Leadership

15.07.14

TUESday

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 2,222

N150

NIGERIA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPER

‘Food Import Bill Drops By $2.6bn In 3 Years’

By Ruth Tene Natsa, Lafia

Nigeria has recorded a decline in its food import bill from a total of N1.4 trillion (about $7 billion) in 2009 to N717 billion (about $4.35 billion) as at December

2013, representing a decline of $265 billion (N429bn).

President Goodluck Jonathan, who made this known yesterday,

also said that paddy rice production has grown by an additional 7 million metric tonnes from 1999 till now, even

as the nation’s food import bill has been reduced by almost half.

“Our paddy rice production has grown by an additional

Langtang LG Poll: Group Faults Withdrawal Of Returning Officers > Page 14

Chibok Diary DAY 92

7m metric tonnes within three years. This is remarkable but we have to work even harder still,” he said at the commissioning of the OLAM Rice Mill in Lafia ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Malala Fund Raises $200,000 For Girlchild Education > Page 2

Second APC Gov Faces Removal Aide says lawmakers bribed to impeach Al-Makura

6

ramadan timing Day 18 Abuja Magrib - 7.00 Alfijir - 5.00 Kano Magrib - 6.53 Alfijir - 4.54

President Goodluck Jonathan and initiator of Malala Fund, Malala Yousafzai, during her visit to the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. Photo by remi akunleyan

Kaduna Magrib - 6.57 Alfijir - 4.59 Lagos Magrib - 7.12 Alfijir - 5.17 Sokoto Magrib - 7.07 Alfijir - 5.07 Full table on page 5

Confab Ends Plenary, Fixes August 4 For Adoption Of Final Report > Page 8

2

chibok diary 92

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

DAY

CHIBOK TWEETS @obyezeks • DAY91 of #ChibokGirls abduction..

What have WE not been called for simply DEMANDING: #BringBackOurGirls? Is it so hard to SEE why WE STAND? @Gidi_Traffic Same Pres GEJ who refused to meet wt d #BringBackOurGirls campaigners in Abuja, met wt Malala & promised to #BringBackOurGirls @omojuwa There's nothing Malala will say at the Villa Nigerians haven't been saying, the hypocrisy is so heavy you could touch it #BringBackOurGirls @seunfakze 91 days. The girls are still missing. Jonathan, President of Nigeria still has his job. Tells you a lot about the nation #BringBackOurGirls @EiENigeria We really hope we don't get to Day 100 and we'll still be asking the same questions.

How are you lending your voice? #BringBackOurGirls @Abu_Aaid If it takes 91 days for our Preesident to meet parents of #OurGirls.. how Many more days will it take him to #BringBackOurGirls?

Malala Foundation Donates $200, 000 To Girl-child Education

BY CHIKA MEFOR, EJIKE EJIKE, Abuja

Pakistani Education Activist, Malala Yousafzai and her foundation have donated $200, 000 to the course of girls child education in Nigeria.

Malala, who has been on a three -day visit to Nigeria to lend support for the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls, stated that there is no developed nation without the focus on the education of the girl child.

Release Abducted Schoolgirls Now, Malala Tells Boko Haram

BY CHIKA MEFOR, EJIKE EJIKE, ABUJA

Pakistani Education Activist, Malala Yousafzai, has urged Boko Haram to lay down their weapons and release the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted on April 14, 2014.

Malala, who was speaking during her Malala Day speech, told the sect to stop using the name of Islam to perpetrate evil as Islam is a religion that preaches peace, urging them to release the girls as they have committed to no crime.

Rallies: Court Adjourns Judgement Indefinitely

BY KUNLE OLASANMI, Abuja

An Abuja High Court has adjourned indefinitely, its judgement in a suit filed by the #BringBackOurGirls group against the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Mr. Joseph Mbu. The group had on June 2 sued Mbu for his ban on protests, rallies and demonstrations. But the inspector-general of police, Mohammed Abubakar, overturned the ban the following day. “The force has not issued any order banning peaceful assemblies/ protests anywhere in Nigeria,” the IGP stated.

At the last adjourned date, Justice Sunday Aladetoyinbo had fixed yesterday for judgement in the suit. But when the matter came up yesterday, Justice Aladetoyinbo told parties that judgement in the suit was not ready. He however told parties that he would get back to them when the judgement is ready.

At the hearing of the suit on June 12, lawyer to the group, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), had argued that the ban on peaceful protests by Mbu constituted an infringement of the rights of his client.

EBOLA

ensure that the schoolgirls are returned safely and fast as their continued stay in the hands of the terrorists is no longer acceptable.

Calling on Nigerians to stop the discrimination in the name of religion or tribe and unite to become stronger in the face of their common enemy, terrorists, Malala noted that Jonathan pledged to meet with the parents of the missing girls and also ensure the safe return of the Chibok girls.

Disease may spread across the West African region, reaching countries like Nigeria with higher population-WHO

GOVERNMENT HAD PUT IN PLACE CONCRETE STEPS TO AVERT THE SPREAD OF THE EPIDEMIC TO NIGERIA - Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu

The Ebola Virus has reportedly killed over 100 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo

1976

90%

CASES 409 142 337

1000 deaths

DEATHS 309 88 142

MAJOR EBOLA OUTBREAKS Confirmed cases and years Sudan, S/Sudan (2004, 1979, 1976)

Guinea (2014)

Liberia (2014)

Cote d’Ivoire (2014) Gabon (2001, 1996, 1994)

Close personal contact with infected patients Contact with blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of infected patients INFOGRAPHICS BY Matthew Akhabue

539

The total number of deaths in three countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) as of July 8, 2014

THE VIRUS IS CONTRACTED THROUGH:

L-R His Royal Highness, Alh. Abdullahi Muhammed Askirama III, President of Women Arise, Dr. Joe Odumakin and Mike Ozekhome (SAN)at the National Conference in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI

The year the virus was first discovered

Over

The fatality rate of the infection as reported by World Health Organisation (WHO)

COUNTRY Guinea Liberia Sierra Leone

Upcoming events

COMPILED BY UGOCHUKWU IROKA

She cried out for the stoppage of war between Ukraine Russia, Israel and Gaza; terrorism in Pakistan, Iraq and Nigeria and other countries and also urged on the negotiations as solutions to conflict rather than war.

Narrating the outcome of her meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, the 17 -year activist noted that as the president of this country, Jonathan must take responsibility for the rescue of the Chibok girls and

AS OF JULY 8 2014, THE CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF CASES ATTRIBUTED TO EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) IN THREE SELECTED COUNTRIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

@Wizzy_cfc @BringGirlsBack Now that the #WorldCup has come & gone, i think its time the whole world focus their attention to #BringBackOurGirls #Alive

Saturday 100 Days rally in Melbourne, Australia

ture of any child in Nigeria and the world.

Narrating her experience in the hands of the Taliban, Malala stated that after her near death experience, she has resolved to strive for the education of the children of the world as she is currently doing through her Malala day celebration.

She however, called on the world leaders to invest massively in the child education rather than the continued misplacement of finances in arms and ammunition.

She however lamented that over the years, there has been increased on the issue of out of school children, as Nigeria is currently having 10.5 million out of school children and called on Nigeria to ensure that the trend does not continue as this will spell doom for the country.

Speaking to the parents of the abducted and escaped girls, Malala tasked them to be stronger and never allow the fear of the terror of Boko Haram affect them as no one has the right to determine the fu-

Congo (2005, 2003, 2001) Democratic Republic of Congo

(1976, 1977, 1995, 2007, 2008, 2012)

Uganda (2012, 2011, 2007, 2000)

Total infections Total deaths

3

our stand Tuesday, July 15, 2014

SANs And Judiciary Corruption

A

t a recent conference on judicial reforms in Abuja, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) Aloma Mukhtar stirred the hornet’s nest on the vexed issue of corruption in the judiciary.

This time, the CJN pointedly accused senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) of being in cahoots with corrupt members of the Bench to undermine the dispensation of justice in the country. The CJN further said that her allegation was based on her personal experience when some judges accused of corruption and hauled before a panel she headed appeared with a retinue of SANs who came to argue their cases.

Although these members of the inner bar command considerable respect in the profession, their image in the psyche of the public is far from desirable. Not a few Nigerians hold the view that, next to politicians, SANs have never had it so good in terms of gaming the justice system for pecuniary gains. To dismiss this as mere resentment of a hardworking, professional group doing good legitimately in the line of duty is to miss the point. Clearly,

Nigerians are of the valid view that a handful of SANs in this country have sold their souls to the devil and would do anything for money, including the sacrilegious – defiling the temple of justice.

We are aware that certain privileges come with the silk head-gear of the SANs, hence the life-and-death struggle lawyers put up to be made one.

We also note that it is within their professional rights to charge any amount for their services in an open economy such as Nigeria. However, what Nigerians have come to believe, and Justice Mukhtar’s assertion appears to affirm, is that a sizeable chunk of the millions the SANs charge their

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

well-heeled clients go into the pockets of some corrupt judicial officials, notably judges, as bribe to pervert the course of justice. Thus, it is not a surprise that a handful of questionable verdicts have emanated from the Bench in recent times. This unholy alliance between the corrupt members of the Bar and the Bench is the reason why many high-profile cases of graft have failed to gain traction in the judiciary.

While we acknowledge that the principle of presumption of innocence entitles the accused to defend himself or herself with everything at his or her disposal, including the best legal representation he or she can afford, the prevailing notion among Nigerians today is that corrupt public officials hire some SANs in order to buy justice. But we argue that this situation hardly makes for confidence in the judicial system, a situation that calls for a radical change on the part of all stakeholders, especially the SANs. The NBA and other stakeholders must join hands with Justice Mukhtar to cleanse the judiciary so as to restore confidence in the rule of law.

Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah Chairman Hajiya Ireti Kingibe Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Executive Directors Michael Okpere Dr Kazeem Durodoye Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser Abdulhaleem Amin Divisional Directors Abdulmumin Balogun Ademola Oladosu Iyobosa Uwugiaren Salisu Alhassan Bichi General Managers Aminu Abubakar Sule Zipporah D. Tanko Joy Adekanye

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 Business Manager Bilkisu Mohammed Rimi

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

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

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

4 news extra

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Group News Editor: Tony Amokeodo Doctors’ Strike: Reps, NMA Meeting Ends In Stalemate A meeting between the House of Representatives committee on Health and the executive of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) was deadlocked following the insistence of the medical association that the strike must go on.

At the meeting held at the National Assembly were the minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu; minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Emeka Wogu and the chairman of National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Mr R.O. Egbule.

The medical team, led by the president general of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Kayode Obembe, included Dr Nosa Lancy Orlue who is the chairman of the Remuneration Committee and Dr Titus Ibekwe, vice president 1 of the NMA. The lawmakers, led by chairman of the committee, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, appealed to the doctors to call off their strike pending the outcome of ongoing deliberations between them and the government.

“Our founding fathers will not be happy if we continue to deplete our population with incessant strikes”, he said, while appealing,”look at suspending the strike, not just calling of wholly”.

By Edegbe Odemwingie, Abuja

Foreign Partners Are Here For Intelligence Gathering Only – COAS The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen Kenneth Minimah, yesterday disclosed that the foreign assistance being given to the military in the counter-insurgency operations is based on intelligence gathering only and does not include arms and ammunition.

Minimah made this disclosure in his opening remarks while declaring open the Chief of Army Staff’s third quarter Conference holding at Army Headquarters Command Mess, Abuja.

There was a high hope of ending the war against terrorism when developed countries such as the USA, the UK, China and others promised to support6 the war but Mimimah explained that those nations did not send troops but personnel on intelligence gathering.

“The foreign partners we have have not come with boots on ground,; they have come to share some level of intelligence with us, and so I think, too, we should exercise some patience because it takes time for intelligence to be gathered and shared and for actions to be taken. There are no foreign troops on ground,” he said

By Bayo Oladeji, Abuja

Pakistani school pupil and education activist, Malala Yousafzai (centre) raising the hands of five escaped Chibok schoolgirls shor tly af ter her press briefing in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

At 10, I Almost Killed Myself With My Father’s Gun – Soyinka

By George Okojie, Lagos with agency

report

As various segments of the society take their turn to celebrate Professor Wole Soyinka who recently turned 80, the Nobel Laureate has said his glorious life would have been cut short when he ignorantly pulled the trigger in his father’s dane gun.

The literary giant said unbridled curiosity at the age of 10 would have led to his untimely death with a gun.

Soyinka said, “I used to go with my father when he hunted. It was a mere air gun but was good enough for squirrels, the wild pigeon and occasional rabbit. I was just curious. One day I sat in the house’s frontage waiting for him

to come out of his bedroom so I could accompany him.

“I just felt there was something about that part of his gun which he used to pull. I tried the same motion and it just exploded; but he knew it was his fault so he never chided me. He knew he should never have left that gun loaded and he knew me enough to know that I had learnt that lesson and I didn’t need to be reminded of it. Of course, there was a sort of mutual standoff; I was not rebuked but he knew I was not going to do it again.”

The renowned playwright said he had always lived a remarkable life, saying as a child he participated as a messenger between the different women groups.

Kongi, as he is fondly called,

said he carried messages when the women rose in revolt against the excesses of the Alake of Abeokuta when an unjust tax was imposed on them.

According to him, “My parents weren’t anti-establishment; they were anti-despotism. That is why my mother took part as one of the lieutenants of Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti when they rose against the excesses of the Alake of Abeokuta and his ally – the district officer. They resisted feudal despotism on behalf of the oppressed women.

“As a child, I participated as a messenger between the different women groups, carried messages, thoroughly enjoying myself when the women rose in revolt.

Day after day, they kept up the

siege. They were threatened, they were bullied, they were assaulted. They said, ‘No, this unjust tax must go.’”

Reminiscing on his childhood years, Soyinka said his bravery and sometimes cunning traits as a child didn’t go down well with his mother who reasoned that his over-confidence would harm him in the journey of life.

The vintage author said, “When a child tries out something which people, even adults, should undertake with great caution, then they think that child is over-confident and is going to destroy himself.

“I think it stemmed from the fact that if I thought about something which was possible, then I should be ready to test it.”

Gunmen Kill Scores In Borno, Plateau

By Kareem Haruna, Maidugur and Achor Abimaje, Jos

Dille village in Askira Uba Local government of Borno State came under heavy attack at the early hours of yesterday when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members launched an offensive on hapless dwellers, killing five people and torching houses, including three churches, witnesses said.

The village which lies about 200km south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, also shares borders with the peripheries of Sambisa Forest where it is believed the Boko Haram gunmen are currently hiding.

Mr Jabani Gadzama, a resident of Dille, told journalists that the gunmen came with three Toyota Hilux vehicles and several motorcycles.

“They were using some kind of petrol bombs to set ablaze three churches, residential houses including that of a former Com-

missioner of Sports and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Daniel Ijai Mamza, who served during former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff’s tenure.

“The attackers were only targeting and setting ablaze better houses within the village while most of the thatched and mud houses were left untouched “The Church of Brethern in Nigeria (EYN) was one amongst the three churches that were set ablaze by the gunmen, who were all dressed like soldiers”, said Mr Gadzama, who also confirmed that the gunmen operated for hours until an airforce fighter jet arrived at about 8am before it engaged them at the time the insurgents were about leaving.

“Many of them were said to have been killed by the insurgents, but we cannot confirm that now,” he said.

An insider at the 7-Division of the Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, hinted journalists that two jet fighters arrived Dille and saved

the villagers from being killed any further. Thwe source, who begged not to be quoted, noted many of the insurgents were killed by the jets, even as five more persons got killed died in the cross fire when the jet arrived.

Gunmen Kill 11 In 2 Plateau Villages At least 11 persons have been feared killed at Zamadede of Pil-Gani district of Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

LEADERSHIP gathered that unknown gunmen at the early hours of yesterday morning attacked two communities and shot sporadically, killing 11 persons including a 45-yearold mother, her little son and a pregnant woman.

A source who spoke to our reporter further said several homes were burned.

An eyewitness who lost two members of her family, Mrs

Baby Hosea, lamented to our reporter on phone that her people were killed in their sleep.

Confirming the development, the member representing Langtang North and South constituency in the House of Representatives Hon. Beni Lar expressed worry at the recent attacks on her constituents.

The lawmaker, in a chat with newsmen at her family residence in Jos, said the attack had shaken the foundation of the peace being enjoyed by the people.

She described the Zama Dede community as peace loving and hard working farmers that the two local governments depends on due to the large crops they produced, She wondered why some people would be so cruel to take the lives of innocent citizens, particularly at the time the federal government, through the national conference, was trying to find a lasting solution to clashes between farmers and herdsmen.

news 5

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Insecurity: FG Can Conduct Peaceful Elections In 2015 – Gambari

By ABIODUN OLUWAROTIMI, Reporting From Washington, DC

The former Nigerian permanent representative to the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari yesterday said that the federal government could conduct a peaceful general election in 2015 despite the security challenges that the country faces at the moment.

Speaking during a seminar on Nigeria’s elections and security, organised by the Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, Gambari noted that the federal government would be able to find a solution to insecurity in the country before the conduct of the general elections.

The founder of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy and Development said further that the Nigerian government should not only tackle the

physical problems but also the grievances that are fuelling insurgences in the country. He added that the issue of insecurity and Boko Haram was not just a regional problem but a national problem that is just manifesting in the northeast.

The former Nigerian envoy to the UN stated that the issue of political interest is also a major cause for terrorist attacks in Nigeria, adding that insecurity in the country is further fuelled as a result of the enmity between the party that controls the affected states and the party that controls the national government.

Also speaking, Ambassador Clement Layiwola Laseinde, director of Policy and Strategy, Office of the National Security Adviser, said that there could not be violence as long as the electorate agreed that the 2015 general elections were credibly conducted.

Kaduna Courts Shut As JUSUN Strike Enters 5th Day

By ISAIAH BENJAMIN, Kaduna

All courts in Kaduna State were yesterday put under lock and key as the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria’s indefinite strike to press for financial autonomy for judiciary staff in the country entered the fifth day.

Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna on the strike action, the Kaduna State branch chairman of the union, Comrade Murtala Aminu, said they are only carrying out a directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) which gave the order for the commencement of the strike during its meeting on the 9th of July, 2014.

Comrade Aminu explained that the judiciary is an arm of the government and its finance should not be controlled by the executive, adding that the judiciary should rather enjoy a full financial autonomy and finances should be in the custody of the head of the court in each state.

“Our national body took this matter to a Federal High Court to seek interpretation of the clause ‘financial autonomy’ for the judiciary staff as enshrined in the constitution and the judgement was in favour of the union, calling on the government to grant financial autonomy to the union.

“It is very sad that the federal government refused to obey the court order by refusing to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary. We have been pushed to the wall because we have exhausted dialogue processes but the federal government refused to see reason. This is a simple matter; the executive has granted financial autonomy to the legislature, so they should also do the same thing to the judiciary and allow us to plan our salary with the money available to us,” he said.

The nationwide strike took many residents of Kaduna State unawares, as they came only to be greeted with locked gates leading to the courts in the state.

Nda-Isaiah Eulogises Soyinka At 80

By Juliet Alohan, Abuja

A presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Sam NdaIsaiah has congratulated Prof Wole Soyinka as the Noble Laureate celebrates his 80th birthday.

Nda-Isaiah who is the founder of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group, described Soyinka as a rare breed who has done not only Nigeria proud but also the entire African continent by winning the Nobel Laureate Prize for Literature in 1986.

“I am proud to be associated with Prof Soyinka; he is an international scholar of repute that is revered and idolised by many intellectuals across the globe. Many notable scholars will remain indebted to Prof Soyinka for passing through his tutelage,” NdaIsaiah said.

The presidential aspirant wished the erudite fountain of knowledge good health, abundant wisdom, peace and many more years of contributing to the development of Nigeria and the world in general.

ramadan timing Day 18 Towns

Magrib

Alfijr

Abuja

7.00

5.00

Aba

6.56

5.03

Abakaliki

6.53

5.02

Abeokuta

7.10

5.19

Akure

7.03

5.11

Ankpa

6.57

5.05

Argungu

7.12

5.09

Auchi

7.02

5.09

Awka

7.03

5.04

Azare

6.50

4.47

Bama

6.39

4.33

Bauchi

6.51

4.52

Benin

7.05

5.10

Bichi

6.58

4.55

Bida

7.05

5.05

Birnin Gwari

7.04

5.03

B/Kebbi Gwandu

7.13

5.09

Biu

6.42

4.40

Calabar

6.50

5.00

Damaturu

6.42

4.39

Daura/Kazaure

7.01

4.40

Dutse

6.52

4.52

Enugu

6.54

5.02

Funtua/Malumfashi

7.02

4.58

Gembu

6.47

4.46

Gombe

6.45

4.44

Gusau

7.01

5.01

Gwadabawa

7.12

5.02

Hadejia

6.50

4.47

Ibadan

7.14

5.14

Ife

7.09

5.11

Ilesha Baruba

7.11

5.10

Ilorin

7.07

5.12

Jalingo

6.42

4.44

Jere/Suleija

6.59

4.59

Jos

6.56

4.53

Kabba

7.04

5.05

Kafanchan

6.58

4.56

Keffi/Nasarawa

6.58

4.56

Kaiama

7.13

5.13

Kafin Maiyaki

6.58

4.53

Kaduna

6.57

4.59

Kano

6.53

4.54

Katsina

7.01

4.56

Kontagora

7.07

5.08

Lafia

6.53

4.56

Lagos

7.12

5.17

Lokoja

6.57

5.08

Maiduguri

6.35

4.37

Makurdi

6.54

4.55

Minna

7.01

5.06

Missau

6.47

4.46

Monguno

6.38

4.29

Mubi

6.37

4.36

Nguru

6.47

4.44

Ningi

6.51

4.51

Okene

7.07

5.06

Ogbomosho

7.12

5.14

Onitsha

7.00

5.09

Oyo

7.14

5.16

Port Harcourt

6.59

5.13

Potiskum

6.45

4.42

Saki

7.06

5.16

Shagamu

7.07

5.22

Sokoto

7.07

5.07

Umuahia

6.58

5.01

Warri

6.57

5.16

Wukari

5.45

4.56

Wurno

7.11

5.02

Yenagoa

6.39

4.39

Yola

6.36

4.39

Zaria

6.58

5.00

Cotonnou-Benin

7.16

5.19

Ndjamena-Chad

6.27

4.26

Niamey-Niger

7.22

5.18

Zinder – Niger

6.59

4.45

Younde-Cameroun

6.40

4.45

Garoua – Cameroun

6.34

4.38

(Source: Timing Committee, Islamic Research and Timing Organisation Kaduna)

Recommended DU’A for Day 18 Pray a 4 Raka’ah, after the recitation of Surah Al Fatih’ah, recite Surah Al Kawthar 25 times.

Then say: ALLAAHUMA NABBIHNEE FEEHI LI-BARAKAATI ASH’AARIHI WA NAWWIR FEEHI QALBEE BIZ”IYAAA-I ANWAARIHI WA KHUD’ BIK-KULLI AA’Z”AAA-EE ILAT-TIBAA-I’ AATHAARIHI BINOORIKA YAA MUNAWWIRA QULOOBIL A’ARIFEENN Meaning: O Allah keep me awake, in this month, to find and get the blessings of its mornings; enlighten my heart with the rays of its bright light; let me (all parts of my body) yield to follow its traditions, in the name of Thy Light, O the Light of the hearts and minds of those who know.

Compiled by Al-Amin Ciroma

Ramadan Q and A

with Muhammad Usman musman@kindasa.com

Question: What is the ruling on a person who intended to fast the entire month of Ramadan before he went to bed, then the next day he woke up for sahur, and was told that Ramadan had not yet started, and that day was the thirtieth of Sha‘baan. The day after that he did not renew his intention, and he went on to fast the holy month.

Habiba Nura Ismail, Abuja Answer: Forming the intention from the night before is a condition of an obligatory fast being valid, because of the hadeeth of Hafsah, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever did not intend to fast before Fajr, there is no fast for him.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (2454); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inIrwa’ al-Ghaleel (4/25, no. 914).

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Our view – i.e., the Shaafa‘is – is that the fast of Ramadan is not valid without having the intention from the night before. This is the view of Maalik, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Dawood and many of the scholars among the earlier and later generations.

End quote from al-Majmoo‘ (6/318) But the issue of the intention is very easy; simply resolving and planning to fast after finding out that the next day is Ramadan is the intention, and it is not necessary to utter it out loud; rather that is not prescribed.

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Anyone who finds out that the next day is Ramadan and wants to fast it has intended to fast it, whether he spoke the intention out loud or not. This is the practice of the majority of Muslims; all of them intend to fast.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (25/215).

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said in ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘ (6/353-354): The intention cannot be omitted from a conscious action. In other words, any deed that a person does consciously must inevitably be done with the intention. Thus we know that what happens to some people of waswaas, when a person says “I did not form the intention” is no more than an illusion which has no basis in reality. How can it be true that he did not form the intention when he has done it? End quote.

The intention to fast the whole of the month of Ramadan, from the first day, suffices as the intention so long as the fast is not interrupted by travel or sickness, in which case he should renew his intention, but that is not essential. It is not stipulated that the Muslim must form the intention to fast the whole of the month of Ramadan from the beginning of the month.

If he intends to do that on every night of the month and then fasts, his fast is valid.

Ibn al-Qattaan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The scholars are unanimously agreed that if a person intends to fast on every night of the month of Ramadan, and he fasts, then his fast is complete.

End quote from al-Iqnaa‘ fi Masaa’il al-Ijmaa‘ (1/227) But if what the questioner means is that he did not renew his intention to fast at all until the first day of Ramadan began, and he was unaware as to whether this day was Ramadan or not, then after dawn broke he remembered that it was Ramadan, and he had not intended at any point in the night that the next day he would fast the first day of Ramadan, and he did not get up to have sahoor on that day, then he has to refrain from eating from the moment he finds out that it is Ramadan, and he has to make up that day, because it is obligatory to form the intention from the night before, as mentioned above.

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) said that seeking knowledge is a way to Paradise. He (sallallahu alaihiwasallam) said: “Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him.” (Narrated by: Al-Bukhari).

And Allah knows best.

6 NEWS

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

LIVING LIVING TOTO BE BE 100100

One health tip daily May the Life Force Be with You

Qi, or life force, determines your energy level and optimum function.

Thinking, working, and playing all require and consume qi from your body.

Traditional Chinese culture understands the need for

energy replenishment.

Plants and herbs such as lotus seed, china root, longan fruit, pearl barley, ginseng, and forx nut have long been successfully used to strengthen digestion and boost qi.

‘Food Import Bill Drops By $2.6bn In 3 Years’ FROM COVER

yesterday where he designated the mill a staple crop processing zone (SCPZ).

Jonathan, while speaking on the need to upgrade the SCPZs, directed the ministers of agriculture, power and water resources to give immediate priority towards developing roads, power, water and gas supply as a means to ensuring easy movement as well as reducing the costs of agriculture and agro-businesses to be extended to all SCPZs. President Jonathan assured that his government was committed to ensuring food sufficiency in rice production as a priority. “Nigeria must be selfsufficient in food production. In this regard, our rice production programme has continued to receive very focused attention along the National food policy last year so that we can grow two or three cycles in a year instead of only once this year.”

He noted that as a strong private sector responds to our rice policy, the integrated rice mills have grown from 1-18 functional integrated mills producing high-quality rice which meets with international standards and can compete with imported ones, adding that the private sector is key to achieving our transformation agenda and agriculture and rice production cannot be an exception.

The president said he was speaking as a proud consumer of the nation’s local rice as, in the State House, it is only the Nigerian rice that is served.

He added: “Our goal of making Nigeria a net exporter of rice will be achieved faster by encouraging large commercial farmers that

will complement our smallscale farmers. Large mechanised farms like OLAM with 6000 hectares will not only boost food production but also provide significant opportunities for jobs in the rural areas.”

“The current investment of over 400 million USD by Olam is a very good example of how to build an integrated value chain combining commercial agricultural rice farms, outgrowers, small farmers and modern rice mills like the one commissioned.”

Speaking in his welcome address, minister of agriculture and rural development Dr Akinwumi Adesina said getting rice on the plate starts with a good variety. “We introduced new varieties FARO 44 and FARO 52 that are long-grained varieties excellent for long-grained parboiled rice liked by consumers.

He said the farmers growing the improved varieties had increased from 136,000 in 2012 to 1.9 million by the wet season of 2013 and 3 million farmers by 2014.

“Today, over 50 per cent of the rice farmers cultivate these new varieties in the wet season while 100 per cent of them cultivate them in the dry season.”

Akinwumi revealed that since the president launched the ATA in 2011, Nigeria’s paddy rice production had increased by an additional 7 million metric tonnes with the support of Olam Farms which supplied improved seeds to farmers. “We are closing Nigeria’s rice production gap; we are rapidly expanding Nigeria’s integrated rice mills in the country. The number of integrated rice mills has expanded from just one in 2011 to 18 in 2013,” he said, adding that Nigeria will be turned into a net exporter of rice in five years.

Second APC Gov Faces Removal

By Christiana Nwaogu, Abuja, Donatus Nadi, Lafia and Patrick Ochoga, Benin City and Mohammed Ismail, Yola

Adamawa State lawmakers yesterday received the report of the investigative panel instituted to probe Governor Murtala Nyako, just as their colleagues in Nasarawa State also moved against the governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura: he was served an impeachment notice.

Both governors belong to Nigeria’s main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The national leadership of the party has condemned the latest move in Nasarawa State.

But Governor Al-Makura seems unperturbed. He alleged that the lawmakers were financially induced to embark on the impeachment. He fingered the Presidency and a serving minister as the masterminds of the plot to unseat him.

Speaker of the Nasarawa State Assembly Alhaji Musa Ahmed Mohammed yesterday directed the clerk to serve Governor AlMakura an impeachment notice following a motion of public interest raised by the deputy majority leader of the House, Mr Yahaya Usman (PDP, Umaisha/ Ugya), during plenary in Lafia.

Usman had presented a document before the Assembly cataloguing allegations of gross misconduct against the governor, which he said was signed by 20 of the 24 members of the Assembly.

“I am on my feet to raise a motion under the matter of public interest and I will go direct to read the document I have in my hand: this is a notice of impeachment of Gov. Tanko AlMakura of Nasarawa State for gross misconduct and for the violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, today being the 14th July, 2014.

“Twenty members out of the 24 members of this House unanimously endorsed to serve Governor Tanko Al-Makura notice of impeachment.”

Of the 24 state assembly members, only four belong to the ruling APC, in the state while 20 are of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Alhaji Musa Ahmed Mohammed (PDP, Nasarawa Central), the speaker of the House, who officially received the impeachment notice, said it had complied with the provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

The speaker subsequently directed the clerk of the House, Ego Maikeffi, to serve the impeachment notice on Governor Al-Makura immediately.

He said, “In the event that Governor Tanko Al-Makura cannot be reached for service, the clerk is directed to serve him with the impeachment notice through

Al-Makura

the media.”

LEADERSHIP had in its July 3, 2014, edition reported that 20 state lawmakers had, at a secret meeting held at a guest house in highbrow Asokoro District, Abuja, concluded plans to remove the governor.

Commenting on the notice, Governor Al-Makura’s special adviser on special duties, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, accused some unseen hands in the Presidency of being behind the impeachment notice.

He alleged that proxies which include a serving minister from Nasarawa State, some lawmakers in the National Assembly and a points-man from the southsouth who is currently serving in the National Conference are the arrowheads of the plot to unseat the governor.

Abdullahi accused those behind the scenes of selling the impeachment dummy to the Presidency for the PDP to reclaim the governorship of the state while the south-south politician allegedly disbursed N30 million each to the 20 lawmakers as inducement.

The special assistant said the bribe was given to the lawmakers in US Dollars on Sunday and had the support of the deputy governor, Damishi Luka, whom he (Abdulahi) accused of a longstanding ambition to become the state governor with Speaker Mohammed as deputy.

The deputy governor, less than a year ago, defected from the APC to PDP, a move that was viewed by many as signalling a frosty relationship between him and Governor Al-Makura.

Similarly, an elder statesman from the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Bako, while commenting on the development, expressed disgust on the matter, saying interference in the state affairs by the Presidency is uncalled for and saddening.

Incidentally, the impeachment notice comes on a day President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the largest rice farm in Africa situated in Doma, Nasarawa State.

No shaking – Al-Makura But Al-Makura’s mien shows a man without worry. He said he would not fret over the move ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Oshiomhole

NEWS 7

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Second APC Gov Faces Removal FROM PAGE 6

by the lawmakers to impeach him. He said he did not commit any constitutional infraction to warrant such move against him.

The governor, who spoke through his commissioner for information, Hon. Hamza Elayo, said: “The governor is not bothered about this latest move. He is not shaking because he has not breached the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“We are yet to receive any notice and, until we get it, we react appropriately. Please note that the governor is serving the state to the satisfaction of the people and there is no cause for alarm,” he said.

PDP destablising APCcontrolled states – Oyegun Meanwhile, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said the display of power of impunity against governments and governors of states controlled by their members is a clear indication that the federal government on the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan could breed dire consequences.

The national chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, stated this in Benin City, the Edo State capital, when he led a highpowered delegation of leaders and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party on a solidarity visit to Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the Government House over the lingering crisis in the state House of Assembly.

Oyegun noted that, with the unstable political scenarios in Rivers, Adamawa, Nasarawa,

Kano and now Edo State, it was clear to the opposition party that the forces of the federal government and the PDP were out to destabilize the APC with “a properly mapped out war against the APC and to destabilize” it.

He stated: “What is going on and what the party has come to realize is that there is a properly mapped out war against the APC, to destabilize the APC. While you are going through your travails here, we are also trying to contain the fires that have been emitting in Adamawa; we are preparing for the one they are promising in Nasarawa State and so on and so forth and the bombs have started exploding in Kano.”

He assured Oshiomhole that the party is solidly behind him and the 15 APC lawmakers in the legislative arm of government in the state over the failure of the PDP legislators to obey various court orders and the use of security agencies as against their constitutional roles of protection of life and property but have reduced themselves to a willing tool in the hands of the powers that be at the Aso Rock in Abuja.

They cited what it called the political “travails” being orchestrated against the governors of Rivers, Edo and three others in the northern part of the country where the APC is holding sway in the government and governance.

“Against all odds you have stood firm and we want to thank you that this is the new spirit of the new APC, for the simple reason that you are not alone in the most current attack and destabilization of APC governments and governors.

Before you is, of course, the

imitable Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State whose travails are still far from being over, but I am glad and surprised today when he said that he was just from a security council meeting.”

Oshiomhole in his remarks said he would not be distracted by the activities of the PDP lawmakers and the national leadership of the party.

While thanking the party leaders for their sense of commitment and visit to the state, he said by the action of the embattled PDP lawmakers they were out to procure 13 out of the 24 members in the House to block every executive bill, frustrate the 2015 budget and equally put a stop to the developmental initiatives of government in the state.

“Because the PDP is so frightened by our record of achievements and the fact that every day they lament that my crime is that whereas people knew that this state was grossly mismanaged they were unable to put scale on the level of mismanagement, but each time they see the six-lane roads across Benin; the huge urban renewal programme we sustained, the massive development, health centres, free education up to secondary school level, free bus services for pupils, whether they are private or public schools; people can now imagine how much they have lost in 10 years.”

He maintained that as long as this generation of Edo people is alive the PDP has no hope in Edo State, stressing that all they are doing is simply designed to destabilize the state. The governor decried that the PDP legislators were the ones that are

in contempt of the courts after they have collected about N75 million to defect from the APC to the PDP and to prosecute their evil plot against the state and the people.

Among the delegation on the solidarity visit were Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Abia State Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, ex-governor of Kwara State Senator Bukola Saraki, minority leader of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajamila, former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and APC national publicity secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Uncertainty looms over Nyako as House convenes emergency sitting today Uncertainty has pervaded the Adamawa landscape as the state House of Assembly convenes an emergency meeting today, even as the seven-man panel submitted its report before the speaker of the House, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

Many in the state are afraid that the impeachment card may be in the offing for both Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy Bala James Ngilari who might have been indicted by the reports following their failure to honour the invitation extended to them by the seven-man panel.

In a telephone chat, the chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Adamu Kamale, told LEADERSHIP correspondent that the House had announced the convoking of an emergency meeting although he could not disclose what the meeting was all about.

The panel conducted a two-day sitting on Friday and Saturday

Nyako

following which it submitted its report before the speaker of the House of Assembly at the State Assembly complex in Yobe.

However, the seven-man panel constituted by the former acting chief judge of the state, Mammadi, finally submitted its report to the speaker on Monday.

The seven-man panel, which stormed the state House of Assembly Complex at exactly 2:20pm, came amidst impregnable security provided by stern-looking soldiers who were wielding AK-47 assault rifles.

While presenting the report, the chairman of the sevenman committee, Mallam Buba Kaigama, said the committee has discharged its mandate and has compiled a comprehensive report following the sittings of the panel.

He said both the governor and his deputy were given the opportunity to respond to the allegations of gross misconduct against them in line with the mandate of the committee but they blatantly refused to use the opportunity to grace the panel’s sittings in order to give their own account.

FG Scholarship Awaits All Abducted Chibok Girls – Jonathan

By George Agba, Winifred Ogbebo Kuni Tyessi and Victor Okeke, Abuja

Automatic scholarship awaits all the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok community over 90 days ago by the time they are eventually rescued from the Boko Haram nest where they are being held captive, President Goodluck Jonathan told Pakistani school pupil and education activist Malala Yousafzai yesterday.

He also hinted that he had concluded plans to meet with the parents of the abducted Chibok girls.

Malala, from the town of Mingora, is reputed to have challenged the Taliban terrorist group and defended her right to education after she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012. She survived.

Malala is in Nigeria to commemorate her 17th birthday.

She told State House correspondents after meeting with the president that, apart from assuring her of meeting with

the parents of the abducted girls, Jonathan also vowed to ensure that the girls are returned home safely.

Addressing journalists alongside presidential spokesman Dr Rueben Abati, her dad Ziauddin Yousafzai and the director of operations, Malala Foundation, Eason Jordan, the teenager said she is in Nigeria to support girl education and advocate for the release of the Chibok girls abducted from Government Secondary on April 14 this year.

“But the president said these girls are his daughters and he is pained by their sufferings and that he has his own daughters and he can feel what they are feeling.

The president has expressed his solidarity with those girls and his sadness. He has assured that these girls will come back home safely.

He has several options but that he will choose the best to ensure the girls are released safely,” she stated.

She disclosed that she had met with parents of some of the girls the previous day and they had

expressed their longing to meet with the president and anybody who can help them find their girls.

Malala said, “I am here in Nigeria on my 17th birthday for a price, which is to see that every child goes to school. This year, my objective is to speak up for my Nigerian sisters -- about 200 of them -- who are under the abduction of Boko Haram and I met the president, Goodluck Jonathan for this purpose. I convey the voice of my sisters who are out of school or who are still under the abduction of Boko Haram and for those girls who escaped from the abduction but still do not have education.

“In the meeting, I highlighted the same issues which the girls and their parents told me in the past two days. The parents said they really want to meet with the president to share their stories with him. And I asked the president that if he wants to meet with the parents of the girls, the president assured me that he would meet with them.

Malala condemns child marriage in Nigeria But Malala, who turned 17 yesterday, has lent her voice to the campaign to bring back the over 200 schoolchildren abducted by Boko Haram since April, saying that her only wish is for her sisters to be released.

At a press conference in Abuja, she said, “This birthday is not one of celebration but of standing up for my sisters who are in captivity in Nigeria. Today, Malala has joined us in Nigeria to ask: how dare insecurity stop us from having the right to education?

“Forcing girls to be bride when they are supposed to be girls and forcing girls to give birth to children when they themselves are children is unacceptable.

She called on the world community to protect girls in India, Pakistan, Nigeria and across the world.

Malala tasks FG on 10.5m outof-school children Also, Malala has tasked the Federal Government to step up

Malala

efforts at reducing the number of out of school children in Nigeria,currently estimated at 10.5million by the United Nations.

She also bemoaned the continued incarceration of over 200 Chibok school girls abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Borno State,saying government should do everything within its power to free them from the abductors and make education safe and pleasurable for children.

8

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

conference

BY JOE DUDUN, AMINA ALHASSAN AND BODE GBADEBO

Why We Abdicate Decision On Derivation – Kumalia

L-R: National Conference delegates, Ledun Mittee; Muhammed Othman; deputy chairman, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi; assistant secretary conference proceedings, Dr. Akilu Indabawa; and chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, after a consultative meeting with some delegates, yesterday. PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI

Confab Ends Plenary, Fixes Final Report For Adoption On Aug 4 Relinquishes decision on derivation formula to FG

The plenary session of the National Conference ended yesterday following the completion of debate and adoption of the 20th and the last report of the conference by the delegates. Also, delegates decided to relinquish decision on the contentious issue of derivation while asking the federal government to set-up a technical committee which will look into the matter.

Earlier, when plenary resumed yesterday morning, the conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, told delegates that he was of the view that the “50 Wise Men” of the conference along with the co-chairmen, chairmen and deputy chairmen of the 20 standing committees, should be allowed to continue its job in conjunction with the confab leadership in order to provide a middle ground on the contentious issues of derivation principle to the oil-bearing states of the Niger Delta and allocations to the parts of the North as intervention fund.

“I’m still of the view that the committee that is handling the matter of coming to a compromise will still do their job.

“We couldn’t have the meeting on Friday. So, I am proposing that we give them two hours to meet with us,” he

said at about 10am.

The meeting however lasted close to five hours and at 2.38pm, Kutigi and his deputy, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, walked into the auditorium and were later joined by other principal officers on the platform.

After what seemed like an endless lull, Akinyemi announced that he will like to see Senator Iyorchia Ayu, General Ike Nwachukwu, Hon. Mohammed Kumalia and Chief Olu Falae outside the auditorium again.

The deputy chairman returned to the auditorium by 2.53pm and further consulted with the chairman while delegates waited patiently to know the outcome of the near 5-hour meeting. At that point, Kutigi took over and addressed the delegates, where he read to them the decisions arrived at while delegates were on about 5-hour recess.

However, a delegate representing Bayelsa State, Francis Doukpola, raised Order 9 Rule 9 in the National Conference Procedure Rules 2014 by referring to a decision of conference last Thursday on fiscal federalism, saying it is out of place to revisit such.

But Kutigi ruled him out of order, adding that the debate on the report of the Committee on Devolution of Power is closed and called for its

adoption.

South-South delegate, Senator Musa Adede, moved for the adoption of the committee report amid shouting of ‘’No’’ by some delegates.

A South-East delegate, Dr. Adaeze Nwuzor, supported the motion and delegates overwhelmingly, by voice vote, subsequently adopted the report without conclusive decisions on the issues of derivation principle and what percentage of allocation should to go mineral producing areas.

Kutigi announced the end of the confab plenary until Monday, August 4, 2014 when delegates will reconvene for the consideration of the conference final report ahead of presentation of same to the federal government.

Motion for adjournment till August 4 was moved by Senator Ibrahim Idah and seconded by Okon Osung at about 3.08pm.

Meanwhile, a statement by the conference assistant secretary, media and communications, James Akpadem, later in the day said: “After five hours of close-door deliberation with the leadership of the Conference, both the southern and the northern delegates refused to agree on some of the issues thrown up in the initial meetings of some regional leaders.”

Also, delegates decided to relinquish decision on the contentious issue of derivation while asking the federal government to set-up a technical committee which will look into the matter

One of the delegates representing the North-East geopolitical zone and former co-chairman of the Standing Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government, Hon. Mohammed Kumalia, has given an insight into the last decision of the conference to relinquish decision on the contentious derivation principle and others to the federal government.

He told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the expanded meeting of the conference leadership with the chairmen, co-chairmen and deputy chairmen of committees alongside the “50 wise men” in the conference decided not to turn the confab into a jamboree, hence their decision to maintain status quo on the contentious derivation principle and other proposed allocations to the parts of the North, among others, were rescinded.

“Nobody has lost out. As much as possible, we tried to make it a Nigeria thing. It is not about North-East or South-South losing out. We realized that we have a problem when we voted for new allocations for different parts of the country and different things like derivation, solid minerals development. When you look at the cumulative effect of these, you cannot tell its impact on the resources as we speak.

“So, we realized it will be foolhardy to want to make recommendations in the air.

We decided it will be better if a technical committee with a technical expertise and data at its disposal look at the implications of the recommendations on the current obligations of the government at all levels,” Kumalia said.

In its resolution, the conference recognizes the need to: review the percentage of revenue to states producing oil (and other resources); reconstruct and rehabilitate areas affected by problems of insurgency and internal conflicts; and diversify the Nigerian economy by fast tracking the development of the solid minerals sector, among others”.

Conference therefore recommends that Government should set up Technical Committee to determine the appropriate percentages on the three issues and advise government accordingly.

AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE 9

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 What is your assessment of the ongoing National Conference?

When we came in initially it was a bitter relationship. A lot of us came here with very challenging mind-set, thinking that this conference will be scattered, and so on, but we eventually find out that the marginalisation we are talking about affects virtually every facet of this nation. Yet the degree may differs, definitely there is a challenge for re-organising and rejuvenating this nation.

How satisfied are you about some of the recommendations and reports discussed and adopted so far?

In fact, so far, some of the reports and recommendations we have discussed are very good and if implemented, this country will turn to be a better place. I believes strongly that from this conference, the country will be better for it.

Take for example, our foreign policy, Nigeria gives a lot of help to many nations, we liberated and rescued many of them but we didn’t get anything in return, nobody care about us and we don’t even care about ourselves too because we don’t make request and stand firm. Eventually we stand here, we are our own enemies and untill we are able to change some of our attitude with good leadership and good followership, we will still have to lag behind in all these things but definitely from this conference I believe very strongly that by the time some of our reports are implemented, we are going to have a very good country.

We gathered that Yoruba delegates as a bloc came to this conference with an agenda, how far would you say your agenda has been achieved?

Yes, before the conference started I was not part of Yoruba delegation but some of our leaders from the Southwest have had series of dialogue with the South-south and South-east delegates and they seems to be in agreement of their demands. They are all clamouring for regionalism and devolution of power. So, so far from the things that have happened, we have not achieve all of them but I believe by the time we leave the conference, our desires will be achieved, like we achieved state police and the devolution of power. Every state governor comes to Abuja every month to come and share money, we can not get development in that direction and that is why the lev-

Oke-Ogun Area Suffering In Oyo State ­– Sekoni Hon. Mudashir Sekoni is a delegate representing the former House of Representatives members at the National Conference. In this interview with journalists, he explains the needs of his people in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, among others. el of corruption is high in this nation. It is so sad, so unfortunate, that you give the governors unnecessary powers to develop their environment but they just pocket money as if it is their personal money at the disadvantage of the people.

For instance, look at our case in Oke-Ogun, in most of the areas, what do we have? Nothing. No federal government presence, there is nothing in Oke-Ogun where we have 10 local government areas with a large population, there is nothing substantial, no federal government presence anywhere in Oke-Ogun, and it is so sad.

I made that comment in my response to Mr. President’s inaugural speech that at least we need a state, if we get this state, we will know how to develop ourselves because the ruling classes from Ibadan and Ogbomoso have taken over everything.

Oyo state as presently constituted is so large. In Ibadan we have 11 local governments there, Oyo north senatorial district has 13 local governments and they are the people always in power, most of our sons and daughters from Oke-Ogun have never had any opportunity getting to the governorship seat of the state. If this continue, the marginalisation will continue and we cannot get there untill a new state is given to us by Sekoni this conference or its position on power rotation among senatorial districts be implemented.

Why do you think both the federal and Oyo state governments refused to give attention to OkeOgun area?

From the military regimes in this nation, government has been personalised, anybody who get there if you are not close to them, you will not get anything, and that is not how to develop a nation, that is what we have in Oyo state. If you are not close to the government, there is nothing you will get from them. For instance in Oke-Ogun, we have a very vast land and a very fair opportunity of agricultural development and industrial opportunities but they are not looking there because we don’t have influencial people in government,

I am the only one from Oke-Ogun area but I know my colleagues understand our plight but, you see, nobody gives up just easily like that

we don’t have influential people with money and power. So, they decided to jettisoned OkeOgun which is an unfortunate thing because some of the leaders that have being in power at one time or the other never had what it takes as a leader, to say this is my country, it is a whole country, call people to seat down and map out strategies to develop every nook and crannies of the nation rather than say “here I am, I am from Rivers, therefore I will concentrate my attention is Rivers or I am from the Northwest or North-east, therefore what I have to do is to concentrate there,” forgetting that it

is a commonwealth, so whatever we do it must go round and strategically located.

Unfortunately for us in OkeOgun area, we are loyal, very patriotic people, very accommodating people, loyal to the cause of Nigeria as a nation but despite these attributes, nobody, no government has ever thought of us, to say okay, let’s develop an agricultural project here in Oke-Ogun because the land is there, the opportunities are there, the labour are there, everything is there but the only thing we don’t have is the “big man” of Nigeria from both state and federal levels.

They should give us atten-

tion, the land is there, the resources are there but the only thing we don’t have are big men.

We understand you are also calling for the location of a federal university in the area...

During Babangida regime, we thought we were going to get a university but Babangida said we should contribute some money and may be that policy then was directed against the people of OkeOgun which we did not know because they knew we did not have the money, where did they expected us to get the billions of naira they asked us to contribute? Who among us belong to government, who had opportunity to steal money?

So, we could not provide the money and that is why the university went out of our way and go to Ogbomoso. They have it and when former governor of Oyo state, Adebayo Alao Akala came on board, the development was concentrated in Ogbomosho too. That is why I talked about personalising the government, which is unfortunate. Things should not be done that way, after all, it was not only the people of Ogbomoso that voted for Akala, we all voted for him but the concentration of every development project was there, all because the Ibadan people too were doing it, so he too should do it when he came on board at the expense of Oke-Ogun area. But we still thanked him, we got some roads rehabilitated, I mean he did a lot of rehabilitation of roads but that was not enough for us.

Still on this university, the present governor of the state, Isiaka Ajimobi is now telling us that the main campus will be in Ibadan, that they will just give us a mini campus, and I asked for what? But we have no choice, we have to accept it until almighty God liberate us from their hands as a people, as a place and as an environment that deserves understanding.

So, how far has your agitation received attention at the conference?

A lot of us are agitating for state even within the Southwest, but I submitted our case.

Unfortunately, I am the only one from Oke-Ogun area but I know my colleagues understand our plight but, you see, nobody gives up just easily like that. As we are demanding, Oyo people and Ibadan people are also demanding, but we are insisting on getting it because we deserved it but if any state is later created out of Oyo state, whether for Ibadan or Oyo people, it will be acceptable.

10

stories of the Tuesday, July 15, 2014

...NEWS WITH A HUMAN FACE

KIDNAP: Suspect Shows 10-year-old Boy Hell

BY MATTHEW DIKE, Lagos

A suspected kidnapper, Taiwo Ojo, has tried to abduct and injured a 10-year-old boy, Moses Idowu, in Oworonshoki area of Lagos State.

Ojo was alleged to have abducted Idowu who struggled to free himself, and in the process, received injury.

The residents of Ayo Odugbesan Street, Oworonshoki, were said to have rescued the child from the predator.

Idowu who resides with his parents at Agbarajesu Street, Oworonshoki, was said to have been sent on an errand by his mother around 8.30pm when the hoodlum attempted to kidnap him.

Ojo hit the boy’s head on a culvert and he screamed, attracting residents and passersby who swooped on the kidnapper and apprehended him.

The mob wanted to lynch the suspect but for the intervention of policemen attached to the Oworonshoki Police Division who came and rescue him.

Ojo was said to have feigned madness when he was being interrogated by the mob and police.

The Lagos State police public relations officer, DSP Ngozi Braide, while confirming the story, said the suspected kidnapper was

BRUTALITY: Asthmatic Patient, 6- year-old Slump After Police Teargas

By Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

Some police men on duty yesterday went on rampage as they shot teargas canister in the air at the popular Eke Onuwa market located along Douglas road, Owerri, the Imo State capital, which narrowly caused the life of an asthmatic patient, Chukwukere Daniel and a six- year- old boy.

According to eye witnesses’ account at the scene of the incident, the police were said to be attached to the task force on street trading and illegal motor park.

They were said to have shot their teargas canister in the air in the midst a crowd that gathered to watch a promotional display by a beverage company, but incidentally, Daniel and the six- year- old boy were caught in the dangerous air.

The ensuing pandemonium was said to have caused a stampede which injured scores of people at the market and also afforded some hoodlums opportunity to loot from the traders who fled and abandoned their goods.

Daniel narrated that after regaining consciousness, “I was returning from work and heard a loud sound at Douglas road. I started running but slumped later as I was told by people who revived me” He further disclosed that it was good Samaritans who came to his rescue to buy an inhaler for him after losing his during stampede and was eventually revived.

An accident scene involving a trailer which fell near a bridge at ObaAkran Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO BY GBENGA OLAJOBI

Impersonation: Navy Hands Over Fake Admiral To Police

By Bayo Oladeji, Abuja The Nigerian Navy yesterday handed over one Simon Musa, a deputy Bank Manager to the Nigeria Police, for impersonating.

The bank manager, who was handed over to the police for prosecution was said to have impersonated an unknown Rear Admiral Musa.

Musa, 37, an indigene of Benue State and a staff of Aso Savings and Loans Limited, Victoria Island, Lagos was paraded before newsmen in Mogadishu Barracks, Abuja.

The Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aliyu Kabiru, who paraded the suspect said he was arrested at the federal Mortgage Bank Head of Office, behind Ceddi Plaza in the Central business District of Abuja after receiving a marked money of the sum of N1.5 million.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr. Simon Musa, during his interview for employment claimed that he was the brother to one Admiral

Musa in the Nigerian Navy. This was to influence his employment, as well as to give the impression that he would be able to source for a deposit of N2 billion from the Nigerian Navy through the Admiral for the mortgage bank.

“Accordingly, the suspect was employed as the Deputy Manager of the Victoria Island Branch of the bank on 27 May 2013, which falls under one Mr Francis Uzor, the regional manager for Aso Savings and Loans, South-South and South West Regions.

Due to the intense pressure on him to meet up with the target given to him, the suspect often disguised as Admiral Musa on phone when calling Mr Ifeanyi Uzor to assure him of the N2 billion deposit.

“When it became apparent that he would not meet the target, the suspect, who posed as Admiral Musa, demanded for a sum of N1.5 million from the regional manager, Uzor, to enable him effect repairs on his acclaimed burnt house before he would facilitate the deposit of the N2 billion from the Nigerian Navy”.

Abduction: Family Threatens Protest Over Seized Baby

By EZRA IJIOMA, Abuja

The family of a Nigerian baby boy under child welfare custody in Norway, has threatened to protest at the Norwegian Embassy, Abuja, if the boy is not released to the family within the next three weeks.

Baby George was taken away from his mother, Queen Agho, on April 30, 2014, 18-days after his birth in a hospital in Norway. The Norwegian child welfare authorities said that the child cannot make eye contact with the mother and that she is not psychologically balanced to nurse the baby.

The baby was placed in a foster home and is now one-year old. Queen Agho was forcefully taken to a psychiatric hospital, under police escort, in Leirfjord, Norway, where a psychiatrist examined her but she was later released as mentally sound.

In a letter dated September 18, 2013 to the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigeria Embassy in Sweden, which oversees consular issues in Norway, complained that ‘several threats’ were made to Queen Agho to cooperate with Norwegian authorities and give up her baby and when she refused, allegation of mental illness was brought up.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP, Kelvin Izekor, who is an uncle to Queen Agho, said that the Izekor family is dissatisfied with the way the way the child welfare court in Norway handled the case when it came up on appeal on May 14. “The court did not allow any of the witnesses called by the plaintiff, Queen Agho, to testify. It rejected the medical report of the government-appointed psychiatrist who examined Queen.

It was just determined to dismiss the case brought before it,” he said.

INDICTMENT: Businessman Arrested Over Petition Against Judge

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Men of the Oyo State Police Command, has arrested an Ibadan-based businessman and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Pelly Foam Industry, Mr. Dapo Davies, over alleged petition against a judge in the state judiciary.

He is presently being detained at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Davies’ arrest followed a bench warrant issued against him by Justice Aderonke Aderemi of the Oyo State High Court, in reaction to the petition written by the businessman against the Judge to the Chief Judge of Nigeria, Aloma Mariam Mukhar; the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Bolajoko Adeniji and the National Judicial Commission(NJC).

The Pelly Foam boss, who is the claimant in the suit number 1/23/2314 involving him(Davies) against AG Leventis and Grace Adeliyi, had in the petition, asked for an investigation into the circumstances leading to an order granted by Justice Aderemi in favour of AG Leventis and Grace Adeliyi.

In the petition dated June 23, 2014, titled “Case of Misconduct against Justice A.A. Aderemi of the Oyo State Judiciary”, the Ibadan-based businessman urged the Oyo CJ to withdraw the case before Justice Aderemi and re-assign it to another judge for the sake of justice.

Our correspondent gathered on Monday that the Ibadan-based businessman drew the ire of the judge for allegedly giving copies of the petition to newsmen.

Speaking with newsmen, counsel to Davies, Akin Ladipo, expressed disappointment at the development, saying that it was unfortunate that police could still go ahead to arrest his client despite the fact that an application for a stay of proceeding has been filed before the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan .

day

STORIES OF THE DAY 11

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

photo news

ROBBERY: Police Kill 2 Robbers At Tide Newspaper’s Office

BY ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, Port Harcourt

Men of the Rivers State Police Command in the early hours of yesterday, killed two suspected armed robbers, at the premises of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation (RSNC), publishers of the Nigerian Tide Newspaper, in Port Harcourt.

The police, however, lost one operative, who was shot at a very close range by the armed robbers in front of the computer room of the media outfit.

The two were part of a five-man armed robbery gang that had gone to rob premises of the media outfit, which also houses the temporary secretariat of the Nigeria Union of journalists (NUJ), before they

were accosted by policemen from the Mile One Police Division.

LEADERSHIP gathered that one of those killed was identified as a motor mechanic, whose workshop is very close to the premises of the newspaper outfit.

The Nigerian Tide Newspaper head-office is situated close to the notorious Mile One Flyover, where all kinds of criminals hide and attack passers-by from 7.00pm and 5.00am, making it risky for people to pass through the area at night.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the armed robbers, who came in around 1.00am yesterday morning, entered the production hall as well as the proof reading department and attacked the staff on duty.

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili (middle), leading other members of #BrinBackOurGirls group during their visit to the Pakistani school activist, Malala Yousafzai, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

DOWNPOUR: Pastor, 2 Others Die In Edo Flood

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin City

Heavy downpour in Igarra, headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State on Sunday night, has claimed the life of three persons, over 50 houses and property destroyed, including parts of the fence of the local government secretariat.

Two of the victims; a young girl and a pastor were said to be travelling to Igarra from Auchi in a commercial vehicle alongside other passengers when their vehicle broke down in Egbigere, about five minutes’ drive to their destination and when they attempted to push the vehicle, the flood occasioned by the rain swept them off the road into a nearby bridge where the

two of them died. Their corpses were discovered yesterday morning.

Another victim, a middle- aged man in Utua area of the community was said to have visited a friend when the building collapsed on him. His body was also recovered from the debris yesterday morning. The rain was said to have started around 11 am.

When contacted yesterday, the traditional ruler of the community, HRH Oba Adeche Saiki, Otaru of Igarra, speaking through the Secretary, Otaru-in-Council, Elder Folorunsho Dania, said the community was devastated and called on relevant government agencies and good spirited individuals and organisations to come to the aide of the victims to restart their lives.

LR: Author’s father, Elder Osondu Akanmadu; author of the book, Barr. Chuks Akanmadu; chairman of the event, Dr. Joseph Nnorom, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala, and Amb JU Ayologu at the centennial book launch entitled: ‘’Voluntary Union’’ A Centanary Imperative

by Akanmadu in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Patrick Ebi Amanama

ADULTERY: Police Arrest Pastor For Seducing Housewife

By Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

Police detectives in Illah, near Asaba, Delta State, at the weekend, have arrested a Pentecostal pastor for allegedly seducing a house wife in the area.

Reports said that the pastor identified as Chinedu (surname withheld), hoodwinked his victim into love making after taking her to the riverbank in the community where he claimed to have performed spiritual cleansing for her.

It was learnt that while the spiritual cleansing lasted, the man of God was alleged to have been aroused ; a situation he could

not resist, and forcefully had his way with the woman by the river bank.

Sources said the woman has been married for the past 13 years to her husband, a local title holder in the area without a child and had sought the assistance of local herb medicine practitioners to no avail before she was introduced to the man of God. Confirming the arrest of the suspects, police relations officer in the state, DSP Celestina Kalu, said the victim who claimed to have been looking for a child fell into the hands of a suspect under the guise of performing spiritual cleansing on her.

L-R: Senate President David Mark; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe; wife of NOA Director-General, Mrs Amina Omeri; Mr Mike Omeri; Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Darius Ishaku; Force Public Relations Officer, CSP. Frank Mba and Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, during the cutting of Mike Omeri’s 50th birthday cake in Abuja, yesterday. Photo by Nan

Impersonation: Police Arrest Fake Commander

By Abu Nmodu, Minna

Niger state Police has arrested a fake Commander-General of Elites Community Initiative Corps of Nigeria, Mr. Olu John Bello for alleged fraud.

He was arrested for allegedly defrauding no fewer than 700 applicants of millions of naira.

According to the police, the suspect specializes in defrauding innocent applicants of their money under the guise of recruiting them into his organisation.

A source in the police said the suspect

usually go round the states of the federation with letter headed papers to solicit for funds to run the organization A source revealed that Olu was once an officer of the corps but was dismissed February 4, 2014 due to his fraudulent activities, even as President and Commander General of the corps Mr Opara Benard, confirmed that the suspect had previously attempted to eliminate him in Jos, Plateau state.

According to Opara, the suspect was arrested in Owerri, where his vehicle was impounded and was sent to Jos where he is standing trial.

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon Ndudi Elumelu; Clerk of the Committee on Health, Nagiru, and a member of the committee, Hon Abdulsalami Adamu, during a stakeholders meeting on the industrial action of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), organised by the committee at the National Assembly in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

12 for the record

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Wole Soyinka: 80 Years Of Genius And Prophetic Outrage continues from yesterday By bishop matthew hassan kukah

This is where we must realize that religion has an overarching reach beyond the confines of other fault lines in the society.

Indeed, this is at the heart of why the Catholic Church in her wisdom insists that her clergy can be political, but not politicians

Rather than examine more closely the real role of religion in society, African social theorists have caricatured and uncritically applied Karl Marx’s rather weak materialistic tools of analysis and concluded that first, religion is the opium of the people and the preoccupation of the poor and ignorant. Now, religion has come back with a vengeance to taunt and discount these shallow claims. Indeed, as Napoleon said, rather than blaming Religion, we should be thankful because, It is religion that stops the poor from killing the rich!

Across the universities, various kinds of Student movements and associations Soyinka emerged to fill what their teachers claimed was a moral the government of the day. So, vacuum. The stories of the they see religion and religious emergence of a deluge of leaders as players on the reserve Fraternities such as the Pirates, bench who can be called upon Sea Dogs, Buccaneers, Skulls to change the course of the and Bones, Palm Wine Drinkers game to their own advantage. and among many others are well This is where religion and known. The celebrant’s role in religious leaders need wisdom this phase of our history is well and counsel. This is where we known. The counter narratives must realize that religion has have not wiped away the an overarching reach beyond perception. It was interesting the confines of other fault lines that when the Pirates came in the society. Indeed, this is at to invite me in 1996 or so to the heart of why the Catholic deliver the inaugural lecture, Church in her wisdom insists they dangled their Catholic that her clergy can be political, credentials as a means of but not politicians. I am often convincing me that they were accused of being a politician, not cultists. Whatever the case, but I ask the same people to tell the point I am making here is me why my liking music has not that perhaps with hindsight, I made me a musician!

As history has shown us, the hope that the critics of religion are now better informed and mere removal of structures disposed to conversion. Perhaps of corruption or injustice do that is why I am here, who not by itself (whether through knows? elections, coup or protests) The critics of religion often do justify and end to oppression not have problems with religion or corruption. We are seeing per se. Often their problems lie all of this across the world in the perceived manipulation by but especially in Africa and those they see as the oppressors. the developing world. More Yet, in the end, what we have often than not, the same come to see is that from Latin human beings replicate the America (Liberation Theology), same contradictions and rethe anti apartheid movement, enact the same injustices and Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution corruption, merely using the in Iran to the collapse of the same weapons of torture, only Berlin wall and the end of with a splash of new brushes, Communism, prophetic religion paint and actors. This is what has always been deployed to the Catholic Church experienced rescue a society weighed down in most parts of Latin America where Liberation theology had by injustice.

It is often tempting to think served as a mobilizing tool, the that what we need to struggle same problems it had to face in against is the removal of the Poland or the Philippines, etc. structures of power such. It is also the same battle that Religious leaders are often Archbishop Desmond Tutu has summoned to speak out, to had to wage with the upper crust speak truth to power. Often of the ANC who have almost so the Opposition wants to court quickly forgotten their history. the religious leaders and they His near isolation by the ANC in believe that the good religious the burial of Mandela was the leader is the one who is on their telling lesson. side, the one in opposition to

4 What Next Africa, What Next After WS? What next for Africa? It seems rather curious that Europe has always seen in Africa what Africans themselves seem unable to see. First, despite labeling it, in the words of Conrad, the heart of darkness, it still went on to invest thousands of the precious lives of its young citizens who fought and died in wars so as to occupy this house of darkness.

By conquest, despoliation and death, Europeans went on to invest rather heavily in both the enslavement of Africans and the dispossession of the continent’s resources. Despite the scorching heat in Africa, Europeans were still glad to carry this very heavy white man’s burden as Rudyard Kipling called the colonial project. This is neither the place nor the time to investigate this phase of our history. But this notion of investing in darkness and willingly going to war to carry a burden it must be a telling metaphor of the conflict between danger and opportunity in Africa. Going forward, we must ask why Africans have refused to shine their eyes and whether the future lies in continuing on this path. Why does the prospect of a good life for Africa remain only an emblem of possibilities and promise? Why does the good life remain a shifting kaleidoscope?

Why is our narrative constantly a movement of possibilities never really embraced, just an endless burst of conflict of lights and shadows.

At the end of the last century, Afro pessimists and Afro optimists both contested for the best projections of the continent’s future. In March 2000, the very influential UK Economist Magazine ran a cover

story titled, Africa the Hopeless Continent. Barely ten years later, precisely in December 2011, it did another cover story.

This time, it made a complete turn around and captioned it: The Hopeful Continent: Africa Rising. Where exactly Africa was rising from and how long the continent had been dead, what killed it and what might a resurrected Africa look like, the magazine did not exactly say.

But these conflicting signals and dominance of our narrative should worry us as Africans.

Our celebrant has committed most of his adult life exhibiting genius and making trouble by banging on the doors of African leaders. But at best, he might have been blowing a muted trumpet. Of course, at another level, we could ask why, beyond the entertainment and artistic value, what is the value of writing? Who exactly are we writing for and for what purpose? Why has writing not effected any change in our societies? What is the scope of our narratives?

We blame our politicians but in reality are they not doing much better than us? Are there no lessons we can learn from the distances they cover to sell their messages? How is it that members of political parties crisscross the country in a way and manner that writers do not? I know very little of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, but without seeking to cause offence, what do other Nigerians know about them apart from their meetings, Awards and so on?

Can ANA make literature cross boundaries, cultures, region and religion? How can ANA and Nollywood recreate a new Nigerian persona, away from the villainous role we have been conscripted to play by our enemies? Most of the negativity we imbibed has remained with us and threatens to continue to define us. This must be carefully thought through and reversed.

Are we going to continue to choose between ethnicities in Nollywood or will there ever be something bigger?

We hear that the works of the celebrant, those of Chinua Achebe have been translated into 50, 80 or 100 languages.

Yet, how many of these works have been translated into Nigerian languages, such as Angas, Fulfulde, Nupe, Hausa, ijaw, Efik, Tiv, Igala, Idoma, Jukun, or Ikulu? (I have added the last because the ethnographers do not know we exist and this is the only chance I have to mention us!). to be continued tomorrow

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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14 News north-central

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Gov Wada’s Father Buried, Northern Govs Mourn

By SAM EGWU, Lokoja and Abu Nmodu, Minna

Pa Wada Ejiga, the late father of Kogi State governor, Capt Idris Wada, was finally laid to rest in his hometown, Odu Ogboyaga, Dekina Local Government Area of the state yesterday.

The late Pa Ejiga died on Sunday night after a brief illness at Anyigba at the age of 100 years.

Pa Ejiga was appointed Judge of the Area Court in 1958 and served at Idah, Odogwu, Dekina, Ankpa Area Courts until 1982 when he was appointed Judge of Upper Area Court Makurdi. He retired at the Upper Area Court Ankpa, in 1984.

The Chief Imam of Ankpa, Mallam Isalman Adams, who prayed during the burial , described late Pa Wada Ejiga, as somebody who lived a fulfilled life adding that he has done much for his people.

He enjoined the people to emulate his life style , noting that his children would be

short news Lesser Hajj: Over 500 Pilgrims To Be Airlifted From Ilorin Airport Over 500 pilgrims will be airlifted from Ilorin International Airport for this year’s lesser Hajj (Umrah).

The zonal coordinator of National Hajj Commission for Ekiti, Kwara and Ondo states, Alh. Mousa Ubandawaki , disclosed this during an interview with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin.

Ubandawaki said the pilgrims would be airlifted thrice from the airport during the period.

He urged the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of the country while at the holy land.

By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin

proud of him because he gave them education and discipline .

Reacting to the death of his father, the chief mourner, Capt Idris Wada, reiterated that the vacumm created by the demise of his father would be difficult fill.

Those who graced occasion are senators, House of Representative members and also the State Assembly, the former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, traditional rulers, politicians and well wishers.

Meanwhile, the chairman, Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has condoled with the Kogi governor .

In a condolence message contained in a press statement signed by the chief press secretary to Governor Aliyu, Mr Israel Ayegba Ebije, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Minna, Aliyu said Pa Wada Ejiga death was a great loss.

Kwara To Sink 10 Boreholes For Sobi Army Barracks The Kwara State government is to sink 10 boreholes at the 22 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Sobi in Ilorin to ease the water supply challenges at the barracks.

The state governor, Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed, announced this during a visit to the barracks. Ahmed said that the state government would also assist the barracks in the renovation of more classrooms at the Army Children Junior Secondary School to complement the one already rehabilitated.

The governor, who inspected some sections of the school and quarters said the state government would take up the responsibility with a view to ensuring conducive learning environment and improvement of the welfare of officers and men of the barracks.

According to the governor: “The Sobi Barracks deserves to enjoy the support of the state government despite being the responsibility of the federal government.”

By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin

short news Kogi Gov Counsels Stakeholders Over Sanity In Judiciary Kogi State governor, Idris Wada, has called on all stakeholders in the administration of justice in the country to strive hard to bring back sanity in the society .

Wada made the call over the weekend in Lugard House, Lokoja, Kogi State capital during the swearing-in of Alhaji Suleiman Baba Mohammed, as Kadi of the state Sharia court of appeal.

According to him, in the last two years, both official and unofficial crime statistics in Nigeria present a forensic picture of a serious crime particularly the incessant bombing in the north eastern parts of the country which he said has resulted in the death of innocent Nigerians.

By Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu (left), during an interactive session with members of the debating club of Maryam Babangida Girls Science College, Minna, yesterday. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

Langtang LG Poll: Group Faults Withdrawal Of Returning Officers

By ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos

A group under the auspices of Concerned Youths Forum (CYF) of Langtang North Local Government Council of Plateau has lamented the withdrawal of all Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) returning officers in the 18 wards of the council and their replacement with card carrying members of the PDP who were the immediate past counselors of their respective wards elected under the platform of PDP at the eve of 25th February council elec-

tion in the State.

According to the forum leader, Comrade Johnson Wuyep, in a press statement signed and made available to LEADERSHIP in Jos yesterday, the singular act by the commission left much to be desired.

The CYF further noted that despite all the irregularities that characterized the election itself, the candidate of DPP, Chief Dan Dul, was the clear winner with a margin of 2,500 votes over the PDP candidate, Godwin Kumzhi Nanmwa, as announced by the local govern-

ment returning officer for Langtang North, Fabian Ntung, at the end of the election.

The statement read in part: “The commission failed to declare and return Chief Dan Dul as the winner. The result from Jat ward was not submitted to it by the ward returning officer, Nandom Pyendang, who is the immediate past counselor of the ward under the platform of PDP at the collation centre in Langtang and hence declared the election into the office of the chairman of the council inconclusive and ordered a rerun in Jat ward.”

Angry Youths Stop Work At Zungeru Hydro Dam Over Non-payment Of Compensation BAbu Nmodu, Minna

Some Irate Youths from the host communities of the Zungeru Hydro electric dam in Niger State have stopped work at the site where the dam was being constructed .

President Goodluck Jonathan, had last year performed the ground breaking of the hydro electric dam that would gulp several billion of naira in a contract agree-

ment with a Chinese firm, Synohydro Company.

LEADERSHIP finding revealed that youths from the communities in Wushishi, Rafi and Shiroro local government areas were protesting the discrepancies surrounding the payment of compensation to the host communities who had given up their lands for the project.

Some of the youths were chanting: “Release our farm lands and ancestral places for use since fed-

eral government is not ready to pay compensation.Leave our land for us to farm, is light better than life?”

It was gathered that the peaceful protest of the youths has forced the construction company handling the project to stop work on site until issues surrounding the payment of compensation to the villagers displaced by the activities of the firm were fully settled.

Drama As Suspended Plateau PDP Chairman Storms Office

By ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos

The suspended chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Plateau State, Dr Haruna Dabin, stormed the party office located along Murtala Murhammed way in Jos, the State capital yesterday in a bid to reclaim his position culminating to a mild drama in the process.

The embattled chairman was suspended last month by the state executive council of the party over alleged gross misconduct and was replaced by his deputy, Hon Ray-

mond Dabo Also recently, members of the party passed a vote of no confidence on the suspended state chairman,but the embattled chairman had rejected his suspension describing it as illegal .

His refusal to accept his fate played out yesterday when he arrived the party’s secretariat early in the morning and headed straight to his office but was stopped on his way.

Our correspondent gathered that the acting chairman was already on

sit in the office when the incident happened, but the quick intervention of staff members prevented what could have been an open confrontation.

It was learnt that as the drama lasted,the acting chairman left for Government House in Rayfield to brief the deputy governor on the incident, while Dabin himself was eventually prevailed upon to leave the premises which he did before the arrival of security men drafted to the scene to contain the situation.

NEWS/BUSINESS 15

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

business news

SON Confiscates N200m Substandard Handsets

BY Olushola Bello, Lagos

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has swooped on Lagos computer village at Ikeja where it seized and confiscated suspected substandard telephone handsets worth over N200 million.

Speaking to the media, the head of intelligence and compliance directorate, SON, Engr Bede

Obayi, said, “the exercise was diligently carried as a result of its surveillance team reports which monitors products displayed for sale in all the markets across the country.”

He pointed out that a handset dealer, Trinity Technologies and Communication Ltd came to SON and registered one H-Mobile phone in his name only for SON to discover

thereafter that the company had embarked on the importation of different brands of telephone handset other than the H-Mobile originally registered with SON. Besides that, Obayi said the company also imported large quantity of unbranded handsets into the country and labelled them with popular brands in the market thereby deceiving unsuspecting buyers.

Afrinvest To Pay N44.2m Gross Interim Dividend To Holders

BY Olushola Bello, Lagos

Afrinvest Asset Management Limited is set to pay interim coupon to note holders on the register of the Nigeria International Debt Fund (NIDF), a Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) listed mutual fund that invests in fixed income securities of federal and state governments for the 2014 financial year.

According to a statement from the company, the fund manager said the sum of N44.172 million would be distributed amongst note holders on the register of the NIDF by July 29, 2014, while payment would be made

within two weeks of the closure.

Managing director of Afrinvest Asset Management Limited, Ola Belgore: “This is the 32rd coupon in the life of the Fund which was launched in 1997. Since the NIDF is an open-ended fund it is estimated that a minimum of N36.00 per note would be paid to note holders who are in the books of the NIDF on the closure date which is July 29, 2014.”

According to him, the interim distribution was in line with the structure of the NIDF, as the Fund was designed to pay distributions twice a year, as indicated in the Fund’s Trust Deed.

Sterling Bank Flags Off 4-Week Pan Nigeria ATM Activation

By Bukola Idowu, Lagos

As part of efforts to further deepen the use of automated teller machines ( ATM) as alternative channel for banking transactions, Sterling Bank has commenced a four-week Pan Nigeria ATM Activation at selected ATM locations.

According to a statement from the bank, the locations for the four-week programme would include Lagos (Adeola Odeku, Demurin, Surulere and Ikorodu) which is currently running, South-West (Ilorin and Ibadan), North (Abuja and Kano/Kaduna), East (Onitsha) and South-South (Port Harcourt).

In addition to using the platform to encourage the use of ATMs in Nigeria in line with the cashless economy policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sterling Bank would offer what it termed Sterling Exclusive offerings to the customers who use the ATM points within this period. Some of the gift items and services on offer include make-overs, photography sessions, saloon services, spa /relaxation services, fashion incentives, exotic car rides, drinks and one on one engagement with celebrities.

The ATM activation, according to the bank’s group head, Strategy and Communications Mr Shina Atilola, would further communicate in practical terms, the OneCustomer proposition which would help strengthen the bank’s bond with existing customers and also develop an emotional connection with non-customers.

“As a responsible financial institution, Sterling Bank is committed to projects that would enrich the lives of its customers and at the same time support the laudable initiatives and policies of the CBN, particularly the cashless policy. This initiative will encourage card users to actually transact with their cards while those yet to obtain theirs will have no reason not to obtain theirs.”

Atilola said the ATM activation would further deepen brand awareness and street visibility.

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L-R: Head, Debit Cards, Mr Obinna Uma; Team Lead, Debit Cards, Mrs Funmi Fagbulu; and Divisional Head, e-Banking, UBA Plc, Dr Adeyinka Adedeji, during the formal introduction of U-Advance, a credit card that allows workers who operate their salary account with UBA to get up to 50% of their salary ahead of payday, in Lagos , recently.-

Economic Integration: ECOWAS Abolishes Resident Permits, Reduces Convergence Criteria

By NSE ANTHONY-UKO, Abuja

The Economic Communities of West Africa (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government have approved the abolition of resident permit and the introduction of the biometric identity card for the community citizens in order to hasten regional economic integration, The acting director-general of Multilateral Surveillance of the body, Dr Nelson Magbagbeola, said yesterday at the 37th meeting of the technical committee of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) in Abuja, that the decision was taken at the 45th ordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra, Ghana on July 10 , where the Ghanaian president, Dr John Mahama, briefed other ECOWAS leaders on the modalities for accelerating the

establishment of a single monetary zone in ECOWAS by 2020.

Following this decision, the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS have subsequently requested the ministers in charge of security to review all the security implications of the measure prior to the signing of the Supplementary Acts on the issues.

The heads of state also adopted the reduction of macroeconomic convergence criteria from 11 to six (three primary and three secondary).

Magbagbeola revealed that the three primary criteria were budget deficit (including grants and on commitment basis)/GDP of less than or equal to three per cent; average annual inflation of less than 10 per cent with a long-term goal of less than or equal to five per cent by 2019; and gross reserves greater than or equal to three months of

imports.

The three secondary convergence criteria adopted by the Authority are: Public debt/GDP less than or equal to 70 per cent; central bank financing of budget deficit of less than or equal to 10 per cent of previous year’s tax revenue; and nominal exchange rate variations 10 per cent.

Member states of ECOWAS, he said had been urged to continue to ensure that the non-tariff barriers (NTBs) were reduced to the barest minimum by reducing and consolidating the checkpoints along the international transit corridors.

Earlier in her address, Mrs Sarah Alade, deputy governor, Economic Policy Directorate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), reminded delegates that “the deadline for WAMZ countries to achieve monetary integration is January 1, 2015.”

2014 Budget: Reps C’ttee Seek Third Quarter Release For MDAs

BY Edegbe Odemwingie,, Abuja

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Works, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, yesterday urged the country’s finance minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to release third quarter allocations to government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

Ozomgbachi made the call during the committee’s oversight visit to the Office of the surveyor- general to the

federation (OSGF).

“The poor releases have always been the problem, for instance in 2013, cumulative release to the ministry of works including office of surveyor general of the federation was just about 46 per cent,” Ozomgbachi reported at the meeting.

He warned that going by the 2014 trend, which has seen only second quarter releases to MDAs, budget performance (releases) may be worse than 2013.

“We all know that the sector (works) is very important. Considering what has been achieved by the federal ministry of works in the past three years, it is a priority sector that must be properly greased to enable it improve on its past performance.

“The performance is there on ground for everybody to see, a situation where contractors who have done work in the ministry are being owed huge sum of money as a result of poor releases is not acceptable to the National Assembly.”

16 NEWS/BUSINESS

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Nigeria’s Security Challenge Worse But Not Destabilising – S&P

BY BUKOLA IDOWU , Lagos, with agency reports

International rating agency, Standard and Poors (S&P) has said although Nigeria’s security state has grown worse, it is yet to destabilise the country.

This is as the agency said it will release the rating of some Nigerian banks later in the year.

The rating agency in March this year lowered its rating of Nigeria from

BB+ to negative, before the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by the militant group, Boko Haram, in April, and as other attacks by the insurgents ravaged the northern part of the country, a rating that was criticised and appealed against by the Nigerian government.

The S&P’s director in sovereign ratings, Ravi Bhatia, said the rating agency’s officials are watching security issues in

both Nigeria and Kenya.

“Boko Haram was part of what we considered when we put Nigeria on a negative outlook. It has gotten slightly worse and is a growing concern, however, it is not yet at this point destabilising the Nigerian state,” Ravi stated.

S&P also said it is talking to some Kenyan banks and companies about future credit ratings.

Borrowers across the

FCMB Rewards Customers At 30th Anniversary Promo Draw

BY BUKOLA IDOWU, Lagos

continent are looking to tap into international capital markets following successful bond sales by African countries.

A long-awaited rating for Tanzania is not likely to be assigned any time soon, however, S&P’s Konrad Reuss told a news briefing in London.

“More Nigerian bank ratings will be coming out later this year... we are working on a number of corporate organisations in the region,” Reuss said.

The second phase of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited promo, tagged “FCMB 30th Anniversary Promo Reloaded,” has rewarded the first set of lucky customers across the country at the regional and zonal draws held nationwide recently.

While three customers of the bank were rewarded with the sum of N1million each at the regional draws held in Abuja, Lagos and Abia states, a total of 130 others went home with

generator sets, television, DVDs and other exciting prizes at the zonal draws held in 26 locations in the country.

At the Lagos/Southwest regional draw which took place at Matori, Lagos State, Olaniyi Ayodele received the reward of N1 million, while the North regional draw held in Abuja also awarded Chizoba Asilugwa the same amount and at the South-east/Southsouth regional draw held at Aba, Abia State, Peter Ndukwe walked away with N1million as well.

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Equity transaction on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) opened for the week yesterday on an upward trend as the market indices improved by 0.23 per cent.

The market capitalisation appreciated by N33 billion to close at N14.176 trillion compared with the N14.143 trillion it closed last Friday.

Equally, the All-Share Index increased by 97.78 basis points or 0.23 per cent to close at 42,930.60, against the 42,832.82 achieved on Friday.

Ashaka Cement led the gainers’ table by N1.62 to close at N34.17 per share.

Guaranty Trust Bank came second with N1.03 to close at N31, while Wapco appreciated by 97 kobo to close at N113 per share.

Forte Oil advanced by 94 kobo to close at N235 and Stanbic IBTC gained 45 kobo to close at N27.50 per share.

On the other hand, Guinness topped the losers’ chart by N5.50 to close at N199.50 per share. Seven Up trailed with a loss of N2.50 to close at N100.03, while Julius Berger dropped

by N2.04 to close at N66.01 per share.

Seplat dropped N2 to close at N700 while Flourmill lost N1.30 to close at N76.70 per share. The volume of shares traded rose by 42.67 per cent as investors staked N6.20 billion on 468.559 million shares transacted in 5,502 deals. This is against the 328.421 million shares worth N3.86 billion traded in 5,222 deals on Friday.

FBN Holdings emerged the most-traded stock, accounting for 157.97 million shares worth N2.56 billion.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

17

18 BUSINESS/CUSTOMS

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Assessing Dikko’s Performance As WCO West/Central Africa Vice Chair (II) Apart from the impact the four years tenure of the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abdullahi Dikko, had on customs administrations in the West and Central African region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) during the period he held the position of the vice chair of the region, the period also brought tremendous benefits to Nigeria.

These benefits have helped to increase the visibility of Nigeria among other customs administrations, boosted regional cooperation and aided on-going efforts to modernise the NCS for better efficiency and professionalism.

Jonathan’s special invitation to the WCO 50th anniversary The special invitation of President Goodluck Jonathan to the 50th anniversary celebration of the WCO where he delivered a keynote address in June 2012 was an important highlight of Dikko’s tenure as the WCO vice chair. At the anniversary which coincided with the 119th/120th council sessions of the WCO in Brussels, Belgium, Jonathan shared with the world what Nigeria was doing to overcome the challenges faced by the customs administrations in developing countries. He noted that the role of customs administrations has undergone significant transformations since the early 1990’s, and gradually but steadily evolving from trade transaction management for revenue purposes on the one hand, to trade facilitation, protection of society, and the security of international trade supply chains on the other.

Jonathan told the gathering that the greatest challenge at the national level has been about how best to successfully design reforms and modernisation initiative that would positively contribute to the achievement of the desired economic growth and

development objectives.

He further noted that the reform and modernisation of customs administrations in developing countries are being hampered by challenges such as out-dated procedures, inadequate legislation, limited information communication technology (ICT) application, institutional and human resource capacity as well as coordination and cooperation with other regulatory authorities like the tax and ports administrations. He added that it was in recognition of the above that his administration has remained committed to continuous review of customs procedures.

In particular, he said, Nigeria aims to reduce cost of doing business through savings in paper work and reduction in total transaction cost including cargo clearance and risk management.

Hosting the WCO Policy Commission Meeting Another important benefit of Dikko’s tenure was the international recognition which earned Nigeria the hosting right of the WCO’s 66th Policy Commission Meeting and 117th/118th council session for the first time in the history of the NCS. The meeting is the highest decision making body of the WCO, and had delegates from 52 WCO member countries in attendance. It was successfully hosted for five days in Abuja in 2011. The epoch-making event contributed to the nation’s economy through conference tourism.

Increased visibility of Nigeria in WCO activities: The period also earned Dikko the historical invitation to deliver a paper on the success of the various reforms embarked upon by the NCS since the inception of his administration to the Integrity Group at the 66th policy commission meeting and the 117th/118th council session of the WCO, in June 2011.

customs focus

By JULIET ALOHAN

The invitation was in recognition of the various collaborative efforts with the WCO, and the opportunity was the first of its kind in the history of the NCS. The development earned the service the attention of customs administrations from different regions of the world to the extent that customs administrations of countries such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, Turkey, Kuwait, South Africa, Canada, and Vietnam Dikko requested for partnership with Nigeria.

This led to the signing of different cooperation agreements with customs administrations of the United States, Argentina, South Africa, United Arab emirate and Turkey.

Designation of Customs Staff College as Regional Training Centre Dikko further used the position to attract technical expertise to the establishment of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, which was started and completed by his administration.

In an effort to ensure that the college is adequately positioned to deliver world-class training to officers of the service, Dikko made a proposal to the WCO for a possible adoption of the college as a regional training

centre.

Consequently, at the policy meeting in Brussels, the request was ratified and an MoU was signed to the effect.

The college has since been designated as a WCO Regional Training Centre for customs administrations in the West and Central Africa region and it has played host to numerous local and international courses on customs and security matters.

Support for capacity building for officers Before the appointment of Dikko as the comptrollergeneral of the NCS in 2009, capacity building for officers did not receive the deserved attention. Training was limited to refresher courses in its Kano and Lagos training colleges.

But a Department of Human Resources Development was

created at the inception of the Dikko-led administration days after being sworn into office.

It immediately began work by mapping out strategies for staff trainings.

Dikko’s subsequent election to the office of the region’s WCO vice chair further helped to attract support for capacity building programme of the officers and staff of the service, with particular emphasis on border patrol operations supported by the United States and valuation matters supported by India.

Virtually every staff has successfully completed trainings both locally and internationally. Officers have been sponsored to trainings in the Unites States, Japan, Switzerland, Brussels, South Africa, Hong Kong, Mali, Canada, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Congo, Malaysia, China and India to mention a few.

Regional cooperation Regional cooperation in transit and security matters helped to secure the buyin of neighbouring customs administrations in handing over transit vehicles to the NCS. So far, over 5,000 vehicles have been handed over to the service and this has helped to save resources often deployed to pursue smugglers which often result in the loss of lives of some customs operatives.

Dikko was barley six months in office as the comptrollergeneral of the NCS in March 2010, when he was elected the regional vice chair in Bamako, Mali, to oversee 23 customs administrations in the WCO West and Central African region (WCO-WCA).

The journey, however, came to a celebrated end recently at the headquarters of the WCO in Brussels, Belgium, when he handed over the position to Cameroon after serving two terms of two years each in the capacity. His tenure impacted hugely on customs administrations in the region and on the NCS as well as the nation’s economy.

Customs Launches Camouflage Uniform The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a new set of camouflage uniforms in support of special operations aimed at enhancing national security.

The new camouflage uniform is done in the NCS’s colour of grey with bits of other colours.

According to the service, the measure became necessary as part of efforts to be combat ready given its onerous task of protecting the nation’s borders.

“The job of securing our borders in collaboration with other security agencies has continued to be challenging

with different types of threats in different locations. This situation demands more combat readiness, necessitating the use of fabric that can withstand tough terrains,” the NCS said in a statement.

The comptroller-general of the NCS, Abdullahi Dikko, led a

team of other management staff to showcase the new uniform when it was launched at the service headquarters in Abuja recently.

While urging officers and men of the NCS to remain focused on service delivery, the comptrollergeneral of customs, said the

introduction of the camouflage is part of his administration’s quest to build a confident and well-motivated work-force.

The customs boss, therefore, called on the general public to support the NCS in its determination to modernise in the interest of the nation.

AVIATION/BUSINESS 19

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Why FG Should Advertise NCAA DG Position STORIES BY NKEM OSUAGWU, Lagos

An industry stakeholder and analyst, Olumide Ohuanyo, has urged the federal government to advertise the position of the director-general (DG) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to prevent issues of rivalry among aviation unions and other interested parties.

This is coming following the prolonged time in the appointment of a substantive DG for the nation’s aviation regulatory body even though some one had been nominated since March.

Ohuanyo’s statement is based on current developments in the sector in which some aviation unions seem to have taken sides in the matter for their selfish interest and have threatened to shut down aviation operations in a matter that does not fall within their jurisdiction.

In an article entitled ‘DG NCAA: Self Serving Unions,’ he warned that aviation unions have started “negotiating, arm twisting and queuing behind their preferred candidate for the position even as one of them was bold enough to remove the mask,” referring to the recent threat by the Air Transport Senior Association of Nigeria (ATSAN)

to bring aviation matters to a halt if the government fails to appoint a substantive DG for the NCAA. He alleged that the executives of these unions always want the DG in their pocket for selfish interests so that their “spouses can get accelerated promotions, juicy courses and other illicit benefits.”

The joint aviation union body (AUGA) comprising of all unions and associations in the industry was formed some years ago to spearhead collective issues in the industry. Their last action was a couple of months ago when they requested for an aviation professional to replace Stella Oduah in the ministry.

The ATSSAN had two weeks ago issued a 21-day ultimatum to shut down the aviation industry if government fails to appoint a substantive DG for the NCAA. Ohuanyo described the threat as “empty and unnecessary” stating that a single union cannot give a 21-day ultimatum to ground the industry without getting the NEC approval, or carrying other principal associations and unions along.”

He said the DG of the NCAA is the most sensitive position in the industry and that as such, those in authority must be cautious in its selection process to “avert a repetition of the

Aviation unions have started “negotiating, arm twisting and queuing behind their preferred candidate for the position

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calamitous entry and exit of the last DG” in an industry that is already divided into groups with differences on the replacement process and candidates. He alleged that the first group of industry stakeholders are rooting for the nominee, Captain Muktar Usman, whose name is yet to be submitted to the Senate for confirmation. It is not smooth sailing for him because “there are alleged petitions from his colleagues concerning his eligibility based on his work ethics and other cockpit issues,” said Ohunayo.

The second group, he said, is in favour of the acting DG, Mr Adeyileka, whom they want to remain and continue in acting capacity. Ohuanyo, however, warned of the inherent dangers associated with allowing someone to stay in acting capacity for too long even as he gave instances with the scenario within the agency that resulted in the purchase of the controversial BMW armoured vehicles at an outrageously inflated prices. “It breeds instability and encourages corruption and servitude. We are all witnesses to the last acting DG’s purchase of bullet proof cars and other vehicles as if they were going extinct. The acting capacity is too long and unhelpful to the industry,” he stressed.

AVIATION REPORTS

Dana Air Offers Special Ramadan In-flight Meals

As Muslims all over the world observe the holy month of Ramadam, Dana Air has said it now offers special in-flight menu that can be taken away throughout the fasting period of Ramadan to cater for the dietary needs of guests who are adherents of the Muslim faith.

Announcing the initiative in Lagos, the chief commercial officer of the airline, Obi Mbanuzuo, said, “Ramadan, which is considered one of the five “pillars” of Islam, is here again and seeing that we understand the significance of the fasting period in the lives of our Muslim guests (passengers), we have included additional fruits like dates in our in-flight catering due to the numerous health benefits they bring.”

While urging the Muslims to use the observance of the holy month of Ramadam to reflect and start a personal relationship with their creator, Mbanuzuo also encouraged guests who are observing the daytime fasting to take along the in-flight meals while disembarking until they are ready to break their fast.

The airline further reiterated its commitment to continually offer customerfriendly services, especially as it offers N9,000 webfares across its existing route network.

Customers wishing to take advantage of the pocket friendly fares are encouraged to book and pay on online by simply downloading the recently introduced Flydana Mobile App for the convenience to search, select and book flights on their mobile devices, he further said.

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20 INTERVIEW /BUSINESS What are your views on Nigeria’s trajectory in agriculture development?

By and large, agriculture development is not moving at the expected pace for a big country like Nigeria. With vast arable land, a large number of the cheapest labour in the world and with the resources at Nigeria’s disposal, particularly from crude oil, we ought to have maximised our diversification into agriculture, especially when you juxtapose all these with the fact that over 70 per cent of our people are employed in agriculture.

In other advanced countries, we have lesser number of people (some five per cent, some 10 per cent) actually involved in agriculture and producing all that is needed, not only for consumption but for exports for the industry and value addition. But here, because of dearth of technological advancement, lack of mechanisation, we still continue to emphasise what we call small-scale holder scheme and that cannot solve our problem.

The bits and pieces coming from our farmers can never be Sefiu enough to run a viable agro-industry which will be capable of employing more people talk less of the export level commodities that we are all expecting. So I am of the view that with the vast resources at our disposal and the vast arable lands, we ought to have gone beyond all these small-scale implements (hoes and cutlass) into mechanisation, using modern day technology and then going full blast on to large-scale production.

Beyond that, private as well as public investments in agriculture are also not encouraging. Public investors are supposed to provide the necessary infrastructural facilities through the development of the rural areas. That will make the rural areas more habitable for would-be farmers as no educated person will want to stay in a rural area where the infrastructural facilities are not available, especially young graduates. It is then we can talk of agricultural development because when we talk of adoption of modern technology, it is better assimilated by a welleducated person.

The basic necessities of life such as water, electricity, good roads and even internet facilities (telephony) are not available in most cases and as a result, the younger generation keep running away from the farm, leaving the aged people whose productivity have degenerated.

So we need to change our style, we need to inject more funds and make things work. That’s why the idea of devoting 10 per cent of the country’s budget as highlighted in

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

interview

Agriculture Sector Developing At Slow Pace - Sefiu

Senator Gbenga Kaka Sefiu, representing Ijebu East senatorial zone of Ogun State, is the vice chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture. In this interview with KINGSLEY ALU, he laments the gross under investments in the nation’s agriculture sector and advised that government allocates at least 10 per cent of the national budget to the sector as contained in the Maputo Declaration.

the Maputo Declaration just for five years is very apt and should apply to Nigeria. So even if it is for once, in just a single year’s budget, that Nigeria devotes 10 per cent of its budget and subsequently keeps scaling it down to 9, 8, 7, etc., we will see unprecedented transformation. What we need to do is lay a solid foundation based on modern technology, mechanisation and economy of scale.

That excess crude money can be used to provide the necessary infrastructure like opening up the rural areas, providing water where necessary and irrigation development

How would you rate Nigeria’s performance with regards to budgetary allocation to agriculture?

I acknowledge that Nigeria is very good with policy design but the implementation is the problem.

All the plans in the transformation agenda can only gather dust if there is no adequate backing with funds.

The best of ideas can never translate into reality if there are no funds. It has been rightly observed that in the last three years, the allocation for agriculture has remained constantly below two per cent .

Out of this (between N65 and N71 billion for the entire country), the recurrent expenditure is between 60 and 70 per cent .

At the end of the day, what is left for capital expenditure or infrastructural investment is probably less than N30 billion.

This amount in a year, I can assure you, is not enough to take charge of a state’s rural development, not to talk of 36 states in Nigeria. So it’s like we are deceiving ourselves.

We are dissipating energy unnecessarily, writing the blue

prints that will not see the light of day. It is pitiful. It is labour loss.

We need a leadership that truly believes in agriculture, not in words or prints, but in deeds, to arrest the gross under investments in agriculture as is the case. A leadership that has the right understanding of what agriculture means to the nation. With good money pumped into agriculture, giving us adequate food, well-run industries, and export, I can assure you we will spend minimally on health because with good feeding, you are not likely to be predisposed to any ailment that will eventually consume your money.

So it’s like we left what should be done and we are doing what should not be done. At the end of the day, we will be treating the symptoms of our carelessness rather than tackling the cause. So a leader who understands that critical connection between a food secure economy and the other sectors will actually spend more than 10 per cent on agriculture because investments in agriculture will save more money for other sectors and the excess production generated will be used to run industries. So these are clear-cut linkages and it requires the understanding of the leadership to have the courage to take the bull by the horn.

In 1999, when the country returned to democracy, our crude oil was sold at $10-$12 per barrel.

Gradually, it rose to above $100 per barrel. We had an excess crude account created. That excess crude money can be used to provide the necessary infrastructure like opening up the rural areas, providing water where necessary and irrigation development. Up until now, while the crude oil sales are still around $100-$110, we

are budgeting on a benchmark of about $70 per barrel. So we still have the excess crude funds. Apart from electricity that is in a terrible state, agriculture should come next in the hierarchy of spending from the Excess Crude Account. This will naturally attract investments from the private and foreign investors into the agriculture sector because investors are looking for profit and a well-organised system. We will not need to beg for investors because they will see that the right infrastructures are in place, guaranteeing potential for profits.

What are your views on getting back young people to agriculture?

A radical problem requires a radical solution. Among the Yorubas, there is a popular sing-song that says “Ise agbe ni ise ile wa, eni ko s’ise, a ma j’ale,” meaning that “farming is our occupation, anybody who does not farm, will steal.” What is happening is that young people have lost the significance of farming and this requires that we have to re- train our younger generation and give them proper re-orientation. We also need to properly orientate children right from a tender age.

We should be able to remodel the curricula from primary to tertiary level. We should make agriculture as a subject compulsory at the primary, secondary level and even as a core subject, like the general studies course, for all disciplines in the university or other tertiary levels.

Also, practical agriculture in schools should be promoted, especially in our older universities where less than 25 per cent of the land is actually built on.

This provides opportunities to encourage students to engage in agriculture while being trained.

Students can also be given the opportunity to earn a living by working on school farms to supplement their cost of education.

They can also learn all the steps of agricultural production and value addition in the various value chains. This would expose them to the alternatives available in the agriculture sector so that upon graduation, youths would have choices other than their main areas of specialisation to create jobs for themselves and employ other people. This can be a defence in the fight against unemployment and the rising youth restiveness we are experiencing in the country.

Another perspective which I have advocated for is that as millions are entering the job market every year after graduation, their certificates should be as good as any other collateral that exist.

The government should serve as guarantors for these certificates being held and instead of looking for white collar jobs, they can be given three years advance earnings as loans and a moratorium of one year to take-off so that within the space of five years, they can also become employers of labour rather than looking for jobs.

E-Business/BUSINESS 21

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

aviation REPORTS

14 Nigerian IT Start-ups Make Africa’s Top 40 List

L-R: Managing director, Olam Rice, Mr Srivatsan; President Goodluck Jonathan and Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko AlMakura at the commissioning of the Bagging Section of the Olam Rice Farm, Rukubi, Nasarawa State, yesterday. PHOTO

BY REMI AKUNLEYAN

Telcos Target 145m Subscribers Amidst Regulatory Bottlenecks Stories by Chima Akwaja, Lagos

The Nigerian telecommunication operating companies are working to connect about 145 million subscribers by the end of December 2014 to their networks as they ramp up aggressive network rollouts across urban, semi-urban and rural communities in the country while meeting the quality of service (QoS) requirements set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Telecom operators closed the market in 2013 with 127 million subscribers and as at the end of April 2014 have surpassed 130 million subscribers.

MTN, Airtel, Globacom, Etisalat are the leading mobile operators followed by Visafone, a CDMA mobile network catering to the lower rung of the market. Etisalat has come on as a competitive force since its launch in 2008, aided by the introduction of the mobile number portability in May 2013.

According to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) Intelligence June 2014 mobile market report on Nigeria, the top three operators – MTN, Airtel and

Globacom – have been present since the early growth years and now account for around 85 per cent of the market. Nigeria telecom market has teledensity of 97 per cent, there are actually 58 million unique subscribers.

The head of Interconnect & Carrier Affairs, Airtel Nigeria, Ikenna Ikoku, said, “Multiple SIMming is estimated at close to two subscriber identification modules (SIMs) per subscriber which means that despite 97 per cent teledensity, there still is enough gap in basic telephony, which is waiting to be filled by mobile services. For niche operators, the paucity of metro fibre infrastructure presents a significant opportunity to expand data and broadband services.”

An average Nigerian subscriber uses two SIM cards with a view to cut costs and benefit from the many low-cost deals available in the market. Looking at the challenges the operators have to surmount in order to meet the QoS threshold and meet their target of 145 million subscribers, the GSMA said one of the major challenges faced by mobile operators in Nigeria is the pervasiveness of multiple regulation and taxation structures.

An average Nigerian subscriber uses two subscriber identification module (SIM) cards with a view to cut costs and benefit from the many low-cost deals available in the market

In addition to the NCC, operators must obtain approvals from several other regulatory bodies, each of which have their own remit in regards to infrastructure and other network development. “Such bodies include government officials at the federal, state and local levels, environmental agencies, town planning agencies and other traditional bodies of governance.

This inefficient duplication of regulatory hurdles ultimately means that operational costs are higher (all else equal), which can lead to delays in network roll-out and higher costs for delivering mobile services.

“Operators must also consider the high and duplicate taxes being levied on them by multiple agencies and bodies.

The government of Nigeria has highlighted this issue in its recent National Broadband Plan (NBP covering 2013-2018), stating that the taxes imposed on operators in the telecoms and ICT sectors are disproportionately higher than those in other sectors in the economy, even after accounting for the relatively large contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of around eight per cent,” the GSMA study stated.

A total of 14 Nigerian information technology (IT) start-up firms have made the list of the top 40 IT start-ups that will launch their product on the DEMO Africa software competition to be held in September 22-26, 2014, in Lagos.

Countries like Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa and Ethiopia will each have two representatives while Tunisia, Benin, Cameroon, Uganda and Zimbabwe will also be represented.

DEMO Africa 2014 is being organised in collaboration with the Lions@frica partners (Microsoft, Nokia, US State Department, DEMO, USAID, African Development Bank, VC4Africa among others) and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies.

More than 400 hundred applications were received but only 242 had met the threshold for the adjudication.

Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana recorded the highest number of entries. Out of the 12 categories for application, communication attracted the highest number of applications with a total of 76 applications received, and it’s no wonder that this category will have the highest number of representation with 14 projects of the final 40 being in this category.

Finance and banking will also have a good representation of 8 out of 18 entries received. Other categories that will have high representation on the DEMO Africa stage include retail, health and education. Start-ups, however, shied away from Water & Sanitation, and Waste Management & Recycling.

Philips Introduce Mobile Tablet For Mothers Philips unveiled a new mobile tablet ultrasound system called VISIQ to the Nigerian market in Lagos last week.

Currently in its fifth consecutive year, Philips roadshow enables the company to engage in dialogue with customers, government and media to better understand each country’s unique requirements and to develop relevant technology to support their needs.

The VISIQ is the first ultra-mobile system from Philips providing high quality images for expectant mothers wherever care is taking place. It exemplifies Philips’ commitment to more cost effective, simplified, patient-focused health care innovations with high clinical performance.

One of the benefits of the VISIQ is that it is portable and easy to use. It is available for expectant mothers in remote areas who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this type of innovative technology.

22 labour matters

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

TUC mourn Late Bamidele Aturu The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has expressed deep shocked over the demise of one of Nigeria’s foremost human right lawyers, Barrister Bamidele Aturu, who died last Wednesday, at a Lagos hospital after battling with an undisclosed illness.

The TUC in a statement jointly signed by its president general, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and secretary general, Comrade Musa Lawal stated that the labour movement will dearly miss Aturu.

It stated that, “The Congress

feels particularly pained that Aturu died at a time when the country is still grappling with a lot of challenges. We believe it would not be an overstatement to say that the deceased died a not-too-happy man, thanks to the myriad of challenges confronting the country. We recall how that on a number of times and at different fora the activist had decried the pain of the impoverished masses arising from the greed of our presentday politicians who assume office just to enrich themselves

and their cronies alone.

The late legal luminary shot into national prominence in 1988 during his passing-out parade from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) when he refused to shake hands with the then military governor of Niger State, Col. Lawan Gwadabe. His reason was that the military had caused great harm to the democratic aspiration of Nigerians.

The TUC statement reads further, “Until his death he belonged to our constituency –

the people’s constituency. Even though he had the opportunity of making billions of naira he chose to pitch his tent with the poor masses of the country.

He was involved in numerous labour and civil society activities.

Indeed, on several occasions, we had cause to march side-by-side with him and other patriots in the streets of Lagos while protesting the abuses, impunity and unwholesome actions of successive governments.

“The Congress submits that the sure way the souls of the likes

of Aturu can best enjoy their well-deserved peace and rest is for the leadership of the country to rise up to it responsibilities and shun politics of attrition and bitterness, create jobs and provide social security, pay workers and pensioners as at when due, conduct free and fair elections, provide security of lives and property in all parts of the country, amongst others. We pray that these aspirations that Aturu and other lovers of Nigeria hold dear to heart will become reality sooner than later.”

Eight Skills Acquisition Centres Rehabilitated

By SURE-P – Wogu

ASSBIFI Want Members To Embrace Farming

Towards meeting the changing technological needs in the production of goods and services and enhance quality of products thereby creating more employment opportunities for teeming unemployed Nigerian youths, the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Project of SURE-P, has completed the rehabilitation of eight Skills Acquisition Centres across the Federation.

The minister of labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, stated this when he commissioned the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Skills Acquisition Centre, Bauchi, and Industrial Training Fund Centre of excellence, Jos, respectively.

According to the Minister, “the mandate of the TVET component of SURE-P, is to reduce unemployment and poverty in Nigeria through skills acquisition as well as investing in technical/vocational training infrastructure to meet the changing technological needs in the production of goods and services, this will enable our Country to compete favourably in International Trade, thereby creating more employment opportunities for our teeming youths”.

Speaking further, Wogu added that over five thousand youths are currently benefiting from the TVET sponsored training programmes in various vocations such as; ICT, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering for the Power Sector, Building and Construction and Automotive trades among others. He assured the Bauchi community that additional vocational skill in the areas of Plaster of Paris (POP), Tricycle and GSM repairs would be added to the existing trades run by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity skills acquisition centre Bauchi.

gos

By Taiwo Ogunmola Omilani, La-

Minister of labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, flanked by Madakin Bauchi, Alhaji Baba Gidado and the permanent secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, during the commissioning of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity Skills Aquisition Centre Bauchi

NAAT Calls For Judicious Use Of NEEDS Assessment Funds Stories by Michael Oche, Abuja

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has called on the Federal Government to immediately initiate the process of renegotiating the 2009 Agreement with the university-based unions, to avert further crisis in the varsity system.

The union also commended the Federal Government for releasing 50 per cent of Needs Assessment funds to beneficiary institutions and advised the beneficiaries to utilize the funds judiciously.

The union said the federal government must immediately put necessary machinery in motion to ensure that the renegotiation commence without further delay.

In a communiqué at the end

of its 22nd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology ( RSUST), the union declared that re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement between the Federal Government and the unions was long overdue.

The communiqué which was signed by the NAAT National President, Comrade Sani Sulaiman and his General Secretary, Comrade Iyoyo Hamilton also frowned at the incessant students’ unrest in Nigerian universities due to hike in school fees and urged institutions of higher learning to charge affordable fees.

The union also raised concerned over the insecurity in the country, while also lending its voice on the call for the release of the abducted Chibok

school girls.

It, therefore, urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to forestall the ugly trend of bombings, kidnapping and abductions in the country.

“NAAT urges Federal Government to initiate the process of re-negotiating the 2009 Agreement which is long overdue,” the communiqué stated It stated further, “NAAT joins the voices of well-meaning Nigerians for the release of the abducted girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, unhurt, and calls on the perpetrators of the dastardly act to desist from such,” the communiqué said.

On the 2015 general elections, NAAT called on all politicians in the country to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIBI) has urged its members to embrace farming activities as part of measures to boast food production in the country and reduce poverty.

President of ASSBIFI, Comrade Sunday Salako disclosed this at the union National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Green Legacy Resort, Abeokuta.

Salako who spoke with journalists said, “we want to tell the government that we can do what we are preaching to them. Our country lost it when we abandon farming for oil which contributes to high level of corruption.

Salako explained that the 78 hectares of land was acquired in 1982 by the former president of the union, while the physical possession took place in 2009.

According to him, “there is need for us to go back to farming because oil has done much damage than good. Looking at what Nigerians consume on a daily basis, we can only survive when we involve more in farming”.

He emphasised the need for the nation to shift ground to farming, saying it would generates more jobs and also surplus food.

Salako complained that school levers engage themselves in what he termed as modern day slavery due to lack of jobs in the country.

Therefore ASSBIFI NEC meeting resolved that all units must be involved in farming and ensure that they do something on the land before raining season comes to an end.

It also resolved to build estate on the land which will give easier access to the farm land.

Meanwhile, ASSBIFI President also promised during the meeting to engage the regulator of insurance companies who are yet to unionized.

He said, “Trade unionism is about the welfare of our members not about salary alone and decent work is also important for them”.

science Tuesday, July 15, 2014

23

$300bn

The Internet’s Transformative Potential in Africa, predicted that the Internet can contribute up to $300 billion United States dollars to Africa’s GDP by 2025; and this is from an estimated 18 billion in 2013.

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

Chairman of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Hameed Kwajaffa, the director-general of the National Biotechnology Development Agency, Prof. Lucy Ogbadu and a Professor from Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria, Prof. Ishiyaku during a press conference in Abuja, recently. Photo by Nkechi Isaac

Unpatriotic Nigerians Behind Non-passage Of Biosafety Bill – Ogbadu, Others

By Nkechi Isaac, Abuja

Nigeria needed to overcome misguided anti-technology views on biotechnology in order to harness the full benefits of the modern technology

Stakeholders in the science and technology, agriculture and environment sector have labelled those working against the passage of the biosafety bill into law unpatriotic Nigerians, accusing them of doing a great disservice to the nation.

Speaking at a media conference on the need for the adoption of biotechnology in Nigeria in Abuja, the director-general of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Lucy Ogbadu, said Nigeria needed to overcome misguided antitechnology views on biotechnology in order to harness the full benefits of the modern technology.

She said “there is misinformation by those that want Africa to remain backward, with misguided

anti-technology views, which we have to overcome. Nigeria needs biotechnology to create wealth in the country and eradication of poverty in the country. We are not saying that biotechnology can do all but it can contribute immensely to agricultural productivity, affordable healthcare delivery services, sustainable environment and industrial growth.”

Tracing the history of modern biotechnology regulation, the NABDA boss said Nigeria signed and ratified an international treaty known as the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety in 2000 and 2003 respectively, and equally signed the Nagoya Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol meant to give adequate protection to the conversation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the practice of

modern biotechnology and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

According to her, parties to the protocol were required to domesticate it through legal and administrative frameworks.

“Consequently the federal government through the Ministry of Environment developed a national biosafety bill in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service; Nigeria Veterinary Research Institute and ministries of justice, health (NAFDAC), agriculture and rural development, science and technology (NABDA), foreign affairs and education, industry, trade and investment (Consumer Protection Council).

“This was with a view for Nigeria to legally adopt modern

Ogbadu

biotechnology and GMOs to derive the benefits associated with the technology in the areas of agricultural biotechnology, industrial growth, health improvement, environmental sustainability, and job and wealth

24

24 SCIENCE/news

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Unpatriotic Nigerians Behind Non-passage Of Biosafety Bill – Ogbadu, Others 23

creation. The bill was therefore, intended to domesticate the Cartegena Protocol on biosafety,” she added.

She declared that the biosafety bill was initially passed by the sixth National Assembly (NASS) in 2011 but was not assented to by the president and it became time barred.

She lamented that the inability of President Jonathan to sign the biosafety bill into law under the sixth National Assembly had greatly hampered research and development in modern biotechnology in Nigeria, stressing that of the four major economies in Africa, Nigeria was the only country that did not have a biosafety law.

Ministry, Anambra State To Partner On Technological Development

By Nkechi Isaac, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology has declared its willingness to partner with the Anambra State government for the rapid technological development of the state.

The new Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Abdul Bulama made this known when he performed his first official duty by hosting the deputy governor of the state, Mr. Nkem Okeke who paid a working visit to the ministry in Abuja.

While receiving the entourage from Anambra, Bulama stressed that Nigeria needed to catch up fast with global trends in technology transfers, adding that know-how ought to be shared with state governments and entrepreneurs under Public Private Partnership (PPP) to drive economic growth.

Earlier in his remarks, the deputy governor sought the collaboration of the ministry on solar energy, erosion control, ward cluster concept and entrepreneurial development for youths.

He said the state would like to be adopted by the ministry as a pilot state for the ward cluster concept, which seeks to establish cluster of small scale industries in all communities across the country.

In her remarks, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, expressed the ministry’s willingness to support the Anambra State government in the areas of wardbased cluster projects sought by its new government. Other areas of partnership with the state she said included climate change mitigation, driving the train-the trainer scheme for the purpose of knowledge and technology transfer.

Top 3 HeadlineS

According to her, South Africa the first African country to sign a biosafety bill did that in 1989, followed by Egypt in 1995 and Kenya in 2009.

Of other countries in the ECOWAS sub-region, she said Burkina Faso signed its bill in 2008 while Mali, Togo and Ghana signed theirs in 2011.

She urged the federal government to ensure it signs the bill into law in the seventh national assembly, which has about one year to go, expressing worry that the absence of the law might make Nigeria a consumer nation of foreign GMO foods, particularly maize products, instead of a producer, thereby holding Nigerian

Stressing that of the four major economies in Africa, Nigeria was the only country that did not have a biosafety law

bra State To Partner On Technological Development ➋ Niger LGs To Deliver 250Km Rural Roads By December Electricity Supply In Rivers

The president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr.

Ademola Olorunfemi (middle) flanked by a cross section of NSE and AMEFAN officials after signing an MoU between the duo in Abuj. photo by nkechi isaac

By Nkechi Isaac, Abuja

PHEDC Cuts Electricity Supply In Rivers

By Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) yesterday began to cut electricity supply in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital to enable it carry out repairs and upgrade its facilities.

The company’s public affairs manager, Mr. John Onyi, who disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the repairs and upgrade would last till July 23, 2014, adding that residents would experience electricity outage from 9am to 4pm daily during the period.

climate is changing, even the pattern of the rain this year is very scary. It is only the adoption of new technologies that will allow us to produce new crop varieties that would withstand draught and other soil diseases.”

In his address, the chairman of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Hamman Kwajaffa, reiterated that the country would benefit immensely once the biosafety bill was signed into law.

According to him, “biotechnology will make Nigeria a very agriculturally competitive nation because once we embrace this technology, our youths will definitely become interested in farming.”

NSE, AMEFAN Sign MoU On Technology Improvement

➊Ministry, Anam-

➌ PHEDC Cuts

farmers hostage.

In his remarks, a scientist from the Agricultural Research Institute, Zaria, Prof. Ishiyaku, said that Nigeria should not be allowed to remain a market for other people’s technology, stressing that those kicking against the passage of the bill did not mean well for the economic development of the nation.

He said, “we must not allow businessmen who feel that the adoption of this modern tool would reduce the demands of their products to truncate our national development. We should identify these agents of retrogression and deal with them accordingly.

“We have a job before us, the

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and fabricators under the auspices of the Agricultural Machineries and Equipment Fabricators Association of Nigeria (AMEFAN) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on technology improvement of machineries and equipment fabrications in Nigeria.

Speaking during the signing cer-

Niger LGs To Deliver 250Km Rural Roads By December

By Abu Nmodu, Minna

In an effort to open up the rural areas, the 25 local councils in Niger State said they were committed to delivering 250 kilometres of road in their respective local government areas.

The state Commissioner for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi who made

emony in Abuja, the president of NSE, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi, said the society would collaborate with the association by providing necessary assistance and enabling factors for smooth and seamless achievement of technology improvement, adaptations and advancement of machineries and equipment fabrications in Nigeria.

Presenting its roles and responsibilities, Olorunfemi said NSE would assist to facilitate annual local machinery and equipment exhibition in Nigeria; provide technical assistance towards machineries and equipment standardization and valuation; support the provision of new fabrication technology; enhance capacity building, training, design, research and development; assist to secure resources locally and internationally for the achievement of technological improvement and appropriate tech-

this known in Minna yesterday said the local councils would complete the road projects they commenced across the 25 local government areas.

Kantigi said contractors had already been mobilised and were on site working to meet the December deadline.

The commissioner said each of the local government chairmen after consultation with their people identified the road to be constructed.

He said the 25 local councils had already disbursed N12 billion to the

N12 billion

He said the 25 local councils had already disbursed N12 billion to the contractors

nology acquisition and application.

Others include to encourage members to promote local fabrications; encourage members to recognize and patronize AMEFAN for the purpose of good quality development; encourage and facilitate the registration of intellectual property of local fabrication and encourage, support, promote and reward innovations and innovative ideas in machineries and equipment fabrications in line with the aspirations of the nation.

In his response, the national president of the association, Mr. Kola Adeniji, said AMEFAN would comply with all its roles and responsibilities under the MoU. Adeniji said the partnership would help to achieve the standardization of machines and equipments being produced by fabricators for enhanced competitiveness with their foreign counterparts. contractors.

He admitted that the projects which ought to have been completed were delayed by contractors, some of whom he said had abandoned their sites. He, however, said that erring contractors had been called to order and had since returned to site.

On the allegation by the opposition that the state governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu was misappropriating local government funds, the commissioner insisted the governor never interferred with the local government funds and the way funds were disbursed to councils.

Fashola Restates Commitment To Provision Of Affordable Houses

By George Okojie, Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing affordable shelter for all Lagosians.

Fashola who gave the assurance at a public forum in Lagos at the weekend affirmed that the State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS) was designed to accommodate all segments

Fashola

of the society.

He said the programme was for everybody irrespective of whether the person was self-employed or in paid employment.

“It is for everybody. Whether you are self- employed, in your own business or you are in paid employment, in government or in a private company, once you are a resident of Lagos and you hold our LASRRA (Lagos State Residents Registration Agency) card.

“You are entitled, whether you are a mechanic, a car dealer, whether you are a market woman, whether you are working in abattoir, you are entitled to Lagos HOMS, if your income can match the house that you have applied for”, he said.

He explained that his administration discovered that it was people in paid employment who were applying and government felt that those in the informal sector thought that they could not benefit from the scheme.

NEWS /SCIENCE 25

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

science

titbits

Compiled by Nkechi Isaac

➏ ➐

➋ ➌➊ ➎

➋

➍

➊ Yahoo Buys Video Streaming Startup Rayv Yahoo announced it has bought an Israel-based startup specializing in streaming high-quality video to computers and mobile devices.

Yahoo did not disclose financial terms of the deal to acquire RayV, which will become part of the California company’s research and development team in Tel Aviv.

“The (RayV) team lives and breathes video, and have become industry pioneers.”

➋ Nanotechnology: Paving The

➌ Computer Security: ‘Melbourne

Way For Electronic Applications

Shuffle’ Secures Data In The Cloud

To keep data safe in the cloud, a group of computer scientists suggests doing the Melbourne Shuffle.

That may sound like a dance move (and it is), but it’s also a computer algorithm developed by researchers at Brown University.

The computing version of the Melbourne Shuffle aims to hide patterns that may emerge as users access data on cloud servers. Patterns of access could provide important information about a dataset -- information that users don’t necessarily want others to know -- even if the data files themselves are encrypted.

“Encrypting data is an important security measure.

❹ New Window Into High-

energy Processes On The Sun

Understanding the sun from afar isn’t easy. How do you figure out what powers solar flares -- the intense bursts of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots -- when you must rely on observing only the light and particles that make their way to near-Earth’s orbit?

One answer: you get closer.

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft -- which orbits Mercury, and so is as close as 28 million miles from the sun versus Earth’s 93 million miles -- is near enough to the sun to detect solar neutrons that are created in solar flares.

Top 3 Headlines ➊ Yahoo Buys

Video Streaming Startup Rayv

➋ Nanotechnology: Paving The Way For Electronic Applications ➌ Computer Security: ‘Melbourne Shuffle’ Secures Data In The Cloud

The formation of electrically conducting ‘nanoroads’ on atomically thin semiconductor nanosheets enables the integration of electronic components.

Two-dimensional sheets of electronic materials, such as graphene, show promise for practical nanoelectronics applications, including transparent electronic circuits used in electronic displays.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is of particular interest because, unlike metallic graphene, it is semiconducting, like silicon -- the semi-

conductor that underpins today’s computer technology.

Now, Yongqing Cai from the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore, with colleagues from China and the United States, has calculated that, by adding hydrogen to a MoS2 surface, regions of the surface can be converted into metallic ‘roads’. These roads can transport electrical charges between different areas of a MoS2 nanosheet, enabling the fabrication of integrated electronic circuits(1).

➏ Artificial Cilia: Scientists Develop Nano-structured Transportation System Cilia, or ciliated epithelia, cover our respiratory tract like a lawn. In our pharynx and nasal mucosa they are responsible for continuously transporting mucus and particles embedded therein towards our throat (except for heavy smokers, whose cilia were destroyed by nicotine and tar.) Tobias Tellkamp and Professor Rainer Herges have now come one step closer to their aim of artificially reproducing this biological transport system with switchable molecules.

Drone

➎ Drone Lighting:

Researchers Develop Autonomous Vehicles For Photographic Lighting

Lighting is crucial to the art of photography. But lights are cumbersome and time-consuming to set up, and outside the studio, it can be prohibitively difficult to position them where, ideally, they ought to go.

Researchers at MIT and Cornell University hope to change that

by providing photographers with squadrons of small, light-equipped autonomous robots that automatically assume the positions necessary to produce lighting effects specified through a simple, intuitive, camera-mounted interface.

At the International Symposium on Computational Aesthet-

ics in Graphics, Visualization, and Imaging in August, they take the first step toward realizing this vision, presenting a prototype system that uses an autonomous helicopter to produce a difficult effect called “rim lighting,” in which only the edge of the photographer’s subject is strongly lit.

26 SCIENCE/feature

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Internet As A Catalyst For National Development

By Nkechi Isaac, Abuja

short BIO OF

Mrs. omobola johnson

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

The importance of the internet cannot the over-emphasized in the new world. It has revolutionised communications and social networking, creating a zone which was so international that new law had to be designed to govern it.

A recent study by a technology and social change group in the University of Washington shows that many people in the low-and-middle-income countries, including the underemployed, women, rural residents and others who are often marginalized, derive great benefits in such areas as education, employment and health when they use computers and the internet.

Speaking at the opening session of the third African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) with the theme “Connecting continents for enhanced multi stakeholder internet governance” in Abuja, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, described the internet as a catalyst that can expand the scope, and increase the scale of developmental outcomes.

Citing examples of the catalytic effect of the internet in various fields in Nigeria, the minister said that the internet had drastically changed Ondo State from the World Bank ranking as a state with the highest maternal deaths, in South West Nigeria, in 2008 to a more stable one through the deployment and effective use of the internet in the administration of its Abiye programme.

She further said that the internet could have a catalytic effect in other areas like the finance, education and public service sectors, among others.

The minister said, “examples of this catalytic effect can also be seen in the area of finance where the internet and related technologies are helping to reduce the exclusion of vast segments of African populations from (formal) financial services and products. Their impact can also be seen in the area of education where such technologies are helping to expand learning and increase the reach of teachers and

Nigeria Slashes Levy On Rice Importation To 20% Nigeria has slashed the 100 percent levy it imposed on imported rice, in January 2013 to 20 percent and 60 percent for rice mill owners and traders following persistent pressure from stakeholders, who said the country was not ripe enough for this move since it has not started producing enough to meet local demand.

“Importation of wholly milled rice or semi-milled rice and Husked Brown rice, whether polished or graze or not by fully rice traders shall attract a levy of 60 percent p While Nigeria was waiting for the announcement of the new policy.

–VENTURES AFRICA

Trending Science Stories ➊ Radio-Burst

Discovery Deepens Astrophysics Mystery

➋ Astronomers

Discover Seven Dwarf Galaxies With New Telescope ➌ Transparent Two-Sided Touchable Display Wall Developed ➍ Solar Energy Gets a Boost: ‘Singlet Fission’ Can Increase Solar Cell Efficiency –Science Daily

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson (middle) flanked by participants at the third African internet governance forum held in Abuja, recently. photo by nkechi isaac

the classroom beyond the reach of physical facilities. They can catalyse improvements in the delivery and quality of public services; in improving governance and accountability; in increasing the security, safety of the population as well as in our response to emergencies and disasters.”

She further said that the internet, and the connectivity network that it is a part of, also presented opportunities for the economic growth and development of Africa and Africans.

She said, “when we consider the history of economic growth of Africa, and the reality that forecasted growth of about five per cent over the next three years is predicated on the progress registered by only a handful of countries, it becomes necessary for us to seriously consider the economic opportunities the Internet presents and position ourselves to take advantage of such opportunities.”

She highlighted that a recent report, The Internet’s Transformative Potential in Africa, predicted that the Internet can contribute up to 300 billion United States dollars to Africa’s GDP by 2025; and this

is from an estimated 18 billion in 2013.

“For a region that lags behind the world in almost every economic indicator, this translates directly to opportunities to generate income, to create wealth, to create jobs, new business opportunities, economic expansion etc. ... the very opportunities African governments are looking for and need to transform their economies and the economic lives of their populations,” she added.

She tasked participants of the forum to identify and communicate Africa’s uniqueness at the global levels, saying that Africa, more than any other region of the world, has the most to gain from the internet and as such must immerse itself in discussions on how it would develop and function in the future.

“As a region we need to have a better understanding of global trends and of how they are shaping the adoption of the internet in Africa,” she said.

Presenting the review and recommendations of AfIGF 2013 and presentations on the 2014 objectives, programme and outcomes, the chief of new technologies and

innovation section of the UNDP, Kasirim Nwuke, described the internet as a tool for social and economic development.

Nwuke said the forum was a platform for African countries to brainstorm and come up with a unified agenda to be presented at the Global IGF In a chat with journalists, the president of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma, said that Nigeria was losing billions of naira in the internet economy which it had not activated.

She said, “we need to activate the internet economy. Internet businesses have been growing so much and other countries have been taking dues advantage of it. Our ecommerce have not started, our DNS industry is still at the lowest ebb.

Internet access is still a challenge, so for that reason we’re losing billions of naira which we would have retained.”

She highlighted the need for Nigerians to be sensitised on adopting Nigeria’s string, dot ng, at the cyberspace instead of using other strings, saying it represents Nigeria.

Blackberry Wins Product Design Awards For Q10, Q5, Z30 Canadian smartphone maker, BlackBerry Limited continues its resurgence as a global leader in mobile communications, as it earned three acclaimed Red Dot Awards for the high design quality of its BlackBerry® Q10, BlackBerry® Q5 and BlackBerry® Z30 smartphones.

“The BlackBerry Design Team is honoured to accept the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Award for the Q10, Q5 and Z30,” said Alison Phillips, Managing Director of Industrial Design at BlackBerry.

Blackberry had last year received the Red Dot Product Design award for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone last year as it continues its journey back to profitability.

As a region we need to have a better understanding of global trends and of how they are shaping the adoption of the internet in Africa

Lafarge’s Expansion Could Cause Jitters In Dangote Cement Top THREE electricity distribution companies IN NIGERIA

➊

Abuja electricity distribution company

➋

Ibadan distribution company

➌

Ikeja distribution company

$1.35 billion The deal is worth $1.35 billion deal and it will see the combined entity of which Lafarge group will own 73 percent, renamed Lafarge Africa

Yesterday the merger between the Nigerian unit of French cement maker Lafarge, Lafarge Wapco, and its wholly-owned South African subsidiary was approved by Lafarge Wapco’s shareholders. The deal is worth $1.35 billion deal and it will see the combined entity of which Lafarge group will own 73 percent, renamed Lafarge Africa Plc and listed on the Nigerian bourse with a market capitalisation of around $3 billion.

This merger, analysts say, is a clear signal of Lafarge’s intent to compete for a larger share of Africa’s cement market, a space Dangote Cement already dominates.

–VENTURES AFRICA

NEWS/BUSINESS 27

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Lafarge Backs AshakaCem To Fast-track N100bn Expansion Project

By NSE ANTHONY-UKO, Abuja

The Board of Directors of AshakaCem Plc, and its management team, with support by experts from other Lafarge Group’s businesses across the globe, have agreed to fasttrack the expansion of its N100 billion cement plant in the North-east.

The move, it was learnt, became imperative in order to guarantee the future of the company, enhance jobs creation in the North-east and deliver economic and social welfare to the immediate

communities.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the project was done in April 2014

by President Goodluck Jonathan and ushered in a new phase in the capacity expansion project of the company Having secured sufficient limestone and coal reserves to support the existing plant as well as the new plant, it was learnt that contracts have been signed with main equipment and engineering suppliers.

For instance, to ensure the timely delivery of the

project, the detailed design of the equipment as well as mobilisation of the sources had commenced.

The chairman of the board, Umaru Kwairanga, confirmed these developments in Abuja when he disclosed that the Lafarge Group is committed to the capacity expansion project in AshakaCem. He added that the group would deploy to the fullest its global expertise in procurement and erection of new cement plant and noted that credit facility lines of about N50 billion had

been secured and signed in addition to internally generated cashflows to support the expansion project. In addition, he expressed confidence that given the extent of preparatory work that had been done, the project would soon become visible to all stakeholders.

He said, “AshakaCem in the last 40 years since its establishment has operated in harmony with all its neighbouring communities and this partnership is working to the mutual benefits of both parties.

“The company’s corporate social responsibility projects continues to focus on the provision of potable water, health care, education and youth empowerment.

In the last three years alone, the company spent the sum of N400 million on community-related projects and there is the opportunity for the company to do more as this partnership thrives.”

The country chief executive officer (CEO), Lafarge Nigeria and Benin Republic, Mr Guillaume Roux, stated

that the investment of N100 billion in Nigeria was a demonstration of its commitment to the economic growth of the country. This commitment, according to him, also aligns with the company’s strategy to deploy its strength as a global leader with over 175 years in building materials.

He noted that the huge experience of the company would be an added advantage towards providing solutions that meet global standards and fits the requirements of its customers.

Airtel Sells Base Stations To Helios Towers For $2bn

BY CHIMA AKWAJA, Lagos with agency report

Bharti Airtel has said it would sell around 3,100 telecoms towers in four African countries to Helios Towers Africa (HTA), the leading tower operator in the continent for about $2 billion.

Airtel, which has been looking to sell towers in its African portfolio for a while now, did not list the names of the countries where the sale took place.

The proceeds of the sale would be used to repay debt incurred when Bharti Airtel acquired the operations of Zain Africa.

The deal will expand Helios Towers’ tower coverage in Africa to over 7,800 owned towers. The agreement also envisages that tower operationsrelated personnel will be transferred from Airtel to Helios Towers.

As usual, Helios will take on a lease from Aitel as the lead tenant and will then sublet capacity to rival networks. As part of the deal, the HTA said it has raised $630 million in new equity resources from existing and new shareholders. The HTA also expects to complete negotiations shortly on new and extended debt facilities of over $350 million with a strong syndicate of international and local lending institutions.

Following this latest injection of capital into the business, the HTA would have raised over $1.8 billion in external financing since inception in late 2009 to fund acquisitions and organic growth.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

online

reactions

15/07/2014

Nigeria/ America To Strengthen Action Against Boko Haram

4 Killed As Police, Youths Clash In Lagos

Ogbaka Oyili Iji If the federal government wants to stop the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria, it has to dialogue with the opposition party.

Bright Shadrack These barbaric killings must stop; someone must be held responsible.

Olu Jagu You are just making noise; what we want is action and not empty noise.

Adams Adamu Salisu Our politicians are just using our youths. You will find out that there is no politician’s son among those killed. Let us be wise!

Mohd Bello Our government and its agencies are very good in storytelling.

Jonathan

‘Confab Dividing Nigeria, Aiding Jonathan’s 3rd Term Ambition’ Princess Rose Kwankwaso, this can’t be about 3rd term ambition; Jonathan is seeking second term. And he will get there by God’s grace.

challenge the President?

Patmoore Nwamary Nobody, not even Kwankwaso, can stop Jonathan in 2015.

Is there any credible candidate from the opposition who can

Chuma Lex Okorie If you are man enough, meet Jonathan at the poll in 2015.

You will be surprised how you will be disgraced.

Shamsudeen Jibiril Jonathan can only win election through systematic rigging.

Obama

Tukur Garba Another strike in the education sector? The children of the masses are usually at the receiving end. The government should do the needful to avoid another industrial action in the education sector.

Nuhu Garba There is need for government to implement the 27.5 minimum wage for teachers at all levels of education. This is because their contributions to nation-building can never be quantified. Education is the

Kwankwaso

IGP Orders FCT CP To Beef Up Security Bright Shadrack Let our police officers stop asking for gratification for doing their jobs. And the issue of corruption in the police force ought to be taken very seriously with a view to controlling it.

This is the only way there can be adequate security within the country.

Don A’dab Nnanna Kudos to the Nigeria security agencies!

Abubakar

You Can Follow Us On Twitter: @LeadershipNGA Facebook: Leadership Newspapers Google+: Leadership.NG Linkedin: Leadership Newspaper Blackberry PIN: 7530EC8C

2015: No Anointed Candidate In PDP

Aminu Bello Nigeria is a lawless country!

NUT Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Minimum Wage

Barde Sadisu NUT should also look inwards, as most of members do not have the basic minimum qualification to be in the classroom.

Keep up with updates on these stories @ www.leadership.ng

Shekarau

bedrock of nation’s development and this is why the government must take issues of education seriously.

Abbas Adamu What exactly is going on in the education sector?

Gunmen Kill 11 In Plateau

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fct watch

31

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

300

We have recorded over 300 healing and miracles since 2011 till date. We have had 30 prophecies coming to pass about this nation.

– Shiloh Word Chapel

ABAJI AMAC BWARI GWAGWALADA KUJE KWALI

ABAJI Ramadan: Garba Urges Muslims To Pray For Unity The chairman of Abaji area council, Hon. Yahaya Garba, has called on Muslims in the council and the entire Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to always pray for peace, unity and tranquility in Nigeria, as they continue to fast and pray during the Ramadan period.

By Igho Oyoyo

AMAC ‘Jiwa Township and Damagaza Roads Rehabilitations Underway’ The chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba, has said that the rehabilitation of Jiwa township and Damagaza roads would soon be completed, saying that everything needed for the completion of the jobs was on ground, and that work was fully in progress.

—By Igho Oyoyo

BWARI Residents Lament State Of Bwari Township Road

Inside Shadadi community. BY IGHO OYOYO

Under-development: The Agonies Of Shadadi Community

BY IGHO OYOYO

Residents of Shadadi community in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) heaved a sigh of relief and thought respite had come to them with the assumption of Hon. Shaban Tete as the chairman of the council. They had high expectations that the Tete administration would grant their prayers of developing the community, which is situated at the heart of the council.

However, this expectation is far from being a reality as residents are still languishing in total neglect by the leadership of the council which has shown that development may be impossible through the government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) except by divine intervention.

The community located about two kilometers away from the centre of the council, reveal an evidence of what could be described as complete neglect by past leaderships because of the absence of basic amenities like portable water supply, access roads, primary health care among others.

In the case of electricity, the residents of the community who were left in darkness for over 10 years despite endless complaints and appeals to past

administrations of the council to rescue them from the prolonged darkness fell on deaf ears of the leaders.

Shadadi residents have watched, in sadness, while other communities around them enjoy the pleasure of electricity. They have been living in darkness since the only transformer installed to supply electricity in the community broke down in 2002, with no successive administration making no effort to assist them repair or re-install another transformer for them.

In a chat with LEADERSHIP, a native of the community, Mr Ishiaku Daniel, said that the they have been abandoned by the subsequent council chairmen, because there were so many things that are supposed to be put in place by the government, which they have failed to provide, saying that development has ceased to exist in the community since Mr Samuel Estu Lanto, a former chairman of the council, from 1991 to 1993, left office.

According to him, Lanto executed some tangible projects but was unable to finish some of them in his administration with the assumption that governance was supposed to be continuity.

However, he was wrong as the successive administrations failed to complete those projects.

He said, “some of the projects are road constructions, rural electrification and construction of a Shadadi/Lanto bridge.

The bridge was started and got to an extent that Lanto’s administration could not complete it with the expectation that other administrations would complete it, but since then, nothing has been done.

“On the issue of electrification, if you look at the entire Kuje, other nearby communities has been given electricity but this community was denied electricity for over 10 years. We have called on the government to come to our aide but they denied us our desire, forcing us to rally round ourselves to do it as a community.

We drew electricity line from Pasalli community and mounted one transformer through the community effort late last year but the PHCN finally gave us power this year.”

Another native, Mrs Gladys Shekwo, attributed the neglect of the community to the fact that the only council chairman that emerged from that community belonged to an opposition party, saying it accounts for the reason why subsequent chairmen of the council, who were members of the PDP, have refused to do anything positive in the community, to improve the lives of the people.

Residents of Bwari in Bwari area council have pleaded with the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) to facilitate the rehabilitation of the Bwari township road which has caused untold hardship to the community.

Some of the residents, who spoke to LEADERSHIP, said that the road has been in a deplorable state for a long time, saying it was high time the FCTA fulfills its promise of rehabilitation of the road.

—By Chika Mefor

GWAGWALADA Giri Seeks Peaceful Coexistence Between Herdsmen, Farmers The chairman of Gwagwalda area council, Jibrin Abubakar-Giri, has called for peaceful coexistence between herdsmen and farmers in the council.

Giri who was speaking in an interview stated that the council was vast enough to cater for the problems of the people without friction.

By Chika Mefor

KUJE Tete Urges Decamped APC Members To Contribute Positively The chairman of Kuje area council, Hon. Shaban Tete, has urged decamped members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Abdullahi Sabo, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contribute positively to the development, peace and unity in the PDP. —By Igho Oyoyo

KWALI Council Boss Promises Provision Of Basic Amenities

32

The chairman of Kwali area council, Ibrahim Daniel, has promised the provision of basic amenities like potable water, electricity, accessible roads amongst other things to the people of the council.

He also called for the support of the residents to help him fulfill his promises.

By Chika Mefor

32 FCT watch/NEWS

FCT Schools Win Northern Region 2014 JAN Exhibition Awards

By Chika Mefor

Three schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have won the Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) 2014 project exhibition and award for secondary schools in the northern region.

The exhibition where 22 schools participated had Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Abaji winning the overall first position for their product known as the ‘Pink Lady’ and the award for the best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The ‘Pink Lady’ was the school’s brain child, made from twine into various sizes of bags ranging from school bags, lady purse, shopping bags and hand bags.

Model Secondary School, Maitama and Federal Science and Technical College, Orozo took the second and third positions respectively.

Model School exhibited ethanol and methanol produced from waste, briquettes made from the recycling of saw dust while Technical College, Orozo produced palm slippers, bags made from beads, sweaters, liquid wash and antiseptics.

Speaking during the event, the national programme coordinator of the programme, Mrs. Franca Thomas, said the three winners will represent the region in Lagos for the national competition with other regions in October, adding that the winner from that competition will represent Nigeria in the JAN competition in Gabon

by December where 18 other countries will be competing for the overall winner of the African Company of the year.

Mrs Thomas said, “JAN is present in over 120 countries all over the world and every country has their company programme, for us in Nigeria, we are into entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Jiba Reaffirms Commitment To Develop Rural Communities In AMAC

By Igho Oyoyo

The chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba, has reaffirmed commitment to provide infrastructural developments in rural communities in the council.

Speaking to journalists, Jiba said he will not fail to deliver on his promises to his people when he came on board in 2010 as the council boss.

According to Jiba, who is also

the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) FCT chapter, he said that since he made that promise to AMAC residence, he has not deviated from his responsibility as the council boss, saying that improving the living standards of people at the grassroots was his major priority.

Jba said, “I could remember in May 20, 2014, when we celebrated one year in my second term in office, we equally commissioned

many new projects, and at the same time distributed about 10 vehicles to the Nigerian Police Divisions of AMAC. We have started with this number, although we have 22 police Divisions in AMAC, we will do more.

“We also commissioned Health Care Clinic in Waru community under Kabusa ward and it is functional, we equally commissioned one of the 1.2 kilometer Ashephate Road at Abuja mechanic village. We in installed a

bore hole at Area 1, Section 1, at Tudun Wada, where I completed my secondary education.

“I have laid a legacy by building a staff quarters for the teachers and there are ongoing road project and also the Jiwa township and Damagaza roads. It can be confirmed if there is any community that we have not sited a project and this projects were done in this tenure and we will do more in the rural communities in the council because they deserve it.”

Water sellers popularly called ‘Meruwa’ buying water in Mpape, Abuja, yesterday.

Photo by Patrick Ebi Amanama

RCCG FCT Gives Out Free Mosquito Nets, Drugs

By Iroka Ugochukwu and Igho Oyoyo

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) aka Our God Reigns Assembly Parish, at the weekend, distributed over 500 mosquito nets and other health care facilities to residents of Karu district in the Federal Capital

Territory (FCT) through its free medical outreach.

In his remarks during the outreach, the parish Pastor, Sam Owokoniran, said that the parish was working in line with a directive of social responsibility issued by the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Owokoniran said the role of

the church in the nation includes prayer and also engaging in activities that will benefit the people and supplement the efforts of the government, which was why the medical outreach programme was organised and made open to everybody in the community irrespective of their ethnicity or religion.

In addition to giving out the free mosquito nets, laboratory tests for HIV, diabetes and Hepatitis B were carried out and attendees also received free medical counseling on different health topics like diet, family planning, infant health and psychology from several professionals who were on ground.

Under-development: The Agonies Of Shadadi Community 31

Shekwo said, “it may be political because the party which many people support in this community is the All Progressive Congress (APC) and probably because of the presence of the former chairman of Kuje, who also belonged to an opposition party, that is why they have taken the decision not to consider this community for anything, thereby punishing the people for no just course.

“We pray that the present chairman will be different because democracy is not supposed to be practiced the way most political leaders are going about it. It is

not right to punish people or deny them development because they are not in your party. A good leader is supposed to work more for those who refused to vote for him, so that he could prove them wrong and show them reasons why they should have supported him, so that he could win their trust in future.”

In his comments, a resident of the community who also spoke with LEADERSHIP, Haruna Mohammed, narrated that on their numerous visits to the previous chairmen of the council on the plight of Shadadi

We’re trying to see that we and the customers are all safe

community, they often retorted that the people did not vote for the government in power hence their reluctance to assist them in developing their community.

“The way some political leaders see politics is wrong. They believe that if you are not in the same party with them or you did not give them your vote they have nothing to do with you. But, that is the wrong way to practice politics.

When Lanto was the chairman, it was not everybody that voted for him in this council. In fact, out of the 10 councilors, his party produced only three councilors

and the opposition produced the rest and but he did his best to develop the communities.

“To a large extent this community has been neglected totally after his administration.

But since we have made a request to the present administration we hope that things will change for the better in this community, maybe it will be our turn this time.

I want to appeal to the present chairman to critically look into our matter and come to our aide because people in this community have been neglected for too long,” he added.

NEWS /FCT WATCH 33

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

FCTA Sensitises Youths On Drug Abuse

BY NKECHI ISAAC

The sensitisation programme was designed to raise awareness among the youth

The health and human services secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has carried out sensitisation campaign for secondary schools students on the dangers of drug abuse, as one of the activities organised to mark the 2014 International Day Against Drug Abuse, over the weekend.

Speaking at the sensitisation programme organised by the FCT Drug Abuse Control Committee for selected secondary schools in Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari and Abuja Municipal area councils, the secretary of the secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, advised the students to stay away from drug

abuse and illicit drug-trafficking, noting that such acts have potentials of jeopardising their future.

He said the sensitisation programme was designed to raise awareness among the youth who are the target population for drug abuse and the danger of illicit drug trafficking.

Onakomaiya stated that drug use and abuse have become prevalent in today’s society, because information about the availability and types of drugs and method of ingestion are readily available.

A statement released by the head of the secretariat’s public relations’ unit, Badaru Salisu Yakasai, listed experimentation, peer pressure, the bid to reduce stress, build self-

esteem, the desire to be sociable, drugs availability, unemployment and social economic frustration, amongst others, as factors that drive many youths to engage in drugs.

He emphasised the health and social hazards of involvement in drug abuse as he advised youths to shun the practice.

Speaking during the programme, the director, pharmaceutical services department and the chairperson, FCT Drug Abuse Control Committee, Pharm. Murna A. Kazzah, expressed appreciation to the FCT Administration for approving such a programme, stressing that the programme will impart positively on the lives of the youths.

Nigeria’s new ambassador-at-large, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur (middle) with members of The Strategic Team during a visit to congratulate Tukur on his appointment in Abuja.

Group Urges Jonathan To Sign Bill Establishing Less Privileged Commission

BY IGHO OYOYO

The Strategic Team (TST) chapter of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the bill for the establishment of a commission to carter for People Living with Disabilities (PWD) in the FCT and entire Nigeria into law.

The national coordinator of the group, Daniel Ohiomoba, who made this known in a press briefing in Abuja, applauded the dogged, tireless and uncompromising efforts of the president’s initiative and transformational strides in the area of people living with disability.

According to Ohiomoba, the inclusion is a global imperative and as a result, the PWDs have continually received support from the present administration, saying that in the past they have been rejected and relegated to the background, sidelined and discriminated.

“But, the present administration has brought succour and hope to this vulnerable group and as a result, donations, support materials, grants are being given to them and a lot of them are being sent on entrepreneurship trainings, to empower them.

“Co-operatives have been set up for them and most im-

portantly, lands for the erection of rehabilitation centres have been acquired and these structures are going through various stages of development.

“It is on this premise that TST has keyed into the area of inclusion, by taking the transformational strides of President Jonathan, especially in the area of the physically challenged to the grassroots, mostly in the FCT and the diaspora,” he said.

The group further said that a data base of PWDs, accessibility to free medical treatment, health insurance, not overlooking special schools, educational aids and materials for them and their children, must be top

priority.

In her remarks, the groups regional coordinator, NorthEast USA, Amb. Grace EkeCharrier, said the PWDs shall be given equity, dignity and equal opportunities in participating in propelling Nigeria to greater heights, as is done in other climes once the bill is signed into law.

“They will be carried along in the political and economic restructuring going on in the country as their constructive and meaningful input shall go a long way in contributing to the continued growth and development of this great nation,” she said.

FLOODING: Residents Call For Construction Of Drainages On Roads The residents of Dutse and Kubwa in Bwari Area Council have called for the construction of drainage systems along various roads in the area, so as to reduce the damage caused by flood.

Some residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP stated that erosion has become a common sight in some communities linking some roads, attributing them to a lack of drainage system along the roads.

“The road in the area where I live, close to the All Saints’ Catholic Church, Dutse, is about to be destroyed by erosion. Vehicular movement has become difficult around that area,” Ejike Ugbo, a resident said.

Also speaking, Kenneth Igor, a resident of Kubwa complained that roads leading to various places in the town have been left at the mercy of flood and called on the area council to expedite action before the road would become even worse.

“It is better to look for solutions to the problem now before it becomes difficult to remedy. I think the rain has been heavy this year and it has been the cause of this problem. I have never experienced a case like this before,’’ he said.

Igor also called on residents to avoid the blockages of drainages which is one of the main causes of flooding and on the authorities embark on the clearing of drainages to reduce the problem.

“I know that most roads around this area have no drainages. It is very important that they are created. The residents are also to blame, because, sometimes, they block their drainages. We should learn to avoid that.

It is very important. Drainages are not waste dumps,” he said.

By Chika Mefor

DID YOU KNOW THAT The Federal Government has approved $170million to boost power distribution in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

❂❂❂

Over one million visited and benefitted from services from the 12 district and general hospitals of the FCT in 2013.

❂❂❂

Of the 79 districts and nine sector centres of the FCT, only 11 districts and two sector centres, representing 20 per cent have been developed.

❂❂❂

Nyanya satellite town is one of the most populated in Abuja.

34 FCT watch/feature

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Kwaku And The Burden Of Unfulfilled Promises

By Chika Mefor

It is general belief that the government is responsible for the provision of basic amenities like good roads, health centers, electricity and portable water for all Nigerian citizens, irrespective of where they live.

The provision of these amenities in the rural communities does not only help make life comfortable for the people but also reduces the number of people that flock to the city in search of greener pastures. In many communities in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the provision of basic amenities still remains an unfulfilled promise.

Kwaku, a village in Kuje area council, is a good example of a community hampered by such unfulfilled promises. The first problem of the community begins with the inaccessibility to the community because of the bad road. The Kwaita – Yebu Road that would have lead people straight to the community has turned into death traps even after years of its being given out for rehabilitation. Abandoned and uncompleted culverts decorate the road including potholes which litters the length and breadth of the road. The nature of the road has become even worse

because of the rainy season.

Even when so many calls have been made for the urgent completion of the road to ease the suffering of the people around the area, the story remains the same. A resident of Kwaku, Ibrahim Simon, said that the completion of the road will definitely open doors for the community as most of their farm products would be easily transported to the communities that needs them in Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji area councils.

Simon stated that the community which can boast of huge harvest of cassava, guinea corn and even yam, only sell their goods within the neigbouring villages that basically produce the same agricultural products.

He said, “the road is bad especially when it rains. People cannot come from other villages to buy and sell. We need a good road. We produce yam, guinea corn and cassava but there is no road to take our farm products to the place that they are really needed.’’

Though, they can’t transport their goods, Kwaku community sells their products to other neighboring communities.

Their little market, the Kwaku market, situated at the centre of the village serves that purpose.

Residents, however, opined that

good roads would have presented a great opportunity for them to take their goods to big markets.

A resident, Samuel Ada who stated that taking their wares to big markets in Gwagwalada and Kwali will help them make profit, and in addition help them send their children to school, disclosed that the community also needs boreholes to help them get potable water for their domestic use.

Residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP stated that it was always easier for them to get water during the rainy seasons, saying that residents put their containers outside to gather water, adding that it was impossible to access portable water during rainy season in the community.

“We need boreholes. It is easier for us now because of the rainy season. During the dry season, it is a different story; that is the period you will see people fighting for water. We have to go to the stream to get water,” Dorcas Solomon, one of the residents stated.

Residents also made a passionate call for electricity in the area, saying that one of their greatest challenges is the absence of electricity.

A resident, Galadima Adamu, explained that even though there

Children getting water from a bore-hole at Kwaku village in Kuje Area ouncil.

is electricity poles in the community, residents are yet to get electricity years after.

According to him, every resident has been forced to carter for the provision of their basic amenities, saying that residents power their homes and also carter for their water supply.

He said, “we have no light.

These poles you are seeing now have been standing there for years. We have resigned ourselves to using our generator to do certain things like charging our phones. We are still waiting for government to remember us.”

Another resident, Idris Adamu, said the community also needs urgent government intervention in the education sector.

He said, “some of the building in the community primary school has collapsed and needs urgent reconstruction.

“The students are just managing the available classrooms. I think that if the collapsed building was rebuilt, the children will have more space to learn. We want our children to go to school because we now know how important education is. A conducive environment is good for learning.”

OPINION 35

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Is Jonathan Obstructing The Rule Of Law?

By Rev. Chris Okotie

Respect for the rule of law was the leadership mantra that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua brought to his presidency when he assumed office with his vice president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2007. This policy posture was widely applauded. It was, therefore, no surprise that the political class rose stoutly to resist a powerful cabal that tried to prevent the then vice president Jonathan from taking over the presidency, albeit, in acting capacity, when Yar’Adua became terminally ill and incapable of governing the country.

It will be recalled that in the confusion that followed the power vacuum created by Yar’Adua’s long absence from office, a clique opposed to the then vice president Jonathan tried to frustrate his succession. The civil society played a leading role in inspiring the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ which the National Assembly invoked to appoint him as acting president, to the relief of the nation. The rest, they say, is history. What we cannot forget in a hurry is that President Jonathan rode to power on the wings of the rule of law and justice.

Therefore, it was natural to demand that strict obedience to the rule of law should be the signage of his presidency; that was what brought him to power in the first instance; and Dr. Jonathan must never forget that.

Unfortunately, he seems not to remember. Human memory is so short. It is unbelievable that this president, who was literally given power by law makers, and civil society could tolerate the reign of impunity that has characterised his administration, especially in the area of abuse of court processes; and the refusal of his government’s functionaries to obey the rule of law.

The latest action of government in its disregard for the rule of law is the case involving the Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, which I

Jonathan

have the privileged to lead, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Although, this matter has been in the public domain for almost a year. I had deliberately refused to comment on the matter because the media and a section of the human rights community have taken up the gauntlet by challenging the Commission’s brazen assault on the rule of law.

I’d do a brief recap to refresh the memory of the public on the details of this case.

FRESH was one of the 28 political parties deregistered

by INEC in December 2012 for failing to win at least a seat in the State or National Assembly as required by Section 78(7)(ii) of the Electoral Amendment Act, 2010. We went to court and won a verdict delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of Federal High Court 5, Abuja Division, which not only nullified the deregistration, but the judge also averred that the legislation negates section 222 of the constitution, which stipulates qualifications for registration of political parties.

However, INEC has since July 29, 2013 when the judgment was passed, refused to recertify our party as required by law. The implication is that FRESH would not participate in any future elections, as the name and logo of the party are not on the ballot papers.

INEC’s response to the court

The bizarre decision of the National Assembly to retroactively legislate against a court judgment, on the Electoral law which a court had already dismissed as unlawful is a direct assault on our democratic conscience

verdict is that we should reapply for registration, which for us, is totally unacceptable.

The commission has ignored entreaties by various pressure groups, including civil society organisations and the media to accept the court judgment and do the needful.

Instead, there’s a new proposal before the National Assembly to re-amend the offensive Electoral Act 2010 to empower INEC to deregister what has been called “non-performing parties”. This proposed bill is a red herring and is, therefore, dead on arrival, because the law makers cannot legislate on a matter which a court of competent jurisdiction has declared unconstitutional, null and void. Besides, the National Assembly is a defendant in this case, which makes its attempt to shoot down the FRESH verdict by legislation, unfair.

The issue of the Electoral Act which empowers INEC to deregister political parties is a constitutional matter. Our party took the appropriate step when we sought the interpretation of the court on the legality of that Act, particularly section 78(7)(ii) of the Electoral Act which INEC invoked to deregister political parties.

Justice Kolawole’s judgment was a direct, unambiguous declaration that the National Assembly exceeded its mandate by making a law that offends section 222 of the constitution which deals with fundamental human rights and freedom of association.

Past governments in this country never openly ignored court judgments even in cases where their interests were opposed. The bizarre decision of the National Assembly to retroactively legislate against a court judgment, on the Electoral law which a court had already dismissed as unlawful is a direct assault on our democratic conscience.

– Rev. Okotie, a presidential aspirant, wrote from Lagos

Tackling The Building Collapse Syndrome

By Austin Asadu

The persistent collapse of buildings, both residential and commercial, in some parts of the country, particularly urban centres like Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja and Port Harcourt, has been a growing cause for concern among policy makers both in the public and private sector. Only recently, the House of Representatives took the bull by the horns by inaugurating an ad-hoc committee charged with unraveling the underlying causes of building collapse.

The panel was charged to investigate the utilisation of poor quality cement, other building materials and the

prevalence of quacks and under-qualified contractors in the building sector.

Presently, a lot of committees in the Senate and the House have been holding a series of public and investigative hearings meant to unravel waste, fraud or mismanagement in the public or private sector. The National Assembly administration headed by the clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, has strengthened the committee system by a series of policy reforms that have enthroned greater transparenc y, accountability and due process in the organisational and operational planks of the

system.

Unlike in the past when favouritism, “godfatherism”, nepotism and cronyism were the order of the day, under the present CNA regime, competence, meritocracy, professionalism and exemplary performance have been the watchword leading to a more effective, vibrant and responsive committee system.

While inaugurating the adhoc Committee on Collapsed Buildings and the Composition and Pigmentation of Cement chaired by Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the House speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, expressed deep concern over the incidence of building

collapse all over the country leading to the untimely deaths of and injuries to hundreds of innocent Nigerians.

Tambuwal called on the committee to unravel the root causes of the malaise in the building sector while singling out the use of poor quality building materials as a major factor in this regard.

The speaker described as deplorable the fact that Nigeria with her well-trained manpower in engineering and other related professions has continued to witness the collapse of buildings across the country.

– Asadu, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Garki, Abuja

Every Tuesday Ahmad B Kaita (MHR) 07081888802 (SMS only) email: babbaahmed@yahoo.com

Emir Sanusi II: An Untimely Forgiveness Much as I adore the style and patriotic dexterity of Emir Sanusi II of Kano, I have to admit, the recent withdrawal of his celebrated case with the FG was untimely and susceptible to misinterpretation.

This is made worse by the standoffish mannerism of the intended beneficiaries of the royal gesture.

Known for a very high proclivity for controversy and tendentious disrespect to rule of law and human respectability, the FG as presently constituted is not one to appreciate such benevolence much less, expect it to learn from the inherent lessons therein. Knowing Emir Sanusi’s rigidly uncompromising respect for rule of law, one could easily understand his decision to discontinue with the case. Just as much, one could also easily see the serious miscalculation in his decision.

Undoubtedly, the royal decision to discontinue with the case must have been arrived at to protect the sanctity of both institutions from further ridicule by avoiding a direct judicial collision in a courtroom. Regardless of which way the final verdict may swing, it’s only natural to assume the case will have to be reviewed in a chaotic court of public opinion where bigotry and other dangerous inclinations rule. Most probably the Emir’s intention was to avoid such an unkingly and unpresidential situation.

Two things made the royal gesture highly unlikely to generate the needed result the Emir might have had in mind. First, the visibly poor ability of the presidency to see Nigeria as its one and only constituency which it should patriotically deal with without ethno-religious or political demarcations and harassment.

This impediment would most likely deny the presidency the needed sportsmanship skills to see beyond their egos and respond in a way that could be beneficial to Nigeria.

Above this is a more serious issue of the fundamentals of the case itself. When Emir Sanusi II challenged his arbitrary suspension by the president, he made it abundantly clear he was in court not to reclaim his office at the apex bank, but to strengthen the system by going to court to ensure things are always done properly to protect the system from excesses of abusive leaders.

Quite a laudable motive; and one no Nigerian need to be convinced about its sincerity coming from Emir Sanusi II that made it emphatically clear he’s not interested in tenure renewal even when he was eminently eligible with more than a passing chance to have one with just the flick of a finger if that was his ambition. The sudden decision to withdraw the case was quite a blow to the Nigerian system.

Nigeria could have benefited immensely from a verdict that’s highly likely to be in favour of the Emir against the presidency even going by the elementary basics of the case. Perhaps, Nigeria may then never have to contend with a president who will think he could get away with such adventures as tampering with the leadership of constitutionally recognised and sensitive institutions like the CBN simply to massage his ego.

It was not unexpected that the FG, in its usual abrasive manner chose to reject the offer as a Trojan horse. To even hear the FG advocating for a logical” conclusion to the case, to say the least is a clear expression of the gangster inclinations of those in charge of our affairs. What logical conclusion is the government searching for in a case that was generally believed to be caused by excessive abuse of power.

36 ISSUES

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Re: Further Thoughts On Ekiti Polls By hakeem jamiu

Please permit me to correct some wrong information in the article published by Segun Ayobolu titled ‘Further thoughts on Ekiti Polls’ in his column on the back page of The Nation of July 5, 2014. It is obvious that he based many of his assumptions on the wrong information he received from Ekiti. Mr Ayobolu, your first misinformation is that Dr. Fayemi lost his polling unit, town and ward to the PDP. However, the truth is that Dr. Fayemi won in his polling unit, town and ward–Isan/Ilafon/ Ilemeso. The results from INEC’s form EC8A is, unit 09 Fayemi APC: 167, Fayose PDP: 1(one) Opeyemi Bamidele LP:(0). Fayemi’s ward: Fayemi: 2,022 Fayose 261, Bamidele:6. Please always be sure of your facts. That is about election results in Fayemi’s polling unit and ward.

On the other spurious misinformation upon which you based your article and conclusion, you are very wrong! Whoever gave you that information has misled you into writing your article and you are guilty of a grievous error of judgment. Fayemi did a lot in Isan though that is not to say he is a governor of Isan town but that of Ekiti State and there should be no regret about this.

It is possible that the man who sent you an sms from the governor’s town was the only voter for Fayose who recorded 1 vote in the town. This is expected as no leader, including Fayemi and Fayose, no matter how popular, can have 100 percent support in his home town. Let’s assume the result is the true expression of the wishes of Ekiti people, while 38 people voted against Fayose in his home town of Afao, only 1 voted against Fayemi in Isan so who is more popular at home?

If excessive militarisation of the state before and during the election did not affect the result of the election substantially what else did in your estimation assuming we are not considering other factors? A situation whereby as many as 400 APC leaders who were supposed to galvanise their members to vote were hounded and herded into various detention cells on the eve of election and on election day could not be said to be a non-issue.

No doubt, this shameless, crude and naked abuse of federal power substantially affected the result of the election.

Letter

Fayemi

The truth of the matter is that there is not yet an agreement that the result of the Ekiti election as declared by INEC is the true reflection of the wishes of Ekiti voters Mr. Ayobolu, how else will Fayemi refute the misinformation that he or his wife built a university in Ghana? Apart from debunking this wicked lie at every forum by the governor and his wife Bisi, is the onus not on those who alleged to prove that he actually owns a university in Ghana? Till date, none of those who alleged this have been able to come up with the name or address of the university in Ghana so what else is Fayemi or his wife supposed to do?

That Dr. Fayemi built mansions in Isan on assumption of office is not only fallacious, but mischievous because he had completed those set of six bungalows before he was sworn in on October 2010 and this was declared as part of his assets and published in the dailies.

Your analysis about the stomach infrastructure cannot be correct. Let’s assume without conceding that Fayemi lost because Ekiti people prefer stomach infrastructure which he fails to do, are you telling us Fayose did better stomach infrastructure between when he emerged as governorship candidate of the PDP in April 2014 than Fayemi who started this 42 months ago? If it is all about rice (as we are made to believe and this is an insult to Ekiti people), do you know that Fayemi more than two years ago started feeding the elderly with choice cooked food all

over Ekiti while those who can cook were given raw food stuff under the food bank programme?.

This is apart from the fact that 25,000 elderly people were paid N5,000 monthly. 15,000 youths were paid N10,000 monthly under the Youth Volunteer Scheme. Over 2,000 women across Ekiti benefited from Conditional Cash Transfer by earning N5, 000 monthly. This is aside from thousands of women across the state that the wife of the governor has empowered with cash and materials. Such groups as hairdressers, market women, tailors, food vendors were regularly empowered with cash and tools not once. There are many other programmes aimed at empowerment (stomach infrastructure) which the government did for many Ekiti people. I need to be enlightened what other stomach infrastructure we are talking about. There is no community in Ekiti State that does not earn a monthly cash inflow of between 500, 000 and 20 million naira being various amounts earned by indigenes of such towns from various government programmes mentioned above so which other stomach infrastructure are we talking about? Is Fayemi expected to be throwing money on the streets at regular intervals?

About Dr. Fayemi’s alleged disconnect with the masses,

nothing could be farther from the truth.

This is a governor whose budget is a result of town hall meetings of requests from the communities in Ekiti state. He did this from 2011 to 2013. Many projects in the 131 towns in Ekiti State today are a result of the town hall meetings and requests made. The wife of the governor since 42 months ago has been interacting and impacting positively on the women in the rural areas through many of her empowerment projects. She has paid hospital bills of many indigent patients, she has taken over the care of multiple births under her Multiple Birth Trust Fund. She visited markets and farmsteads more than once to interact and empower the women. Fayemi is the only Governor who has given many communities various sums of money to assist in many projects such as town halls and palaces which many towns have abandoned due to lack of funds. So the question is, how else does a governor connect with the grassroots? Is the analysis of this election not all about calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it?

You said Otunba Niyi Adebayo’s 22 year old son is the special adviser to the governor on Diaspora matters, this is also not correct as there is no such position in Fayemi’s government. There is a Senior special assistant to Fayemi on Diaspora matters who is from Ire-Ekiti and he is close to 50 years of age. I don’t know where you got this wrong information from.

On your allusion that Fayemi has kept Asiwaju and those who helped him to power at arms length, I don’t know what informed your position except Asiwaju complained to you!

You may be close to Asiwaju but you are not the only person who is close to him and that is not the view and position of the rest of them.

Fayemi has not kept Asiwaju at arms length but has continued to hold this human colossus in high esteem.

I also don’t understand what you mean by the statement that Fayemi’s commissioners and special advisers cannot boast of N1 million naira in their bank accounts, then I ask, is being a commissioner all about personal aggrandizement?

I won’t say much about that but I know that is also not correct.

If you are truly Dr. Fayemi’s friend, you ought to have done a thorough check of your facts before writing that article which

Keep Up The Good Work, Gambo Azare

by Suleiman Shuaibu

Like in every other paramilitary organisation in Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, no doubt, requires the services of young credible Nigerians that will help position it and make it rank with its counterparts in other parts of the world.

The quality of human resources in any organisation is clearly one factor that is critical to its success. Such personal attribute as humility, obedience to constituted authority, punctuality to work, loyalty and some of the qualities we need to encourage in our youths if we ever hope to transform Nigeria

and take it to the promised land.

It is for this and other reasons, that one needs to commend the efforts of one Gambo Azare, an assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of antismuggling, North West zone whose commitment to excellence has marked him out as one credible Nigerian who is set to

One needs to commend the efforts of one Gambo Azare, an assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of antismuggling, North West zone

do the Customs service proud.

Another inspiring thing

is an embarrassment to him and an attempt to rubbish his person and all his achievements in Ekiti State. With a friend like you Ekiti State needs look no further for an enemy or how else can one put the deliberate distortion of facts from you especially on the poll results from Fayemi’s unit, town and ward.

This is why Yorubas say, Idaamu akoni lo maa so omugo di ologbon (It is the tribulation of a brave man that turns a foolish man to an emergency adviser) The truth of the matter is that there is not yet an agreement that the result of the Ekiti election as declared by INEC is the true reflection of the wishes of Ekiti voters. Many believe that the result is strange and more than meets the eye. Fayemi in his concession speech said that much and that is why the party is challenging the result in court. If the ballot papers were compromised as is rumoured in many quarters, then it means that the votes of Ekiti people didn’t count. If this is the case, it follows that any analysis based on the result cannot explain anything, cannot describe Ekiti people as preferring stomach infrastructure to physical infrastructure and as people who are ingrates and who do not value development despite their education!

I want you to ponder over these questions: 1. Is it possible for Dr. Fayemi an incumbent who has transformed Ekiti so much to lose with such a margin to the extent that he didn’t win in any Local Government?

2. If a thief burgles a house and carts everything away including the grinding stone for pepper, what will you think?

3. If the result is real, why are people not jubilating across Ekiti in proportion to the votes declared in favour of the PDP candidate? For example if it is true that Fayose scored 41,000 votes in Ado-Ekiti why is it that, not even 1,000 people of this figure could come out to jubilate after the result were announced?

4. Did all PDP Governors who have earned second terms perform more than Kayode Fayemi or did they meet all your conditions especially stomach infrastructure for their people?

5. Teachers have been on strike in Benue State for the past 9 months, are you saying the PDP Governor there will not win again if he should contest for another term?

— Jamiu wrote from Ado-Ekiti

about this young man is that he is incorruptible. No doubt, through honesty of purpose and steadfastness, he has been able to reduce the level of criminal activities of smugglers in Jalingo, Sokoto and Kebbi which all fall under his jurisdiction of service.

— Shuaibu, wrote from Kano

politics today Tuesday, July 15, 2014

REPORTS ANALYSES REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

What is your reaction to the alleged attack on Ile-Ife where the PDP’s Osun governorship candidate hails from?

I want to condemn in its entirety the spate of violence that the APC has taken to Ile-Ife for the past few days.

They have been looting shops, burning shops, maiming people, running around with dangerous weapons and I condemn that in its entirety.

I am calling on the security agencies; the Police, the Civil Defence and other agencies to quickly wade in and arrest those who are maiming people. Ife is known for peace and we will continue to preach peace.

There are claims from the opposition that the replacement of the Osun REC is to pave way for PDP to win the governorship election in the state

I am confident that the PDP will win hands down. People are tired of all these imported politicians

A court of competent jurisdiction questioned the neutrality of Akeju, yet the APC people were just defending.

Why must you be particular about a Resident Electoral Commissioner conducting elections unless you have a deal with him, if Akeju is moved and another person is brought in why should they cry?

Do they have an arrangement with Akeju? Akeju himself is not complaining, why is Lai Mohammed complaining?

The credibility of an election depends on the neutrality of the electoral umpire.

It was obvious that Akeju could not be neutral; he was an SA to Tinubu, he was representing Tinubu at public functions and the court said he should not conduct the 2011 elections which they claimed they won with a landslide when he eventually conducted it.

They want him to conduct elections again? No, INEC has done the right thing and I don’t think the APC is questioning the neutrality and integrity of the new man Agbaje that was brought to Osun to conduct this election, why should they cry?

Unless they have something to hide; as for us, we want a clean, free and fair elections in Osun State and with every sense of responsibility, I am confident that the PDP will win hands down. People are tired of all these imported politicians.

The economy of Osun is now comatose, I have small businesses in Osun myself, it is no longer thriving because all

Oladipo

Obasanjo Can’t Do Otherwise On Jonathan’s 2015 Ambition – PDP National Scribe In this interview with chibuzo ukaibe, National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Professor Olawale Oladipo says former President Olusegun Obasanjo remains the father of PDP in the South West and that he has no option than campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. The PDP scribe, who hails from Osun State, also talks about the forthcoming election in the state. services are outsold to Lagos; all contractors are from Lagos.

That is what Ekiti people have rejected and that is what the good people of Osun are going to reject come August 9. Only a neutral umpire can midwife that and that is what INEC is doing, we are not complaining if they complain that is their problem.

Others say your candidate, Omisore is afraid of his own past, how is this going to im-

pact on his campaigns?

You will recollect that this present governor that is running his mouth now, once said that immediately PDP presents Omisore, he will go and sleep, why is he now having sleepless nights, why is he now in need of sleeping pills when we have done what he asked us to do, why is it that he is agitated, why is he being jittery?

Let him show a single picture of any wounded person

following Omisore, Omisore is followed by lawful security officers like any other candidate; the Police and the SSS, no more, no less.

He has nothing to be afraid of. Omisore is on ground, he knows the terrain of Osun, he is visiting from village to village, he is visiting from ward to ward.

If he is visiting a village, only ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 38

37

38 POLITICS TODAY

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Obasanjo Can’t Do Otherwise On Jonathan’s 2015 Ambition – PDP National Scribe ➔ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

I am telling you we are serious about it, we want to liberate the southwest, we want to be in the mainstream of Nigerian politics, we want to return there

people from that village are allowed to meet with him.

We don’t rent crowd, we don’t need area boys from under the bridge in Lagos before we campaign in Osun we have been there for long, we know the terrain, we know their needs, and we share their pains so Omisore is not afraid of anybody.

Why is Aregbesola suddenly sleepless? When we produced Fayose, you will recollect that Fayemi started shouting that why should PDP put up Fayose?

You know the result, it is going to be the same sort of result, I am telling you confidently because we know the terrain.

He is at loggerheads with civil servants, higher institutions in Osun have been on strike for six months now, local government workers don’t get paid, teachers are not paid.

The highest ranking traditional ruler in Yoruba land is domiciled in Osun State; the Ooni of Ife, Aregbesola has not deemed it fit to call a meeting of the traditional council ones since he fraudulently became the governor of that state.

How can such a man hope to win election in Osun State?

He can run his mouth, he can say anything but gentlemen, on August 9, I invite you to Osogbo, I will come and address you again, I am telling you the PDP will win and we will win convincingly, just like we did in Ekiti.

I am telling you we are serious about it, we want to liberate the southwest, we want to be in the mainstream of Nigerian politics, we want to return there. We were chased out of it by the judiciary, we are on our way back.

Fayose is the governor-elect of Ekiti and I am assuring you by the special grace of God come August 9, Omisore will be the governor-elect of Osun State that will be preparatory to the battle in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos State next year and by the special grace of God, for the presidential election I am convinced the PDP candidate will also win.

The scuffle between you and Oyinlola has been nipped in the bud following your endorsement by the southwest caucus of the PDP to fill in the slot of national secretary zoned to the southwest, what are you doing to accommodate all?

We are talking, Oyinlola is my big brother, luckily I am a prince he is also a prince. So I am sure he will not do anything

Oladipo

to jeopardize the chances of the PDP. On the issue of national secretary, I have enough brain in my head to know that something that is before the court of this country, I should not comment on it.

However, I thank the southwest leaders for the confidence they reposed in me and I promise them I will not betray that trust. Luckily under my watch we have won Ekiti, under my watch by the grace of God, we will win Osun and under my watch by the special grace of God, the southwest will give solid votes that will ensure that the transformation agenda of Mr. President continuous beyond 2015.

The Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi recently in an interview, said that the over-militarisation of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State helped the PDP expressing fears that if the same kind of security forces is mobilized for the Osun governorship election, it might also favour the PDP and that the presidency should detach himself from funding of PDP candidates in elections…….

First and foremost, as the national secretary of this party, I make bold to say that the presidency doesn’t in any way get involved in funding our campaigns, I make bold to say that. PDP is a grassroots party, this is the only party you find in every village in this country and we have legitimate means of raising funds for our needs.

A party that is not dominated by a single individual; that is people-oriented will always get people to contribute to campaign funds legitimately;

that is what we have been doing.

As for Amaechi, I really pity the young man I think he is in a state of complete confusion and I won’t blame him. He has seen the futility of the political steps he has taken, he is so unpopular in Rivers State and under his nose, the president is waxing stronger, our members there led by our deputy national chairman they are mobilizing the people and deserting Amaehi.

It is natural for Amaechi to start running his mouth.

Militarisation of elections, of course, those who want to use violence to win will always complain about the presence of security agents but if you have absolutely nothing to do with violence.

In fact, the law says soldiers cannot stay in the polling unit and they were not there, they were just in other areas to stop people from moving weapons, illicit money and thugs across borders, why are they concerned?

They used the judiciary in the past to take away states and they want to use violence this time thinking that the federal government will just fold its arms and they will start killing and maiming people.

The number one duty of a responsible government is to provide security and that is what this government is doing.

The same level of security was provided in Anambra State, we lost, we lost in Ondo Sate as well. The problem with APC is that if they win, the election is clean there is no problem but when they loss, they start talking rubbish.

Amaechi should simply retrace his steps, go back and

beg those who made him; people like Dr. Odili made him I know him very well, he was Speaker, Rivers House of Assembly for 8 good years later he became governor; they should learn to thank God. There are insinuations that Obasanjo will not campaign for Jonathan in 2015 because of a single term pact between them. What is your take on this?

The president has not declared his candidature so we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Personally, the transformation agenda is capable of taking this country to the next level, on a personal note, I want him to continue beyond 2015 but it is the prerogative of the President to decide if he is going to run or not.

Those of us in the southwest, we have met we have said he should run, if he runs I will be so happy and I am sure that Obasanjo too, God has been merciful to him, he is my father personally, I am very close to him, I am sure he is PDP to the core; God has been gracious to him to be President for 8 years, he is a father to all of us PDP southwest and I am sure that what we his children want is what he will do.

We are in complete harmony with this president, we love him, he loves us the most important infrastructure to us as Yoruba is the Lagos-Ibadan expressway; he has taken the courage to start reconstructing it.

We have a few more projects; we will continue to talk to him the dam in Ife and Ilesha, the dualisation of the road in Ife. This president is addressing

39

reps diary Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Militarised Elections And A Divided House

The governorship elections in Ekiti state may have come and gone but it has left series of posers behind. Federal lawmakers have divided opinions on the powers of the president to deploy military troops for elections. EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE reports.

Tambuwal

T

he massive security personnel deployment for the recently conducted governorship election in Ekiti has never been witnessed. For the federal government, the violent clashes recorded before the Ekiti governorship election was enough reason to warrant the deployment of about 12,000 troops.

The combined team of security personnel included soldiers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, State Security Service (NSCDC), police officers to keep the peace during the poll.

One week before the election, the

The All Progressive Congress (APC) said the massive deployment was just another veiled move of the Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government “to capture Ekiti State at all cost Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, deployed three helicopters for surveillance in the three senatorial districts in the state with one Assistant Inspec-

Repertoire The House of Representatives on Thursday passed for second reading a proposed law which will place a two-year limit to casual labour.

If passed into law, the legislation will provide that all employers “automatically” convert

tor General of Police and four commissioners of Police for effective coordination of security operations.

Abubakar confessed that the number of troops, armoured tanks and helicopters deployed in Ekiti state was the highest ever to be deployed in a state, saying it was part of the resolve of the police to do anything humanly possible to provide security for election materials and personnel of INEC. According to a monitored report, like a war zone, the troops took their positions. At almost every 100 metres from the entry point of the state, police officers and soldiers mounted various check points, with blood-hound dogs sniffing for any likely breach of peace by supporters of the various political parties.

“On the eve of the election, there was tension. More troops were deployed to the state. Some visitors into the state coming in through Efon Alaaye-Ekiti, the first point of entry into Ekiti State on the OsunEkiti border, encountered at least eleven checkpoints before getting to Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.” the monitored report stated citing eyewitness accounts.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) said the massive deployment was just another veiled move of the Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government “to capture Ekiti State at all cost”.

The party said the state was overrun by armed security personnel with the intention of intimidating the opposition and the voters as well.

The APC presented proof. Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and his Edo counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole were prevented entry into Ekiti to attend the last APC mega rally by military personnel.

Some leaders of the party, including the Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, and the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, were barred from taking off at the Akure airport after the rally, leaving them with the option of travelling by road.

“Our electoral laws are clear that every polling unit should have one unarmed policeman and the military should have no role in the election.

But in Ekiti, armed police and military personnel have been deployed in their numbers and the question we are asking is whose purpose are they going to serve?

‘The PDP is too desperate to capture Ekiti by every means and in

view of this, we have deemed it fit to alert Nigerians to their antics”, National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, stated at a press conference in Lagos on the eve of the Ekiti election.

Reps Debate Legislative proceedings in the House of Representatives on Tuesday turned rowdy over the legality or otherwise of the President to deploy the country’s military during elections, the latest being the Ekiti governorship elections.

These were fallouts of debates on a bill seeking to further amend the Electoral Act, No.6 of 2010.

The House Deputy Leader, Leo Ogor (Delta/PDP) and the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Albert Sam-Tsokwa (Taraba/PDP) insisted that the powers of the President to deploy troops was backed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as Section 8 of the Armed Forces Act. According to Tsokwa, the Armed Forces Act particularly gave the President and a proxy, powers to deploy troops for “operational use”.

But the position drew a harsh response from the House Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos/APC). Efforts by the presiding Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha to douse the situation failed as Ogor and Gbajabiamila continued to trade harsh words over the matter.

While acknowledging that the constitution allows the president to deploy the military, Gbajabiamila insisted that the powers were not “absolute”.

Gbajabiamila stated that the president can only exercise such powers subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.

Well, the debate on the legality or otherwise of the deployment of thousands of soldiers and security apparatus in elections will remain contentious especially with August 9 gubernatorial election in Osun and the fast approaching 2015 elections. Like Ekiti (now lost to the PDP), Osun is also one of the South West states where the APC currently controls.

But what is yet to be established was whether or not the presence of the troops had any indirect consequence on the way the Ekiti election panned out.

2-Years Limit To Casual Work temporary employment of their staffers to permanent status after two years.

Leading debates on the general principle of the bill seeking to amend the Labour Act, 2004, Hon. Emmanuel Jime (Benue/APC), said that the bill,

if passed, would ensure that casual workers gets permanent employment after a time frame.

The lawmaker stressed that the bill was meant to address the rising incidence of casualisation of workers in the country.

Quotes from the Green Chamber ➔ Hon. Samson Osagie leading debates on a motion commending British citizen, Dr. Mark Walker for returning two important artifacts stolen from the Benin kingdom during Britain’s punitive expedition to Benin 117 years ago.

“Among the celebrated artifacts that were looted by the (British) soldiers was the original mast head of Queen Idia which in 1977 was used as the official symbol of the Festival of Art and Culture (FESTAC) and it has remained amongst other, in the British museum till date” ➔ Hon. Odebunmi Olusegun (Oyo/ PDP) on the need for proactive measures by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to check the activities of economic saboteurs in the country.

“The rate at which rice and other food items are being smuggled into the country through various borders is so high that Nigeria has lost much revenue as a result of the compromising activities of certain Custom officers.”

40 interview Let us start by knowing why you are with Sam4Nigeria Presidential Campaign Organization as spokesman.

The answer is simple. I am protected by the Nigeria Constitution to associate and make choices. I think we share similar ideological bent of progressivity. He is arguably the best out of the various names that are being speculated in the media.

When you come close to him, you will discover a brand Nigerians of our generation will be doing themselves a great disservice to ignore, especially the discerning ones.

What do you mean when you refer to him as a brand?

You know, the word brand is an ambiguous word. But I’m using it metaphorically within the context of usage to add flesh to my point. From my close encounter with him and beyond the faced of frame, he sees the world as a place continually in a flux. Nothing is stable. Everything changes on constant basis. He enjoys a personal sway of consistency in his constructive dialectics which is predicated on the path of justice, ethical and moral values, societal regeneration and pragmatic development.

If you follow his commentaries, he has also remained consistent in proffering solutions to the many challenges confronting us as a nation. Furthermore, I think his doggedness and stubborn refusal to be cowed in the face of tyranny makes him that brand I’m talking about.

Sam is a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Many people believe he lacks the experience to be president.

How can you have the experience if you are not given the chance? Can you say you have university experience when you are not offered admission as a student? Would you say a woman has experienced child birth without being pregnant?

I think this question is pedestrian because you cannot experience the vicissitudes of life if one does not pass through the trajectory in an effort to cross the Rubicon…

But is he ready for the big job of…

What big job? What is big about being the president of Nigeria?

We are talking about change and big ideas. We are talking about the need to stop some people in their tracks because they have failed the nation. We are talking about how to get out of a well-designed tapestry of a cul-de-sac into a wide world of possibilities. And only a young vibrant Nigerian with contemporary ideas can do that.

From the first Republic to date, we never had a head of

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Nda-Isaiah Is A Brand Nigerians Cannot Afford To Ignore -Macaulay Hunohashi Macaulay Hunohashi is the Director (Media and Publicity) Sam4Nigeria Campaign Organization. In this interview with journalists in Abuja, he bares his mind on the suitability of Sam Nda-Isaiah as a potential Presidential Candidate and why Sam is a unique brand Nigerians cannot afford to ignore government or president who came on the saddle with a preparation for the job. So, any leader who is ill prepared will come into office empty handed, without a roadmap. Tell me who was prepared? Go back to history; none of them. Sir Ahmadu Bello personally turned down the offer to be prime minister because he wanted to be close to his people in the North.

The second Republic president was warming up for the senate when political calculations and providence made him president.

He was sacked by the military Junta which led to one interregnum after another. Then we had someone who was in prison awaiting execution on phantom coup charges. He was made president and chose his vice who already won election as governor of his state. Later on, someone who never contemplated to be president was imposed on us against all odds. He was sick and died in office. So who was prepared?

Is it Sam Nda-Isaiah that is more qualified?

Yes, I believe so. We are talking about generational change, predicated on big ideas. Students of gerontology will tell you that there is empirical evidence that old age comes with its own debilitating physiognomy which include loss of libido,

Has he told Gen. Buhari about his ambition?

Of course. The Gen. was the first to know.

What was his reaction?

I was not with him when he confided in Gen. Buhari but he has been asked this question severally and the answer he constantly gave is that Gen. Buhari gave him his blessings. And their discussion never changed from what it used to be. He visits and calls the Gen. anytime.

There are speculations that Sam Nda-Isaiah has the backing of some prominent Northerners like Gen. T.Y Danjuma and Gen. Babangida?

I am not aware that he has the backing of anybody. One thing I do know however is that they are aware of his ambition and he has their support. Not only them, Sam has an unbelievable network of friends both within and outside Nigeria. And he has all their support.

But he requires fund to run his Campaign.

Of course no campaign will have a smooth sail without funds.

Does he have the funds?

He has declared his intention, the only one for that matter. He has a presidential campaign office in Abuja. He has his team and he is making consultations.

He has coordinators in all the states. Will he have done all these on empty pockets?

But can Sam Nda-Isaiah match other contestants for the APC primaries.

Is it not God that gives power?

See, the country is on a downward spiral which needs to be rescued. Some of these speculated aspirants are out of step with reality and their followers are carried away by what I call optical illusions. Please don’t call a spade a shovel. Have you ever questioned their source of affluence? from where did they get the money? They are bereft of new ideas. Please try to x-ray all the aspirants one by one and arrive at a logical conclusion.

Yes, it does appear that there is a jostle for the number one seat in 2015. But who amongst them would you say dispassionately, is more qualified, for now.

and remains unwavering. In fact, he has told many of us that he has a special respect for the General.

Hunohashi

What will you say is his selling point?

For God’s sake, we don’t want people who tilled public funds to lead us anymore visual impairment, diminishing memory, disconnectedness in social contract, fatigue and fixated mindset. That is not what we want for a leader. For God’s sake, we don’t want people who tilled public funds to lead us anymore. The trending phenomenon globally is that of encouraging youthful leaders who have made a mark as entrepreneurs and someone in tandem with the times. Take a look at president Obama he is only 52. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya is 52. Prime Minister Nikola of Macedonia is 43. The prime minister of Bulgaria is also 48, while the president of Georgia Micheil Saakahvile is 46 years old. The president of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga is only 39. And let me tell you, they are performing wonderfully well. Why

can’t we have the same thing here? Look at the philosophical-underpinning of San NdaIsaiah’s dialectics. They are people centered. Through his sheer strength of character and clarity of thinking, he focuses on the need to pin down some basic reference points through a relentless questioning of everything around us.

We know that Sam enjoys some strong ties with Gen Muhammadu Buhari and he regards Buhari as his mentor. Will he contest against his mentor and benefactor?

Why not? He will contest against anybody. He is already in the race mark you. But the respect he has for Gen Muhammad Buhari knows no bounds

This is a 52 year old Nigerian who has never been a civil servant. But his entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish the leadership group in 2003 with less that 1 million naira. Today, Leadership group is made up of Leadership, Leadership Friday, Leadership Weekend, Leadership Sunday, Leadership Hausa and Government. He is the Chairman of other numerous companies. In fact, many consider him a pundit on state craft and geopolitics because he has advocated a new direction to governance that can move Nigeria from a third world country to a first world nation. Do you think that some of them would have contemplated ruling this country if they never had the opportunity of working in government? I doubt very much.

Sam Nda-Isaiah is a self-made entrepreneur and a rough diamond waiting to be polished.

And I think those are his selling points.

news north-East, north-west 41 2015: Jonathan To Visit Jigawa August

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Mammoth Crowd In Maiduguri As Military Opens Closed Airport For Modu Sheriff

BY Kareem Haruna, Maiduguri

The Maiduguri International Airport that was shut down by the military two weeks ago was hurriedly opened yesterday just as activities were grounded to a halt for hours as the ex-governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff visited to prepare ground for his rumoured exit from the All Pro-

gressives Congress (APC).

Sheriff said his next destination is the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As early as 9am, the route leading to the airport was busy, as politicians of different shades and characters filed out along the highway, all brandishing the posters of the exgovernor and PDP flags. They all waited for hours for the ar-

rival of the former governor.

The military had two weeks ago slammed a total lockdown on the Maiduguri International Airport for unexplained security reasons, a situation that compelled Saudi Arabia-bound pilgrims to travel to Kano by road before boarding their flights. Even the state government officials who hitherto were allowed to

fly private chartered jets also had to resort to travelling by road.

The state governor, Kashim Shettima had made several entreaties to the military to allow the pilgrims fly from Maiduguri without positive result.

Even the governor who was travelling to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj had to travel out of Maiduguri by road.

Dr Ismaila Idris on behalf of the former Head of State, General AbdusalamI Abubakar (rtd), presenting a small bag of rice and a three wheel bicycle to a physically challenged lady in Kano, on Friday. photo ABUBAKAR SALIHI

short news Doctors’ Strike: Kebbi Doctors Comply Fully As the ongoing doctors’ nationwide strike action continues, the Kebbi State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said that it is 100% compliant with the directives of the national body to down tools.

However, skeletal services are being rendered to patients admitted before the commencement of the strike.

Chairman of the branch, Dr Abubakar Attahiru Ka’oje stated this while fielding questons from Leadership in BirninKebbi.

By Yahya Sarki, Kebbi

Ramadan: Abdulsalami Donates Foodstuffs To 1000 Disabled In Kano

By Abubakar Salihi, Kano

The former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) has donated small bags of rice to 1,000 people living with disabilities in Kano.

As part of his Ramadan gesture to give succour to the fasting Muslims, General Abdulsalami has in every month of Ramadan donated foodstuffs to blind and crippled men and women.

Presenting the food items on behalf of the retired General, Dr Ismail Idris told the beneficiaries that the gesture was purely out of sympathy and to seek Allah’s reward.

Dr Idris urged well-to-do individuals to always come to the aid of the underprivileged and disabled, pointing out that Allah opens doors of success to those who engage in such good works.

While presenting the foodstuffs at Katsina road to a group of disabled people, Dr Idris also presented a threewheel bicycle on behalf of the former head of state to a 20-year-old disabled young lady, Rukayya Abdulrazak.

In her response, Rukayya said she lived at Durumin Babban Layi in Kurna Quarters, Ungogo local government and will be using the bicycle to go to school.

A beneficiary, Sani Musa Fegin Kanwa, who is disabled and has four wives and 12 children, thanked General Abdulsalami for the gesture.

When asked how he takes care of his family, he said he is a tailor and farmer and can make enough money to sustain his family.

Sani expressed happiness with the gesture which according to him will go a long way in supporting him.

Another beneficiary, Sule Dukawa, who has been a beggar all his life and has a wife and two children, expressed happiness with the gesture and thanked the donor for helping him.

‘Too Much Emphasis On Religion Destroying North’

By MIDAT JOSEPH, Kaduna

The Global Peace Foundation, an international organisation committed to peace building in the world, yesterday blamed the backwardness in Northern Nigeria on too much emphasis on politics of religion.

Speaking yesterday at a 2-day sensitisation programme on religious tolerance in the North, entitled “One Family Under One God”, the northern coordinator of the group, Rev Joseph Hayab noted that ethnic and religious sentiments have become the bane of progress of the region.

“The economy, social and political status of our region are crumbling because we allow religious and ethnic sentiments to divide us while other parts of the country are progressing despite their religious differences,” Hayab said.

The Foundation which cautioned Northern Muslim and Christian youths to avoid fomenting violence in the region under the guise of religion, said no religion is a ticket to causing crisis.

Rev Hayab, who is also the special adviser on religion (Christian matters) to the Kaduna State governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero cautioned the people of the North against using religion to divide themselves.

He said, “We should learn to stay together and co-exist peacefully with one another because we cannot do without one another”.

Also speaking at the occasion, special adviser to Governor Yero on Islamic religion, Sheikh Abdullahi Maraya traced the origin of human existence, noting that all human beings are offshoots of Adam and Eve in the Biblical Garden of Eden.

Sheikh Maraya, therefore, said that for one to kill another person in the name of religious crisis means killing one’s brother or sister because of the common origin of people all over the world.

As the 2015 general elections draw closer, President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to visit Jigawa State in the first week of August to officially commission the Dutse International Airport constructed by the state government.

The state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido revealed this while speaking at the maiden airlift of passengers from the Dutse Airport to Abuja.

He said the state government had achieved a lot in terms of projects and programmes which resulted in rapid transformation of the state in the last seven years.

“We have deliberately refused to blow our trumpet; instead we allowed our performance to speak for itself and today, our gate is open for all to see what we have done in Jigawa”, the governor said.

Before the flight take-off yesterday, the managing director of Overland Air, Captain Edward Boyo said the airline entered into agreement with the Jigawa State government because of the determination of the state governor not to compromise on quality.

By Muh’d Zangina Kura,Dutse

Sema Distributes Relief Materials To Displaced Persons In Taraba

Following the recent ethno-religious crisis that erupted in Wukari, Ibi, Donga, Bali, Gashaka and Takum local government areas of Taraba State that claimed over 350 lives, the acting executive secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Paul Tino has disclosed that the agency has from April till date distributed over 150 trucks of relief materials to internally displaced persons taking refuge in 25 camps in the state.

Tino, who stated this yesterday in Jalingo during an interview with LEADERSHIP, said that over 15, 000 internally displaced persons are currently taking refuge in different camps in six local government areas of the state.

He added that the administration of the acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garaba Umar was concerned with the welfare of internally displaced persons in the state.

“Since the crisis started, the acting governor has been of support to our people; we have from April till this moment distributed over 150 trucks of relief materials to IDPs in different camps in the state,” he said.

He noted that the agency has from April till date built over 5, 000 refugee camps for the internally displaced persons taking refuge in Wukari, Takum, Bali, Gashaka, Donga and Ibi local government areas of the state.

By Andrew Ojih, Jalingo

42 news NATIONAL Crowd Control, A Challenge At Bomb Blast Scenes – Sidi The director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, has identified crowd control as one of the major challenges facing the rescue of victims at scenes of bomb blasts and other emergency disasters.

The DG, who revealed this at the ‘After Action Review’ meeting of stakeholders that responded to the Nyanya and EMAB bomb explosions in Abuja, also noted that explosion scenes are different from every other disaster scene since there are possibilities of other explosives going off when the crowds are gathered.

While accessing the achievements of the response teams which participated in the three bomb explosions at Nyanya and EMAB plaza this year, Sidi gave a pass mark to the teams and noted that the situation could be better if members of the public would stay off the scenes and allow rescue teams do their jobs before searching for their loved ones.

By Ejike Ejike, Abuja

Justice Bozimo Becomes New NJI Administrator

The National Judicial Institute Board of Governors under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, has appointed Justice Rosaline Patricia Irorefe Bozimo (rtd), as the administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

Justice Bozimo will take over from Justice Umaru Eri, whose tenure as the administrator of the institute will come to an end on 1st August, 2014.

Justice Bozimo, who retired as the chief judge of Delta State on 1st January, 2011, was born on 1st January, 1946 in Udu local government area of Delta State.

She was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in September 1970 and obtained a degree in Law in 1973. She went to Nigeria Law School and was called to the Bar in 1974.

Justice Bozimo was appointed a Magistrate in the defunct Bendel State in December 1983 after engaging in private legal practice for some years. She was later appointed a judge of the Delta State High Court in October 1991 and chief judge of Delta State in March 2003.

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Police Probe Mariam Ali/Delta PDP Chair Clash

By Sola Adebayo, Warri

Delta State Police Command has launched an investigation into Friday’s free-for-all between a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs Mariam Ali and the state chairman of the ruling party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, in Asaba, the state capital.

Leadership learnt that the matter is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation De-

partment (CID) of the command.

It was gathered that the police action was sequel to a formal complaint of assault made against Nwaoboshi by the PDP BoT member and wife of a former national chairman of the party, Ahmadu Ali. Ali was beaten up in a brawl with Nwaoboshi at the secretariat of the party in Asaba, on Friday. Her two aides were also thoroughly beaten up by suspected aides of the PDP chair-

man.

The embattled aides also made statements to the police yesterday.

The brawl followed a controversy over sitting arrangement on the high table at a ceremony where official vehicles were presented to the chairmen of the party in the 25 local government councils of the state.

Ali, who was pushed out of the seat purportedly reserved for the state deputy governor,

Prof Amos Utuama, had protested her shabby treatment by the leadership of the party in the state. The BoT member, who is also special adviser to the president on inter-governmental affairs, protested that no seat was reserved for her on the high table despite her status as a national leader of the party.

Nwaoboshi was reported to have dismissed her argument.

The ensuing altercation later degenerated into fisticuffs.

short news NILS Trains NASS Staff, CSOS On Policy Advocacy The National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS) has organised a training for civil society organisations in the country and members of staff of the National Assembly to improve their capacity to engage productively with the legislature.

Director general of the institute, Dr Ladi Hamalai, said while declaring the training open L-R: Corps marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Osita Chidoka, decorating the newly promoted assistant corps mar- yesterday, that it shal, Julius Asom, assisted by the chairman, FRSC Board, Felix Chukwu, during the decoration of the newly promoted officers of the was aimed at also corps in Abuja. PHOTO BY ADEFEMI ADEWUYI. building a synergy between the two bodies.

Represented by the director ing and replacing the old num- anated from the National Road

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja of research and bers with the new vehicle num- Traffic Regulation (NRTR) 2012. training, Dr Sani Anambra State High Court sitting ber plates.

Section 36 of the regulations of Badayi, the direcat Awka in Anambra State has said In his judgement, the chief 2012 stipulates as follows: “All pritor general said that the Federal Road Safety Com- judge of the court, Justice Peter vate and commercial vehicles shall the institute unmission (FRSC) has legal powers Umeadi said, “I see that the six is- from the commencement of these derstands the role to make regulations regarding the sues for determination distilled by Regulations have in them Vehiof the bodies in design and production of the new the respondent (FRSC) flow from cle Identification Number Plates strengthening the vehicle number plate and driver’s the eight reliefs of the applicant which shall (a) be carried by the workings of the licence.

(Chief Ajefo Ekwo). The relief No.1 motor vehicle on two plates which parliament, hence A Nigerian, Chief Ajefo Ekwo, tends to suggest that it was the re- shall conform to the requirements the decision to approached the court to challenge spondent who came up with the of these Regulations and (b) the further build the the constitutional powers of the idea to register vehicles by obtain- number plates shall be fixed (i) capacity of players FRSC to enforce compliance by all ing and replacing the old number in such a manner that each is not in the sector. motorists to its directive for the plates with new number plates. easily detachable and (ii) in an re-registration of motor vehicles “That could not be correct. The upright position or within 15 deBy Edegbe previously registered, by obtain- powers for such a directive em- grees of such position.”

Odemwingie, Abuja

FRSC Can Issue New Number Plates – Court

NBA: Okey Wali’s Emergence As NBA President Fraudulent – Falana

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has alleged that the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Okey Wali (SAN), emerged president of the association in the 2012 election through fraudulent means.

Speaking with LEADER-

SHIP in Abuja, Falana said members of the association will not allow a repeat of what happened in the 2012 election.

The umbrella body of lawyers in the country is expected to elect a new president that will lead the association for the next two years.

One of the candidates

in the 2012 election, Chief Emeka Ngige, who lost to Chief Wali, alleged that some dead persons’ names were found in the voter register.

Falana said, “Vigilance, as it is often said, is the price for liberty. In 2012, our election was manipulated in favour of Mr Okey Wali.

“Some of our members, who died several years ago voted from their graves.

People represented them and voted; so, the election was highly flawed. A petition was written by Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) and the allegations were confirmed but in the business of letting the sleeping dog lie, we decided to move on.”

news Lagos 43

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Islamic Cleric Blames Political Leaders For Insecurity Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Buhari Musa has blamed politicians for all the crisis in the country, appealed to then to fear God. He disclosed this at a Ramadan lecture organised by the lawmaker representing Ajeromi Ifelodun constituency 2, Hon. Abdulbaq Ladi Balogun held at Ajegunle Apapa, Lagos.

The cleric who spoke as the guest speaker said, politicians, you are the ones that spoilt everything; our leaders are not thinking about the well -being of the people but how to amass wealth. Leaders elsewhere are not wasteful, greedy and selfish like the ones we have here.

“It is Nigerians that asked for suffering and God gave it to them, or where else in the world do people use second hand clothes, cars and others.

“Whatever you do be mindful of death and be sure that people who find it hard to access you while you are alive will make jest of you when you die”, he said.

He also used the opportunity to calls on government to prevent the country being a dumping ground of others countries’ used product.

C J, LEADERSHIP News Editor, Others Bag Meritorious Award

By Olugbenga Soyele, Lagos

In recognition of their professionalism and contribution to the development of the judiciary, the Nation Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC) has bestowed a meritorious award on the Chief Judge, Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Auta, the group news editor of the LEADERSHIP newspaper, Tony Amokeodo and three others.

Other news editors also honoured were Davidson

Iriekpen of Thisday Newspaper, Alhaji Sina Aiyekoti of The Sun Newspaper, Kayode Mathew of the Vanguard Newspaper and a senior legal practitioner, Chief Felix Fagbohunge (SAN).

The awardees were honoured at the 2014 annual seminar/ award ceremony organized by the association in Lagos.

The event, which was attended by the cream of the Nigeria’s legal profession, corporate organisations, media chiefs and other journalists, was chaired by Justice Auta.

The chief judge who was represented at the event by Justice James Tsoho thanked the association for the gesture, saying that it will act as a motivation not only to him but to all the judges in the country to always be at their best.

The judge also stated that the honour will strengthen the good relationship between the courts and NAJUC, to make justice delivery more effective in the country.

While delivering a lecture on the topic, “The Importance of

ADR to the Nigerian Justice System and the Role of the Media,” the Director of Lagos Multi-Door Court House, LMDC, Mrs Caroline Etuk stressed the need for legal practitioners to embrace the concept of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

She also said, “I have always told them (lawyers) that with ADR, they can have multiple streams of income, but many lawyers are yet to believe that they can actually make more money practising ADR.”

short news Strike: Judicialry Workers Holds Crucial Meeting With Labour Minister Today

By Taiwo Ogunmola Omilani, Lagos

Lagos Judiciary Workers Join Nationwide Strike Judicial activities at the four divisions of the Lagos State High Court were yesterday paralysed as judiciary workers in the state joined their counterparts in others states of the federation on strike to press home their demand for the independence of the judiciary.

Judges, lawyers and litigants were locked out of the court premises to demonstrate their resolve and to solidarize with judiciary workers in Rivers State who are on strike to protest the presence of two headships of the Rivers State judiciary.

The two main gates of the headquarters court situated along Oba Akinjobi road GRA, Ikeja were locked by the workers to prevent litigants and their counsel from going into the court premises.

Workers at the other divisions of court on Lagos Island, Ikorodu, and Badagry also locked out judges, lawyers and other members of the public in compliance with the directive of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

High profile cases like the on going trial of the chairman of BiCourtney Ltd Dr. Wale Babalakin and that of the chairman, Cross Country Transport Company, Chief Bube Okorodudu fixed for hearing yesterday could not go on due to the workers’ strike.

By Olugbenga Soyele, Lagos

Lagos multi-door Court House under lock and key due to the ongoing strike by judiciary workers in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO BY NAN.

Fashola Carpets PDP Over Rally At Gani Fawehinmi Park

by GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos

Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday took a swipe at the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for storming the Gani Fawehinmi Park for a political rally after they criticised his government for building parks and gardens in the state.

Fashola, who faulted the party’s decision to stage at rally at the popular park last week Friday constructed by Lagos

State Government at the 2014 Tree Plant Campaign held in EtiOsa local Council Developmen tArea, said PDP had before now lampooned his government by saying the parks were built for the elite.

Fashola at the campaign with the theme: ‘Life Is Better With Trees’, said, “You will recall that the Gani Fawehinmi Park is one of the products of this Greening and Tree Planting initiative; there was no park there before till we

started.

“In 2012, when people rallied at that park in Ojota, to protest the anti-people policy of the subsidy removal by our opponents, early in the New Year (that was their New Year gift to Nigerians in 2012) people who went there to protest to rally against this policy were repelled by heavily armed security personnel. You remember? “They always turn security personnel against the people they are supposed to protect.”

Terrorism: Lagos Tasks School Heads On Security

By George Okojie, Lagos

Amid claims by terrorist sect, Boko Haram, of responsibility for recent bombing attacks on tank farms in Lagos, the state government has ordered all Principals and Head Teachers of its secondary and primary schools in the state to beef up security in their schools.

Special Adviser to the State Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai

Olukoga and the State Head of Service, Mrs. Josephine Williams, both gave the directive at an interactive session with the schools managers in the state.

They noted that the advice becomes imperative in view of the prevailing security challenges being experienced in various parts of the country.

Olukoga noted that government is concerned about the secu-

rity of pupils and students in their schools, adding that everything must be done to prevent any security breaches in public schools in the state.

He noted that the lives of the pupils and students are entrusted into the care of the school managers from the time they assembled in the schools in the morning till afternoon when schools close for the day, and urged the managers to

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu has summoned executives of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) for a meeting today over an industrial dispute embarked by the union last week which has shut down judicial activities across the country.

Meanwhile. the union has insisted that it will not suspend the strike until state governments begin implementing the Federal High Court judgment on the financial autonomy of the Judiciary.

A letter from the Ministry of labour, signed by the Director, Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Mrs C. Dike, urged the union to be at the Ministry by 4pm for a meeting with all stakeholders.

By Michael Oche, Abuja

be security conscious at all times to ensure that the state does not experience serious security breaches.

Olukoga counselled the school managers not to allow any strange person or occurrences happen within their school without challenging such a person and reporting such activity to the appropriate security agency that are better trained and equipped to handle such an occurrence.

44 news south-South south-East Wike Did Not Resign – Aide The Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Lambert Oparah has stated that the false news of purported resignation by the Minister of State for Education, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike was planted by opponents of the minister who are afraid of his rising profile as a PDP leader in Rivers State.

Reacting to sectional media reports over the weekened about the ministers’ resignation, Oparah stated that Wike enjoys the confidence of Mr. President and is doing his job well.

He said Chief Wike , just a few days ago, made public the education sector transformation under President Goodluck Jonathan which was well acclaimed by all.

“Chief Wike is busy working hard in the Ministry of Education to ensure the success of the president’s Transformation Agenda in the education sector,’’ he said.

By Millie Ibe, Abuja

Ex-Gov Obi Champions Crusade To Help The Poor Immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has bemoaned the condition of the less privileged in the country and urged the wealthy ones to pay attention to the improvement of the poor rather than indulge in frivolities.

The former governor made this call while reacting to questions from newsmen at Amichi, NnewiNorth local government area of Anambra State, during the traditional marriage ceremony of the son of owner of Chisco Motors company, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, Obinna Anyaegbu on how he intends to mark his 53rd birthday which comes up this month.

Obi stated that as he had always done, he had told his friends and other associates not to place any advertorial in the media to congratulate him but to donate such money to the poor.

By Okechukwu Obeta, Awka

Judicial Workers’ Strike: Lawyer Sues For Industrial Harmony As the judiciary workers in Abia state continued the nationwide strike yesterday, which saw both litigants and their counsel locked out at the Abia State high court premises, a prominent lawyer in Umuahia, Chief Maurice Ucheji, has criticized the government for not handling the labour dispute in a manner that that would have prevented the current strike.

He said that the issues between government and the Judiciary Staff Union had lingered for long, citing the warning strike by the union last year to buttress his point.

Ucheji urged the government to return to the negotiating table with the union leaders.

By Matthias Nwogu Umuahia

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

N/Delta Youths Reject 18% Derivation By Confab

By Osa Okhomina, Yenagoa

A Niger Delta-based peace advocacy group known as the Association of Youths for NonViolence,weekend, rejected the proposed derivation principle of 18 per cent for oil producing states and five per cent to northern states affected by Boko Haram insurgency, saying the people of the region are not beggars.

According to the group, the proposal by the Consensus Group of the National Conference was a reflection of the disdain and hatred for the people of the Niger

Delta region by a section of the norther region not interested in the unity and development of the nation.

The advocacy group,through its national coordinator, Comrade Kenedy West, argued that though the South-South delegates to the National Conference should be commended for the spirited efforts to insist on 100 per cent derivation formula, the proposal by the Consensus Group to increase the derivation by a paltry 5% to make it 18% and also allocate 5% to the North as a result of Boko Haram insurgency is sad,

provocative and a plan by a few to throw the country into war.

Comrade Kenedy West said the strong protest by few northern delegates against an appreciable increase in derivation formula to the Niger Delta region is a clear affirmation to the monetary inducement allegedly offered them by some northern governors to truncate any positive outcome of the National Conference on the nation.

He said, “The Niger Delta people are not satisfied with the beggarly nature of the proposed 18 per cent derivation to the re-

gion. Though the South-South delegates tried, the outcome is a clear reflection to the nature of funding by some northern governors for some Nnorthern delegates to scuttle any positive resolution taken by the national Conference.”

“It shows that some delegates from the Northern region are not interested in the unity of the country. The delegates have been made to ensure that the national conference sits on a keg of gun powder.But such pre-conceived notion by these myopic few shall be stopped.”

short news I Left PDP Over UNEP Report –Amaechi Rivers State governor and chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said the refusal of the Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government to implement the environmental assessment report of the United Nations Environment APC aspirant, House of Representatives, Katsina State, Hon Jamilu Mohammed welcoming Chief Stanley Agwara (second Programme (UNEP) left), Chief Ndubueze Uzoanya of Igbo Community to his office during a courtesy visit in Katsina. in Ogoni land was part of the reasons why he left the party.

The governor stated that the

By Patrick Ochoga, Benin City ing salaries for the months of are entitled to March and April federal government March to April 2014, failing which salaries. lack the political The current epileptic power sup- they would embark on strike.

According to him, the Union will to implement ply across the country may soon Addressing newsmen shortly af- want the monies owed workers the UNEP report get worse as the workers of the ter a meeting between the union to be paid within fourteen (14) to make the Sapele Power Station now gen- and the management at the week- days failure to do this, Manageenvironment erating 70 megawatts to the na- end, the Zonal Secretary of NUEE, ment should be held responsible habitable for tional grid are threatening to go Comrade J. N. Ndem said the for what might happen, especialthe people of on strike over unpaid salaries by Union made its position known on ly the disruption of work in NIPP Ogoni, including Eurafric, the new management of all issues discussed at the meeting that may arise. the provision of the station.

Chief operation officer of especially the issue of outstanding water and other The station chapter of the Na- salaries, adding that since Govern- Eurafric, Mr. Ebi Enaholo, said the infrastructural tional Union of Electricity Em- ment made provision for Novem- new management took over the development. ployees (NUEE) has given the new ber 2013 to April 2014 salaries station with effect from February

By Anayo management 14 days from July 11, before handing over to the new 21, and therefore not responsible Onukwugha, Port 2014, to pay them their outstand- management, those who worked for liabilities prior to that date.

Harcourt

Electricity Union Threatens Strike Over Unpaid Salaries

APC, PDP Chieftains Urge Ex-Gov Egwu To Run For Senate

By Obinna Ogbonnaya, Abakaliki

The grand reception organized to mark the 60th birthday anniversary of former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu at the weekend turned into political carnival as stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the state asked him to contest the

Ebonyi North senatorial district election in 2015.

Some of the stakeholders include: the senator representing, Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone, Senator Igwe Nwagu, Senator Anthony Agbo (Ebonyi North 2007-2011), former AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Jossy Eze, former ALGON chairman, Chief Emmanuel Uguru.

Others include former chairman of Afikpo North LGA, Barr Idu Igariwey, former Chairman of Ohaozara LGA and now chieftain of APC, Chief Chaka Nweze, and former Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board and APC governor aspirant in Ebonyi State, Chief Austin Edeze, former Secretary to the state government, Prof.

Ozo Nweke Ozo; former Com-

missioner for Works, Engr Paul Okorie, among others.

Chief Jossy Eze in his remark said: “We want to deliver the message we have and a plea, that we feel and we are convinced that God will bless it because it is a genuine demand; from the bottom of our heart that you continue to lead us in the capacity of senator representing Ebonyi North senatorial zone in 2015.”

news NATIONAL 45

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

FG’s Failure To Implement UNEP Report On Ogoni, Part Of Why I Left PDP – Amaechi Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has declared that failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led Federal government to implement the United Nations Environmental Protection Agency (UNEP) report on Ogoniland was part of the reasons why he left the party.

Amaechi stated this on Sunday at the thanksgiving celebration of former Council Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Gregory Nwidam at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Bane.

According to Amaechi, the PDP-led Federal Government lack the political will to implement the UNEP report to make the environment habitable for the people of Ogoni, including the provision of water and other infrastructural development.

He said, “After the verification and recommendation by the Agency to the Federal Government, they have refused to release the sum of $1million for the clean-up and development of the area. As I am talking to you today, the Federal Government is doing nothing about the UNEP report. $1million is about N160 billion, but the Federal Government has been spending billions in other places. But, you need to ask yourselves one question, what did Ogoni do against the federal government that they cannot release N160billion to save your environment.

“That is the reason I left PDP for APC, because, our interest is not protected in PDP. So, when they cannot give the people of Ogoni N160billion, which is not even enough for their kids to travel around America and London, if they cannot give to Ogoni people, why should you vote them?”

“What you should do is to punish them with your votes by voting them out in 2015. When you vote, you are not fighting for me, you are fighting for yourselves because, I have served as a Speaker for 8 years and also Governor for 8 years, what I need from God is long life. You need to fight for yourselves and save Rivers State as well,” Amaechi added.

Amaechi also urged the people of Khana and all Rivers people to register and identify with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to vote out the PDP in the 2015 general elections.

“Let me assure you that APC will win in 2015 in Rivers State.

You owe me a duty to get registered with APC. Go and register during the voters’ registration and get your voters card. I want to thank the people of Bane community and Khana people for their support, especially the celebrant, Hon. Gregory Nwidam for his promise that the people of Khana LGA will ensure APC wins in Rivers State in 2015,” Amaechi said.

By Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt

FG Sets Up Danjuma-led Committee To Help Boko Haram Victims

By Igho Oyoyo, Abuja

The federal government has constituted a Committee on Victims Support Fund to mobilize resources and administer appropriate support to victims of insurgency and Boko Haram terror activities all over the country.

In a statement signed by Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, President Goodluck Jonathan approved the composition and appointment of members of the Committee on Victims Support

Funds which Gen. TY Danjuma is the chairman, with Mr. Fola Adeola as deputy chairman, while, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, Alhaji Abdulsamad I. Rabiu, Alhaji Sani Dauda and Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija as members.

Members of the committee are Mr. Cosmas Maduka, Mr. Jim Ovia, Mr. Wale Tinubu, Alhaji Sani Sidi, DG, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Air Vice Marshal Tony Omenyi (Representing Defence Headquarters), CP Salisu Fagge, representing Nigerian Police Force, Mr. Saya-

na Yusuf, representing Department of State Services, Chief Uche Secondus, PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Alhaji Tijani Tunsah, APC Deputy National Chairman (North), representative of Christian Association of Nigeria, Representative of Jamaatul Nasril Islam (JNI), Chief (Mrs.) Nkechi Mba, among others.

Representing National Council of Women Societies, Prof.

Ben Angwe, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Representative of the United Nations

(UN), Representative of Department for International Development (DFID).

The rest of the members are Representative of Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID), Representative of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Alh. Balarabe Musa, Representing Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Two (2) Representatives of Local Civil society/ Youth Groups (Male & Female) and Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) as Secretariat.

short news SSS Rescues Kidnapped Coscharis Boss’ Elder Brother Operatives of the Department of State Service yesterday rescued the elder brother of Mr Cosmos Maduka, chairman of the Coscharis Group of Companies, Mr Pius Maduka, who was kidnapped nine days ago.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the operatives stormed Kaduna State High Court locked by staffs over the financial autonomy demand and independent of the judiciary in Kaduna, yesterday. the hideout in Orlu, PHOTO BY GBENGA ABIOLA. Imo State, where Pius was kept, in the early hours of yesterday and rescued him. One

By Bayo Oladeji, Abuja who have identified themselves as disenfranchisement of APC memof the kidnappers APC members have been told their bers may be the handwork of some was gunned down The All Progressives Congress PVCs are not ready. compromised INEC officials in the while four of them (APC) has raised the alarm that ‘’This is nothing but systematic state. were arrested. its members in Osun State are be- rigging from source,’’ it said, won‘’Anything short of an urgent Pius was kiding denied their Permanent Vot- dering why INEC, which is expect- resolution of the PVC crisis, which napped at Nnewi ers Cards (PVC) by INEC, in what ed to be a neutral umpire in the may have been instigated deliberin Anambra State seems a deliberate attempt to dis- election, will resort to actions that ately by unscrupulous elements from where he enfranchise them in the August 9 portray it as partisan and bereft of within INEC, will not augur well was moved to the governorship election in the state, credibility. for a free, fair and credible election hideout in Orlu in since only those who possess PVCs APC wondered whether this is on August 9,’’ APC said.

Imo State. will be allowed to vote. the reason why INEC had to push The party recalled that since it His abductors In a statement issued in Benin its REC in Osun aside to pave the first raised the alarm over the PVC were said to have yesterda by its National Publicity way for a malleable REC who will shenanigans in Osun, via a statedemanded and colSecretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, do the bidding of the PDP. ment it issued on July 6, the situlected N15 million the party said INEC had resorted The party challenged the INEC ation had gone from bad to worse, but failed to release to asking those who daily throng leadership to wade into the delay without INEC publicly refuting the him as they had its offices in Osun which party they in the distribution of PVCs in Osun, charges of deliberately disenfranpromised. belong to, and that almost all those since it is possible that this planned chising opposition voters.

By Chika Otuchikere, Abuja

APC Alleges Denial Of Voter Cards To Members – APC

Former Borno Gov, Modu Sheriff Dumps APC For PDP

By Abdullahi Umar, Abuja with agency report

A former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,

PDP. AIT twitter handle reports that the erstwhile governor announced his entry into the ruling PDP while addressing his teeming supporters at the Maiduguri Airport yesterday.

Modu Sheriff, who pledged

support for President Goodluck Jonathan if he eventually declares his interest in 2015 presidential election, however did not explain reasons behind his decision to dump the APC. But, a strong associate of the former governor, Inuwa Bwala

had earlier told newsmen that Sheriff was no longer comfortable with the structure of the APC and has decided to defect to the PDP. He was earlier quoted as saying, “He has defected and he is now in the PDP.”

46 NEWS

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

2014 Guber Poll:

OsunDECIDES

Saturday, August 9

Your Claims Won’t Earn You Governorship Ifon-Orolu, Ilobu, Erin-Osun To Enjoy Position, Aregbesola Tells Omisore Link Routes - Omisore

The Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the litany of claims of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Iyiola Omisore will not be enough to earn him victory in the August 9 governorship poll.

Aregbesola, through a statement by the director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, said as the state inches towards the August 9 date, Omisore, rather than explain to the people of Osun and other stakeholders what he intends to do differently, has dissipated energy in vain to discredit the various landmark projects of the Aregbesola administration.

“We acknowledge his capacity for lies, fraudulent claims, innuendoes

and fallacies. We, however, note that these are only the last resort for a candidate who knows the degree of the rejection he has suffered from the good people of Osun. “Omisore must take the Osun people for being daft to believe they will embrace his lies. In recent times, he has woven a litany of lies around all the projects of the Aregbesola administration such as Opon Imo, road contracts, school reforms, financial engineering, youth empowerment schemes, environmental development projects and others.

“But what Omisore appears to forget is the fact that the people are at the centre of these programmes and, therefore, they are the direct beneficiaries. Any attempt to

Aregbesola

discredit them easily fails,” the statement said. Reminding Omisore and his listeners how his many lies have been put to shame, the statement demanded from the PDP candidate how he intends to explain his almost one year of dubious claims of heavy indebtedness after the Debt Management Office came from the Presidency and faulted his claims.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore has assured Ifon-Orolu, Ilobu and Erin-Osun communities of link routes that will make it difficult for outsiders to distinguish one town from the other if elected as governor of the state.

Ifon-Orolu, the headquarters of Orolu local government, Ilobu, the headquarters of Irepodun local government and Erin-Osun are neighbouring communities in Osun State.

Addressing his supporters in Ifon Osun in continuation of his community-tocommunity campaign for his election in the August 9 governorship election in the state, Omisore noted that though it is difficult

to identify the boundaries of the towns, he would provide link routes that would encourage mutual relationship among the neighbouring towns.

Besides, he gave assurance that his administration if elected into office will develop infrastructures that would turn around the communities and make them towns to behold.

The former deputy governor of the state, who said his government would dwell more on the welfare of the rural inhabitants, described provision of quality roads as central to the transportation of farm produce from the rural to urban centres, thereby enhancing social and economic development of Osun.

While calling on those who have not obtained

Omisore

their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to collect them from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Office in Osogbo, Omisore contended that “this is the only weapon that you can use to bring about the long overdue needed change in Osun so that poverty, frustration and slavery can be finally stopped.”

By Joshua Dada, Osogbo

SOUTH-WEST Osun Commissioner Decries Sale Of Voter Cards In Osun Osun State commissioner for youths, sport and special needs, Mr Stephen Kola-Balogun has expressed concern over alleged dubious act of collection of voter cards from youths and the elderly by some politicians across the state.

Speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, Kola-Balogun described the situation where youths and elderly people are being lured into such act as undemocratic, wicked and criminal.

He warned politicians to desist from such acts or face the wrath of the law.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned its supporters that they will become slaves to criminals if they allow themselves to be deceived into signing the ‘Omo ilu’ form allegedly being circulated with the inducement of money.

The APC director of publicity in Osun, Kunle Oyatomi, alleged in a statement that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is cajoling voters to swear to an oath of perpetual allegiance to the party for a reward after filling a form in which the voter indicates the VIN number of his or her voter card and a passport photograph.

By Joshua Dada, Osogbo

Tribunal: APC’s Action Over Ekiti Guber In Line With Electoral Law – INEC

BY ALO ABIOLA, Ado Ekiti

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said that it was not surprised by the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge the outcome of the June 21 Governorship election in Ekiti State.

The resident electoral commissioner in the state, Alhaji Halilu Pai said this in a telephone chat with journalists yesterday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

Pai, who spoke through the commission’s public relations officer, Taiwo Gbadegesin, said the

APC’s action was in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended.

Pai was reacting to the petition filed by the Ekiti APC chairman, Chief Jide Awe, on behalf of the party at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti last Saturday, seeking to invalidate the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Mr Ayodele Fayose in the election.

He disclosed that the grounds of the petition centred majorly on alleged manipulation, undue militarisation, impeachment as well as EFCC cases hanging on the governor-elect, claiming that

Fayose was not qualified in the first place to participate in the election.

Ekiti 2014: I’m Not Bothered

By APC’s Challenge – Fayose Meanwhile, Ekiti State governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose has said that he is not bothered by the resolve of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge his victory at the Election Tribunal.

Speaking through his media adviser, Mr Idowu Adelusi in Ado-Ekiti, he said no individual or group has the right to declare him unfit to contest the recently concluded poll which he won.

Osun PDP Expels Deputy Chairman, Ex-Secretary, 4 Others

BY JOSHUA DADA, Osogbo

The leadership of the Osun State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expelled six chieftains of the party.

A statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary, Hon Bola Ajao listed those affected as the deputy chairman of the par-

ty, Barrister Bashiru Salam, former secretary, Mr Yinka Adeojo, current secretary, Major Raphael Towobola (rtd), Mr Teslim Igbalaye, former chairman, Osogbo local government, Alhaji Rasaq Oyetunji and Mr Rasaq Oyelami.

The statement said that the affected party chieftains were expelled over alleged anti-party

activities and the decision to expel them was taken at the State Working Committee meeting of the party.

Reacting, the current secretary of the party, Mr Raphael Towobola described the purported expulsion as a huge joke, saying he remains the state scribe of the party.

SHORT NEWS Courts Deserted As Federal, Appeal Courts Begin Vacation Judicial activities in Ekiti State have become completely grounded as both the Federal High Court and Appeal Court commenced their annual vacation.

The state judiciary had ceased to function with virtually all court rooms under lock and key following last week’s nationwide strike declared by the Judiciary Workers Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

The situation was compounded by the vacation of the Federal High Court which commenced yesterday, and that of the Appeal Court which begins today.

By Alo Abiola, Ado-Ekiti

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

zonal watch

ANAMBRA IMO ABIA EBONYI ENUGU

Abia Tasks Town Planners To Re-design Aba To Boost Trade, Commerce

BY MATTHIAS NWOGU, Umuahia

The deputy general manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has called on town planners to redesign Aba, in order to attract investors into the commercial nerve centre of the state, as well as boost trade and commerce in the city.

Speaking at the 2014 launching of the Abia State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) in Aba, the

ASEPA boss tasked the town planners to do their best for Aba to regain its enviable position as one of the best planned cities in the country.

He described Aba as accessible from the major cities in both the South-East and South-South geo-political zones, adding that Aba’s central position demands that town planners should do more to make it a world-class city, so as to boost its trade and commerce.

The state commissioner for physical planning and urban re-

newal, Elder Godwin Nna, said there was need for a synergy between government and the private sector in the physical planning of urban centres.

According to him, this would help to actualise government’s aim of creating orderly, viable and pleasantly habitable urban cities.

He said with population growth and increased activities in cities like Aba, town planners have additional challenges to come up with ideas that would transform Aba into

a modern city.

The commissioner explained that the synergy between the state government, the private sector and other stakeholders in urbanisation had become necessary in view of government’s lean resources as well as the poor public awareness on the gains of physical planning.

He urged the town planners to draw up a roadmap for planning, noting that the state has competent and quality professionals that would help achieve the set goals.

APGA’ll Win Imo In 2015 – Iheanacho

BY STANLEY UZOARU, Owerri

Commissioner for information and culture, Anambra State, Mr Tony Onyima (right), in a handshake with the state chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Henry Nwasike, at the presentation of a bus to NUJ by the state government at Awka over the weekend, while state NUJ secretary, Comrade Ifeoma Anumba (JP) (3rd left), chairman, Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Betty Onuchukwu, and other journalists look with admiration.

Gov Obiano Solicits Partnership With Media Practitioners

BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka

Anambra State governor Willie Obiano has solicited partnership with media practitioners in the state to enable his administration deliver on its promises to the citizenry.

Speaking through the state commissioner for information and culture, Mr Tony Onyima, at a one-day train-

ing-cum-interactive session with media practitioners in the state, held at Awka at the weekend, Governor Obiano reminded journalists of the need to embrace developmental journalism which entails constructive and positive reportage to enhance the welfare and interest of the populace.

The governor also on the

occasion donated a brand new 18-seater bus to the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), to enhance the operations of the union, and urged the leadership to strive to ensure that it’s members imbibe the culture of responsible and development -oriented journalism, instead of embarking on sensational reportage.

Shun Corruption, Cleric Urges Nigerian Leaders

BY NNAMDI MBAWIKE, Enugu

The Anglican Bishop of Enugu North Diocese, Rt. Rev. Sosthenes Eze, has urged Nigerian leaders to shun corruption, stressing that they should stop diverting the country’s resources into their pockets.

He spoke at the second session of the second synod of the Anglican Diocese of Enugu North which took place at the Cathedral Church

of St. Mary, Ngwo, Enugu North local government area.

Speaking on the theme “The Challenges of Living in a Corrupt Generation”, Bishop Eze averred that corruption was a colossal problem, urging religious leaders to sit up and stand firm for the truth.

The cleric stressed the need for all hands to be on deck in order to transform the nation, adding that God cannot come down to do it by

Himself.

He assured that Nigeria was still redeemable, and restated his call on leaders at all levels to shun corruption.

Also speaking, the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese and Archbishop of Ecclesiastical Province of Enugu, Rev Dr Emmanuel Chukwuma kicked against the zoning of the governorship position to Enugu North Senatorial Zone by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A frontline governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, has promised to revamp the state’s ailing economy if elected into office in 2015.

The former minister who made this promise while interacting with newsmen in Owerri, said he would achieve the task by introducing certain economic and management practices into the governance of the state, adding that he would revive the key sectors of the economy such as industry and agriculture as well as restore accountability in the system.

He said: “The major problem we have in Imo and many other states in the country is that people are not encouraged to run a balanced economy. What they presently do is to superintend the distribution of resources that always come from the centre.

“They really don’t care to make their states economically viable by producing goods and services that can earn their states’ good income for further development.

“Having built and run very big businesses before now, I strongly believe that if some of those practices are carefully adopted in the governance of Imo State, our ailing economy will be ultimately revived”.

He admitted that Imo is presently confronted with many problems that could only be addressed by implementing sound policies and programmes for the state to move forward.

“It is a clear fact that Imo is confronted with many problems including youth unemployment, poor quality education, an education system that does not synchronise with technological and economic development requirements of the state.

47

48 onal watch (South-East)

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

project report

Abia Moves To Increase Igr, Abolishes Multiple Taxation

MATTHIAS NWOGU, Umuahia

It has become a tradition for most states in the country to depend on the statutory monthly federal government allocations to fund their capital and recurrent expenditures. For such states, very little effort is made to generate revenue internally to meet their constitutional commitments to the people.

And even when some states try to increase their internally generated revenue (IGR) profile, the bulk of the money finds its way into private pockets.

In some other states, citizens are subjected to double taxation and payment of various unauthorised levies. Sadly enough, a large chunk of this money is not remitted into government coffers.

Apparently to introduce sanity in the collection of taxes and levies in the state, and in the process, increase its internally generated revenue, the Abia State government last week convened the maiden Abia State Revenue Summit, the first of its kind in the country.

The theme of the summit was: “Abia State Internally Generated Revenue: The Way Forward”.

The theme of the summit was considered to be apt, as previous methods introduced by the government to generate revenue seemed not to have produced positive results.

The summit was attended by representatives of traders’ association, artisans, private school operators and several tax payers from different segments of the society.

The chairman of the summit, Prof Onwudike, a former vice chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUA), who is currently attached to Rhema University, Aba, underscored the importance of shoring up the internally generated revenue (IGR) profile of the state, as according to him, the present scenario where 85% of the revenue of some states come from the federal allocation is economically unhealthy.

He commended the state governor, Theodore Orji, for initiating the summit, and expressed optimism that the summit would produce a blueprint to increase the state’s IGR, while at the same time annulling multiple taxation in the state.

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Orji appealed to those who had in the past evaded paying their taxes to pay same as at when

Egwu

News Behind The News

National Confab, Waste Of Public Funds – Don

L-R Prof O. C. Onwudike, chairman of the occasion, Abia State governor Theodore Orji, his deputy, Sir Emeka Ananaba and Chief Philip Ntoh, commissioner for finance, observing the national anthem at the 1st Abia Revenue Summit in Umuahia.

BY OBINNA OGBONNAYA, Abakaliki

due to enable his government provide them with the dividends of democracy. He promised that the tax regime would be affordable.

“We want to give you taxes you can pay without grudging or that will not be too heavy on you for you to start agitating. That is why we have summoned this meeting to explain to you that it is not the intention of the government to impose heavy taxes on you. I am elected by you to make things easy for you.

“Having given me your mandate, it is for me to alleviate your problems. I don’t have any reason to over-burden you with taxes. We now want our people to pay their taxes straight to the government, through the bank directly. Don’t pay to these people who come with security men to harass innocent persons at the markets trying to eke out a living”, he said.

He criticised the activities of some civil servants assigned to collect taxes who print their own tickets/receipts, only to return a paltry sum of money to government, while they put the bulk of the money in their private pockets.

“We are now determined to stop the fraudulent practice as well as these leakages”, said Governor Orji.

He continued: “When I came on board, the internally generated revenue of the state was N250 million. I made it up to N500 million. Our salvation is our revenue generation. We are sincere in whatever we are doing.

“My expectation from the summit is that the final document that will be produced would become a valid document and a reference point for equitable, fair, just and humane taxation for all of us. It is also my expectation that the final document would also be implementable and the taxes collectable. We don’t want

The former deputy provost, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Prof Egwu U. Egwu, has described the ongoing national conference as a waste of public funds, just as he expressed fear that the decisions reached at the conference might not be implemented.

He spoke at the weekend in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, at a public lecture organised as part of activities to mark the 60th birthday anniversary of the former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr Sam Ominyi Egwu, who is currently a delegate at the conference from the state.

The former deputy provost said the delegates are “having a good time in Abuja”, adding that the conference would be a failure if the delegates fail to transform the country from a unitary system to a true federal system of government.

He said: “Our forefathers wanted regions because in true federalism, the centre must be weak and the component units strong... federations are run based on constitutionalism and rule of law; federations are run through bargaining. It must guarantee national unity and maintain national diversity,” he said.

Prof Egwu who spoke on the topic: “Nigeria at Crossroads, the Challenge of Nationhood”, dismissed insinuations that the country is at crossroads; rather, he said “we are building on what the colonial masters and our forefathers bequeathed to us”.

On the security challenges facing the country, Prof Egwu was optimistic that the country would not disintegrate, though he said it would continue to wobble and fumble until the present political actors begin to probe the faulty foundation laid by the colonial masters and consolidated by early nationalists.

He described Nigeria as an important country in the African continent as well as the Black race, saying if Nigeria succeeds, the Black race would succeed, but if it fails, the Black race would follow suit.

In his remarks, the celebrant, Dr Sam Egwu, dismissed the suggestion that the confab was a waste of time and money, arguing that the conference provides an opportunity to probe into the mistakes of the past, especially since Nigerians were not consulted before the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914.

The national conference is expected to gulp about N7billion of tax payers’ money.

This is yet another legacy that our government is leaving for Abia. If we achieve it, it becomes a legacy for future administrations in the state

a document that we cannot implement.

“This is yet another legacy that our government is leaving for Abia.

If we achieve it, it becomes a legacy for future administrations in the state.

The commissioner for finance, Dr Philips Nto, regretted that about 500 fees and levies had been imposed on tax payers by the three tiers of government, describing this as a “heavy yoke” on tax payers.

He said the state government had decided to harmonise, and even democratise the payment of taxes in the state.

He said: “As part of the democratisation and harmonisation of tax, every agency or ministry of government that has anything to do with generation of revenue would have a Ministerial Revenue Coordinating Committee to be headed by a permanent secretary, with some members drawn from the private sector.

He announced the ban on the use of police in revenue drive in the state, adding that he would communicate the decision of the government in this respect to the commissioner of police in the state.

Until recently, multiple taxation was the order of the day in the state. That is not all. The tax collectors – assisted by uniformed and armed security personnel - applied forceful means to get money out of their victims, particularly in Aba and Umuahia, the state capital. Even vegetable and pepper sellers who spread their items on the ground in the free zone areas of the major markets in the two cities are forced to pay taxes or levies.

It was against this backdrop that Governor Orji recently directed that taxes and levies should be paid directly to government designated banks, thereby stopping the illegal activities of some revenue collectors in the state.

issues 49

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The National Conference And Nigeria’s Unity

By COL YAKUBU BAKO

Another vexing area to be looked into is the issue of market stall allocation.

It does not make sense when large number of Igbo traders are occupying stores/ shops at Sabon Gari Market, Kano, Balogun Market Lagos, Alaba Market, Alaba – Lagos.

The National Conference is expected to correct lots of ills of present day Nigeria. The Almalgation of the North and the South has been described in some quarters as a huge “mistake”.

The National Conference must address this “mistake”. Some part of the country is seen as parasite to the others and so this must be addressed in terms of resources control. The Central Government with its high revenue, Military, Police and other para-military agencies is seen as too powerful thus a solution must be found.

Some Nigerians are agitating that the continued unity of the country Nigeria must also be discussed.

Should the country remain one, be a confederation or a loose of federating units that will be called Nigeria?

Let us take each proposed federating unit one by one. The entire South West will be a region on its own. Will all the Yorubas get fair treatment, Yorubas from other States shall cease to hold political offices in Lagos State, and allow only true Lagosians to govern themselves. Will present Ogun State be denied leadership of the Region or national leadership of the country? This is so because since Nigeria Almagation, the Yorubas of Ogun State have not allowed other Yorubas to hold national political positions. During the First Republic, the Leader of Opposition was Chief Obafemi Awolowo from Ogun State. With General Gowon as the Chairman of Federal Executive Council, Chief Awolowo was his vice. When General Gowon left the scene, General Murtala Mohammed came in with General Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State as his second-in command. With the death of General Murtala Mohammed, General Obasanjo from Ogun State became the Head of State. When General Ibrahim Babangida planned to hand over to Civil rule, the Central figure was Chief MKO Abiola from Ogun State, and June 12 is associated with Chief Abiola from Ogun State. Even when General Babangida stepped aside, he handed over the country to Chief Enest Shonekan, again from Ogun State. With the stepping in of Late General Sani Abacha, he picked General Oladipo Diya from Ogun State again as his second-incommand. General Abdussalami Abubakar when handing over to a Civilian administration, gave the mantle of country’s leadership to Chief Mathew Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, once again from Ogun State. Will other Yorubas allow this to continue. Talking of Ogun State, will other Yorubas in Ogun State allow the Yewas rulership of their federating unit, because the Yewas have been marginalized for a very long time in Ogun State.

The South South as a Federating Unit, Hmm: The people of Ogoni

that has been clamouring for self-determination may opt out to be on their own. Will the Ikwerre/Etche people allow the Kalabari or the Ekpenyi-Egeni or the Ijaws to lord it over them.

Each of these group would want to be master of its destiny. The people of present day Edo and Delta States are part of the South South. I believe the Urhobos and the Itsekiri will shake hands and embrace themselves in the new federating unit of South South Region, but then what happens to the minority Isoko people? The people of Anioma that have been marginalized since Chief Dennis Osadebe, what becomes of them?

The ancient Bini Kingdom must exercise its superiority over others.

God bless the Afemis because they will not be allowed to be treated as second class citizen of the Region.

There is a very good and cordial relationship between the Ibibios, the Annangs, the Oros, the Ekids, the Andonis and the Efik of Uruan of present day Akwa Ibom State, so they will easily be assimilated into the South South region. In Cross River State, the Efiks, the people of Old Ogoja province and the Awa people may not opt out of South South Region, because their marginalization will end.

The people of South East Region will surely be united for the actualization of South East Region.

As a region, will the elegant, the people with snob-appeal but not snobbish, and the proud pea-cock of Onitsha people be classified as Igbos. I believe they would want to be known as Ibos while the rest South East region are called Igbos.

The Owerri people with their sweet melody dialect may want a separate entity for themselves.

I did not mention the ever hard working Wawa people. What a peaceful region the South East will be. After the creation of South East region, I believe there will be two factions of Ohanezes. There will be Ohaneze Ndi-Ibo for the Onitsha people and another Ohaneze NdiIgbo for the rest of the people.

Owerri people may even come up with their own Ohaneze NdiOwerri due to their differences in dialect.

The North West region surely and definitely will not be immersed with religious and ethnics crises.

There are so many languages that such a region may not be feasible except the Hausa/Fulani will be the only ethnic group. This is true of the North Central region where the minority groups who are mostly Christians will feel marginalized. They may opt out and form their own region based on religious affiliation. But the question one would ask is will the Idomas that have been so marginalized in present day Benue State be very comfortable in a new federating Unit where you have other ethnic groups from Kebbi, Niger, Southern Kaduna, Plateau and Zamfara that will form the new religious Federating Unit?

The North East Region has same peculiarity/similarity with the North Central but there is the likelihood that some part of the North East region may even decide to join our neighbouring countries.

The Christian minority from the North East may even join their counterparts in North Central region to form an independent new region. Only God knows the number of Federating units that will come out of present Nigeria.

Resource control has been a very serious issue that must be addressed properly. From the larger resources to the minutes resources. Let us agree that every community, ethnic group or zone should control its God given resources. The Oil producing State should control theirs resources.

It makes no sense when Niger and other States produce the large volume of electricity power supplies, yet the Distribution Centre is located in Osogbo. Niger, Kogi, Kwara and any other Solid mineral producing States should control their resources.

There is a recent court case where the Ojora family in Lagos has been given back their land.

That is their God given natural resources so they should in fairness control it. The same thing should happen to the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja. The original owners of Abuja should manage their God given natural resources (Land). House and home owners must pay annual rental fees to the original owners of Abuja in the spirit of resource control.

Another vexing area to be looked into is the issue of market stall allocation. It does not make sense when large number of Igbo traders are occupying stores/ shops at Sabon Gari Market, Kano, Balogun Market Lagos, Alaba Market, Alaba – Lagos; Itan Junction market, Uyo; yet one can never find an Hausa trader nor Yoruba trader not to talk of Ibibio trader at Ariaria Market in Aba nor Onitsha Market. These animolies must be addressed.

Resource control should address the issue of private establishment personnel recruitments in various States. You can not have Unity Bank in Lagos and have most of its Staff from the North. Same thing in the North where you have banks and private companies manned by non-Northerners. Each state should control the recruitment of personnel into private establishments that exist in each State in line with the clamour for resources control. One can not have a private establishment in Ekiti State making lots of profits from the Ekiti people’s patronage, yet such establishment is seventy percent (70%) staffed by Ijaw people. This will be unfair to Ekiti people and against the spirit of resources control.

Let us look at the issue of each zone or ethnic group going its separate way, where there will be

Col Yakubu Bako

no country called Nigeria. What if the Muslim Hausa/Fulani of the North decide to form one country to be called Songhai. The entire Middle Belt will surely come up will a country of their own where they will be master of their own destiny.

What becomes of the Kanuris of the North East. They may decide to go it alone for a country to be called Republic of Kanuri. But then can the entire Northern States be broken into only three separate countries?

The South East Zone will definitely opt out and become Republic of Biafra. However one may begin to ponder whether the Onitsha Ibo people will not team up with their kit and kin across the River Niger to form a new country, made up of only Ibo people.

The South South zone will witness the emergence of many countries. The Izons (Ijaws) of Bayelsa State with its natural resources will declare a NationState of its own. The Ogoni ethnic group will seize the opportunity to go it alone. The Ikwerre and the Etche people will not join the Biafra Republic so would declare their own country, after all they are blessed with natural resources.

In Akwa Ibom State, the Ekid people of Eket Senatorial District which produces the Crude Oil may decide to be on its own. Then what becomes of the Ibibios, the Annangs, and the Oro people? Will they join the Ekid or form a new Country. For sure, the Andonis of Akwa Ibom will join the Andonis of Rivers State to form a new NationState. There will be no end to the continual breaking up of Nigeria if we decide to do so.

The National Conference should come up with an acceptable solution that will see to the continuous existence of Nigeria.

The idea that some group are parasite most be jettisized/ discarded. The notion that some group are born to rule this country does not hold ground anymore, because all the six geopolitical zones have produced Prime Minister/Heads of State/ President of this country. Finally members of the conference should avoid the act of dissonance so that they will always march their words with actions.

– Col Bako (rtd) is the former Akwa Ibom State governor

50

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

world

news World War One On Bastille Day

Soldiers carrying the flags of 69 countries have walked down the Champs-Elysees in Paris as France’s Bastille Day military parade commemorates the start of the French Revolution, and this year, the centenary of World

War One. France invited all the countries that were involved in the conflict, with former allies and enemies participating together in Monday’s ceremony as a symbol of peace.

➏ Costa Concordia Wreck Raised From Under-sea Platform

The wrecked Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia has been successfully raised from the undersea platform it has been resting on for the past year, salvage workers say.

The wreck - the target of one of

the biggest maritime salvage operations in history - is now floating about 1m (3ft) off the platform.

In all, the refloating operation is expected to take six or seven days.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rocket fire on Israel have continued, on the seventh day of Israel’s operation against Palestinian militants.

Palestinian officials say 172 people in Gaza have been killed

since the offensive began last Tuesday.

Israel says nearly 1,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza in that time. It said it shot down a Palestinian drone near Ashdod on Monday morning.

➏

➍➊ ➎ ➋ ➐ ➌

➎ France Marks

➊ Ukraine Military ➋ UN Authorises

Plane Shot Down As Cross-border Aid To Syrians Fighting Rages A Ukrainian military transport aircraft has been shot down in the east, amid fighting with separatist rebels, Ukrainian officials say.

The An-26 plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500m (21,325ft), a statement on the presidential website said.

The UN Security Council has authorised humanitarian access without Syrian government consent at four border crossings into rebelheld areas from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, although Syria has warned it deems such deliveries an attack.

The Spread Of MERS To date, 538 people have been infected by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The number of reported cases have dramatically increased since mid-March 2014, according to a report by WHO and CDC.

The virus causes an acute respiratory illness, fever, cough and shortness of breath.

49 The median age of persons affected

INFOGRAPHICS BY Matthew Akhabue

69% Percentage of the cases that are male

➌ Mali Clashes Leaves

19% 19% of cases are in health-care workers

➍ Church Of England

More Than 30 Dead

Okays Women Bishops

More than 30 people have been killed in clashes in the desert of northern Mali, the army and Tuareg rebels said, just days before the start of internationallybrokered peace talks.

An army source told the Reuters news agency on Sunday that 37 people had been killed in clashes which began on Friday in the northern desert area between

The Church of England has voted to allow women priests to be ordained as bishops, overturning centuries of tradition in a church that has been deeply divided over the issue.

After almost five hours of debate, the General Synod, the governing body of the Church of England, approved on Monday the proposal to allow women to take up senior roles in the Church.

➐ Israeli Strikes On

Gaza Enter Seventh Day

WORLD NEWS 51

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Citigroup Pays $7bn In Settlement JPMorgan Chase paid $13bn last year to settle government investigations.

The Citigroup fines are said to have surprised stock analysts and people inside the bank, who had hoped to settle for less.

According to the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, “under the terms of this settlement, the bank has admitted to its misdeeds in Residents in eastern Ukraine boarding buses to Russia great detail”.

He said the settlement “does not absolve Citigroup or its employees from facing any possible criminal charges in the future”.

Banking giant Citigroup will pay to $48.70 (£28.50).

Citigroup’s chief executive, $7bn (£4bn) to US authorities to Second-quarter earnings fell by settle an investigation into risky 96% to $181m, but that was after Michael L Corbat, said that the Ukraine forces have ended a re- “find and destroy” the separatists sub-prime mortgages. a $3.8bn (£2.2bn) charge related decision was the right one for bel blockade of a strategic airport who killed 23 servicemen in rockin the east, killing at least 30 re- et strikes on Friday, went on the shareholders.

Citigroup will pay $4bn (£bn) to the settlement. to the Department of Justice and The settlement stems from the “We believe that this settlement bels, as the country traded charges offensive across a broad range of $2.5bn for “consumer relief”. sale of securities made up of sub- is in the best interests of our and threats with Russia, over vio- targets at the border town of LuConsumer relief includes prime mortgages, which were at shareholders, and allows us to lations of their joint border dur- hansk.

Amid the military action, seinvestment in affordable homes the centre of the 2008 financial move forward and to focus on ing a weekend of fierce military curity officials said contact had and mortgage relief. crisis. the future, not the past,” he said. combat.

Ukraine’s military said on been lost with a government ANFollowing the decision, the Citigroup is the second major Investors welcomed the Monday that its warplanes had 26 military transport plane over bank reported a stronger than bank to pay a settlement since decision, as the company’s share inflicted heavy losses on the pro- the Luhansk region. predicted quarterly profit, and President Obama launched an price rose in New York trading.

Russian separatists during air A spokesman for the so-called saw its share price rise by 3.62% investigation into housing loans.

—BBC strikes on their positions around Luhansk People’s Republic conLuhansk airport. An armoured firmed on Monday that 30 volLondon-listed drugmaker running courtship largely US stocks rose yesterday, convoy, which Kiev said had unteer fighters had been killed in sparked by the latest flurry Shire Plc (SHP.L) said it was motivated by tax rates. crossed the border from Russia, Ukrainian fire on Oleksandrivka, of merger activity and earn- ready to recommend to U.S.-listed shares of Shire was also hit. a village to the east of the town, ings from Citigroup, put- agree to an increased 31 (SHPG.O) rose 1.4 percent to Government forces, taking the Russia’s Interfax news agency ting the S&P 500 on pace to billion pounds ($53 billion) $252.48 while Abbvie shed lead from Ukrainian President said. climb for a second straight takeover offer from Abbvie 1.2 per cent to $54.30.

—Al Jazeera Petro Poroshenko who swore to —Reuters Inc (ABBV.N), ending a longsession.

UKRAINE CRISIS Forces Break Rebel Airport Blockade

Wall Street Climbs On Citi Earnings, M&A Boost

WELFARE Nigeria, USA Partner To Improve Orphans’ Plight

By Ugochukwu Iroka, Abuja

The welfare of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) took centre-stage when mission director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nigeria Michael T. Harvey joined Minister of Women’s Affairs Hajia Zainab Maina to mark the end of USAID’s Community-based Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CUBS) activity.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Harvey said USAID would continue to facilitate lasting partnerships and systems to promote tangible policies for OVCs in Nigeria.

“The work for disadvantaged children in Nigeria is far from over. We know this because the 2013 Nigerian Demo-

graphic and Health Survey indicates that nine percent of children in Nigeria are orphans or are vulnerable due to illnesses of adult household members,” he said.

Mr. Harvey added that USAID would continue to work with the government of Nigeria on successor programs.

The dissemination meeting highlighted how partnerships with the government of Nigeria and civil society organizations (CSOs) can strengthen social welfare systems for OVCs in Nigeria.

CUBS, through a variety of community-based, family-centered approaches, successfully reached close to 50,000 children in 12,500 households, providing food/nutrition, health, education, shelter, psychosocial care, protection, and skills.

CORRUPTION: Hollande Denies Influencing Justice On Sarkozy’s Scandal

By Halima Tiffi, With Agency Report

French president, Francois Hollande has denied influencing the justice system in a corruption scandal surrounding Nicolas Sarkozy after the former president claimed he was the victim of “political interference.”

“I did not do it (influence the justice system) but I couldn’t even have thought about it as it goes so, is against the conception of democracy and also

the spirit of my responsibility,” he said in an interview on France’s national day.

Sarkozy has been hit by a series of graft allegations. He was charged several weeks ago with corruption and influence peddling over an alleged attempt to interfere in judicial proceedings in another case.

Hollade vehemently denies the charges denouncing “political interference” during the television interview.

52 Analysis

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Iraq’s Tailors Profit As Conflict Deepens

“W

As demand has soared, so have prices. A single uniform once sold for about $40, but the price has now gone up to $60.

Meanwhile, the factory’s income has gone up to $900 a day

e haven’t worked like this since the Iran-Iraq war,” said Abu Mohammad, a 60-year-old tailor who has spent more than 45 years making army uniforms. “We used to make three uniforms a day. Now we make 35 or 40.”

Soon after Sunni fighters led by the Islamic State group, formally known as ISIL, took over the northern city of Mosul on June 10, Abu Mohammad saw a spike in the demand for the army and police uniforms he produces at his factory in Baghdad’s Zaramly Market.

Sales rocketed when Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most senior Shia leader, called on “all able-bodied Iraqis” to take up arms against Islamic State. Thousands of young, mostly Shia men headed to recruitment centres to volunteer for service in the national army and loyalist militias - and they all needed uniforms. Abu Mohammad said making the clothes is his response to Sistani’s call to arms.

As demand has soared, so have prices. A single uniform once sold for about $40, but the price has now gone up to $60. Meanwhile, the factory’s income has gone up to $900 a day.

“The cloth merchants are the ones causing hardship,” said Abu Mohammad, who employs six other staff members. “I didn’t raise the price I charge for my work, but they have tripled the price of khaki cloth.

A square metre used to be $4, now it’s gone up to $12.”

But Abu Mohammad said he endures threats from armed men who visit his workshop.

On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen set off a bomb outside a row of shops selling military clothes, not far from the workshop. But here and in 15 other uniform factories on nearby streets, work carries on day and night.

“We make uniforms for various armed forces - desert khakis for the army, blue for the police and black for the special forces,” said Abu Mohammad.

Abu Mohammad said he asks for identification and rank before he will sell uniforms to officers. But he sells other uniforms without ID. “There’s no guarantee they won’t go to militias, but we try to ask them what unit they’re in, or find out other information,” he said.

Tailor, Abu Mohammad working on a military uniforms in his shop

Adnan Naamah Salman, a former army officer who is now a security analyst, warned of the dangers of selling the clothes to people without proper identification.

Not far from Abu Mohammad’s factory, another tailor said his sales had spiked since the events in the north.

Hazim al-Shuwaily produces flags bearing the insignia of tribes and military units, as well as Iraq’s national flag.

“Before recent events, sales of Iraqi national flags were quite good, they were the mainstay of our sales list,” he said.

“Army commanders, for example, ordered big Iraqi flags, then the flags of their units in a slightly smaller size.

Tribal elders would order big Iraqi flags, and also buy flags with the symbols and colours of their tribes - my Shuwailat tribe, for example, has a red flag with a star and a crescent on it, a little bit like the Turkish flag.”

Hamza Ahmed, a soldier in the government’s special forces who was waiting with a colleague in Abu Mohammad’s workshop as their new uniforms were put together, said the arrival of thousands of new recruits had helped save the morale of the army.

“The militias and al-Qaeda have carried out many attacks wearing Iraqi army clothes, which they use to disguise

themselves and to guarantee there will be no resistance in the areas that the Iraqi government controls,” he said.

However, he admitted that he would rather fight alongside one professional soldier than five volunteers.

“The volunteers are not sent to the really sensitive areas, or to the special units. Their role is limited to supporting the light infantry brigades,” he said.

His colleague, who did not want to be named, added that some army training bases are now facing food shortages because of the influx of volunteers. “We went to the Taji training base [in northern Baghdad] and found crowds of volunteers gathered around a bread oven. Some were taking bread out of the oven before it was ready, risking getting burned, because they were so hungry,” he said.

But since the Islamic State group advanced on Mosul, sales of Iraqi national flags have fallen, while sales of tribal flags, in ever-larger sizes, have surged, according to alShuwaily. Meanwhile military commanders continue to order the flags of their units, in cloth that can withstand battles and be visible on TV. Farouq Baban, a political analyst, said this reflected the growing weakness of the state.

“Sectarian conflict has played a

big role in stirring up tensions between the tribes,” he said.

“Tribal values have become more important, and so have religious loyalties, although they have splintered to the point where the supporters of one cleric from a particular sect fight with followers of a rival cleric from the same sect, and even members of the same tribe fight each other over differences between different arms of the tribe.”

Iraqi historian Saleh alKhudayri said the breakdown of the state was forcing people to find security elsewhere.

“When law and order breaks down, people seek refuge in other loyalties, such as religion, sect and tribe, in order to find protection, even though that places lots of restrictions on them,” he said.

“History shows that people lean towards creating cantons or smaller groupings in periods when state power is fragmented or weak.

During the Mongol invasion, Baghdad split into Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods that constantly fought against each other. Sadly, it seems that the Iraqi political class haven’t read history, which would tell them that destruction awaits societies that don’t respect the rule of law, justice and stability.”

Al Jazeera

53

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Federation Cup: Lafia Rumbles For El-Kanemi, Dolphins

By ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

This year’s Men Federation Cup competition hits the Round of 16 stage on Thursday with a number of interesting fixtures, including three ties involving Premier League teams. Two former champions, El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri and Dolphins FC of Port

Harcourt will lock horns at the Lafia Township Stadium, while two-time African champions Enyimba FC of Aba trade tackles with Nembe City at the Akure Township Stadium in Akure.

The Enyimba International Stadium, Aba will host the clash between Crown FC of Ogbomoso and Nasarawa FC of Lafia.

Sharks FC of Port Harcourt and Dynamite of Benin City will battle the Kayode Oluyemi Stadium in Ado-Ekiti; Giwa FC, conquerors of Enugu Rangers in the last round will try to get the better of Bendel Insurance in Ilorin and; Lobi Stars of Makurdi take on Plateau United of Jos at the Minna Township Stadium.

Judicial Strike Stalls Court Hearing Against Maigari

By ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos

The much expected vacation of court case against the Aminu Maigari led Nigeria Football Federation board in which it was expected to be vacated in order to escape FIFA sanction could not hold yesterday due to on-going strike embarked upon by Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) Plateau State chapter.

FIFA had banned Nigeria last week warning that Nigeria faces more severe sanctions if the court case is not withdrawn. But the hearing of the case restraining

the Aminu Magari-led Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), from presiding over the nation’s football affairs could not hold.

Justice Philomena Lot, of Jos High Court, had given an injunction restraining the Magariled NFF from leading the football body pending the hearing of substantive suit against the body.

Mrs Ebiakpo Baribote, proprietor of Nembe City FC, a premier league side, had prayed the court to restrain Mr Magari and other NFF members from presiding over football affairs, after accusing them of unwholesome

practices.

Baribote accused the Maigariled NFF of ``financial secrecy and manipulation of NFF statutes to suit their selfish interests’’.

He asked the court to restrain Magari from further controlling and managing the affairs of all football matters in Nigeria pending the hearing of the motion on notice for the interlocutory injunction filed before the court.

When LEADERSHIP Sport visited the court to cover the hearing, it discovered that the court could not sit because of the strike.

OSOM Here To Stay – Ndanusa

BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

OSOM is not temporary but something we want to institutionalize. It is going to take shape of high performance sports

Sani Ndanusa, NOC President

The One Service One Medal (OSOM) initiative is one that will be permanently entrenched in Nigeria’s grassroots talent hunt and all efforts in ensuring its success is being put in place.

President, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engineer Sani Ndanusa stated this yesterday while fielding questions from LEADERSHIP Sports.

According to him, the initiative which aims at bringing together sportsmen

and women from military and para-military formations across the country will be partnering the National Sports Commission (NSC), as well as co-opting sports directors of all the military and para-military formations.

“OSOM is not temporary but something we want to institutionalize. It is going to take shape of high performance sports. We will provide high performance facilities, high performance coaches and make sure that they attend key world tournaments that will

Commonwealth Games: NSC Advance Party Arrives Glasgow

BY ONJEWU DICKSON, Abuja

Gbenga Elegbeleye, DG NSC

In its efforts at ensuring that Nigeria participates effectively at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin on July 23 at Glasgow Scotland, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has dispatched an advance party to ensure that adequate arrangements are made towards hitch-free participation of Team Nigeria.

According to member of the advance part, Dr. Ademola Are who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sports yesterday, the advance party is already on ground in Glasgow and would be preparing ahead of the welfare of Nigeria’s athletes and officials.

“Areas that are expected to be covered by the team include delegates registration, accommodation, transportation and other logistics. It is hoped that Nigeria will not only participate at the Games, but will win as much medals as possible to reaffirm Nigeria’s supremacy at the Common Wealth Games,” he added.

Speaking further, Dr. Are explained that Nigeria’s athletes have been in camps situated at home and abroad, with the Federal Government providing for all their logistics through the NSC, in anticipating a successful outing in Glasgow.

The 10-day Games commence on July 23 and end on August 3.

Maigari

prepare them,” he said.

Engineer Ndanusa explained that sports that would be targeted are boxing, taekwondo, weifghtlifting, wrestling, rowing, yachting, archery, aquatics and shooting, all sports that have huge medals potentials.

“In swimming for instance, there are about 30 medals available for grabs. We are ready to develop such areas to give us several medals options against sports that have few medals at stake,” he emphasized.

Ndanusa

Amateur Clubside Cries For Help the players.

Peter Oguche, the proThe proprietor of Ogu- prietor of the club who is che Babe, women football also former chairman of club of Lokoja, Chief Pe- all women football club ter Oguche has appealed owners association, and to sport loving individu- a retired referee said he is al, corporate organization running the club because and the State Government of the passion he has for to assist the club finan- the development of womcially in order to be able to en football in the country. honor some of its football He lamented that a situengagements in the coun- ation whereby the players try. travel in public transport Oguche who made the to honor engagements appeal while speaking to outside the State is not LEADERSHIP Sports in healthy for the developJos yesterday said the club ment of the game noting is also in need of a bus to that the club needs financonvey players to train- cial assistance to be able ing ground. He said it will to pay the salaries of the serve as morale boaster to players as at when due.

Follow these reports on leadership.ng/sports

BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, jOS

54 sports

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Manchester United, Adidas In £750m 10year Deal

Babatunde in action for Nigeria during the just concluded FIFA World Cup

Argentina Proved Doubters Wrong – Messi Lionel Messi says Argentina have proved the doubters wrong despite losing the World Cup final 1-0 to Germany on Sunday.

Mario Gotze’s extratime strike was the difference between the sides after Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Rodrigo Palacio had missed golden opportunities in each half of the encounter.

The 27-year-old was surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament after the game, with the likes of Diego Maradona and Alessandro Nesta questioning that decision on Monday.

But Messi is insistent that Argentina displayed their quality in Brazil and already has his eyes set on further success with the national side in the

future.

“We gave everything we had and we couldn’t achieve our goal. But we gave joy to our country by reaching the final,” the Albiceleste captain said.

“When we travelled to Brazil, there were a lot of doubts around us from the people and the media, but it made us stronger than ever. We want to keep working to give more joy to the

country.”

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, who revealed during the tournament he would step down at the end of the competition, echoed the sentiments of his star player by expressing his pride at leading his country to the final.

“I’m part of the 40 millons Argentines, I’m not above them,” he added.

Shaqiri shone at the World Cup for a Swiss side who were knocked out in the last 16, scoring a superb hat-trick in their 3-0 win over Honduras.

The playmaker had been wanted as part of a newlook Anfield attack in the wake of Luis Suarez’s move to Barcelona and had even intimated that he would be open to moving to the Premier League.

But with Bayern keen to retain a player who scored six goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances last season, Liverpool will be forced to look elsewhere.

The Reds are close to capturing Benfica winger Lazar Markovic in a €25m deal and the Serbian could be quickly followed

by Belgian striker Divock Origi and Southampton defender Dejan Lovren.

Sportswear giant Adidas has signed a £750m deal to make Manchester United’s kit for 10 years from next season.

It comes after US rival Nike decided to end its association at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Nike has been paying United £23.5m a year, and the new deal is worth a world record-breaking £75m ($128m) a season to the Old Trafford club.

Champions League winner Real Madrid’s £31m-a-year deal with Adidas was previously the biggest club deal.

Adidas will provide training and playing kit to all the club’s teams and will have the exclusive right to distribute dualbranded merchandising products worldwide.

The huge sum involved is only £40m less than the Glazer family paid for the club in 2005.

Sales boost Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer said the deal would help the firm “to further strengthen our position in key markets around the

world”.

He added: “We expect total sales to reach £1.5bn during the duration of our partnership.”

Adidas has not given any details about the design of the new strip but said they may look to the Manchester United kits of the 1980s and early 1990s for inspiration.

It will be the first time Adidas has made the Premier League’s team’s strip in 23 years, since the 1991-92 season.

The announcement comes a day after the German firm, a Fifa World Cup sponsor, provided the kit for 2014 finalists Germany and Argentina.

In afternoon trade on the German stock exchange on Monday, the firm’s shares were up by 2.89%.

Adidas also supplies Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan and Flamengo. From the 2015-16 season, they will also provide kit for Juventus.

Bayern Rule Out Shaqiri Exit Bayern Munich have ruled out the sale of Swiss attacker Xherdan Shaqiri after sporting director Matthias Sammer labelled him “an important player for the future”.

Premier League club Liverpool were willing to pay €19 million for the 22-year-old and held tentative talks with the German champions in June.

But die Roten are keen to keep Shaqiri at the Allianz Arena – especially with Toni Kroos’s future in doubt – and Sammer says the former Basel star will not be allowed to leave the club.

“Xherdan is an important player for the future,” the Bayern chief told Kicker. “There are no thoughts at all about selling him.”

Manchester United’s new jerseys

Kroos Set To Reveal Next Move

Kroos

Bayern Munich star Toni Kroos will fly to Spain with his agent tomorrow as he prepares to reveal where he will be playing his football next season.

Widespread reports in recent days have claimed the midfielder is set to join Real Madrid after failing to agree a new deal with the Bundesliga club as his contract enters its final year.

Kroos, 24, had previously been linked with a move

to Manchester United, but his agent says no definite decision has yet been made, although added there will be an announcement by the middle of the week.

“It is not decided where Toni Kroos is heading. I can guarantee that,” Volker Struth told Express.

“We will travel to Mallorca on Tuesday when we will sit together and decide what he will do. On Tuesday evening or Wednesday in the

morning we will announce the decision.”

The news appears to contradict quotes from Kroos himself, who stated that he already knew where he would be playing his football next season in a recent interview.

Current employers Bayern remain in the dark, however, with the club’s spokesman, Markus Horwick, explaining that the Bundesliga champions would only

make a statement after confirmation from the player and his camp.

He said: “We are waiting for an official reaction by Toni or his management.

Only then we can speak about it.”

Kroos was part of the Germany side who lifted the World Cup on Sunday evening after Mario Gotze fired them to a 1-0 win over Argentina in extratime.

sports 55

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Golf: Tiger Woods Grouped Alongside Cabrera, Stenson Tiger Woods will tee off at 09:04 BST in round one of the Open at Royal Liverpool, alongside Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Swede Henrik Stenson.

The former world

number one, 38, missed the first two majors of 2014 following back surgery but will compete at the course where he won the Open in 2006.

Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, the last two

Open winners, are in the same group, while Justin Rose is in a trio including Adam Scott and Jason Dufner.

The competition begins on Thursday.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, a win-

ner in 2011, is alongside five-time champion Tom Watson for the first two rounds, with Rory McIlroy in the same group as Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and USA’s Jordan Spieth.

Messi Blames World Cup Defeat On Strikers

Messi

Lionel Messi blamed Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Germany on their forwards for being wasteful in front of goal.

The 27-year-old was a peripheral figure on the night and fired wide a golden opportunity to give his side the lead in the second half after Gonzalo Higuain had done the same in the opening period, while Rodrigo Palacio also scuppered a great chance.

Argentina were then punished for their failure to convert those chances when Mario Gotze scored a brilliant winner in extra-time to take the World Cup back to Germany.

And Messi believes his side deserved better, insisting they should have taken their chances.

“We haven’t been in the semifinals for many years and the fact that we played the final and the way we played it it’s something to be proud of,”Messi said after the game.

“But we deserved more and that’s why we are sad. The strikers missed the chances we had. It’s a bad feeling for all of us because we couldn’t win the cup and take it to our people.

“It’s painful to lose it by so little. We were very close of a big change for this national team but we couldn’t finish it.”

Argentina made it to the final after beating Netherlands on penalties in their semi-final on Wednesday, a day after Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 in their last four clash.

Maicon Saddened By Scolari Reports Maicon has leapt to the defence of Luiz Felipe Scolari amid reports the Brazil coach has handed his resignation letter to the Brazilian FA. The World Cup hosts suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat to eventual champions Germany in the semi-finals, before falling to a 3-0 reverse at the hands of the Netherlands in the third-place play-off.

But Roma full-back Maicon, who made three appearances at the tournament, defended the team’s performance, as well as Scolari’s work as coach.

“Maybe Brazil did not have the tournament that was expected, but the Brazilians have to remember that this is a team built over a year-and-a-half,” he is quoted as telling Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The Germany project has been going on for eight years, the Argentines [runners-up] have been together for six. It takes time.

“I believe Scolari and his entire staff have done a good job - this squad has a good mix of experience and youth and has a future.

“After what happened in this World Cup, even those who are less experienced will now have the right mindset to win.

“I do not think that the wound of the 7-1 defeat to Germany will weaken them, in fact, after that night I saw straight away the will to get up, and the defeat in the last game for third place is a chapter we will close quickly.”

Scolari previously led Brazil to victory at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Blatter ‘Surprised’ By Messi Golden Ball Fifa president Sepp Blatter has admitted he was “surprised” that Lionel Messi was voted the best player of the World Cup and has expressed his sympathy for Luis Suarez following his fourmonth ban for biting.

Messi was awarded the Golden Ball following Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Germany in the final on Sunday after he scored four goals in the tournament but failed to register a strike in the knockout stages.

“I was a little bit surprised when I saw Messi coming up as the best player in the competition,” Blatter said in a post-tournament press conference at the Maracana.

Suarez was banned by Fifa’s disciplinary for biting Georgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s victory over Italy in the group stage.

An appeal was dismissed last week to get the new Barcelona man’s four-month ban reduced, but Blatter hopes to see

the 27-year-old back to his best now he has moved to the Camp Nou. Blatter said: “Concerning the Suarez matter I feel for him that such a punishment hurts. But as the president of Fifa I have to accept the decision of the committee.

“This player will come back to football on the pitch and what he has shown on the pitch, we saw his tactical and technical capacity and his smell for goal.

Glasgow 2014: Mo Farah’s Fitness In Doubt Double Olympic champion Mo Farah has doubts on whether he will be fit enough to compete at the Commonwealth Games.

Farah confirmed in June he would compete for England in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at Glasgow 2014.

But Farah, 31, pulled out of a Diamond League event at Hampden Park last weekend because of illness.

Asked on BBC Radio 5 live on Monday if he was going to be fit for the Games, Farah replied: “It’s a good question. I don’t know.

“Hopefully I should be good. I have missed a bit of training, but we’ll make a decision further down the line.”

Farah was admitted to hospital in the USA with abdominal pains at the start of the month and had further tests in the UK, before pulling out of a planned two-mile race on Saturday in Glasgow.

Mo Farah

Giggs

Don’t Retire My No.11 Shirt – Giggs Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs does not believe the club should retire his No.11 shirt following the end of his playing career.

The Welshman officially announced his retirement from the game in May after a spell as interim manager at the end of the last season and has now taken up a role as second-incommand behind new boss Louis van Gaal.

The 40-year-old spent his entire 24-year career at Old Trafford, winning 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions Leagues but, despite his incredible achievements with United, Giggs

wants the No.11 jersey to continue to be used.

“There are obviously special cases but it just depends on the club, really,” he told MUTV. “I don’t think it’s for United, where they constantly churn over great players.”

Giggs then joked that whoever follows him in wearing the shirt will be under immediate scrutiny.

“I haven’t thought about who will take over the No.11 shirt - that’s a good question,” he added.

“They’re under pressure, aren’t they? I look forward to seeing who takes it and wish them all the best.”

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Comrade Timi Frank

Tuesday Column:

T

One of the fatal flaws in the report is the shielding of Diezani by the committee

here is no doubt that the three arms of government are currently engaged in an ungodly conspiracy against Nigerians. The conspiracy to continue to exploit the masses has made both elected and appointed officials at all levels of governance deaf to reason and the genuine cries of the people for freedom and development. The only rules that are good are the ones that will bring more illgotten cash into their bank accounts.

So long as there is money to be made, then “damn” the public! From the executive to the legislature and judiciary, the song of corruption rings loud.

The recent resolutions of the Senate on the probe of the missing $20billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) support the above assertion with many details. The report, among others, proved that what we have is the National Assembly of the executive and not that of the people. For instance, the public arena meant for people to protest against the policies and activities of government in the National Assembly has become a no-go area for Nigerian protesters, no matter how peaceful. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) was the latest to be prevented from gaining entrance into the complex by security agents acting on the orders of the National Assembly leadership.

The report at issue shows that the Senate has chosen to be deaf to the normal rules of justice, to the careful consideration of evidence, and the need to determine whether an individual was guilty of a crime or not. That a man who stole was simply asked to return what he stole is no punishment. Our laws are replete with appropriate sanctions to punish the intention and to serve as deterrent to others in future. Even though the Senate was presented with details of how the NNPC and the minister of petroleum resources have converted a public corporation to their personal estate, the Senate saw no devil and is not prepared to hear any evil either.

There is no doubt that the finance committee engaged in verbosity and rigmarole to confuse Nigerians. What is the meaning of “unremitted”, “unreconciled”, “unaccounted for”, if

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 2,222

TUESDAY

N150

Missing $20bn And Senate’s Conspiracy 08070888888 (text only)

not missing? But Nigerians will not be confused.

The hurried manner in which the report was considered and the recommendations approved calls for concern after the calls by no fewer than three senators that the report be stepped down till another legislative day. What was so special in the report that the Senate had to sit beyond its normal 2pm closing period to consider and approve the report? A call by Senator Sadiq Yar’Adua that the consideration of the report be deferred to enable the lawmakers study it, seeing that it contains “impeachable offences” was rejected by Senate president David Mark who observed that such comments were “unnecessary”.

One of the fatal flaws in the report is the shielding of Diezani by the committee. Why was there no resolution that she should face the law over her flagrant breach of the constitution? The role played by the senators shows that we can boast of many big men in the Senate but not many great men. All we have are dealers, not leaders. Leaders in the Senate are devoid of the common touch, having realized that the will of the people is fickle. Little wonder Senator Ayogu Eze, with eyes on the Enugu governor’s seat, would rather make political capital from grave issues like the missing $20billion. Hence it was not unexpected that he accused ex-governor of the CBN of making wild allegations despite instances replete in the report that Sanusi was actually right.

Eze took his audacity further by calling for the scrapping of the fuel subsidy regime which, in his crude deductions, only benefits the rich who import petroleum products.

He was however silent on the humongous amount spent on kerosene subsidy despite a presidential directive that stopped the practice since 2009 and unmindful that relevant provisions of the constitution were thrown in the gutters when Deizani and the NNPC arrogated unto themselves the powers to spend government revenue without National Assembly appropriation. Yet, he is one of the vocal few in the red chamber that one would want to respect even outside political circles.

It is instructive that both the depu-

ty Senate leader Abdul Ningi and Senator Smart Adeyemi pitched their tent with the people despite their membership of the ruling party. They were vehement in denouncing the National Assembly for having failed the people. They were clear in their submissions that government cannot afford to remove fuel subsidy without incurring the wrath of the people.

The committee and by extension the Senate deliberately ignored valid and fundamental assertions raised by Sanusi: “That NNPC, in paying what it calls kerosene subsidy, is confessing to a number of serious infractions. First, I have shown, based on NBS data, that kerosene is not a subsidized product, and, therefore, the so-called subsidy is rent generated for the benefit of those in the kerosene business. Second, I have produced evidence that President Yar’Adua had issued a presidential directive eliminating this subsidy payment as from July 2009. Third, these huge losses inflicted on the Federation Account have not been appropriated.” Yet the Senate hurriedly passed the recommendations!

Having tested the will of the National Assembly to the effect that it can only bark but not bite, the NNPC has vowed to continue in its iniquity of dipping hands into oil revenues with impunity and there appears to be no force to stop them yet. They have simply told the National Assembly that they will not refund even the paltry sum the Senate asked them to refund. The group managing director of the NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, has pooh-poohed the resolution of the Senate directing the corporation and its subsidiaries to refund money credited against their names in the report.

The volume of corruption as recently witnessed in the NNPC shows that the officials cannot display such brazenness without the active collaboration or indulgence by the Presidency. The NNPC has proven worse than Boko Haram because the fraud within it had killed millions of Nigerians due to poverty, diseases, armed robbery, and ritual killing.

The NNPC has no operational budget in the strict sense of it. The corporation gets whatever it needs for its operations directly from the Pres-

timifrank@leadership.ng

idency. The problem of the NNPC as I see it is in the deliberate and fraudulent structuring of its relationship with the Presidency. It has got no life of its own but depends solely on any sitting president for almost everything it needs to run its operations.

Is that how to run an oil company?

I don’t subscribe to arguments that suggest that the passage of the PIB will help clean the rot in the oil and gas sector. You don’t need a PIB to know that it’s wrong to allocate 450, 000 barrels daily to a non-functioning refinery in Nigeria, nor need it to understand that you have overpaid subsidy in previous years without requisite approvals.

Why is everybody - the executive, legislative and judiciary - falling over each other to protect Diezani? Is she the only woman in the cabinet? Most importantly, there is urgent need for necessary legislative instruments to severe the NNPC from the parasitic apron string of the Presidency and ruling party loyalists.

The committee did not indict anybody as if the acts complained of in the report were committed by inanimate objects. They did not ask anybody to pay. They did not ask anybody to account. They did not ask anybody to provide answers. They have shown that Nigeria has gone far backwards to move forward and I say, “Which way Nigeria! Which way to go!”

Please #BringBackOurGirls!! #BringBackOur$20billon oooooo!!

GHANA MUST GO Jonathan pledges affordable housing — News

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