOUS CHURCH INT’L

THE POWER OF GOD’S MIRACLE BIBLE CHURCH

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pst. Imogu Ogagaoghene Daniel 2. Evangelist Edafe Oghenekome Imogu 3. Pst. Orezimena Gbenga Oyinloye 4. Deaconess Orezimena Evelyn Ike 5. Evangelist George Agwere 6. Evangelist Maria Uboje

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Apostle Effiong Etim Eyetieting 2. Pastor Emmanuel Effiong Amba 3. Pastor Gideon Asukwo Udo Atanang 4. Evangelist Aniefiok Effiong Etim 5. Pastor Ezekiel Effiong Oboho AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS

APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Sgt Sunday Daikwo

Benjamin Daikwo and Mrs Salome Daikwo

Tradoc Headquarters Minna Niger State Who died on the 5th November, 2014.

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. His Royal Majesty Eze Chukwuemeka Eri 2. Prince Anthony Chukwuemeka Eri 3. Prince John Chinedu Chukwuemeka Eri

- Chairman - Secretary - Treasurer

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. Preserving and pormoting the traditions and culture of his royal majesty Eze Chukwuemeka Eric dynasty and their forefathers.

2. Preserving and promoting the Igbo/Israel origin, culture and relationship.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA Whereas the person / persons whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and place in the said column. And whereas the parson(s) whose name and address is set out in the second column hereunder claimed the relationship of the said deceased and has applied to the above named court for the grant letters of Administration of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that the said letters of Administration be granted to such person (s) unless “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT’’ the grant thereof is filed in the probate registry of the above named court within twenty one (21) days from the date of publication.

SCHEDULE DECEASED NAME AND ADDRESS Peter Gowok Dantata and Sawoe, Abuja Who died on the 7th November, 2014.

Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015.

APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Alexander G. Peter and Mary G. Peter ST Michael Catholic Church, Jeun Masaka The son and widow of the said deceased.

SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

LOSSOF loss OF ofDOCUMENTS document DOCUMENT LOSS THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ORIGINAL LAND TITLE DOCUMENTS CONVEYANCE OF PROVISIONAL APPROVALS IN RESPECT OF PLOT L257 OF ABOUT 2200 SQM2 IN THE NAME OF LIVINUS UDOH AND PLOT L295 OF ABOUT 2000 SQM2 IN THE NAME OF MAKAMA GIWA RESPECTIVELY DATED 15TH APRIL 1999 LOCATED AT KUBWA EXTENSION III (FCDA SCHEME) BOTH BELONGING TO MRS OHIOZEKHAYO EKUNDAYO GOT MISSING AT THE BWARI AREA COUNCIL IN THE PROCESS OF DOCUMENTATION. ALL EFFORT TO TRACE SAME PROVED ABORTIVE. ANY PERSON WITH USEFUL INFORMATION SHOULD REPORT TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATE OR CONTACT BWARI AREA COUNCIL LAND REGISTRY. SIGNED MRS OHIOZEKHAYO EKUNDAYO

LOSSOF loss OF ofDOCUMENTS document DOCUMENT LOSS

This is inform the general public of the Loss of Original right of occupancy (R of O) in respect of file Plot No. 2076 issued by Minister of FCT, Abuja dated 25/02/2010 belonging to Fiona David Adem. All efforts made to trace the said missing documents proved abortive. Please if found kindly return to AGIS or the nearest police station. General public to take note.

Calvary Road, by Bola, Mararaba

Dated at Abuja this 3rd February, 2015. The son and widow of the said deceased.

SIGNED BARR. HAFSAT SADIQ FOR: PROBATE REGISTRAR

Signed: SECRETARY

IDUU ERI KINGDOM ASSEMBLY

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

LEGAL NOTICE

divineword of god solemn assembly

Briders of Christ international foundation

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

The general public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied to the corporate affairs commission Abuja for registration under part c’ of companies and allied matter act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Isonguyo Esther 2. Evang. Isong Udim Jimmy 3. Mrs. Iniobong Ebeka 4. Ebeka Godsfavour Clement 5. Akpan Udeme Ebong

The trustees are: 1. Ben jones Akpan esq 2. Bishop ekanem Akpan ekanem 3. Mrs Janet Ben Akpan 4. Mrs Regina bassey effiong 5. Godwin bornu esq

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Aims and objectives are 1. To cater for the widows and less privilege.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

Any objection to this registration should be forward to the registrar-general corporate affairs commission, plot 420 Tigris crescent,off aguiyi Ironsi street, maitama, garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Ben jones Akpan esq 08165777917

LOVE BOAT DISCIPLESHIP MISSION

AL-ANSAR MOSQUE FOUNDATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration trustee under part “c” of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

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

The Trustees are: 1. AKPAN ROSE ASUQUO 2. ANIEFIOK JOHNNY AKPAN 3. VICTORIA UKO NTUK Aims and objectives: 1. To proclaim and exalt the name of the Almigty God.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Alhaji Muhammed Kyari 2. Dr. Yahuza Abdullahi Mohammed 3. Ali Isa Fezzen 4. Alhaji Modu Baba Shewa - Secretary 5. Musa Mohammed Zarami 6. Ibrahim Hamza 7. Alhaji Mustapha Goni 8. Umar Usman Ahmed 9. Mele Ali Chingori 10. Isa Audu

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general. Corporate affairs commission 420 tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street. PMB 198, maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach peace, love and unity among the members.

sign Chairman

Signed: Secretary

USMAN

I formerly known as MISS KAREEM HASSANA ANASE. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS USMAN HASSANA ANASE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Queen

I formerly known as Adiele Queen Onyekachi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Queen Onyekachi Bright. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. NYSC and the general public should please take note.

OPIUGHIE

I formerly known as MISS IMIEWANLAN AIKAGBONRE SHIRLEY, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OPIUGHIE AIKAGBONRE SHIRLEY. All former documents remain valid. Diamond Bank and the general public take note.

MARY

I formerly known as MARY MODUPE ADEBISI, now wish to be known and addressed as MARY MODUPE OBAYOJIESTEVE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

IYAMU

I formerly known as DABIRI ESOHE TINA. now wish to be known and addressed as IYAMU ESOHE TINA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

THOMAS

I formerly known as MISS MUSA MUBO LOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS THOMAS MUBO LOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OYEDOTUN

I formerly known as OYEDOTUN LEKAN OPEYEMI. now wish to be known and addressed as OYEDOTUN ADELEKAN OPEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

bolorunduro

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

OPIUGHIE

I formerly known as miss IMIEWANLAN AIKAGBONRE SHIRLEY. now wish to be known and addressed as mrs OPIUGHIE AIKAGBONRE SHIRLEY. All former documents remain valid. Diamond Bank and the general public take note.

Salamatu

I formerly known as Miss Salamatu Shehu Turaki. now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Salamatu Rabiu Mani . All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

JOHNSON

I formerly known as MRS IGERE ABIODUN JOSEPHINE. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JOHNSON JOSEPHINE ABIODUN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ANUKA

ILORI

I formerly known as MISS NWAKWUSI ONYINYE LORETTA. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ILORI ONYINYE LORETTA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OMOROJIE

I formerly known as Miss ERUOGUN OSARO. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OMOROJIE OSARO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ANYAMA

I formerly known as IGWE KING GEORGE. now wish to be known and addressed as ANYAMA UGOCHUKWU AUGUSTINE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ETITA

I formerly known as Miss olaleye oluwatosin elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs bolorunduro oluwatosin elizabeth. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MISS EKEH JOY CHIOMA ,NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. ANUKA JOY CHIOMA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID.PLEASE GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

I FORMALLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ETITA EKOK OJOGU NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ETITA MIRABEL RICHARDS. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

1X1 SPACE FOR SALE

1X1 SPACE FOR SALE

1X1 SPACE FOR SALE

ABUBAKAR

I formerly known as ABUBAKAR HASSAN. now wish to be known and addressed as ABUBAKAR HASSAN USMAN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Business/WORLD NEWS 53

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

S&P Reaches $1.5bn Deal With US, States Ratings firm Standard & Poor’s will pay $1.5 billion to resolve a series of lawsuits over its ratings on mortgage securities that soured in the run up to the 2008 financial crisis, the company said.

The settlement comes after more than two years of litigation as S&P fought allegations it issued overly rosy ratings in order to win more business.

S&P parent McGraw Hill Financial Inc (MHFI.N) said it will pay $687.5 million to the U.S. Department of Justice,

and $687.5 million to 19 states and the District of Columbia which had filed similar lawsuits over the ratings.

Late Monday, the firm also reached a separate $125 million settlement with public pension fund California Public Employees’ Retirement System, which had sued S&P in 2009 claiming its inaccurate ratings, caused the firm hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

The United States sued S&P in 2013 after initial settlement talks broke

down, accusing the ratings agency of defrauding investors and seeking $5 billion in one of the most ambitious cases the Justice Department has fought tied to the financial crisis.

In a 119-page complaint, the government said S&P delayed updates to its ratings criteria and analytical models between September 2004 and October 2007, weakening its criteria in a desire to gain more business from the investment banks that issued the securities.

—Reuters

Boko Haram: UN Condemns Boko Haram Attacks In Nigeria, Cameroon

By Abdullahi Umar, With Agency Report

The United Nations Security Council has condemned in the strongest terms the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, pointing to an attack on 1 February in Borno State and to increasing attacks in the Lake Chad Basin region.

In a statement issued to the press in New York, the 15 members extended their condolences and sympathies to the families of those killed and injured, and to the peoples and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chad.

Recalling their Presidential Statement of 19 January this year (S/PRST/2015/4), Council members reiterated their deep concern that the activities of Boko Haram are undermining the peace and stability of the West and Central African region.

They urged the region to enhance regional military operations and coordination to more effectively and immediately combat Boko Haram. In that regard, they commended the Chadian army’s swift assistance in Cameroon which resulted in neutralisation of 123 Boko Haram combatants and the capture of others.

Members of the 15-State body reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including the actions of Boko Haram constitute one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation.

Reiterating their determination to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations members underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of acts of terrorism to justice.

8 Killed in Fierce Fighting In Ukraine Fresh fighting between Ukraine’s military and Russia-backed separatists has killed at least eight civilians, officials in eastern Ukraine said Tuesday.

At least 22 people were wounded in the fierce outbreak of shelling over the previous 24 hours, Kyiv and rebel officials said.

“It was flying all over the place, shrapnel, everything. From the top, everything burnt down. All the clothes that you see us wearing, this is all we have left now,” said Donetsk resident Valentina Voloshina.

Fighting has raged in and around the selfdeclared separatist Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, especially around the Kyiv-

controlled town of Debaltseve, since peace talks in Belarus between Ukraine’s government and the separatists collapsed Saturday.

Local morgues in separatist-held areas are overflowing with bodies of rebel fighters, of whom hundreds have been killed and hundreds more wounded in recent weeks, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a briefing Tuesday.

There are fears the violence could soon escalate.

On Monday, a pro-Russian separatist leader announced a “general mobilization” with the aim of bolstering separatist armed forces to as many as 100,000 fighters.

Genocide: UN Court Rejects Serbia And Croatia Claims The United Nations’ highest court ruled that neither Croatia nor Serbia had committed genocide against each other’s populations during the wars that accompanied the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Both sides said they hoped the ruling would mark a watershed in relations, long since improved but still sometimes frosty.

President of the International Court of Justice, Peter Tomka said the forces of both countries had committed crimes during the conflict, but that the intent to commit genocide -- by “destroying a population in whole or in part” -- had not been proven against either country.

“This marks the end of one page on the past, and I’m convinced we will start a new page on the future, much brighter and better,” Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic told reporters in the Hague.

Croatian Foreign Minister, Vesna Pusic said she hoped the ruling would contribute to “closing this historic chapter and moving on to a better and safer period for people in this part of Europe.”

The cases were part of the long legal fallout from the break-up of Yugoslavia into seven states in wars that lasted for much of the 1990s and left more than 130,000 dead in Europe’s worst conflagration since World War Two.—Al Jazeera

54

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

FA Elections: NFF Warns Against External Interference

BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

The Nigeria Football Federation has reiterated its warning that, in line with the NFF Statutes, there must be no external influence in the conduct of elections into the boards of the Football Associations of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, NFF Acting President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi made it clear that the Federation would not treat any State

that runs foul of this important proviso as a sacred cow.

“We are sending this important message to all the Football Associations of the 36 States and the FCT. Any State where it is found that external influence has played some role will be visited with the full sanctions applicable.

“The Nigeria Football Federation is serious about this. All the Football Associations of the States and the FCT have a duty to observe the guidelines and the stipulations to

the letter, in the true spirit of association football,” Akinwunmi said.

Elections into the Boards of the Football Associations of the 36 States and the FCT have been scheduled for 15th – 28th February, 2015, with a number of the States having fixed dates for their elections already.

The Elections Monitoring Committee is headed by Member of the NFF Executive Committee and Chairman of Chairmen, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau.

Basketball: Stakeholders Call For Engagement Of Statisticians

BY SALIFU USMAN, Abuja

Amidst the continuous dwindling performance of Nigeria’s teams in basketball competitions at the international level, stakeholders have advocated for the inclusion of statisticians to all the technical crew of the national teams.

The stakeholders who spoke yesterday during day two of the on-going Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Stakeholders Forum in Abuja, said the importance of statisticians to basketball teams cannot be over emphasized and called for their

inclusion to both the national teams and league clubs.

Coach Oliver B Johnson (a.k.a) O.B.J., who delivered a lecture on the use of statistics, identified lack of proper use of statistics or its misinterpretation as major challenges facing the nation.

The veteran coach, who spoke to LEADERSHIP sports shortly after the lecture, said the use of statistics opens up games and helps the players to improve their performance.

“If you ask me whether we need statisticians in a basketball team or not, my answer is yes or no. What I mean is that you may

have a statistician on the bench but if the coach doesn’t know how to use statistics it becomes wasteful.

“My stand is that every coach needs statistics to work. The players themselves will know how to improve if you know their statistics. For instance if a player knows that in every match he is supposed to score 24 points and his team-mates also know when he is supposed to have balls or not, they would work for him.

“A lot of times, you see a player who is free and he wants a ball but his team mates are holding on to the ball. And when you ask

the player why he held on to the ball when this person was free?

He may tell you that he did see him or he didn’t know. So, statistics is to open up the game for people to know what they are doing and the responsibility is on the coaches.

“In 1997 when I ran basketball clinic in NIS in Lagos, I worked on statistics. Basketball is about scoring and it is through the statistics that we got to know this thing. Our major problem in basketball is lack of proper interpretation or use of statistics. Many people would say money but I don’t believe it is money. We need

to know the money that is available and the utilization of the money might mean a lot,” he said.

Coach Mike Akubo of Toroto Raptors, said even as coaches can get all the statistics they need about their opponents from the net, having statisticians working for the team helps to improve the team’s performance.

“Most of the coaches don’t care enough about statistics even though they can go on net and get all you wants. American, for instance always five coaches and each and every one them has his responsibility to study statistics,” he stated.

NSC Mourns Okoya-Thomas Thomas has left an indelible mark in sports’ promotion and sponsorship most especially in the game of table tennis which he would be forever remembered for.

“The National Sports Commission commiserates with the family of late sports philanthropist and business mogul Chief Molade Okoya Thomas on the death of their beloved one whose death is a great loss to the country and Nigerian sports in particular. When I heard of the news (on Monday) I was shocked. We loved him but God loved him most and he will be

BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

The leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) has described the death of Sports Philanthropist and business mogul Chief Molade Okoya Thomas at the age of 79 as a great loss to Nigeria and most especially Nigeria’s sports family.

The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye who was shocked to hear the news of the death of the late sports philanthropist disclosed that Okoya

Elegbeleye

sorely missed by all of us.

“The late Chief Okoya Thomas for over four decades now has sponsored the popular tennis competition tagged Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship and by that has helped in producing many notable stars in the game and his commitment to the promotion and development of sports in the country has been incomparable.

“We pray that God Almighty in His infinite mercies will give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”, Elegbeleye prayed.

....A Bigger Loss To Sports – NOC BY onjewu dickson, Abuja

AS Nigerians mourn the demise of billionaire business mogul, Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Engineer Habu Gumel has cried out that his death is a bigger loss to sports. Chief Okoya Thomas died at the age of 79.

In a statement made available by the NOC, signed by its PRO, Tony Ubani, Gumel was devastated on hearing about the death of the sponsor of the longest running table tennis championship in Nigeria, the Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship said that the Olympicfamily would miss him

dearly.Recalling his immense contribution to the social, economic and political development of the country, Gumel said that he had an unquenchable passion for sports in Nigeria.‘’He was a philanthropist per excellence. Not only did he give to sports, he inspired and encouraged young athletes and was present to watch Nigerians do battle against other countries in and out of the country. He was a cheerful giver who turned the lives of many youths around for the better’’, he said .Secretary General of the NOC, Hon. Tunde Popoola was equally hard-hit for words on the Asoju Oba. He, however, recalled how the late Chief Okoya Thomas’ Asoju Oba Table

Tennis Championship had gone uninterrupted since the first edition in 1968.‘’Tunde Obisanya, one of the greatest Table Tennis greats this country ever produced won the inaugural edition and ruled Africa over and over again.

I remember that Egyptians could not come to terms with the flurry of strokes of Obisanya. Many others like Atanda Musa ‘Mansa Musa, Majekodumi, Kubirat Owolabi, Funke Oshonaike and other Tennis greats benefitted from the sponsorship of Chief Okoya Thomas.Tell me, where else can we get a man so generous like Chief Okoya Thomas in Nigerian sports?’’, Popoola asked to no one in particular.

Molade Okoya-Thomas

Follow these reports on leadership.ng/sports

sports 55

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Lagos Hockey Association Applauds Promasidor Over Sticks BY onjewu dickson, Abuja

The Lagos State Hockey Association, headed by Honourable Tunde Popoola, has applauded the management of Promasidor Nigeria Plc for donating one thousand hockey sticks to the association.

An elated Popoola, who is also the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee ,said , what Promasidor has done today is the best way companies can support sports. This is where hockey starts at the youth level.

No one can complain again, not Lagos, not the players and definitely not the coaches too as they now have the equipment to train the players.

“We have been given 1000 hockey sticks and some balls, these goes a long way in supporting the development of hockey. We are very grateful to them more so when hockey was almost going into comatose in Lagos. I am lost for words here,” Popoola stated.

The donation was made to the association at the Union Bank Sports Club, Suru-Lere, Lagos,

the venue of the hockey event at the ongoing IBILE Games for All Secondary Schools in Lagos state.

The 24 schools competing for honours at the competition collected the sticks in a ceremony supervised by the Chairman, Lagos State Hockey Association, Honourable Tunde Popoola, who was ably supported by the Director of Sportss, Lagos State Sports Council, Dr. Kweku Tandoh.

While presenting the hockey equipment to the 24 schools, the Head Legal and Legal Communications of Promasidor, Mr. Andrew Enahoro , said, the company decided to support hockey because it is like football when you have teams playing and showing some skills.

“The association would still have some more but for now; we have 24 schools that benefitted from this donation. There is a punch line, this is not just a gesture done by Promasidor, it is in alliance with BME Concern Ripples. This is a charity organization registered in the United Kingdom. There will be more to come, that I can assure you.

There Is Need For Synergy Among Leagues, Departments – NFF BY onjewu dickson, Abuja

The Nigeria Football Federation has begun concrete moves to ensure synergy between the NFF and the different Leagues affiliated to the NFF, and also among departments within the Federation to guarantee global best practice in organization of matches and competitions in the country.

Commending the organization of the recently-concluded Super Six Tournament held in Abuja, NFF Acting President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi thanked the

League Management Company, Globacom Communications who are the sponsors, the participating teams and of course the fans who came out in their thousands to watch the matches. He stated that the gains of the brilliant organization, and the lessons learnt from whatever shortcomings there were, should be taken on board to guarantee much better organization of matches and championships.

On Monday, Akinwunmi as Chairman of the NFF Organizing Committee, chaired a meeting

where the Premier League, National League, Women League and Nationwide League were represented, and which also had in attendance NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, as well as heads of the NFF Technical, Competitions, Marketing and Communications departments, Referees Unit, International, Inter-Clubs, Federation Cup Unit, and Security Committee.

“We must begin to insist on global best practice in everything we do, in organization of matches and carrying out of other assignments.

States In Danger Of Missing Federation Cup Deadline BY onjewu dickson, Abuja

Most States of the Federation are in danger of missing the deadline for registration for this year’s Men and Women Federation Cup competitions.

Head of Federation Cup Unit, Miss Ruth David said in Abuja on Tuesday that despite several phone calls and text messages to the Football Associations in the

different States, only 10 States have registered for this year’s competitions, 10 days to the deadline for registration.

“It is important to remind all the States that the deadline for registration for the 2015 Men and Women Federation Cup competitions is 13th February. Late registration, between 16th – 20th February, will attract a fine of N50,000 for the men competi-

tion and N40,000 for the women competition.

“Submission of completed players’ licenses will be between 23rd – 27th February. Late submission, between 9th – 16th March, will attract a fine of N300,000 to the defaulting club(s).”

The grand finale of this year’s men and women Federation Cup competitions has already been fixed for Sunday, 16th August.

That Unwarranted Insult On General Danjuma FROM BACK PAGE

justice so very poetic, his actions are much more beneficial to the Northern Hausa Fulani and the opposition, which he seems to despise so, than they are to the interests he claims to speak for.

If, in the upcoming elections, the opposition is victorious and a tall lanky Hausa Fulani emerges as the victor, it should be nationally recognised that this flipping anti-genius played a large part in making it so.

If only this moron could take a minute and reflect on how different his effect and influence could have been nationally. Having the rare combination of being a Muslim from the South-South region, this militant could have been a Nigerian bridge builder for all of his interests, had he chosen peace and love instead of hate and conflict. This ungrateful biped was once looked upon as a champion to the majority of Northern Muslims. He was once a voice that many Northerners identified with and listened to. He could have been one of the greatest assets, as opposed to being a liability to President Jonathan and to all his other interests in the run up to this election, if he had just conducted himself in a decent and respectable manner, instead of trying to berate and belittle other human beings and Nigerians who have the same struggles that the people he speaks for have. He had the potential of

having a strong cult following had he just restrained himself from lunging onto our T.V screens issuing generic, irrational threats while spitting catarrh from his mouth at the poor journalists so unfortunate to have interviewed him.

He has managed to, single handedly, incur the wrath of virtually every regional group and socio-cultural association across Nigeria. From the Middle Belt Forum, to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), to the Yoruba Youth Congress (YYC), to almost every regional interest, including some from the South-South, this vile Basket-Case has been asked to stop overheating the polity. Time and time again, leaders, civilians and groups have been pleading with him to tone down his excesses and be careful with his utterances, as it was capable of setting in more sentiments and crisis that would not be beneficial to the country.

The utterance of this horrendous hate-filled bigot, spewing venom with a complete disrespect for anything and anyone that represents the variety and beautiful diversity of Nigeria, is appalling and unacceptable. He exhibits how deep in the trenches of absurdity and hate some Nigerians have descended. Anyone who encourages the loathsome cause of hate and fear that this bully is exhibiting cannot be working for the betterment of this country.

The kind of radicalisation of ethnic allegiances he disgorges has gotten

so disgustingly out of control, it is high time for the authorities to take the advice of General Danjuma and, literally, ‘arrest’ this erratic behavior. It is time for the authorities to put a stop to anyone and everyone in this country who continues to stir up mobs and engages in the kind of scare tactics that this cretin does.

Just as he has the right to support President Jonathan for another term in office, many other teeming Nigerians also have the right to support and vote for any of the other current presidential aspirants of their choice. A single individual cannot vociferously continue to threaten the unity of our country while nothing is done to stem it.

There is nothing wrong with standing for the rights of any interest, especially if they feel and are disenfranchised. One just wishes this Humpty Dumpty had found a way to express his concerns without giving the impression that he had no raising and without behaving as if he belonged in a cage. There is no doubt, this poster child of shame is a hungry empty vessel that makes the loudest noise, suffering from a chronic inferiority complex so, so, so dire it has morphed into a hatred which has devoured so deeply into his heart that it has now turned him into a borderline sociopath; and he is a huge embarrassment to this country!

The current insurgency in the Northeastern part of the

country has lingered on for this long because it wasn’t accordingly nipped in the bud. Failure to reprimand and arrest a violence prone terrorist that this militant is, for his constant incisive and divisive statements, might come to haunt the country in the nearest future.

Similar to the murdering Nigerian Insurgents, I choose not to mention the name of this despicable bullying terrorist in my articles. I feel by mentioning their names, I somehow legitimise, recognise and blow life into their dangerously wicked course.

Before writing this piece, I had even resolved never to make this particular imbecile the subject of any of my articles. That was until I broke my undertaking with this piece, which was prompted by this mug’s unwarranted bellow-the-belt attack on the person of General Danjuma. “But, hey, don’t blame me. In times of great emergency, it sometimes becomes necessary to write about an idiot because otherwise, that idiot would never understand...”

If one had a chance to give Brother-Man three pieces of advice, the first would be, for him to go on a very strict diet of mind, mouth and body! “By the looks of him, he could do with missing a meal... or two… or three!”

The second would be for Marshmallow Man to remove the oil-laden chip from his shoulder and get with the programme; “Yes, there may be oil shooting out of

this Tyrants great-great grand father’s compound; but guess what brother? …No one cares!”

“The whole of Nigeria, including WE, “the lazy, Awusa-Foolani nomadic, almajirai, illiterate, pretentious, backward, wicked, Abokis, Haramites, slaves, Parasites, ‘Oh, I almost forgot;’ sheep, donkeys and goats (as in our usual census counting), with our bushness and outrageous ‘born to rule’ mentality, ARE ALL benefiting enormously from the wealth oozing directly out of his land. Cheers! But as we thank you for the favour you generously bestow on us ‘Oh Great One,’ one must say; It is what it is mate! Get over it already, and turn to the next page…!”

The last is probably the most important to him, most valuable to President Jonathan and most useful to Nigeria. It would be, whenever this Paragon of Buffoonery feels like he has something to say, he should take a sip from a tall cold glass of ‘Shut the heck up,’ raise his largest hand (while keeping together his sausage fingers) and ever so carefully and tightly… place it over his humungous mouth and keep it there… for a very, very long time!

In every one of our lives, there comes a point when we eventually learn that there are times in life when one instinctively knows when to sit still, keep their mouth shut and remain schtump. This Sponge-Bob and his Square-Pants must have missed that memo…

One hopes he gets it now!

AMUSEMENT PARK

04.02.15 No. 2,339

We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic — Cullen Hightower FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

Hannatu Musawa

S

www.leadership.ng

N150

The Wednesday Column o, that constipated, arrogant and obnoxious blubbering militant, who seems to continuously consume extra bowls of foolish every morning, has taken it upon himself to attack General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc (rtd)?

Recently, General Danjuma ‘rightfully’ advised the Nigerian authorities to consider arresting some militants for making provocative pronouncements on the 2015 elections and threateningto plunge Nigeria into chaos, if President Jonathan was not re-elected on February 14.

The militants General Danjuma was referring to included, the loudmouthed budding terrorist, who is the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Victor Ben Ebikabowei, a.k.a, Boy Loaf; Government Ekpudomenowei, a.k.a., Tompolo and some other individuals.

On January 24 the militants and their supporters allegedly met at the Government House of Bayelsa State, where they were reported to have threatened to unleash violence on the country and take back their ‘My Oil, My Oil…’ should President Jonathan lose the election. They also allegedly stated that any attempt to dethrone President Jonathan would be seen as a direct attack on the Ijaw nation. General Danjuma’s statement was made in response to this.

More than many, one fully understands the need to periodically ‘check’ some of our leaders and disrespectfully ask them to ‘take a seat,’ when they behave and speak out of tune! But when our seasoned statesmen necessarily and reasonably speak their mind from a wealth of experience, it is proper to heed their words. So, when General Danjuma gave the appropriate and proper advice in relation to provocative statements made about the unity and security of Nigeria, it did not warrant the response given by ‘The Encyclopedia for Dummies 101,” AKA ‘Mujahid I am the

WEDNESDAY

That Unwarranted Insult On General Danjuma hannatu@leadership.ng

leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force.’ This ignorant and despicable Wally disrespectfully and unreasonably replied the General in the kind of opprobrious manner, which has now become his trademark.

Since this unstable Yeti stumbled onto the public scene by ‘starting at the bottom… it has been downhill ever since!’ The Nonsense-Level of this one man is so overwhelming it is almost unbelievable!

Notwithstanding that he appears to be getting up on the wrong side of his cage every morning, for him to make the kind of threats he has been making to Nigerians and address General Danjuma in the way he did, this unpalatable figure must have a very, very low opinion of Nigerians… if he really thinks they are his equals!

It is an insult to any reasonably minded person that cherishes Nigeria for this ridiculously misinformed Nut-Case to think that he can continue to publicly threaten Nigerians and square up to a decorated nationalost, such as General Danjuma. Imagine him chiding and insulting the General and humanitarian; an elder statesman; a talented soldier and veteran of the Nigerian civil war, who patriotically fought to see that the unity of Nigeria remained intact, and who also led a battalion that freed Jaja Wachuku, first speaker of the House of Representatives? Imagine him spewing hate against the first Nigerian Ambassador to the UN and first foreign affairs minister; former platoon commander in our peacekeeping efforts in the Congo; former chief of army staff (1975 1979); former Minister of Defence (1999-2003)? Imagine this yob insulting an accomplished entrepreneur; Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, nominated by president Jonathan in 2010; current Chairman of the Victims Support Fund Committee, which supports the victims of terror attacks by insurgents; and the founder of the T.Y Danjuma Foundation, which seeks to

alleviate poverty in communities by providing basic amenities, education for children and young adults, and providing free medical care for indigent people?

What has this unsavory character done for Nigeria lately?

What has he ever done for this great country of ours? What has been his contribution to the unity and development of this nation? Not until a few years ago, this clueless grinch was a mere university dropout, perhaps, paddling a Leaky-Canoe in the creeks of the most rustic part of his village. When he entered politics, he woefully failed at both attempts, running for two offices in Rivers State in 1992 and 1998, before he infamously rose to prominence when he founded the NDPVF, which emerged as the major catalyst for unrest in the Niger-Delta region. It was then he began violently terrorising oil installations and oil companies, attacking oil wells and pipelines in the region. If it were any other country, this indeterminable nugget would likely have faced or be facing war crimes charges, crimes against humanity or crimes against constituted authority.

Even though this aggressor’s mind is probably sprained and not just twisted, one can be sure that, even his basic comprehension must have understood that President Jonathan is the President of Nigeria and not only the Ijaw Nation. To any reasonably minded person, lawfully, morally, patriotically and personally, it is in order for General Danjuma, an accomplished and seasoned statesman, to call on the authorities and security agencies to take interest in miscreants who are threatening the unity of our country. It is expected of a man of General Danjuma’s standing to do so. The threats by ethnic bigots, like Mujahid Tyrant, supposedly claiming to represent the Ijaw nation, are capable of plunging the country into further chaos and war.

It certainly is not out of context for the General to advise on the arrest of identifiable people making

Imagine him chiding and insulting the General and humanitarian; an elder statesman; a talented soldier and veteran of the Nigerian civil war, who patriotically fought to see that the unity of Nigeria remained intact provocative statements, especially given the fact that the Nigerian Police Force and the State Security Service had earlier threatened that they would move against anyone who makes inciting statement in the run-up to the February 14 and 28 elections. With the tense and ominous atmosphere in this election period, such statements by supposed ex-militants or anyone else are uncalled for.

This dismal example of a freedom fighter masquerading as an ethnic champion has been very vociferous, threatening violence if the president, who is also of Ijaw extraction, is not reelected. Does this vindictive, closeminded coward not know that, in a democracy, public officials are elected into office via the ballot box. Is his brain so filled with ‘false’ images of the ‘black gold’ in his father’s backyard that he fails to comprehend that with over 170 million people, 250 ethnic groups and about 774 local government areas, Nigeria does not belong to any region, ethnic group or tribe?

Is he too darn thick to understand that, him, his threats and myopic rants have contributed to alienating every part of Nigeria that isn’t Ijaw? Does this fool not understand that the disdain some people feel towards the President is as a direct result of his outbursts? As daft as he appears to be, even, he must know that on February 14, the next president of Nigeria will be decided by the totality of the Nigerian people and not some glorified ethic bigot with his caricature threats!

Should President Jonathan loose the elections, one hopes that this unpleasant character will find the courage to go back to base and explain to his brethren how his reeking diarrhea of the mouth might have contributed in messing up President Jonathan’s chances!

If his current intention is to stand and speak for the rights of a regional interest, he has managed to do even more damage to his interest than the barbaric bomb strapping lunatic mass-murderers in the North East, with outrageous delusions of a New Caliphate. His constant and consistent threats are indeed punches to Jonathan’s interest. And as a President who, in the last six years, has been very understanding, generous and unreasonably accommodating of this obese inbred, President Jonathan deserves so much more than the negative baggage that this militant is stacking on his doorstep.

Honestly, if one didn’t know any better, they could be excused for mistaking this loud mouth as a spy or mole for the opposition, an advocate for President Jonathan’s political rivals. Every time he opens his mouth, he scores an own goal and advances the chances for the opposition to win the upcoming election. In a cruel irony of life and ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 55

GHANA MUST GO N6.87trn stolen from Nigeria yearly — AU report

Jonathan should suspend the AU chairman immediately!

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