Leadership news2 by LEADERSHIP Newspaper

CEOConfidential

Sunday, October 19, 2014

getting ahead

Secrets They Won’t Teach You At Business School Richard Branson, one of world’s most-respected entrepreneurs

The weakest link DiFFeRenTiATe oR Die

...great customer service is a chain

I have always liked Sam Cooke’s old hit sang ‘Chain Gang’. It really comes in handy when I’m talking about customer service. That’s because delivering good customer service requires that a front-line worker receives supportive assistance from an entire network of co-workers - in effect a chain reaction of teamwork, one that is consistent from beginning to end. And when it comes to helping a customer, the chain of assistance

Business icons

is only as strong as its weakest link. I love hearing reports of good care, especially when they’re shared by a Virgin customer. But no. matter what the source there’s usually a lesson to be learned. Just to prove that I’m not always bashing our favourite competitor. British Airways, I’ll tell a (true) consummate customer story that involves that other British airline. An Executive Club passenger sitting aboard a jumbo jet about to leave London for New York suddenly realised he’d left his beloved leather coat in the airport lounge. He rushed to the front of the plane and asked if he had time to get it. . ‘Sorry sir, too late,’ replied a member of the cabin crew. ‘But don’t worry. I’ll tell the ground crew and they’ll have it sent to you.’ He returned to his seat, convinced he’d never see his favourite coat again. Seven and a half hours later, when the flight arrived at JFK International Airport, the passenger was amazed when an agent met him at the door of the aircraft and handed him his Coat. They’d put it on a Concorde flight that had beaten his slower 747 across the Atlantic! (Of course, I am obliged to point

out that British Airways can no longer pull off that particular trick as, sadly, the speedy Concorde is now a museum piece. However, there is hope that Virgin Galactic may fill that void one day.) It’s true that the airline could have put the coat on a later flight and the customer would have been just as grateful when it arrived. But going the extra mile builds massive customer loyalty and brand-enhancing benefits. You can be sure that passenger talked up the airline far years, and now even the founder of a rival company is telling the tale. Haw great is that? Let’s look at another story that clearly demonstrates the importance of every link in the service chain - this time involving Virgin Atlantic. An Upper Class customer’s free limo failed to connect with him at his New York City hotel, (It turned out the customer had been waiting at the wrong door.) He jumped in a cab to Newark Airport, a fair distance from the city. Rush-hour traffic was bad; by the time he got to the airport he was very angry, running late, and panicking that he’d miss his flight.

Beware of the CEO’s hobby Magna International is a specialist that is a major supplier of parts to the world’s top automakers. They have clients the likes of Chrysler, Ford, Jeep, Dodge, Chevrolet, Mercedes, and Cadillac. Their sales are around $6bn per annum. They are at the forefront of a trend in the automotive industry that has suppliers delivering increasingly larger and more complex parts, such as entire seating systems. But their chairman, Frank Stronach, is also an avid horse-racing fan who owns hundreds of horses. So it’s not totally surprising that the company suddenly picks up some decidedly noncore assets such as California’s Santa Anita racetrack. (That’s a horse of a different specialty.) Other tracks are under discussion. Now he wants to move from auto parts to racetracks and sports- gambling operations. Well, it’s also not surprising that a lot of shareholders aren’t very happy. Our bet: nothing but trouble.

Leadership lessons continues From last week

Even before he was a true discounter, he made sure his shelves were consistently stocked with a wide range of items at low prices. He bought his goods wholesale, when he could, which allowed him to buy goods at lower prices, which he passed on to his customers. This then drove up his sales volume, which allowed him to negotiate even lower purchase prices with the wholesalers. Sam Walton Founder, Wal-Mart

Once committed to discounting, Walton began a crusade that lasted the rest of his life: to drive costs

out of the merchandising system wherever they lay-in the stores, in the manufacturers’ profit margins, and with the middleman-all in the service of driving prices down. Using that formula, which cut his margins to the bone, it was imperative at Wal-Mart grow sales at a relentless pace. Managerial expenses were kept to a minimum, even when on buying trips. His equation for merchandise sourcing trips to New York City in the beginning was that the trip’s expense should be less than one per cent of

purchases made. This meant that at times eight people would sleep in one hotel room. Walton found that customers would shop anywhere if the prices were lower. David Glass recounts an amusing episode at the time of the opening of the second Wal-Mart store confirmed the wisdom of Wait on’s new approach. The store was opening in Harrison, Arkansas, not far from the local (and relatively upscale) Sterling store. continues next week

32 CEOConfidential

housekeeping

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Compiled by Olujide Olusola

Most creative people in business

Vikram Vora Co-founder/CEO, Mydentist

For bringing quality dental care to India’s working class

Chase Adam Co-founder/CEO, WATSI

Anmol Madan

Cof-ounder/CEO, Data Scientist, Ginger.Io

For splicing information with quality medical care What does he do? The Ginger.io app collects health data via periodic surveys and sensors on your smartphone. It shares the results with your doctor, who can intervene before bad habits become harmful. How can a creative approach improve the health care field? “It’s not just the fact that the data exists that’s interesting. It’s also the fact that now you can start to play with data in a way that we were never able to before. That’s where a creative approach is useful, to look at data in different ways.” What skill or mind-set could the health care world use more of? “You have a lot of people coming into the field-computer scientists and statisticians, and also venture capitalists and software and social companies. It’s going to cause the system to change from within.” What’s a challenge that you often come across? “The biggest questions are, you have the data--so what? What can you predict from it? How can you act on it? Data for the sake of data is not great. So how do you make it actionable by an MD or a nurse?” What can better data or big data teach us about health that we didn’t know before? “Instead of sampling [what’s going on in the world] every six months, you can now sample once every five minutes, and sample thousands of variables.”

For splicing information with quality medical care What does he do? Watsi is a crowd funding platform that allows users to donate directly to patients seeking medical treatment in the developing world. How can a creative approach improve the health care field? “With health care, creativity is a bit of a touchy subject. The biggest question is, Where and how can we be creative? It’s finding these high-benefits, low-risk areas.” What skill or mind-set could the health care world use more of? “I hope there will be more people putting thought into the user experience in health care. The health field in the United States is very business-to-business heavy, and as a result the consumer space has been slow to evolve.” What’s a challenge that you often come across? “Juxtaposing long-term vision and day-to-day execution. For instance, I believe that one day, everyone will have access to a basic level of health care. But what I’m not as sure of is the exact path to getting there.” What can better data or big data teach us about health that we didn’t know before? “People are going to require more transparency in their lives, and especially in health care. That’s fundamentally going to change. The more information you have, the better decisions you can make.”

When Vikram Vora was walking clinic to clinic selling dental equipment in the late 2000s, every customer was a disgruntled customer. “The waiting times were too long, pricing was not transparent, and materials were substandard,” he says. Vora launched Mydentist in Mumbai in 2010, basing it on the café model: clear, standard rates for every treatment (e.g., a root canal always costs 2,500 rupees-about $40), fixed waiting times, and quality materials. Profits would come through efficient sourcing and scale. The three-year-old chain now has 72 clinics and last year alone treated 150,000 patients, most from India’s teeming working class--domestic helpers, cab drivers, and roadside vendors. “It was a segment that was underserved, people who waited for their teeth to fall out as they could not afford pricey dental treatments,” says Vora, 34, an engineer by training. The outlets are situated around Mumbai’s bustling commuter-train stations, but treatments are site-independent. “A dental implant procedure started at one location can be seamlessly continued at another,” he says. “No one else has done this in dentistry anywhere in the world.” The chain employs 280 full-time dentists and 120 consultants, plus 280 dental assistants--all young adults from working-class families, all trained by the company.

Emil Michael SVP of business, Uber

For giving “stunt driving” a whole new meaning Love or hate Uber, you have to admit that the car service got your attention with its on-demand kittens, Christmas trees, skywriting, mariachi bands, and Vegas road trips. You can thank Emil Michael for that. Though kittens have been by far the most popular gambit, receiving about 500,000 requests in three cities, Michael admits it wasn’t his first choice (he’s allergic). These publicity stunts are only a small part of his job, however. He has also brokered deals with Toyota and GM to get Uber drivers preferential rates on new cars--another effort to get more drivers on the road. “In my six months here,” Michael says, “there hasn’t been a nanosecond that I have been bored.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

TARABA STATE GOVERNMENT

BIrThdAY GreeTINGS I, Alhaji Garba Umar, (UTC) and the good people of Taraba State, heartily congratulate and rejoice with General (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon, GCFR as he celebrates his 80th Birthday. At 80 you continue to prove to Nigerians from all walks of life that the oneness and unity of Nigeria cannot and should not be negotiated. You are a true Father of the Nation. As you celebrate today we pray that your wisdom will continue to grow with every passing year of your exemplary life.

Happy BirtHday,

SIR!

General

yakuBu Gowon GCFr

Signed:

AlhAji GARBA UMAR (UTC)

Ag. Governor, Taraba State

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Nigeria Salutes Gen Gowon at 80

GENERAL (DR) YAKUBU GOWON T H E

T R U L Y

GRAND COMMANDER OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC

The humane, compassionate and humble statesman who kept NIGERIA one through a civil war that ended with no victor, no vanquished, a remarkable feat in world history.

Our nation owes you a debt of gratitude

Happy Birthday LT GEN (RTD) T Y DANJUMA

GCON

Sunday, October 19, 2014

REPORT OF THE

TRANSFORMATION

AGENDA

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President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

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The Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has been hailed as successful in several areas like agriculture, power, roads, macro-economic stability, foreign-direct investment inflow, and the health sector, among others. Critics cite poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity and the contracting middle class as evidence that the Transformation Agenda is not working. So who and what do you believe? Welcome to the Situation Report.

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wu kin e Ad a sin

Dr. O luseg

LEADERSHIP in a bid to provide a true and objective picture of the successes and challenges of the Transformation Agenda is publishing THE REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA as told by the key actors themselves in their own words unedited.

un A gang

Ministries, Paratatals and Agencies who have made impactful contributions to the Transformation Agenda are invited to tell their success stories in the REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA. Private sector companies and contractors who have successfully executed Transformation Agenda projects are also invited to show and tell their success stories in the historic REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

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Sunday, October 19, 2014

CEOConfidential

Sunday, October 19, 2014

bottom lines $2,000,000,000 500 Number of health workers sent to Sierra Leone to help control the spread of Ebola Virus Disease by the Nigerian government.

IN SHORT PwC FY 2014 global revenue increases by 6 per cent PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwC) reported total global gross revenue of $34bn for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. Revenue growth was strong across all lines of business for all of PwC’s largest firms and in all geographic regions. At constant exchange rates, PwC’s total global revenues rose by 6 per cent. “With organisations and our stakeholders around the world looking to PwC to help build trust in society and solve important problems, PwC firms continued to perform very well in FY 2014. This strong performance was despite economic challenges in some countries, increased regulation and stiff competition in all our markets,” said Dennis M. Nally, chairman, PwC International Limited. “Overall, we’re optimistic about prospects for the global economy in the year ahead, and expect global GDP growth to increase to 3.2 per cent in 2015,” Nally said. PwC firms in the Middle East and Africa showed growth of 16 per cent, reflecting PwC’s sustained investment and the growing demand for our services as these economies rapidly develop and mature. Growth in South America was 13 per cent, with particularly impressive growth in Brazil given its challenging market conditions. In North America, revenues were up 7 per cent, reflecting on-going growth for advisory and consulting services in the region.

COMPANY

SECRETS

Dr Kenneth W Kizer US Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Reduction in the amount of food import in the country by the federal government.

Consolidated Hallmark ends 2013 with a loss of N197.64m

MD/CEO, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc, Eddie Efekoha

Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc ended 2013, with a loss after tax of N197.64m as against profit after tax of N239.49m the previous year, analysis of its audited result shows. The consolidated financial statement filed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange showed the company posted a loss before tax of N178.19m compared with a profit before tax of N396.13bn. However, gross premium income increased by 8.35 per cent to N4.15bn from N3.83bn the preceding year. The Nigerian insurer was inefficient in terms of underwriting capacity as net premium income shrank by 12.02 per cent to N2.56bn in 2014, from N2.91bn last. It would be recalled that the Nigerian government has been reeling out policies that are designed to re-position the insurance sector for better performance and also increase its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. One of such policies is the ‘No Premium, No Cover’ regulation. This is a section of the 2003 Insurance Act

that stipulates that premiums must be paid for before an insurer can accept cover. This regulation was enforced by the regulator National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) with effect from January 1, 2013. The last GDP rebased data released by the NBS showed the insurance sector contributing less than 1 per cent of the total N80.22trn. On the other hand, second quarter 2014 GDP report released by the NBS based on the current basis price showed insurance industry contribution increasing by 16.35 per cent to N104.71 per cent from N90bn the preceding year. Consolidated Hallmark Insurance is a general business and special risks insurance underwriting firm fully capitalised in line with statutory requirements of the industry regulatory body – the NAICOM, according to information on the company’s website. Based on BussinessDay’s analysis, the slow growth in profit was fuelled by a 17.62 per cent increase in underwriting expenses and 8.96 per cent rise in management expenses, causing a 30.46 per cent decline in underwriting profit. The company said in the statement on its website that it had executed big ticket transactions in aviation, oil and gas, marine cargo and hull business and other non-life insurance underwriting including motor, fire and special perils, goods-in-transit and engineering insurance, among others. Shareholders fund fell by 9.9 per cent to N3.65bn in the year ended 2013, from N4.02bn the preceding year buoyed by negative retained earnings of N96.70bn. Total assets were down by 7.49 per cent to N6.17bn in the period under review as against N6.67bn the preceding year. The company’s share price closed at N0.50 on the floor of the NSE, while market capitalisation was N6.0bn.

BOOSTING SAlES Talk easily about money: Add-on projects

Talk easily about add-on work. Methods for add-on work should be addressed early so customers are prepared for candid assessments and quotes when needed. What isn’t included in your initial project can be just as important as what is. How to manage project addons: 1. Proposals should include references to other phases, even if you are not quoting them at this time. Develop initial scope to show how your piece fits into the larger customer situation. 2. Customer work agreements should include a statement about add-on work. 3. Talk with your customer as soon as you recognise add-on work. Use a basic work plan to scope out all details of your work. Make sure to document transition of phases and estimate this time for each activity. If the customer isn’t getting what he or she wants and /or you are not getting paid for what you do, then you have a lose/lose deal going on and you are bound to crash.

Transforming the veteran’s health administration One of the most profound transformations of any organisations in US history has been happening at the Veterans’ Health Administration for the last couple of years. Replacing an older, monolithic, military-style topdown organisation, and this turnaround has involved a 180-degree shift in management philosophy and execution, plus an intense application of integrated management network systems. The VHA’s ambitious networks are the kind of new organisational structures

that are rapidly coming to dominate the health care field. They have piqued the interest of management academics and researchers because these novel organisational links and architectures point to the way many large-scale institutions, both public and private, will be managed in the next millennium. The seed of the VHA’s transformation came not from within government, but rather was inspired by such outside organisations as Kaiser Permanente and private health care groups.

However, what is remarkable at the VHA is that no other organisation has heretofore applied the integrated network management concept on such a large scale. And none have had to first break down and reconstruct such a large existing organisation and aggregate of physical structures, while at the same time continuing to maintain god service delivery to the client population. Few entities anywhere have been at the nexus of as many forces of change.

42 CEOConfidential

Sunday, October 19, 2014

$1,000,000

hub 856.83%

Expected revenue Gloo.ng expects to hit by December 2014 riding on the back of growing repeat business on the firm’s portal according to its chief executive officer, Olumide Olusanya.

Percentage increase in income of Unity Bank Plc. buoyed by reduced operating costs according to its third quarter 2103 financial results.

Compiled by Olujide Olusola

L-R: Group managing director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe; chairman, Board of Directors, Gbenga Oyebode, and company secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, at the extra ordinary general meeting of the bank in Lagos recently.

L-R: Co- managing directors, Azura, Sundeep Bahanda and David Ladipo; managing director, Asset & Resource Management Infrastructure Fund, Opuiyo Oforiokuma, and investment director, Asset & Resource Management Infrastructure Fund, Chris Chijiutomi, during the official ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the Azura-Edo Power Plant in Benin recently.

Zappos.com CEO -Tony @tonyhsieh Vision + Values + Velocity of Adaptation is a great formula for business and for life. Tony O. Elumelu, CON @TonyOElumelu It’s no longer a secret that Africa is the new frontier for opportunities in investment. Not only are investors from all over the

world. Richard Branson @richardbranson The ability to dream, conceptualise & invent is what sets the successful & unsuccessful apart.

fav

Bill Gates @BillGates Why poor countries deserve cheap, reliable energy: Midtown Manhattan uses more than all of Kenya.

tweets

L-R: Regional manager, Anglophone West Africa, MoneyGram, Mrs Kemi Okusanya; GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr Phillips Oduoza; and executive director, Treasury and International Banking, UBA Plc, Mr Femi Olaloku, during the launch of Nigeria’s first outbound money transfer service by UBA and MoneyGram, held at UBA House in Marina, Lagos recently.

L-R: Nigeria Customer Service Award (NCSA) coordinator, Dr Aliyu Ilias; Senator Umaru Dahiru; Chiamak-Ugo Obidike; Group head, Heritage Bank, Lekan Busari (dispalying his plaque), at the NCSA 2014, in Abuja recently.

The Capital Club, Dubai network professionally and socially; dine Capital Club is Dubai’s premier private and party; host private meetings; and City Club situated in the heart of the attend a wealth of social and business financial district – DIFC. The Capital Club is Dubai’s premier private business events, covering emerging trends in arts, culture, media, social development, club offering an elegant and cuisine, business and travel. welcoming ambience in which The Capital Club is exclusively to mix and meet, to exchange designed to meet the demands ideas and to entertain guests. of those from the top The Club premises are for the works echelons of business, finance exclusive use of Members and and government. The Club is guests. The Club was opened in committed to the highest levels of 2008 and has over 1500 Members, comfort and cuisine, exceptional events drawn from the leading businesses in and an unmatched level of personal the region. A members-only Club in a service, at home and abroad. contemporary setting for Members to

net

CEOConfidential

Sunday, October 19, 2014

N2, 417,000,000 33.37% Total amount LASACO Assurance Plc paid to settle insurance claims and benefits in 2013.

Percentage increase in income of Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank, according to its third quarter 2014 financial reports.

7,269

Number of vehicles Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa sold last month recording a year-on-year improvement of 26 per cent.

L-R: Managing editor, Le Point, Sebastian Le Fol; Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, and a member of the Tunisian parliament, Professor Monsef Cheikh-Roumou, at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) New World Forum in Paris recently. PHOTO: GBENGA OLAJOBI

YOUR FYI FOR INFORMATION Ni modo

Across the Spanish-speaking world, and particularly in Mexico, the phrase ni modo represents an extension of these attitudes of leaving things to fate. Oh well, whatever, no big deal, it couldn’t be helped, there really isn’t a choice, there is a bigger power out there, we humble humans can’t control everything. Ni modo releases us from unduly blaming ourselves or one another. It acknowledges that nature will take its course, timing is everything, and that what is meant to be, will be. If you try to cross Mexico by public transport, you will have plenty of moments when the ni modo state of mind is a lifesaver.

DoING Business Leadership and status with Turks L-R: FCMB’s divisional head, Corporate Banking, Mr Ola Olabinjo; executive director, FCMB Capital Markets Limited, Mr Tolu Osinibi; group chief executive officer of Oando Plc, Mr Wale Tinubu, and group managing director/chief executive officer of FCMB Limited, Mr Ladi Balogun, at a luncheon hosted by FCMB on Oando’s successful acquisition of the upstream business of ConocoPhillips.

HOW THEY

BLEW IT

Zhou Zhengyi

Power Politics continueS FROM LAST WEEK

Zhou’s lenient sentence was not a lesson to him. Soon after his release in 2006, he was arrested again for his involvement in a property scandal that misappropriated millions of dollars from Shanghai’s social security fund. This time, the scandal went to the very top of shanghai elite and the powers that be in Beijing decided they had had enough. Heads would roll. The investigation uncovered web of corruption, bribery and embezzlement that reached every corner of business and politics in Shanghai.

Among those who stood trial were Ling Baoheng, Shanghai’s former chief watchdog of state-owned assets. He was charged with taking bribes totalling $4,670.02. Other people involved included highway tycoon Liu Genshan, Wu Hongmei, former deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and Yin Guoyan, former deputy director of Shanghai Housing Land and Resources Administration. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK

In the Ottoman Empire and for most of Turkish history, power has been concentrated in a few hands. Sultans and Caliphs were all-powerful, and autocratic leadership was a fact of life. Kemal Ataturk changed all that and founded a democratic republic that, in spite of many troubled periods, has worked as well as many other theoretical democracies. It is true that the army has acted undemocratically on some occasions, seeing itself as ‘the guardian of the nation,’ but after each coup it has handed control back to civilians. Ataturk gave women the vote in 1934, and there has been one female prime minister. Still, women have a long way to go to achieve parity, and their position is often under threat from Islamic fundamentalists.

44 CEOConfidential

entrepreneur 50% Percentage of local content the federal government of Nigeria plans to achieve in the nation’s Information and Communications Technology industry.

SMALL BUSINESS The 7 steps to starting a business It’s not how many hours you work nor is it how many hurdles you must overcome, rather business is about getting from point a to point b in the quickest manner possible while maintaining product quality and healthy margins. Often, when starting a business, entrepreneurs think too much about small, unimportant details. Since time is our most valuable asset, this carries a high opportunity cost. As a matter of fact, a business can be up and running in a much more timely manner than most think. Here are seven steps to get you there: 1. Determine your offering and market demand Entrepreneurship is not about hitting a home run; trying to create the next “big thing” has a very poor risk / return rate. Instead of long shot, pick a job. Think, what do you want to do for a career? Determine what you want to sell based on what you’re passionate about rather than what you think will make money. If you love what you do, you’ll find ways to monetise it. Conversely, if you chase money, you’ll end up unhappy and worn-out. 2. Determine your pricing If you’re a newcomer, don’t be afraid to price yourself under market. continues Next WEEK

Her STORY

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Number of graduates the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is training on solar energy, according to the director-general of NDE, Abubakar Mohammed.

Peter Oliha Developing Nigerian-based apps Whoever is in doubt of a brighter future for the Nigeria state should pause for a while and have a rethink, considering the giants strides Nigerians are recording in all spheres of life. Not only have they proven their mettle in very key areas of the global economy, they are navigating their ways towards becoming leaders in these areas. One of Nigerians, whose passion for technological advancement has impelled him towards developing apps that are Nigerian-specific in terms of usage and application is the senior applications engineer of Zoycom Solutions, Peter Oliha. Speaking on what informed his going into that line of business in an interview with CEOConfidential he said, “My decision was inspired by my passion for solving problems and writing computer codes which is basically what application development is all about; using computer programming to offer real world solutions. In doing this, I noticed the lack of dedicated software solutions that caters for the business rules of organisations within the country. It is often the case that organisations that require applications for various aspects of their businesses usually rely on softwares from other parts of the world that usually have a different mode of operation. This results in company’s bending its business rules to try and fit the way a software works which shouldn’t be the case. The company at its infant stage had hurdles to jump, and this is how Oliha puts it: “First of all, there was the issue of acceptance. In the sense that most organisations were not in tune with the idea of having be-spoke applications developed to cater for their needs. Furthermore, there is a misconception that Nigerians lack the required technical skill-set for application development, hence jobs are shipped offshore. “Also, the enabling environment was limiting; given that the core of our work is dependent on the internet and reliable power supply for our servers.” However, remaining resilient and dedicated towards actualising his dreams, he adopted measures to yield the desired results. And still working on improving it. “We have carried out certain awareness programmes to inform clients of the benefits of our services. To rid our clients of the misconceptions I stated earlier, we ensured that all our solutions are of the highest standard, thereby leaving no room for doubt in our capabilities. “For Internet connectivity, though it has improved over the years, it is still below the standard of what is attainable in other countries. We hope that this would improve in

time,” he said. For Oliha, “Professionalism and dependability in all our application development processes,” has stood the company out amongst its contemporaries. He stated further, “We never miss a deadline, and this gives our clients the confidence in our service delivery. In addition, we are big on research, which in turn drives innovation. This inventiveness helps us proffer ideas and solutions to clients in ways they haven’t even thought about. We are always pushing the limits to provide the best possible solutions for our clients.” The astute entrepreneur, who admires individuals such as Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates however believes that “modeling your life to be like someone only limits how far you can go.” Projecting into the future Oliha said, “Right now, we are growing and building confidence and awareness in our services. In the next couple of years, I see Zoycom Solutions becoming an invaluable pit-stop for application development and solutions within the country.” For aspiring entrepreneurs, Oliha advised: “Normally, people would say you have to be determined, focused, never give up and other motivational phrases. Yes, these are true, however what I have found out is that you must love whatever you have set out to do. This is what fuels the determination and focus that helps in overcoming the hurdles when they come.” Contact Oliha on 08187937604

Zainab Dahiru, CEO, Zee’z Bakery How did you get to where you are today? I am into baking which is what I love doing. When my school was on break for the three months and I couldn’t bear staying at home doing nothing, I went for training and here I am now. What have you learnt over the years? I have learnt a lot – how to bake different types of cake, decorations, and sugar crafting What were the challenges you faced? Every business has its challenge. I made

mistakes initially, and creating awareness for my business was a little bit of a challenge. How did you overcome the challenges? But with focus and determination, God has helped. What are your future projections for your business? I have a lot of plans and goals to achieve, and I’m working hard to achieve them. Also, I plan to own bakeries. How do you intend to achieving these

projections? Explore opportunities that come my way and of course, remain prayerful. Any advice for younger entreptrneurs? They should never allow anyone put them down. Learn new things every day and appreciate what you do. Instead of running away, always be courageous to face your challenge because they will only make you stronger. Always be humble and prayerful. Contact Dahiru on 080954510520

46 CEOConfidential

Sunday,October 19, 2014

tipoffs $14,000,000,000 Compiled by Salome Anyasodo

SECRETS OF LONGETIVITY

Estimated amount government invests in petrochemical industry, according to the inister of industry, trade and investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga.

Estimated percentage of slight moderation in prices that slowed inflation rate of food, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Help employees think on their feet

Pump up at your own pace

Too often patients go treat injuries sustained from a new exercise programme. This would not enhance your longevity! When starting any new exercise programme, it is important to go at your own pace. Whether in a fitness class or working out with weights on your own, never force yourself or go beyond your comfort zone – when you start to feel any strain or pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or sudden tiredness, stop! Know your limits. If you are not used to regular exercise, start with 10 minutes a day for a week, then go to 15 minutes a day the second week, 20 minutes the third. Continue to increase weekly.

BOOKMARK

The Crowd Sourced Performance Review Eric Mosley, Publisher:McGraw-Hill Education, 2013

The traditional performance review is riddled with problems. As technologies and business management techniques constantly evolve, the performance review remains stagnant. In The Crowd Sourced Performance Review, management and technology expert Eric Mosley teaches human resource (HR) professionals how to introduce a new performance review model into their organisations. Sharing the best practices and insights that he has learned from working with some of the largest and most prestigious companies in the world, Mosley provides professionals with the tools and mind-sets to transform their performance.

8.3%

Commit to the outcome, not the course A predetermined course cannot anticipate all risks. Employers need employees who can make decisions based on imperfect, but optimised, situational awareness, and who can then pivot when those factors change. One company saw this recently when an employee implemented data classification and identity access management programs for a client. In doing so, he noted a host of defections because the security policies did not adequately account for the specific activities and needs of the affected business units. As a result, he had to slightly shift his focus to help the client align its security policies with the business context. When employees do not have enough information about projects or goals, the fog of indecision can settle in – people make the wrong decisions or no decisions at all. In the corporate landscape, many employees are not given enough business contexts to be able to spot or distinguish threats and opportunities. They are unable or unwilling to make critical decisions without being told what to do. That inability to act decisively can be crippling. Sometimes staffers fail to make informed decisions in the moment because they have not been given the training or the autonomy to do so. To sustain a decision-making culture and avoid tunnel vision, employees need autonomy, training, awareness, responsibility, trust, and agility.

Encourage teams to work outside their own silos One way to burn off the fog around decision-making is to nurture crossfunctional capabilities. In doing so, employees are able to view challenges from multiple vantages, rather than solely through the lens of individual domains. People are less likely to be paralysed by the unknown. Push your team members to broaden their areas of expertise so they can adopt different perspectives when problemsolving. For instance, an employee in data loss prevention might attack her own system to find any weak spots. So rather than trying to find solutions once a breach or loss arises (i.e., reacting defensively), she goes on the offensive to circumvent a problem altogether.

Reward teams and individuals for “Getting off the X” Link performance ratings and training opportunities to excellence in client delivery. Use incentives to promote quick thinking and flexibility. To recognise team efforts, do not only provide traditional financial awards, memorialise strategic contributions at a corporate level in your “all-hands” meetings. And to emphasize the message that there is no place at a start-up for passive employees, we give out a quarterly “Get off the X” award to individuals. Everyone is focused on spotting and celebrating decisive action. Get nominees for the award from all over the company. Make your employees know that empowerment comes with the responsibility to not only identify challenges, but to respond to them.

CAPITALISM Highest living standard in the world, not in the US What they tell you Despite its recent economic problems, the US still enjoys the highest standard of living in the world. At market exchange rates, there are several countries that have a higher per capita income than the US. However, if we consider the fact that the same dollar (or whatever common currency we choose) can buy more goods and services in the US than in other rich countries, the US turns out to have the highest living standard in the world, barring the mini-city-

state of Luxemburg. This is why other countries seek to emulate the US, illustrating the superiority of the freemarket system, which the US most closely (if not perfectly) represents.

people live than the averages for the other countries with a more equal income distribution. Higher inequality is also behind the poorer health indicators and worse crime statistics of the US. Moreover, the What they do not tell you same dollar buys more things in the The average US citizens do have US than in most other rich countries greater command over goods and mainly because it has cheaper services services than his counterpart in any than in other comparable countries, other country in the world except thanks to higher immigration and Luxemburg. However, given the poorer employment conditions. country’s high inequality, this average Furthermore Americans work is less accurate in representing how considerably longer than Europeans.

CEOConfidential

Sunday, October 19, 2014

updates Compiled by Dan Udechukwu

1,750,000

Number of cars Japanese carmaker Toyota has issued a recall worldwide over faulty brake installations and fuel component issues.

EConomy

East African community, EU to renew duty-free trade agreement

$27.3m

Loan facility the European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide Liberia for the rehabilitation of its only international airport – Roberts International Airport.

$2.5bn The East African Community – a five member association of East African countries – and the European Union have reached an agreement to renew a duty-free export regime which allows the East African States to sell fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers which sell to the 28-nation. Negotiations on the deal had earlier failed to meet a September 30 deadline meaning that since October 1, the five countries have had to pay EU customs duty on their horticulture exports, and with the agreement expected to take effect early next year, the payment of customs duty would continue through the end of the year. While African officials have warned that failure to strike a deal would have hit their hard currency earnings and thrown farmers out of business, Reuters reports that some activists in Europe had argued that the availability of more African products would hurt the EU’s own farming sector. However, the deal is yet to be ratified by the five members of the East African Community – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – and by the European Parliament.

Mind Over Matter

Break the code to discover the missing letter. Hint: A-Z = 1-26

Amount US chipmaker Qualcomm has agreed to buy UK counterpart CSR

154,000

Number by which jobless people fell in the UK to 1.97 million in the three months to the end of August.

Citigroup plans to exit Egypt

North Africa’s biggest economy, Egypt has joined the growing list of country that Citigroup, the third biggest US lender, plans to exit as it reduces the number of global markets it has operations in, it emerged late last Tuesday. “I am committed to simplifying our company and allocating our finite resources to where we can generate the best returns for our shareholders,” CEO Michael Corbat told Reuters. But Citi said it will continue to be of services to its institutional businesses in Egypt.

Economy

Rwanda now East Africa’s freest economy

The latest Fraser Institute’s annual World Economic Freedom report has labelled Rwanda the most economically free economy in East Africa, the second freest in Africa after Mauritius and the 29th freest globally; thus showing a clear improvement from three years ago when it ranked 35th globally. Covering 151 countries, this year’s report measures economic freedom against a set of criteria including levels of personal choice, ability to enter markets, security of privately owned property and rule of law. The report suggests that Rwanda got its ranking based on the size of its government, legal system and property rights, and freedom to trade internationally.

mining BlackBerry, the Canadian telecomunications firm formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM), is set to distribute its new smartphone, Passport, in South Africa next month, it said last Wednesday. Kenya’s Equity Bank and global payment cards company American Express have announced the launch of the first American Express Cards in Kenya.

Cameroon in search of new aluminium partner as Rio Tinto nears exit

Brazilian mining giant Rio Tinto has announced it plans to sell its shares in Alucam Group – a 100,000 tonne-a-year aluminium smelter in Cameroon in which it and the state owns a 46.67 percent stake each, thus leaving Cameroon in search of a new partner. The divestment from the group, which Rio says is because the project no longer fits it’s strategy, would end the group’s several decades of partnership with Cameroon’s government. Rio Tinto Alcan, the mining giant’s aluminium business, however said that it would work with the government to find a new investor in the group. Its contracts for technical and administrative assistance will also not be affected, the company added.

tEchnology

South Africa to host first iPhone 6 Africa launch

Africa’s most developed economy, South Africa will play host to Apple’s first launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in Africa. According to a statement released by Apple, the iPhones will be available in Africa’s second largest economy on October 24. Other countries where the phones will be released include Israel, Czech Republic, Bahrain and Kuwait, India and China – the world’s biggest smartphone market. This means that by the end of October, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus would have been available in a total of 69 countries and territories.

HUB-WORDS How many words can you make from the letters in the wheel? Each word must contain the hub letter B. Can you find a 9-letter word and at least 20 other words of four letters or more avoiding proper nouns?

LaSt Week’S SOLUtiOnS

Mind Over Matter The letters A-Z are valued 1-26. In each set, the difference between the two top values, plus the difference between the bottom two values, equals the middle value, so the mystery letter is H (8).

HUB-WORDS 9-letter word - GLADIATOR Some other words of five letters or more containing the hub letter R: agora, altar, aorta, argal, argot, aroid, artal, atria, goral, grail, griot, groat, laird (Scot), largo, radio, raita, ratio, riata, taira, tiara, trail, triad, trial, adroit, aortal, argali, atrial, lariat, latria, radial, tailor.

48 CEOConfidential

updates Compiled by Dan Udechukwu

Sunday, October 19, 2014

2018

Number of slots the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is offering in the 2.6Hz spectrum auction.

Year Lagos State is working towards meeting 25 per cent of its food requirement, according to commissioner for agriculture and cooperatives, Gbolahan Lawal.

finance

Heritage Bank, Access Bank, Etisalat, others win customer service awards

For placing premium on customers’ satisfaction and effective service delivery, Heritage, Access banks, Etisalat and 34 other companies last weekend were awarded with the prestigious Nigeria Customer Service Excellence Award. The award categories cut across 27 sectors of the economy including Banking and Finance, Telecommunication, Media, Hospitality, Transport, Real Estate, Oil and Gas and others. The second edition of the event which held at Ibeto Hotel, Abuja, saw Heritage Bank emerging the Most Supportive Customer Service Company, while Access Bank and Etisalat won Best Customer Service Company in Banking Service and Best Customer Service Company in Telecommunications. Other winners at the event were Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company, VIP Express Tourism limited,DHL, DANA Air, Daily Trust, KIA Motors, NNPC, Channels Television, Julius Berger, Lona, Halogen Security among others. Speaking at the event, the Coordinator of NSCA, Dr Aliyu Ilias said the award was instituted to celebrate outstanding service excellence across all sectors in the country. insurance

Nigeria among Brokerslink’s targets in Africa expansion drive

Brokerslink, the global network of independent insurance brokers, which recently announced plans to transform from a non-profit organisation to a profit making company, has unveiled plans to expand into Nigeria, Moroco, Egypt and two other African Countries.

N25bn Worth ofwaiver the federal government has granted Indorama, Chevron, and several other organisations between January and May this year.

Analysts said that the coming of the world’s largest independent insurance broker network which manages premiums in excess of $15bn to the country,through Prestige Insurance Brokers Limited, its operating member in Nigeria, is expected to bring greater depth to the industry and leverage on its network to build enhanced multinational client support and capability.

finance

Access Bank to raise capital base with $415m stock sale in November

Nigeria’s fourth largest Bank by market capitalisation, Access Bank Plc is set to raise $415m by way of rights issue following shareholders’ approval on Monday, the bank’s chief executive Herbert Wigwe has disclosed. The lender said it would issue 7.64bn shares at N8.90 each to existing shareholders, to bolster core capital and support its lending business. “We would concentrate on concluding our rights issue while making sure that we maintain our growth momentum. We Amount the federal would continue to build a high quality loan book … and a low government says it has cost retail banking strategy,” Reuters quoted Wigwe as telling reduced cost of food an analysts’ call. importation, according to Vice President finance Namadi Sambo.

$2bn

The Zambian subsidiary of Africa’s largest cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement, has sued the country’s labour minister for libel and slander after he accused one of the company’s executive of attempting to bribe him. Stakeholders in the maritime and oil and gas sectors have commended the joint venture (JV) partnership between Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics base (LADOL) and Samsung, which was set up to drive the development of Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Ecobank is Nigeria’s only lender partnering UK’s $4.8bn export facility

Export credit agency, United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), has listed Ecobank Nigeria as the only Nigerian financial institution among 20 others it will partner with to help provide a $4.8bn Direct Lending facility (DCF) to exporters in the UK. By leveraging the DLF, UKEF can provide loans to buyers outside of the UK to finance the purchase of goods and services from UK exporters; this is very similar to the role played by Export-Import Banks and other export credit agencies. The partnering firms have explained in a statement that the loans will cover international sales by any business exporting from the UK to any country where the UKEF medium term cover is available, and such loans can be made available in US Dollars, Euro, Sterling or Japanese Yen.

Manufacturing

Neglect crashes rubber production to 60,000 tpa

Capacity in Nigeria’s rubber industry has fallen from well above 130,000 metric tonnes per annum (tpa) to between 65,000tpa and 60,000tpa on account of the failure to replenish old plantations and establish new ones experts say. Also, rubber prices which were above $4,000 per tonne recently now hover between $1,970 per tonne and $1,700 per tonne. Chief executive officer, Sapele Integrated Industries Limited, a key crumb rubber processor, Ede Dafinone, attributes the capacity crash in the industry to lower yield in plantations, dwindling supply of rubber from rubber trees and the declining prices of cars internationally.

EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Conference

Seminars

Trade Fair

3rd Senegal International Mining Conference & Exhibitions 2014 Senegal; November, 2014

Time and Priority Management Mushin,Lagos; October 20-21, 2014

African Sme Expo Abuja, Nigeria; October 28-30, 2014

The above event will take place from on the above date in Senegal. The event is organised by the Ministry of Mines, Industry, Agro-industry and SME’s, Senegal in association with AME Trade Ltd. The event will feature a three day conference, exhibition and option to visit some of Senegal’s key mining sites. The event will feature a three day conference, exhibition and option to visit some of Senegal’s key mining sites.

The root cause of most work problems is poor time use. Many people are unable to prioritize tasks and work under pressure. Time is a most valuable resource and the more control we can exercise over its use, the more resourceful and productive we would be both at work and in our private lives. In this course, participants will learn and acquire proven techniques to enable them proactively manage time more effectively and efficiently.

The targeted audiences here in this platform namely African Sme Expo are government agencies, CSOs, IGOs and donors, organised private sectors, financial services, Bilateral and Multilateral agencies, to name a few. Some of the special focused areas here are food trade and technology, safety and health protection, management services, and innovation areas and the list never seems to end.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

business

Housing-project

Revolutionising Nigeria’s Mortgage Sector Towards Home Ownership Over the years, the Nigerian way of acquiring houses by buying them off the shelf or building them from the scratch has proved inefficient as the best way of providing shelter for the greater percentage of the population. In this report, GEORGE OKOJIE examines strategies that could revamp the nation’s mortgage sector to make houses affordable to majority of the citizens.

Despite the institution’s longevity in the country, the demand for owing personal houses has not been matched by supply because there are no financially strengthened mortgage outfits

Despite the fact that mortgage system that had been in operation in the country for many years, the fact that its impact has not been felt in the nation’s mass housing scheme shows that a more pragmatic strategy must be adopted to bridge the huge housing deficit in the country. Available statistics shows that mortgage financing had been in the countryfor quite a while, with the establishment of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in 1956, however, its impact has not been felt in the sector compared to what obtains in advanced countries. Despite the institution’s longevity in the country, the demand for owing personal houses has not been matched by supply because there are no financially strengthened mortgage outfits that could provide robust facility that will help prospective homeowners to key into the process of ownership. Presently in the country, accessing funds to build houses is very difficult due to the near-absence of a functional mortgage sector. The Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs), till date, lend to their clients at a very high interest rate in addition to asking for deposits which negate the quest for a virile mortgage sector that would aid house ownership. Experts feel that that the country

continues to lag behind in socio–economic development indicators even in the mortgage sector because of its ineffectiveness in utilizing its potentialities to transform the economy and improve on the well-being of its citizens. The National Housing Fund, for instance, through which workers are expected to save up to five per cent of their income monthly to access a mortgage facility of up to N5 million with 10 per cent equity has not offered much hope to prospective home owners as individuals, organisations and governments have had to discontinue from the scheme for obvious reasons. The hike in ‘loanable’ fund to N15 million by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), with 30 per cent equity, did not help matters as those, who desire mortgage facilities, find it difficult to raise their equity contribution to facilitate their home ownership. Another drawback to the sector, experts fingered, is the fact that all these years, the industry is dominated until the arrival of the federal government reform programmes of the early 2000 which liberalised national policy on housing and urban development in the country. The reform jerked the number to over 90 registered primary mortgage institutions (PMIs) in country ranging from the little known one-branch

names to the household multi-branch names. Conscious of the need to restore confidence to the sector and make it more economically viable, the government reconsidered the recapitalization of the Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs). Whatever might have happened to that policy, is a mystery. Mortgage financing all over the world is a multi-billion dollar industry and experts are of the views that Nigeria cannot play politics with this fact for too long. Juxtaposed with other sectors, it is clear that the nation’s mortgage banks still have a long way to go, given the fact that, Wells Fargo, a US-based mortgage bank and the biggest homeloan servicer, posted $2.9 billion in mortgage-banking income in the first quarter of 2012, while Lloyds Banking Group, the leading mortgaging financing institution in the UK, provided £26.2 billion of gross new mortgage lending in 2012 to its retail customers. The reality of these facts in concrete terms when translated means over 55,000 customers buying their first home, equivalent to one in every four first time buyers in those countries. Developed countries are measured by the viability of their mortgage system. For instance, mortgage in Singapore remains an essential part of the economic horizon of the country and

it comes in handy in times of need and requirement. To make it work, its leaders ensured that the housing finance sector plays a very major role in the mortgage sector thereby making mandatory saving scheme, Central Provident Fund (CPF) the base of this sector. Thus, buying of properties is primarily financed by using the Central Provident Fund ( CPF ) which was introduced in the year 1955. Overtime, the CPF scheme has proved to be a great success in Singapore with its census 2000 revealing that among the 92 percent Singaporeans, who own a home, a large section benefited from the scheme. Also in Canada, mortgage plays significant role in boosting the economy of the country by offering various mortgage products and various technologies. The fact is that commercial banks spread across the country play a major role in mortgage in the country with banks having in its coffers over 368 billion dollars in outstanding residential mortgages, amounting to 62.1 percent of the entire mortgage market. Whether one subscribes to the Variable Rate Mortgage; Fixed Rate Mortgage or Capped Rate Mortgage, the dif➔ CONTINUEd ON PAGE

50 BUSINESS

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Revolutionizing Nigeria’s Mortgage Sector Towards Home Ownership ➔ CONTINUEd from PAGE

Thereshould be a single digit mortgage loan where the younger generation of Nigerians, who are 25 years and above, can take a mortgage for 25 years. The kind of money people pay as rental to landlords can be used to amortize the mortgage loan

ferent categories have its rate. The Variable Rate Mortgage in Canada is usually at the prime rate of less than 0.25 percent which is adjusted each month to ensure a discount on even the lowest rate possible in the market , while the other types of payments are generally associated with the Variable Rate Mortgage, and fixed payments. On how it works overseas, Alex Akusi a Nigerian, who had lived in the United Kingdom for a long time told LEADERSHIP Sunday that he moved into his own house in London many years ago without depositing a dime for the property in Sydenham, South East London. According to him, “When I wanted to buy my house after working for a period of time in that country, I was offered a payment option of between 30 percent to zero percent deposit. It depends on what you want. It is flexible. Under the arrangement, the interest you have to pay on zero percent deposit is higher when you are paying back which is in a period of 25 years.” In Nigeria, unfortunately, the mortgage institutions whose primary responsibility it is to facilitate easy home ownership through long –term loans to interested individuals desirous of owning their homes have not been able to render such services effectively. Speaking on the need for a good mortgage system in the country, a senior partner and chief executive officer of Biodun Olapade and CO, a frontline firm of real estate practitioners, Chief Biodun Olapade, said there is virtually nothing that qualifies as mortgage in Nigeria. “No effective mortgage. There should be a single digit mortgage loan where the younger generation of Nigerians, who are 25 years and above, can take a mortgage for 25 years. The kind of money people pay as rental to landlords can be used to amortize the mortgage loan. “You know that at the end of the day, the house belongs to you. Nigeria needs an effective mortgage system on a single digit home ownership which will not be achieved by majority of the people under the present circumstances”. For a thriving mortgage system, he urged policy makers to revolutionalise the operations of the mortgage sector to encourage home ownership and add it to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which he affirmed is one of the lowests in sub Saharan Africa. It will be recalled that before the regulators went into slumber again in Nigeria, the regulators had implored all Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs) to re-capitalise to the stipulated N5 billion minimum capital base. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) operational guidelines for the PMIs stipulated N2.5 billion as the new minimum capital base for PMIs operating at state level, and N5 billion for those wishing to operate at national level. Despite the affirmations that the mortgage sector is the future of the nation’s economy and that recapitalization of PMIs is expected to deepen the sector, sentiments that it will take some firms out of business were grossly expressed.

Making a salient contribution on the vexed issue of mortgage in the country, the managing director, UACN Property Development Co Plc, Mr Hakeem Oguniran, identified five drawbacks in mortgage financing as cost, character, capacity, collateral and conditions. According to him, counterpart funding for mortgages remained an issue in mortgage financing, adding that the country’s system is people-driven rather than system driven. This kind of system, he stressed, is dependent on the availability of a particular person to run smoothly, calling for a one-stop shop to facilitate transaction. For the president of the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN), Femi Johnson, recapitalization of the mortgage sector is germane to the growth of the system , noting that at the end of the process, half of the operators would remain in business. According to him, “When I say half of them, it doesn’t mean that others will not be in business. It is just that the number will shrink by way of business combination. A lot of people are talking to one another; you find situations where three or more banks are talking of merger while some others are talking about acquisition and so, at the end of the day, the number will reduce which does not mean that some of the operators will fizzle out of business.” Johnson said a lot of the operators have decided to operate at state levels while a few others are ready to operate at the national level, adding that those, who cannot make it to the national level for now, can operate at the state and upgrade to the national level later. If well implemented, Walter Akpani, MD/CEO, United Mortgages Limited is convinced that the revised guidelines would bring a positive turnaround in the mortgage industry, hoping that it will, in the first instance, provide a level playing field for all operatorsand engender confidence in the PMIs. He pointed out that the revised guideline is an opportunity for the PMI’s to be more creative, envisaging that growth will be witnessed among those PMIs that are able to add value to their customers in terms of product offering and cost of doing business. Lawrence Ovuehor , an economist noted that the move will restore confidence in the sector, saying the operators in the mortgage sector have been given enough time to know what to do. He said, “They could merge to meet up with the requirement with those, who have scaled through. Some could decide to stay as a state mortgage bank, which is at N2.5 billion. So, I strongly believe that they need to be well capitalised to move the sector forward.” Other operators, who bared their minds on the issue, are quite excited about the on-going re-capitalisation effort because of its immediate and long-term benefit and expected positive impact on housing. Therefore, most of the operators are strategising and/or negotiating business combinations in terms of mergers and acquisitions to raise the required capital, while only a few appear to have sorted out their capital raising efforts. As issues of liquidity challenges can-

Jonathan

Ako-Etim-Eyakenyi

Ngozi

not be ruled out, the PMIs have the options of raising capital through rights issue, private placement, public offer, business combination, mergers and acquisition, take-over or downscaling. Until this is resolved, experts feel no meaningful impact will be made in the housing sector as finances must be available to till the soil. According to Akin Olawore , a frontline realtor, “What we have right now is a situation whereby the developer has to do infrastructure, he has to put things on the ground; if he goes to the bank; the bank will say bring collateral and bring committed off takers, so that the bank can be sure they will get their money back. “Interest rates at a very high rate, the problem of access to long term fund for housing must be addressed. Right now you have people, who are working, earning salary and paying rents; paying rents that if we structure mortgage properly, their rent is higher than mortgage. “If you structure 20-25 years mort-

gage at 7-8 percent - which is even still higher anyway. The rent Nigerians are paying right now is more than enough of what they need to service their mortgage and own the house. There is also the problem of building materials and all that which should be tackled. The managing director of Realty Point Limited, a real estate giant, Mr Debo Adejana said,“ Access to mortgage provision helps affordability a great deal especially when the cost and tenure of finance are very competitive. “The interest rate/charges payable on a mortgage and the tenure of the loan are critical elements of affordability.” He reasoned that, the lower the rate and the longer the tenure, the more affordable the house type because it means more people will be able to take and repay such loans based on their current earning since constitutionally, individuals are not allowed to spend more than about 30 percent of their earnings on housing.

business

Sunday, October 19, 2014

news

L-R -Executive director, Software Solutions, Mr A.P.S. Arogundade; executive director, Sales and Marketing both of Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited Mr Mike Olajide; executive secretary, National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERDC), Prof Godswill Obioma. special assistant, NERDC, Dr. Chima Ubani, and managing director, Sidmach Technologies, Mr Hassan Alao, at the launch of NERDC e-Curriculum portal in Abuja. Photo By OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

Management Accountants Will Rebuild Nigeria’s Economy – CIMA By Chima Akwaja, Lagos

Mr Andrew Harding, managing director of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has said the institute is key to playing a leading role in sustaining Nigeria’s economic growth. He said this at the inaugural members’ dinner for CIMA members resident in Lagos, Nigeria at the weekend. He said a CIMA Centre of Excellence will be established in Nigeria to develop the field of management accountancy in Nigeria. This, in turn, will make it easier for Nigeria management accountants to stay at the cutting edge of business evolution. Such expertise is essential if Nigeria is to achieve its goal of becoming one of the top 20 economic nations by 2020, he said. Harding noted that Nigeria is already a country which has the potential to grow faster. He disclosed that CIMA is wholly committed to Nigeria’s

accelerated growth by contributing its ability and expertise towards the capacity-building of financially qualified business leaders that will grow the economy of Nigeria. The dinner, which was a milestone in the history of the world’s largest professional body of management accountants, is in line with CIMA’s tradition of celebrating the great skills and dedication of its members in all the 177 countries where the global management accounting body has a country office. “CIMA’s emphasis on performance management, risk management and improved decision making sets it apart from other accountancy qualifications. And with more than 218,000 members and students operating in 177 countries, the CIMA community is driving business excellence around the world. We are looking forward to developing the country’s talent base and further enhancing its position as a leading African economy.

“With Nigeria’s economy in the ascendancy and a wealth of young talent eager to be developed, management accounting has a key role to play in ensuring that this dynamic nation not only survives future economic turbulence, but thrives from public and private sector organisations that are both successful and sustainable.” He said the world gives Nigeria a lot of bad publicity which is at variance with his experience. He disclosed that his trip to Nigeria has been an unexpectedly wonderful experience of meeting with dynamic, intelligent and truly inspiring entrepreneurial people. On their part, CIMA fellows at the dinner led by Chief Kola Jamodu, chairman, Nigeria Breweries Plc; Folusho Phillips, executive chairman, Phillips Consulting Group; and Peter Crabb, senior consultant, Associated Consultants and Investment Limited, urged CIMA to make its sought-after professional development programmes readily accessible across Nigeria.

CIPM President Wants HR Practitioners to Upgrade

By Olushola Bello, and Olugbenga Olajobi, Lagos

President and chairman of council of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Mr. Victor Famuyibo, has urged human resources practitioners and business leaders in the country to upgrade their professional practices by switching-on to accountability, creativity, execution and excellence to give rise to meaningful and permanent change in the sector. The CIPM president stated this while delivering his address of welcome at the opening ceremony of the CIPM 2014 annual national conference in Abuja last Wednesday. He said the conference’s theme was derived from the need for HR professionals and business leaders to demonstrate contemporary and modern quality in their skill to exhibit uncommon positive values and to embrace the burning desire for flawless execution thus helping to drive quantifiable growth in their various places of work. According to Famuyibo, the

human capital today is a key strategic tool in terms of value creation. “The ‘People Factor’ now occupies the minds and thoughts of leading and progressive organisations; people and values shape the perception and culture of any nation and organisation so it is imperative therefore to build the human capacity as this no doubt helps to create positive value for the organisation, for the economy and by extension, for society at large.” He listed some of the objectives of the conference to assist its members to maintain their distinctive edge as professionals, secondly to provide a veritable platform for social and professional networking among the participants, provide members an opportunity to make informed contributions to public policy and advocacy in areas within their mandate of the Institute. He added that quality time will be used to deliberate on and proffer workable solutions to burning national issues including insecurity, rising unemployment, declining employability.

FIIRO Targets 250,000 Jobs By OLUSHOLA BELLO, Lagos

The Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) said the institute has the capacity to technically create about 250,000 direct jobs through its on-going technoinvestment programme. Director-general of FIIRO, Mrs Gloria Elemo, made this known in Lagos recently. According to her, the institute, in its bid to deliver its mandate to create employment opportunities and reverse the rate of worsening unemployment, is organising an investment and technology week, which commenced October 13, 2014 to October 17th. “The overall aim of the programme is to showcase the institute’s 250 R&D outputs suitable for investment by small, medium and even large scale entrepreneurs to enhance job creation. “The programme would generate not less than 250,000 jobs to the youths especially, and those who are willing to take up jobs in the area of locally-generated technology. Elemo pointed out that a

book-launch, which would include a guide to the utilisation of FIIRO researched raw materials where each local government in the country has comparative advantage, is in the offing. According to her, the book would be a major contributor to the projected 250,000 jobs because beneficiaries of the FIIRO free training on food and industrial technology would be present at the event. She said that the beneficiaries of the national techno-entrepreneurs initiative by FIIRO was targeted at training 2000 unemployed youths annually from the 774 local governments in the country. The DG also said that the FIIRO technology transfer training programme, which is a newly constructed pavilion of 10 complete sets of technology transfer training equipment, would be launched at the event. She however lamented that enough funds were not been channelled towards research in science and technology, which could enhance job creation through local manufacturing.

taken to improve on BOI’s service delivery to enable it meet the unemployment challenges facing the country, especially in the areas of wealth and job creation. He solicited the cooperation of the bank’s management team to strengthen the operation of the bank for global competitiveness. Olaoluwa also tasked the man-

agement and staff to ensure that the bank was at par with some of the world’s leading development finance institutions. He said that the task of increasing the contribution of the manufacturing sector to Nigeria’s gross domestic product could not be undertaken by BOI alone.

BOI Sets Up Customer Support Desk BY Olushola Bello, Lagos

To further enhance the quality of services rendered to its customers, the Bank of Industry (BoI) has established a customer service desk at its head office in Marina, Lagos. In a statement, the bank said it had appointed Ms Mariam Fran-

cis-Hart to head the desk. “BoI hereby urges its valued customers, stakeholders and the general public to interact with the bank through the customer’s service desk. Accordingly, enquires and feedbacks should please be channeled to Ms Marian FrancisHart or Olalade Shelle”, the statement said “. It also stated: “Please

be rest assured of the Bank of Industry’s prompt response to enquiries and feedbacks channeled to the customer service desk that has been established to ensure that you are better served”, the statement reads. Recently, the managing director of the bank, RasheedOlaoluwa said that urgent steps will be

Sunday, October 19, 2014

zonal watch

NIGER STATE KWARA STATE KOGI STATE BENUE STATE NASARAWA STATE PLATEAU STATE FCT ABUJA

Ex-Minister Woos Kwara Youth For APC

2015: My Re-election Ticket Settled – Gemade

BY ABDULLAhI OLeSIN, Makurdi

BY SOLOMON AYADO, Makurdi

The former minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has called on youths to support the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State so as to ensure the victory of the party in next year’s general elections. Abdullahi made the call in Ilorin while speaking at the annual prayer and lecture organized by Anifowoshe Youth Development Association (ANYDA) held at Oke-Anifowoshe area, Ilorin. At the event, which also featured launching of funds for sinking of motorized borehole and installation of street lights, the ex-minister do-

HEADS FROM THE ZONE

nated two motorized boreholes to the community and a sum of N750, 000 to Sooto Mosque and ANYDA. He urged youths not to be deceived by the antics of the opposition party which he said did not have any good things to offer them. He said: “Freedom is nowhere but in APC”, adding further, he said the APC is the only party that operates an all inclusive system of government. The ex-minister commended the APC leadership in the state for its youth-oriented policies and programems and called on youths to support Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed led government and the APC under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki..

As the battle for the senate ticket of the Benue North East Senatorial district hots up, the incumbent senator representing the zone, Chief Barnabas Gemade has declared that his re-election has been settled, saying he is not in any way deterred by the handiwork of detractors. Gemade, while inaugurating his campaign team and donating vehicles to coordinators in Gboko, insisted that he is an experienced politician and cannot be denied the mandate of continuity, which according to him, is freely bestowed on him by the constituents. The former PDP national chairman, who was reacting to the wild rumours that the presidency has sealed the sen-

Al-Makura Appoints Nasarawa State Varsity VC, Poly Rector

L-R: The Kogi state governor, Capt Idris Wada, presenting a cheque on state agricultural loan to a beneficiary. With them is the wife of the governor, hajia halima Wada.

BY DONATUS NADI, Lafia

PHOtO by AbdullAHi Olesin

Kwara state governor, Alh. AbdulFatah Ahmed* The management of LEADERSHIP newspapers has conferred the award of politician of the year 2013 on Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara state.

Governor Umar Tanko Almakura* The Nasarawa state governor, Tanko Almakura has appointed new Vice-Chancellor for the state University, Keffi and Rector for the state polytechnic, Lafia.

We Will Ensure Due Process In Appointing Traditional Rulers – Kogi Govt BY SAM EGWU, Lokoja

Kogi State government has restated its commitment towards ensuring that due process is followed at all times in the appointment of traditional rulers in the state. The state deputy governor, Yomi Awoniyi, stated this in Mopa, Mopamuro local government area when the Elegbe of Egbe and chairman, Yagba West traditional council, Oba Ayodele Irukera, visited him.

ate bid of Governor Gabriel Suswam, said he cannot be intimidated and easily cowed into believing that any political force would stall his re-election. He stated that he is prepared to play politics of development devoid of violence and acrimony. Senator Gemade bemoaned a situation where some politicians, instead of consulting on past antecedents, depend largely on fomenting trouble with the aim of thwarting the wishes of the electorates. Gemade boasted that he is a grassroots mobilizer, a political gladiator who is conversant with national politics and cannot, in any measure, be frightened with ‘powers from above’, insisting that only the electorates have the right to elect any aspirant.

Awoniyi described the state governor’s love for Egbe and Yagba West people in general as unprecedented, disclosing that the governor’s love for the area had made the area the most visited by the governor since he assumed office. He commended the peaceful transition without rancor, from one traditional ruler to another by the people of Egbe, describing it as first of its kind, urging other communities in the state to emulate the Egbe people’s exemplary

conduct. Awoniyi thanked the King makers for the smooth transition the area has witnessed, and commended the new vision and thinking of the Egbe people, which he noted is geared towards peace and development. He commended the arrangements put in place for the official presentation of staff of office by the governor, noting that the occasion is an epoch making event that should be celebrated amidst pomp and pageantry.

Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Almakura, has confirmed the appointment of Professor Muhammad Akaro Mainoma as the vice chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi. A statement signed by Abubakar Sadiq Ishaq, permanent secretary, Cabinet Affairs Almakura & Special Services, said that the governor has also approved the appointment of Dr Dogara Silas Gyar as rector of the state polytechnic with effect from October 5, 2014. The statement added that the appointment was in consonance with Section 7(1) of Nasarawa state Polytechnic Law, 2001. Born on 26th September, 1965, Muhammad Akaro Mainoma is a Professor of Accounting. He was at various times dean of faculties at the University of Abuja; Kaduna State University; and deputy vice-chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi. Until his present appointment, Professor Muhammad Akaro Mainoma was the acting vicechancellor of the state university in Keffi. In the same vein, until his appointment as substantive rector of the state polytechnic, Lafia, Dr Dogara Silas Gyar had served in acting capacity since November, 2013.

NGO To Promote Benue Talented, Naturally Gifted Persons BY SOLOMON AYADO, Makurdi

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) Ada Chenge Foundation has rolled out plans to assist the less privileged and promote talented and naturally gifted persons in Benue State.

The objective of the foundation, initiated by a governorship aspirant in the state, Engr Roseline Ada Chenge, is to positively change the living condition of the down trodden and engage them in meaningful ventures to enhance national development.

Launching the foundation in Makurdi, the initiator, Mrs Chenge said the mission of the NGO was to create a platform for discovering potentials, encouraging and progressing young talented persons who have no support. According to her, the founda-

tion will focus on raising talents, refining and uplifting the naturally gifted people to improve on their varied callings. She added that it will also render scholarships to students and ensure free philanthropic donations to the under privileged.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

2014 Annual Lecture And Dinner Of The BAREWA OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION (BOBA) BArewA OLD BOys AssOciATiOn (BOBA) (National Secretariat, Kaduna) inNoPictures. RC 133732

2014 A BArew

Dutse, Jigawa state, saturday, August 30, 2014. The President of BOBA, Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, CON (B.1075) on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the entire members of BOBA, hearty congratulates and rejoices with

(R-L) The President of BOBA, Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, CON (B.1075), the Secretary General of BOBA, Dr. Ahmed T. Mora, mni (B.2511) the 2nd Vice President of BOBA, Engr. Dahiru Ibrahim Wudil, (B.1136), Hon. Aminu Muhammad Gumel (B.2865), the Chairman, BOBA, (Jigawa State Branch) and Honourable Commissioner for Environment, Jigawa State, Hajiya Hassana Hussaini Adamu at the venue of the tree planting.

(L-R) HRH, Brig.Gen. Abubakar Garba Mohammed, OON, mni (Rtd) (B.1293), a (R-L) PatronThe of President BOBA in of BOBA, Dr. Umaru Ab BOBA, Dr. an interesting discussion with His Royal Highness, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammadu Sanusi, theAhmed Emir ofT. Mora, mni (B.2511) the 2 (B.1136), Hon. Aminu Dutse. His Royal Highness, the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje is on the forefront at Muhammad Gumel (B. Honourable Commissioner for Environment, the Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall, Dutse. venue of the tree planting.

(L-R) The President of BOBA, Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, CON (B.1075), welcoming Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, GCON (B.1484) at the venue of tree planting in Dutse to commemorate the 2014 lecture and dinner.

(R-L) His Excellency, Alhaji Sule Lamido, CON (B.1528), Governor of Jigawa State; (L-R) a member The President of the of BOBA, Dr. Umaru Abd National Executive Committee (NEC) of BOBA, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim TsohoAhmadu (B.1342) and the GCON (B.1484) at the ven Coomassie, President of BOBA Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, CON (B.1075) admiring facilitieslecture at the and newdinner. Dutse International Airport as part of the 2014 Lecture and Dinner events in Dutse.

H.E, GEN. YAKuBu GOWON, Ph.D, GCFR (B.783)

• • • •

Former Nigeria’s Head of State Former House Captain, Dan Hausa House, Barewa College, Zaria A Patron of BOBA An elder and Internationally–acclaimed Statesman

On the general’s 80th Birthday anniversary.

theDeputy President of (R-L) Deputy Comptroller, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Umaru Abbas (B.3527) receiving (R-L) His Excellency, Alhaji Sule Lamido, CON (B.1528), the Governor of Jigawa State, (R-L) Comptroller, Nigerian Customs We are proud of your accomplishments which have been nurtured from Barewa College, Zaria and true manifestations of Annualfrom Lecture an award from Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, GCON (B.1484), the Chairman of the 2014 Dinner BOBA, Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, CON (B.1075) and the Keynote Speaker for the 2014 an award Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coom of BOBA, Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi (B.2489), the Vice Chancellor,at Federal University the “Barewa Tradition” which is Excellence and Service. at the Yakubu Gowon NYSC Permanent site, Dutse. the Yakubu Gowon NYSC Permanent site, D Lokoja (FUL), Lokoja, at Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall, State Secretariat, Dutse, venue of the lecture.

We wish the General many happy returns in good health, prosperity and added wisdom.

“GO-ON-WITH-ONE NIGERIA” “GOWON” ...and, “nigeria Prays” Signed:

Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, FPSN; mni (B.2511)

(Wakilin Maganin Zazzau) (L-R) Sen. Abdullahi Abubakar Na’amo (B.1415), Brig. Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi Secretary General, BOBA (Rtd) (B.1618), a member of (R-L) His Excellency, the Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, CON (B.1528) (L-R) Sen.making Abdullahi hisAbubakar Na’amo (B.1415), B the National Executive Committee (NEC) of BOBA and Maigirma Magajin Rafin Kano, Alhaji Shehu Mohammed (B.1795) helping themselves during the 2014 Dinner at the Yakubu Gowon NYSC Permanent site, Dutse.

remarks before the Public Presentation of the “2014 BOBA Information Flyer”.the OnNational his rightExecutive is the Committee (NEC) of BOBA Secretary General of BOBA, Dr. Ahmed T. Mora, mni (B.2511). (B.1795) helping themselves during the 2014 Din

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MISSING VEHICLE This is to notify the general public that a white-coloured Hyundai Sonata saloon car with registration number BWR 642 AH and chassis number KMHEB41BABA097759 belonging to LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group Ltd is missing. The vehicle was last seen with Hajiya Mariya Ibrahim Baba. Any person with useful information regarding the missing vehicle should please contact the nearest police station or LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group Ltd through this phone number: 07035782552 Signed: Management

Sunday, October 19, 2014

zonal watch (North-Central) 57

news behind the news

Al-Makura: Transforming Nasarawa Through MDGs

: Members of Dungu community in Lafia, celebrating at the commissioning of a water project built by a corps member in collaboration with the office of the MDGs By DONATUS NADI, Lafia

Harnessing the potentials and goodwill of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has greatly touched on the lives of rural communities in Nasarawa State, complementing government’s effort at providing the basic necessities of living for its citizens. Some of the critical intervention areas, which encompass healthcare delivery, provision of safe portable water and education, have received a big boost in the state with communities, which hitherto were left in the lurch, now reaping the benefits of government interventions. In some cases, however, health and water structures were put in place, but were either non-functional or non-operational due to lack of manpower. This situation led Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura to, on several occasions, state his resolve not to embark on the construction of more cottage hospital in the state but to revamp the over 700 of such structures which litter the state with most of them under lock and key. However, in order to reach out to communities which are in dire need of healthcare facilities, the senior special assistant (SSA) to Governor Al-Makura on MDGs, Dr Salisu Raj disclosed that 160 clinics have been constructed across the state in the past two years but regretted there still exists a wide gap between available health facilities and service beneficiaries. As an immediate step, the Nasarawa State government trained 40 rural health workers with a mandate to enlightening and sensitizing rural communities across the state on the basic principles of hygiene and public health. This is expected to check situations where only negligible number of rural community dwellers consult the clinics and other health

centres located in their domains due, largely, to ignorance resulting from inadequate sensitization and enlightenment. The 40 village health workers were drawn from four local government areas of Awe, Kokona, Nasarawa and Nasarawa Eggon, and they are expected to effectively mobilize women and children to avail themselves for medical counseling, encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal services and sensitize rural communities to safeguard health facilities located in their areas. Similarly, the state government disbursed over N5 million grants to rural communities aimed at meeting the MDG and reduce extreme poverty and hunger to the barest minimum by 2015. Governor Al-Makura explained that the grant was a pilot scheme being executed in four local government areas of Awe, NasarawaEggon, Kokona and Nasarawa. According to him, three cooperative societies were selected from each of the four local government areas and given the sum of N450, 000 as grant to grow their agro businesses. He noted that the gesture would go a long way in turning around the economic fortune of the people, provide employment at the local level and recapitalize small scale businesses. He aded that the grant would be monitored by the MDG office to ensure proper utilization. In furtherance of his commitment to this objective, the state government awarded contracts worth N800m for the construction and rehabilitation of three water projects in the state spread across the three senatorial zones which include Daddere in Obi local government, Nasarawa- Eggon and Toto town in Toto local government area. The projects which are nearing completion are expected to supply

portable water to a total of over 100, 000 people. The contract is awarded to CGC construction company because of its pedigree in the construction and rehabilitation of water schemes which it has practised for the past 30 years in Nigeria. Observation has revealed, however, that one of the major problems affecting water schemes in the state is age and lack of maintenance. In many cases, population explosion has put some of the facilities under stressful condition, while epileptic, or sometimes absence of electricity supply coupled with high cost of diesel have contributed to making the problems associated with access to portable water worse. In appreciation of this dogged effort, the House of Representatives Committee on MDG has commended the state government for being meticulous in citing MDG projects in the most vulnerable and propoor communities. The chairman, House Committee on MDG, Hon Hassan Ado Doguwa, who regretted that choice of project communities has been politicized in most states of the federation, which unfortunately, has negatively affected the intended objective, applauded Nasarawa State for locating its projects where they are most needed and devoid of politics. Hon Doguwa, who made this known at Kanje Primary Health Centre in Awe local government area at the end of the committee’s two-day inspection of projects in the state, urged Al-Makura to intensify efforts towards ensuring that the goals of the MDGs are met. Among the facilities visited are the Laminga primary health centre in Nasarawa local government, Andu primary school in Kokona local government and Ngabur primary school, Akwanga local government. Similarly, the House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development has commended the state government for being meticulous in citing MDG projects in the most vulnerable and poor communities and the delivery of projects to specified standards. Chief Yomi Charles, the chief project consultant of the House Committee on Rural Development, disclosed this in Lafia after a three-day assessment of Millennium Development Goals projects in the state in August, 2014. He expressed satisfaction that even when the choice of project communities has been politicized in most states of the federation, Nasarawa state has been exemplary in this regard.

Mrs. Eunice Kigbu, Commissioner for Women Affairs, helping herself with a glass of water at the commissioning of a water project by Corps member Stella (in Khaki)in collaboration with MDGs recently

News Behind The News

Plateau LG Chairman Empowers Constituents By ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos

The House of Representatives Committee on MDG has commended the state government for being meticulous in citing MDG projects in the most vulnerable and pro-poor communities

The chairman of Shendam local government area of Plateau state, Hon Kemi Nshe has donated eight buses, 30 tricycles and 21 motorcycles to his constituents as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people. Nshe also donated a building to the Nigeria Prison service, (NPS). Speaking at the presentation of the items in Shendam , the chairman said he would continue to provide empowerment programmes to the people in their respective villages. “ The purchase of these buses was borne out of the need to show concern towards protecting lives and properties of our electorates especially at this era that the activities of Boko Haram and abduction of citizens are on the increase. At least, our people can identify the type of vehicles they are boarding and where they are heading to and be sure of where their journey terminates. “We also view it as a great responsibility, as a government, to protect lives and to reduce the hardship faced by school children during rainy season”, he stated. “For the prison service , we deem it important to contribute our quota towards providing shelter to inmates through the rehabilitation of the prisons which was blown off by wind storm and parts of the wall destroyed by rains. “It is a directive from my party , the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that those representing the people must empower their people as part of ‘thank you’ for supporting them and the party. “We would continue to maintain the peaceful co-existence so far in our LGA , the state and the nation, at large, to pave ways for more democratic dividends. “As the 2015 elections draw closer, I urge you all to participate actively and I urge the youths not to allow politicians to use them as thugs during the electioneering campaign process”, he added. The chairman has, however, placed a ban on motorcycle operation in the local government from 7pm.

58 sunday e-train

e-train foreign Latest Movies Tamanchey

Tamanchey is an Indian romantic, crime film. Tamanchay gives Dwivedi and the rest of the cast the kind of unvarnished crime canvas which actors crave to get when they are in the mood to impress awards jury. Tragically the sharp dialogues are often unsupported by the screenplay which gets borderline implausible towards the end before veering sharply away from disaster with a well staged climactic shootout. In theaters on 10 October 2014. Starring Nikhil Dwivedi, Richa Chadda Directed: Navneet Behal Producer: Suryaveer Singh Bhullar Language: Hindi

Sonali Cable

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Halle Berry: Ex, Gabriel Is A Bum Halle Berry has had it with baby daddy ,Gabriel Aubry claiming he has been living entirely off child support, and she is asking a judge to stop the gravy train. TMZ has learned ... Berry filed legal docs asking the judge in their custody case to reduce her monthly child support obligation from $16,000 a month to just over $3,000 a month. Halle claims in her legal documents, Gabriel has stopped working and is content to live off of the child support, and that’s an abuse of the system. She notes Gabriel is perfectly capable of getting a job ... and by reducing the support it will allow 6-year-old Nahla to live a comfortable life supplemented by his in-

come. Halle and Gabriel have joint custody ... each has the kid around 50% of the time. Gabriel’s representatives has been contacted but so far, no word back.

Stephen Collins: Cops Looking To Find 3rd Sexual Abuse Victim Sheriff. NYPD detectives know Set in the cable internet turf war of Mumbai, Sonali Cable is the story of a ghetto girl and her ‘internet boys’, who take on a greedy conglomerate that’s out to decimate their spirit of enterprise.[6] Sonali Cable is a ‘David versus Goliath’ story, in the thick of the cable internet turf war in Mumbai. An ordinary girl puts her love, life and survival at stake, when she and her ragtag team come in the way of the expansion plans of India’s largest corporation. The film wants to establish the growing corporate crushing small businesses without any scope for co existence. In theaters by 17 October 2014 Starring: Rhea Chakraborty, Ali Fazal, Raghav Juyal, Anupam Kher, Smita Jaykar Directed: Charudutt Acharya Produced: Ramesh Sippy, Rohan Sippy, Kamia Mulhotra Duration: 120 mins

The Best of Me

The mystery girl who Stephen Collins admitted he sexually abused was a babysitter for the actor’s daughter and we know cops are on the hunt for her. TMZ broke the story when Collins confessed on audio that he molested or exposed himself to three girls. Two of them have come forward ... one has gone to the NYPD and another to the L.A. County

the 3rd victim was sexually abused in NYC and they now know who she is and are trying to track her down. TMZ has learnt that the woman was around 13 when she babysat Collins’ daughter 18 years ago. Collins’ wife, Faye Grant, told cops Collins admitted to her he would repeatedly drive with the babysitter in the front seat with their 6-year-old daughter in the back seat and expose his penis to the babysitter. Grant says Collins tried making excuses, saying the babysitter didn’t see his penis when he exposed it and his daughter didn’t see it either. Cops want to talk to the woman. So far, they haven’t made contact.

Elizabeth Peña Dies At 55

Dawson and Amanda met and fell in love while in high school, a golden period in their lives. Twenty years later they meet by chance in the town they had both left and renew their relationship. Unfortunately, Amanda is married to someone else and is a mother. In theater by October 17th, 2014. Production company: Di Novi Pictures Starring: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato Directed: Michael Hoffman Produced: Justin Burns, Denise Di Novi Duration: 118 minutes

Actress Elizabeth Peña died Tuesday at the age of 55. Her nephew, Latino Review writer MarioFrancisco Robles, confirmed the news in an obituary posted on the site. The actress worked on Modern Family, The Incredibles, La Bamba and many others. “The actress, with a professional career spanning nearly 40 years, left us on the night of October 14 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” he wrote. Peña is believed to have died of natural causes after a brief illness. “She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and

an inspiration in every sense of the word,” the network said in a statement to E! News. “She will be deeply missed.”

Latest Music

Berner - Strong Feat. B-Real & Wiz Khalifa Release date: October 14 Berner & B-Real have teamed up for Prohibition, a seven-track project (available for download here) tailor-made for ganja smokers all over the world. The whole tape is pretty excellent, but “Strong” may just be the aptly-titled highlight. Featuring a Kush & OJ-esque verse from Wiz Khalifa that’ll have you reminiscing on the old days, and smooth production from Cozmo, this one rides in the whip, the home, and the headphones. Feelin’ “Strong”? Check out Prohibition and let us know what you think of the rest of the project. If you’re a true fan, you can also head to iTunes and show your support with a purchase. Quotable Lyrics: I wake up every morning And I bake up every morning Then we cake up in the evening Gettin’ blazing without warning Everywhere I been performing They got flowers and we burnin’ You can smell me when I’m coming But understand my only option is To go to school and try to be friends with all these obnoxious kids

Snoh Aalegra - Bad Things Feat. Common Release date: October 16 Swedish singer-songwriter Snoh Aalegra makes her way to HNHH with “Bad Things,” a brand new promo single that’s not currently attached to a larger project. Sporting a Lana Del Ray-esque instrumental by her label boss No I.D. and featuring Common Sense, the track puts emphasis on Snoh’s vocals. Given the talent on display here, Snoh’s rise seems all but inevitable. Does “Bad Things” have you anxious to hear more from this fast-rising up-and-comer? Then be sure to follow Snoh herself on Twitter for the latest updates. Quotable Lyrics: A child of the light Going wild for the night Cause most of the fights I have, girl I have with myself A good dude, but I could do bad by myself

Sisqo - Lips Release date: October 16 After leaving the group Dru Hill to pursue a solo career, Sisqo made a name for himself with his 1999 hit “Thong Song.” Now, 15 years removed from his highest charting success, the singer’s decided to make a comeback. After releasing a Waka Flocka Flame collab, “A-List,” in August, Sisqo returns with a new one that has him chasing, no, not thongs, but lips. A sparse, piano-led ballad, “Lips” clearly present the yin to “A-List”’s turnt up yang, with Sisqo in full-on loverboy mode throughout. No drums appear to kick up the intensity -- instead, tension is built and released by layering Sisqo’s voice on top of itself. Quotable Lyrics: Conjure up all of the Things that you want I will serve your body Until it gives me what I crave Compiled by Aderibigbe Tolulope

e-train Sunday, October 19, 2014

Dance Styles Rocking The Nigerian Music Scene Music is the soul of life and certain styles and songs, sometimes, are accompanied by a dance style created or improvised by the song writer. In this report, SAMUEL ABULUDE profiles some of the different dance styles created by Nigerian musicians.

igerian musicians have always been innovative enough to churn out songs that have captured the music scene. In fact, some artistes believe that the dance style makes the song more popular which is true to an extent. Many musicians in pursuit of originality create and spend countless hours in the studio to cook up a song that they wish would be accepted by many, when released. In fuji genre, late Chief Ayinde Barrister created in the late 80s a dance style for his song called FUJI GABBAGE. And that was the reigning song then as he sold plenty of them on account of the wider acceptance with a dance depicted by shuffling of hands as the legs move in harmony with them. Then his rival, General Kollington Ayinla created IJO YOYO and later KASABUGU in the 90s. Those songs rocked the social scene in the southern part of Nigeria and were hit songs on account of their video and dance styles. Nigerian musicians had become creative to drop a song that has a dance with it and the youths and young-at-heart learn that dance style. Sometimes, it became monotonous and a repetition of dance styles. BONSUE FUJI by Adewale Ayuba also came with his own as a great dancer himself. ‘Makosa dance’ which has it’s roots in Congo and Francophone African countries was the most popular dance move in early 2000. The dance was imported into the country by talented singer, Awilo Longomba and there was no party then that this music was not played with listeners dancing the Makosa gyration. Fast forward to 2014 and you hear about dance styles like Shoki, Sekem, Skelewu, Alingo and others which originated years before.

In fact, some artistes believe that the dance style makes the song more popular which is true to an extent

Sekem Dance The dance step is the latest step rocking the music scene. Created by MC Galaxy, the song made popular by a video shows female dancers twisting the waists while holding the right hand to the stomach as they gyrate to the beats of Sekem. The song could well be the dance style of 2014 but Shoki gives it a fierce competitiuon. Sekem which can be viewed on You-tube has 10, 285 subcription (viewers). The video which shows Tu Face, Basketmouth and Ebuka dancing to Sekem is directed. It is well to be seen if the magic (Sekem dance style) will sell the artiste but from history, these songs don’t really last as

it is in the industry, when a new song comes and it is massively promoted, it takes the shine off others and becomes the reigning song. Sekem may just go the way of others. Shoki Dance Arguably the dance style of 2014, Shoki is widely accepted by Nigerian youths especially in the south. The dance originated by two proponents namely Lilkesh of Olamide’s YBNL Records and Orezi. In top socio networking site, ‘Nairaland’, readers express their views on who does Shoki better, Lil-kesh or Orezi? Many respondents submited their views and it seemed to be a close contest going by the comments posed by them. Shoki like other dance styles is a dance that makes use of the legs and the right hands comes to cover the left eye in a subtle manner. Orezi seemed to have made Shoki more popular thans his clean video and his rising popularity. The artiste, who won ‘City People’ New Artiste Of the Year surely deserves an award this year for his other songs, ‘You Garrit’ and ‘Shoki’. Lil Kesh has had about 3950 downloads of his Shoki version, so far, and an average of 40 downloads daily. Role interpreters known as actors have also thrown their weights behind Shoki dance. Funke Akindele and Eniola Badmus have their Shoki dance posted online. The artistes have used the popularity that the dance style brings to engage their fans to upload their own dance and more often than not reward them with cash like Davido’s Skelewu. Skelewu Originated by OBO himself, award winning Davido. Skelewu surely has made Davido popular and richer. The song and dance came at a time when there was no competition of a dance-based song. The young music producer, who continues to clear awards this year, has, indeed, consolidated with different songs. Skelewu dance makes use of the hands too and it seems unique, thanks to the hype created around it. There are three different videos of Skelewu though some controversially leaked to the public. The dance have also made some fans richer as David Adeleke has rewarded those whose Skelewu dance uploaded into the internet beats his imagination.

Kukere Dance

Azonto

number one spot in 2012. To be able to dance Etighi very well, you’ll need to have a flexible waist. If you’re not soft down there, then you’ll find it a little difficult to dance. Kukere brought Iyanya Imbuk into limelight. For the song, the maiden MTN Project Fame winner was reluctant to release to the public save for the candid advice of his manager. The song Kukere accompanied by the Etighi dance popular among Akwa-Ibomites took a life of its own and made sure Iyanya became the toast of parties and social functions from the time of its acceptance in mid 2012. Alingo This dance move invented by the duo of Peter and Paul Okoye of the Psquare fame in 2013 is a dance that got kudos and knocks. Alingo was used by telecom giant, Globacom to drive its product. The dance looks pretty cool but difficult. Yet a lot of youths mastered this. Give it to the pop duo, arguably the most influential richest pop musicians in Africa. They are talented in dance and flaunt this in their videos. Alingo is one of them. Peter and Paul Okoye unveiled a beer named Skol in Congo last weekend.

Galala Made popular by Daddy Showkey in the 90s, Galala is a dance that emanated from the rich talents that abound in Ajegunle known as Ghetto city. It’s a dance move whereby the dancer slides backwards while a little bit grit and bends Kukere Dance This dance came almost the same while making use of his toes moving time as Azonto and both dragged for the forward. Galala made Daddy Showkey

more popular and it endeared him into the hearts of the masses. The dance has faded out now. Suo This dance has it’s roots in Ajegunle and was popularized by a certain Marvelous Benji who alluded in his music about SUO being the in thing after Galala, Konto and makkossa. The dance was also popular. Yahoozee This dance marked the beginning of the swagger group of dance moves. This dance was popularized by Olu maintain using his song of the same title. ‘Yahooze’ was a song of 2000s. And it made the singer, Olu maintain who latched on its popularity to cement his name in the annals of music history. Alanta Funny enough, Alanta looks like a cripped dancing. Alanta is danced in such a way that it seems as if the dancer is being burnt badly by fire. It was popularized by Artquake. The duo were the toast of music fans betwwen 2000 and 2008. Azonto Azonto is a Ghanaian invention but as soon as it took Nigeria by storm, it became even more popular in Nigeria than in Ghana. The dance is soo ‘swagalisious’ . It is one of the dance styles of 2012. Wizkid released his own Azonto song and a potpourri of reactions followed it.

60 sunday e-train

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Kannywood Is Headed For Greater Heights – Steve Gukas He is one of the most accomplished movie makers in Nigeria. Steve Gukas knows his onions when it comes to the arts and business of film making. Having produced ‘NAMIBIA- The Struggle For Liberation’ which featured Danny Glover and other flicks like ‘Keeping Faith’ and ‘Katanga’, Gukas is not just a celebrated moviemaker but also a broadcaster. His latest work, ‘A Place In The Stars’ is a movie that fans will love to watch. The brain behind it speaks on the movie and trends in the movie industry. How challenging was it shooting ‘A Place In The Stars’?

There were quite a few challenges. Filming ‘A Place In The Stars’ was a delight though we encountered challenges before getting to where we are now. For example, when we finished shooting, I went to the UK where we did the part of the post production. Later, I got a call from the editor that part of the movie we shot was not looking good for the cinemas. We had two areas where we stored the film, one part was on the drive and the other was on the HD Tape. I came back to Nigeria and was told all that were on the drive are good and intact but those on the HD Tape were looking fuzzy and blurred. So, I had to decide on what to do- either to use part of the movie like that and release it into VCD or shoot part of the scenes again because we needed to recoup part of the money invested by screening in the cinemas cine-ultra . So, 50% of the movie was shot twice. The decision to go ahead and re-shoot was the most challenging decision I made. The final piece is what we have to show now. What was the inspiration behind the movie?

With its unique distinction and style, Kannywood is developing and evolving as the movie is meeting its audience, creating jobs for the people up north

The inspiration behind the movie came when I met Professor Dora Akinyuli during the time she just got appointed the DG of NAFDAC. I was struck by the kind of person she was, her commiment to do the right thing even in the face of danger. When everyone was going that way , she choose to go the other way and was dogged in her assignment. That sowed a seed for what the movie now entails. The legal details of the movie was built on the foundation of a fearless person who wanted to do the right thing even if his life might be in danger. It is a father-son story set agaiinst corruption. What lessons can we get from this movie since it is based on a person who fought drug barons and their establishment?

The lesson there is that we all want change and if we all wait for the change, that change will never come. We all need to go out there and make that change. It is only a selfless person that will set to do what no one wants to do. So what makes the movie unique

and how long did it take to bring this out?

The idea of the story is to meet expectations in terms of production value. In a system where you require one week to produce a movie, we used 8-12 weeks to shoot a good movie. Considering the work we put into this movie and the attention to details, I, as the the producer cun director and my team including John Demps, the director of photography, were set to doing an internationally accepted movie. For us, it takes three months for pre-production of a movie such as this and another three months for post- production. This makes a total of six months for Nature Filmworks Limited to complete a movie of this size. Did you ever think of quitting considering the challnges encountered?

Well, in life, there are down times but quitting is not for me. I have young children that I’m raising to be good citizens. I couldn’t have thrown in the towel since this is what I love to do and movie making is a passion for me and I have different projects undertaken before. I have produced ‘NAMIBIAThe Struggle For Liberation’. Danny Glover featured in that movie. ‘Keeping Faith’, ‘Katanga’ are other movies as part of the credit. In terms of funds and sponsors, how much was invested in this movie?

We can’t tell you how much we spent now, but it costs more. We had various sponsors who contributed towards its success. At the time the movie was done, the government had not set aside funds and the Nollywood grant was not in place there. So, most of the supports were from our own people who are the stakeholders in the industry. Corporate firms who supported us include Cadbury who helped us with locations; NASCO company from Jos, NFC, NFVCB, SoundCity, Jungle Filmworks. The bulk of the fund came from the industry. Emotional support also came from industry stakeholders So, what is your expectation as it goes to the cinemas and other distrubution plans?

We have our plans in place and you know that movie-making is big business in Nigeria. I think the bane of most Nigeria films until now is

Gukas

that you spend money to produce the movies but you do not spend much money to promote the movie which is a major part. We are all faced with insufficient funds to promote our movies here. Taking it to the screen is different from releasing directly on DVDs. We are still managing the process of distribution and creating synergy that makes for better distribution channels for our works. Besides that for ‘A Place In the Stars’, the market is not just Nigeria, the market is global. What about plans to beat piracy?

Piracy was positioned to meet the gap limit of the DVDs. Since there is not enough VCDs or DVDs to meet the market of movie lovers here, it breeds piracy and cause people to meet that needs. If distribution is well taken care of, piracy will be nipped in the bud. In the case of ‘Half Of A Yellow Sun’ movie, it had a contractual obligations and the timing needed to screen the movies was not met, so all these factors contributes to pi-

racy and a breach of right practices but it can all be solved. You used Lantana Ahmed, why sir, and do you think Kannywood is developing?

Lantana Ahmed was my reverred lecturer in those days. She was the finest during her time and I planned that I would involve her in my work. As regards Kannywood, a lot is going on in that industry. With its unique distinction and style, Kannywood is developing and evolving as the movie is meeting its audience, creating jobs for the people up north and creating opportunities for acquiring knowledge in movie making and other areas. We have Kenneth Gyang producer of ‘Condusion Na Wa’ and other good producers. Sanni Muazu and other leading lights of the movie industry are still around. It’ll get better though. By and larger, it is contributing to the bigger industry of Nollywood and we are getting the attention we need now. We are heading for greater heights.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

62 gowon @80 PHOTOS

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Gowon: The True Measure Of A Man – Bishop Kukah It is a matter of great honour and a rare privilege for me to be asked to send my best wishes to General Yakubu Gowon a man who formed a substantial part of my moral and patriotic diet when I was growing up. Although I had come into relative maturity, the name of General Gowon rang through a substantial part of that phase of my life and we spoke of the name with reverence and awe. We heard and saw this very dashingly young and handsome man in great admiration. We were all elated when he married his beautiful and elegant wife, Victoria. They seemed to be a perfect pair that dropped from heaven. At a time when the cross-no-gutter skirt seemed the highest form a fashion statement, the first Lady had a practiced gait that combined a deep moral backbone resting on a beautiful soul. She seemed to do everything right. She was not flamboyant exuded character, grace and beauty. With her husband, they both commanded national attention and adulation. This tribute is for the General, not his wife. However, for me personally, there is something very special about this couple based on the rare privilege that I have had since they unexpectedly opened their doors to me many years ago. First, the coup that overthrew Gowon then as now remained the subject of controversy. The man exhibited no crooked bone in his body, no visible form of bitterness and, for a country coming out of a war; his healing balm of no victor no vanquished had begun to take effect. For those of us who loved the man, we did not understand nor accept all the claims that the coup plotters had make against him. The coup against Gowon would later become a metaphor for treachery in the eyes of my simple mother. After my ordination, she found time to counsel me. Like my grand mother, my mother, then as now, love to speak in metaphors, anecdotes or proverbs to elicit human lessons. You know, she said, if those who were so close to Gowon could betray an innocent, good and God-fearing man like him, then anything is possible. Learn not to expect too much from even your closest friends. Only God is ever faithful. My mother has had to return to this theme even in ordinary conversations and whenever any news of treachery comes up. It has been so many years, but I have not forgotten those words. Growing up, I never imagined that I would meet General Gowon in real life. Fate however smiled on me sooner than I had ever expected or dreamt of. In 1986, I arrived London to pursue a doctoral programme at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Not knowing any Nigerians in London, I imme-

diately sought out Mr. Eddie Iroh who had settled as the London Editor of The Guardian. His home would later become my little hang out where I was a frequent guest and was sure of the best pounded yam and all forms of soups that Eddie’s culinary skills could summon at the shortest notice. In Eddie’s house, every Sunday was an exciting seminar of sorts. In the course of one of my visits, he invited me for the launch of a newly published biography of General Gowon. I was excited at the prospects of seeing General Gowon since I was convinced that an actual meeting was totally out of the question. I arrived the venue and was met by Eddie and Ms. Donu Kogbara. I was chatting with Donu when Eddie walked up and disrupted our conversation as General Gowon walked in: Let me introduce you to the General, Eddie said, literally seizing my hand. I was just thrilled by this unexpected luck, but a more serious shock was just two steps away. It turned out Eddie had no need making the introduction because as we got close to him, it was the General who stretched out his hand, saying: You are Father Kukah, as we approached him. I enjoy reading your column, The Mustard Seed, in the New Nigerian. Well done, you write well. I was too dumbfounded to speak and just managed a rather fake smile and mumbled a thank you. General Gowon knows me, General Gowon knows me, a little voice kept saying inside me. This little voice literally drowned everything else around the hall and refused to stay quiet. Yes, I had been writing a column at the behest of my friend, Mohammed Haruna in the New Nigerian on Sunday. However, I really could never have imagined or dreamt of the fact that anyone had taken any serious notice, not to talk of General Gowon. More luck lay ahead. I did not meet the General again until two years later after I returned from one year of field research for my thesis. In the course of my research, I had stumbled on claims and counter claims that required some clarifications. I then decided to seek out General Gowon to hear some sides of his story. I got his number and called his home. To my shock, he picked the phone. His gentle voice put me at ease almost immediately; sounding as if he was speaking to a friend he had known for a long time. I doubt that he even noticed the trepidation in my voice as I pleaded with him that I wanted to interview him over some issues in my research. Without hesitation, he agreed and we fixed a date. When I asked how to get to his house, it turned out he was less than twenty minutes drive from where I was staying in the New Barnet area. We agreed to talk on

Kukah

the date of the interview just to be sure that nothing had happened to make him unavailable. On the fateful day, I put a call to his house and again, he personally picked up the phone. I had barely introduced myself when he picked my voice. I said very little because his next statement stunned me. I know where you are, he said. I will come there and pick you myself. No need to take a taxi. I will be there in the next half hour, he said. Yes Sir, Ok, Sir, I said rather clumsily and fumbling to put down the receiver. I was too stunned to tell the priests who were staying with me because I still did not believe what I had just heard. I rehearsed the words and spoke to myself: General Gowon, former Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is coming to pick me to his house himself. Lord God Almighty. The white priests I was living with had worked in Nigeria and they knew him very well but by reputation. I put my excitement in check so as to avoid the embarrassment that could arise if he failed to turn up. I decided to take it easy because I also knew that my stocks would rise in the house. I must have had the doorbell ring many times in my imagination. And, yes, less than thirty minutes later, the real doorbell rang. I went to the door, opened it and there was General Gowon, with no driver but himself. How could I capture these moments, I wondered? We drove off immediately with me sitting right beside this great man. But the General did not seem capable of running out of surprises. When we arrived the house, he got out of the car, got out his keys and opened the main door. The house looked normal, but I expected to be surrounded by stewards and all kinds of assistants who were to open the door of the car, collect my bag, lead me to the door and open it for me. He opened the door himself. The house was quiet and it was obvious we were the only ones. He took my cheap and rumpled winter coat befitting of a student and hung it. He turned to me as if apologizing and said to me: Uwargida ba ta nan and the

children are in school. The General, I later realized had a tendency for making Haus-ingli sentences. Now, this is new, fake vocabulary but I do not know how else to refer to someone who speaks both Hausa and English in one sentence! fter he sat me down, he went into the kitchen and brought a medium sized tray with teacups. He went back to the kitchen again and brought out a kettle, sugar, assorted biscuits and sand witches. Perhaps, for the reader, I was rude for not offering to help him. I decided to obey my head and not my heart and my refusal to help him pleased me because it was for the records too because I thought to myself: Why would I spoil the historic joy and fun worth an entry in the Guinness book of records of being served by my former Head of State and hero? I felt that making any contribution to the service by a trip to the kitchen would have amounted to a contamination of what to me seemed like a sacred ritual. After he set out everything, he took a seat apologized again for the absence of Uwargida and then said he was ready for the interview. When we finished, he drove me back to my residence. I pleaded with him to come because the priests would be glad to meet him since they had all worked in Nigeria. He came in and of course, feeling very much like a new Chief of Protocol, I summoned all the priests who were around. Everyone was in shock and after the pleasantries; we all accompanied him to his car. Yes, I felt on top of the world, and yes, the word did go around that General Gowon had come to the house, and, everyone was reminded that he came and picked Matthew to his house and brought him back! With General Gowon, one can go on and on. I am indeed really humbled by the chance to refer to him as someone I know and grateful to God that our paths have crossed. Like millions of other Nigerians, he is one person whose faith in our country continues to serve as a means of encouragement. Gowon’s love, passion and commitment to our country sometimes elicit a childlike faith. But this is a faith grounded in the knowledge that God has plans for our country. His personal faith is the anchor on which all is altruism and passion reside. At his age, it is incredible the things he continues to do. His agility and ubiquity are an inspiration and an encouragement that no distance is too long to cover for our country. Whenever I tease him about his fresh looks, he often adjusts his head, smiles and says, Perhaps, it is, aluran soja (the proverbial high performance testosterone enhancing military injections that ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

We heard and saw this very dashingly young and handsome man in great admiration. We were all elated when he married his beautiful and elegant wife, Victoria

Sunday, October 19, 2014

INTERVIEW gowon @80 63

God Favoured Me Like David In The Bible – Gowon ➔ FROM PAGE 10

sure we denied him those areas. I had to set up another command under Adekunle to go and secure Bonny, Port-Harcourt and Calabar. But when Ojukwu went into the Mid-West, I said no, he wanted some of the ports in the Mid-West: Warri, Escravos, Koko and Sapele. So, I made sure before they went to Calabar, they should go back and make sure they secured Escravos, Warri and Koko. So, when that was done, they went to Calabar, and captured Calabar. When they captured Calabar, they started their operation to capture Port-Harcourt, Aba, Oguta and Ikot-Ekpene right up to Owerri, etc. Like I said, those were the most trying moments. The first one was when I became head of state, and then, the civil war.

gestions, it did not matter what was your political belief, if it was a good idea we would use it; socialist idea, capitalist idea, republican idea, all were accepted. Your Excellency sir, what was the most challenging moment of your life?

Practically, every stage is a challenging moment, and by the grace of God, one was able to deal with it. Certainly, the most challenging moment of my life was that day it became very clear that I had no way to get out of becoming the head of state. That was the first most challenging moment of one’s life, because you are not trained for that; although, you are trained to be loyal to the government of the day, your head of state, and to be loyal to your seniors as a soldier, including the country as a nation. When we had the first coup, it became very clear that I had to suppress that coup, and I was one of those who led the officers to at least foil the coup in Lagos. In Kaduna, they got away with it; but in Lagos, we stopped it. After that, we went through a challenging period over the loss of those senior officers who meant so much to me: Maimalari, Kuru Mohammed, Yakubu Pam and others. And of course, I tried to do something to make sure we got them back alive. So, that was a trying moment. But when it came to the knowledge that they were not alive, what one had to do was to try to keep maintaining law and order and discipline to find out how that thing happened and who were involved. And the new government under Gen Ironsi survived the seven months of the year, when suddenly we had this unfortunate coup. But it was more of trying to defend themselves. I think they called it a revenge coup. But no, it was a threat to their lives, a threat to the lives of young officers that there was going to be another coup, to do what was formerly done in January that was not successful. And as a result of that, the reaction against that brought about the coup when Gen Ironsi was killed, and who would be head of state. If you remember, there was about 48 hours when nobody was head of state and the permanent secretaries; they wanted somebody to be head of state from whom they can receive orders to carry out their duties. So, that was when that decision had to come; that it is you that we want to give us leadership. It was the young officers that more or less put me there. But it was approved by the senior officers. So, that was one of the most trying moments.

Gowon Sir, what other challenging moment can you recall?

The next one would be when we had to face the civil war. That was really one of the most difficult moments. All the things that happened in-between; the riots in the north, the killings of Igbos in various parts of the country, those were the most trying period. You know, how to stop it and all the efforts to stop it and how one made arrangements to make sure that there were no serious happenings in Enugu in the east by moving more soldiers, Adekunle and others, from Enugu and allow all the soldiers of eastern origin to go back for safety, so that we do not have further bloodshed. But all these people may not realise what was happening, the efforts we also made to make sure that we stopped the carnage and return to normalcy, peace and stability, so that we can make progress. And then, of course, all the efforts to make sure we had a meeting with Ojukwu and all the governors, so that we could find opportunities to resolve that matter and deal with the problem in our country that led to the first coup which started all the problems we had in the country. That failed, not because one wanted it to fail, but our colleagues from the east, Ojukwu and the rest, pre-empting to wanting to make certain statement which was not really the spirit of the meeting in Aburi. We did not go there to solve any problem, but to enable us to meet and seriously discuss all issues to resolve some of the much problems in the country. That was the first mistake. He (Ojukwu) made a statement before I made mine which really created certain difficulty. He would say “on Aburi we stand” and I would say “from Aburi you will fall”. So, it went like that.

But you can be sure that the civil war was a result of the declaration of independence by Ojukwu. If there was no declaration or him saying they had broken up from the country; honestly, there won’t be a civil war. There would probably have been only police action to restore law and order, and that was what I tried to do before the civil war. That, let there be police action so that we can bring back the breakaway into the fold. And when it went beyond that, with the invasion of the Mid-West on their way to Ore and that they wanted to come to Lagos and probable divide the rest of the country from the central government; it was at that stage that I changed and said it should be full military action. I refused to call it a war, because I did not want to say I was fighting the whole of the Igbos, no; it was only those who raised an insurgency against us. That was really what happened. There won’t have been that civil war. If you remember, initially, the civil war was only to move up from Makurdi to Nsukka. If you captured Enugu, you hoped everything would be alright, and that would be the end of any war, because usually once you capture the city of any country, that is the end of any war. But that was not in the case of what happened in the east, because we had this very effective Biafra Radio that, even when Enugu was captured, it would say Biafra Radio Enugu, whereas they were far away from Enugu, in Okigwe or Umuahia, but it was very good and effective. But when they went to the MidWest, I changed my strategy and made sure I denied him facilities to import arms, because he wanted to import arms. Since he could not use Port-Harcourt because we had taken Bonny, and you can’t get into Port-Harcourt unless through Bonny, we made

And your happiest moment, sir…

I can mention one of my happiest moments, which was the end of the civil war. And I said what do we do? Right from the beginning, that war was not a total war against a total enemy, but against those people who were against the unity of Nigeria. But then, it must be fought in such a way that we do not hurt women, children and old people, except those who took up arms against you; and it must be done in such a way that we must be able to live together as a people in peace and harmony. And so, any excesses that were done you will find out that there might be a reason. Otherwise, no; you must not destroy any infrastructure, because you will need it later. And that was why in the whole area, we did not destroy most of it. And at the end of the civil war, they came back very quickly and we needed money for reconstruction and rehabilitation. There are many anxious moments in life, but there are also some very hopeful ones in the end, like the call for no victor, no vanquished, the assurance and acceptance from the Igbo leadership at that end to accept the end of hostilities - let us see if we can trust his words and if we trust his words, we can see what it is going to be. So that really made sure that there was no continuation, like guerrilla warfare, that would have prolonged the suffering of the people. So, the reconciliation started from there, and it helped us to be able to do what we needed to do; to start rehabilitating the people, and then, the rehabilitation ran into economic development and reconstruction. One thing I would want you to stress is that it was never out of hate or dislike for any people, but any wrong that was done by anyone, that is the one we were trying to fight against.

There would probably have been only police action to restore law and order, and that was what I tried to do before the civil war

64 gowon @80

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Dad’s Best Kept Secrets – Children Dad Is A Symbol Of Integrity – Ibrahim Can we know your position in the family?

How does it feel celebrating with dad on his 80th birthday?

I am the eldest of my three siblings. It’s a blessing to have such a dad; although I do not feel like he is 80 already. He has had 45 years of blissful marriage with us as kids. It is amazing having a dad like him, who was the first to teach me how to swim, ride bicycle, always played with us like he was a kid too, helped us with our homework, and never missed my sport and special day events at school or elsewhere. He played a lot with us.

Honestly, it does not feel like 80 to me, though he is. It has really been a wonderful time for us as a family. He is also meeting his grandson and always has a lovely time bonding. They play and chat together a lot; eat cake together too. It is really amazing watching both of them play and relate. Really, what type of cake does he love?

How does he relax?

He loves to read and watch soccer and cricket. Does he have a favourite team?

Yes, he does. He supports Manchester United and that is quite on the opposing side as the rest of us at home love to support Arsenal. What role did he play in the careers you have chosen?

He was always there to

Dad Is A Loving Bond In The Family – Rahila

Ibrahim

support and guide. What are those virtues he has that you want Nigerians to imbibe?

His passion for unity, integrity, togetherness irrespective of religion, peaceful co-existence and service to humanity. Do you have political plans?

(Laughs) No, I don’t.

Different types; from vanilla to strawberry, sponge cake to all, which he and his grandson both share in common. I guess the genes were passed from granddad to grandson. What type of meals does dad love to eat?

Oh, he loves the typical Nigerian foods, like Tuwon shinkafa, rice and stew, jollof rice, especially when he has been away for awhile; he demands local dishes, which is my mum’s area of specialty as she serves him the best. As dad came from a mili-

Rahila tary background, what was discipline like for the kids?

Well, dad never hesitated to draw the line to correct. He was always the loving and caring dad, but whenever we erred, he always made sure we were back on track; whenever we were naughty, he corrected us, and when we were great, he has always been our biggest fan, cheering and encouraging us all the way.

Dad Has Good Sense Of Humour – Sarah What is it like having a father like Gowon? Is the Gowon we know different from the one you know?

Well, I do not really know the Gowon you know, but it is amazing having a dad like mine, though I just see him like a cool dad and not that personality other people see. What is it that we do not know about Gowon?

Well, my dad is a joker in the sense that he has a very hilarious sense of humour. He bumps out from where

you least expect to scare you and plays a few pranks with us here and there. He is so warm and friendly, plays with everyone he comes across, irrespective of age. He plays so much with us that at a point when we were much younger, my friends actually did not come to my house to play with me but to play with my dad. He was that friendly. How does dad relax?

He loves soccer; he loves family times, and tells stories

and plays golf. How does dad unwind?

He loves to read a lot, and he watches news and of course soccer. What do you want to say to him on this special occasion?

I wish him long life and more strength. Though I want him to slow down, however he truly derives joy and happiness from what he does. So, I guess there is no stopping him… Dad, I love you so much!

Sarah

Gowon: The True Measure Of A Man – Bishop Kukah ➔ FROM PAGE 62

are the stuff of mythology). His inner strength has a sound moral foundation. It is a lesson for real belief and trust in God. General Gowon remains a pride to the military and soldiering in Nigeria and Africa. He turned the military institution from being a profession to being a vocation. Thus, he is he is not just a summary of the dual qualities of an officer and gentleman. His reputation stands on a tripod of an officer, a gentleman, and, in every sense of the word, a

truly and truly quintessential good man. They hardly make them anymore. It will soon be 40 clear years since General Gowon was overthrown. Yet, he exudes such charm, with a total absence of malice of any sort. With uncommon passion and total forgiveness, he still loves both the military and the country that more or less betrayed and humiliated him. Despite being the oldest surviving Head of State, he still remains the most visible, voluble and the most ubiquitous. While others

seek to expand their frontiers of business and power, Gowon’s business card reads, Nigeria Prays. He has distanced himself from the Oil wells, the Discos and other choice contracts that fall on the laps of the powerful men of yesterday. Not for him the struggle for neither more filthy lucre nor the seduction of the power of control and god fatherism that haunts the leaders of yesterday. Not for him the obsession with who rules. Not for him the quest to decide who will govern his state of Plateau or who will be in-

stalled as President. For some time, the road to his house in Kaduna was full of potholes. And, until the Government built a house for him in the city, he did not have a plot of land in Abuja, the city that he himself help to conceive. For all this and for want of a better word, this is what constitutes, the true measure of a man. He is a man in whom God and nation are truly well pleased. Sir, you are a reason for our hope in a great Nigeria. We love you. Your place in our history and Abraham’s bosom are assured. Happy birthday, Sir.

FEATURE 65

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Why We Avoid Traffic Officers– Commercial Drivers

To most road users, Vehicle Inspection Officers popularly known as VIO and those of the Federal Roads Safety Commission, FRSC are enemies on the highways for obvious reasons. ZION ZADOK went to the streets to find answers as to why many perceive their services as unnecessary inconvenience, harassment

VIOs are just out to frustrate commercial drivers because it is obvious that they are after their own personal interests rather than following the ethics of their profession

There are a lot of cares motorists must take with regards to safety of vehicles on the highways. There are also safety requirements that a driver must have in their possessions at all times. However, because of these demands made on drivers by the vehicle regulatory outfits, many drivers see them as potential enemies. While some of these demands like possessing a drivers’ licence, vehicle particulars, number plates, and so on are necessary, what happens when all requirements are checked and the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) is still looking for scapegoats? The result, from investigation is a situation whereby road users try avoiding them at all costs. Some vehicle owners, especially commercial drivers, avoid the paths the regulatory bodies trail. It is no longer unusual to see drivers making a rather sharp U-turn to avoid being apprehended by the VIO at the next junction, or taking a longer route if only to avoid meeting them. Commercial drivers have such a syndicate that share information among themselves about where to avoid running into the roads the operatives will be found. Coded languages such as “They dey for front oh” or even sign languages and the likes are common among divers. Recently, LEADERSHIP Sunday had an interaction with some commercial vehicle owners in Abuja and they were able to pour out their frustrations regarding how they feel about the activities of the VIO and why they will stop at nothing to avoid being stopped by the officers. Obioma Ebendo said he does not

know what is wrong with the VIO that makes them stand in the way of commercial drivers making a living. He said the officials apprehend vehicles unnecessarily even when a car papers are complete. He said they will always find a fault to have their cars impounded. According to him, about two weeks ago, he had to spend about N8,400 to bail his car because he dropped a passenger who wanted to alight from his vehicle. He said while he and other drivers alike are trying to make a living within the city centre, they drive with fear because of the VIO’s or men of the Federal Roads Safety Commission’s (FRSC) excesses in the course of maintaining law and order. He said if proper parks and bus stops are earmarked, it will make a whole lot of difference. He said all commercial drivers hate the VIO because of the various ways they embarrass them. Kazeem Yusuf, an engineer- turneddriver said commercial drivers avoid the VIO because despite their vehicle papers being complete, they still found a way to put some blame on you and the least amount one could get fined is N6,000, the highest could be up to N20, 000, which is much more than what a taxi driver makes in a day. He said things are hard enough in the country with unemployment on the rise and he will not fold his arms and watch his family go hungry, that’s why he started to drive commercial vehicles. According to him, “Having to deal with VIO and road safety personnel or the ones that call themselves task force with no form of identification to prove that they are actually a task force, makes it more difficult to achieve that dream.” He

said the pressure by the VIO is getting too much. He said they have had cases of drivers being involved in accidents while trying to avoid being arrested by the VIO or FRSC. He said the regulatory bodies should reduce the level of stress they put on taxi drivers. He said right now, he is not sure what the rules and regulations are because by VIO standards, commercial drivers are always on the wrong. So, he pleaded with the government to intervene in the situation because if driving a taxi fails, he may just turn to armed robbery. He said without remorse. “A lot of Nigerians are out there struggling, there are no jobs anywhere. After this one, I am telling you personally, I will carry a gun.” Kazeem said. Alhaji Bishir Abdul said the VIOs are just out to frustrate commercial drivers because it is obvious that they are after their own personal interests rather than following the ethics of their profession. He said a driver may set a target for himself on how much he wants to make in a day, and if he has to share that money with the VIO, then he will be at a loss. He said times without number, money has been extorted from him, by the VIO and he is forced to comply because he wants to save time and carry on with his work. He said there is no VIO that will deny extorting money illegally from drivers. He said if the VIO sees commercial drivers as friends then they don’t have to avoid them but if they keep exploiting taxi drivers, then they will continue to shy away. We Are Trying To Ensure Safety On Our Roads- VIO Meanwhile, the VIO Public Relations

Officer, Mr KK Iloduba has said that commercial drivers are the most difficult group to handle when it comes to certifying road worthy vehicles. Iloduba complained that most commercial drivers do not follow due process or register with the approved bodies like PAT Nigeria LTD, NURTW or SEFGA, a requirement necessary to curb the activities of fraudulent people popularly known as ‘One Chance’ who use commercial vehicles to carry out their atrocities. He also said that sometimes, commercial drivers may have their complete vehicle papers but have worn out tyres because most of them use fairly used tyres that may have expired. He said tyres from their manufacturing date has a time line of 3-4 years and if commercial drivers continue to rely more on fairly used tyres, the problem of ruptured tyres while the vehicle is still in motion will happen thereby leading to accidents that would have been avoided if commercial drivers followed due process. Iloduba also explained that most commercial drivers avoid the VIO because of overloaded vehicles, an offence he said commuters share with the commercial drivers because they comply with the driver to overload the vehicle in the name of being in a hurry. On allegation that the VIO men are paid based on target, the PRO debunked the argument, saying that the VIO is the second largest revenue generating organisation and its officers are paid their salaries and allowances as and when due whether they make any arrests or not or compound any vehicle or not.

66 kiddies

Sunday, October 19, 2014

MAze

kiddies kingdom By Chika mefor

08156719304 (SMS only)

My Fun Holidays

Hello, friends, my name is Anietie Peters. I live with my parents and two siblings in Abuja. I want to tell you how I celebrated my holidays. It was a fulfilled one and I can’t wait for another holiday to come. Do you know the reason my holidays is one I can never forget? It

is because I and my siblings, Ntoro and Favour decided to tour Abuja. Many of my families are in Abuja. So, mum agreed that we visit each one of them. Mum had said that families are important and we should always stick to our roots. We started with Kubwa, my

aunt’s esther’s place. Aunty esther is my mum’s sister. She just gave birth to her first daughter. My grand mum was also there too. So, it was a full house. What I enjoyed most In Kubwa is carrying the baby. I was always around to carry her whenever she was awake. It was fun. From Kubwa, we went to Garki, the house of my uncle called Jake. Garki is a cool place quite different from Kubwa. I believe it was because there are no motorcycles around. It is serene and there is no much noise as we witnessed in Kubwa. I didn’t enjoy staying in Garki. My uncle and his wife were the busy type. In the morning, they are out until the evening. We just had to sit down and watch cartoons. His children were not even helping matter. They were bossy and were not fun to be with. After Garki, we moved to Jabi. That was the place I enjoyed most. My aunt Bibi, my dad’s sister was on leave, so, she spent every minute of the day with us. She took us shopping at ‘Shoprite’ and ‘Sahad Stores’. She took us to ‘Mr Biggs’ where we ate and ate. Aunty Bibi also took us to ‘Wonder land’. Though, I have been to the place several times, with Aunty Bibi, it was a whole new feeling. She joined us in every game we played. She was with us in the roller coaster. It was fun. Next holidays, we are planning on visiting Asokoro, Gwarinpa, lugbe. Surprise? We have many relatives in Abuja and we want to visit every one of them. It has been fun so far and I wish the holidays will come again, soon.

Puzzle

HAPPY BIrTHDAY

SPOT THe DIFFereNce

Kamsiyochukwu Uzochukwu Meghelu was one on October 6, 2014

ChrISTIaN pErSpECTIvE 67

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Pastor W.F. Kumuyi The Study Of God’s Word info@deeperlifeonline.org

The Gateway To The Spirit-controlled Life (2) With the assistance of the Spirit, a believer is able to walk consistently in righteousness. From the point of conversion to when a believer goes to be with the Lord, it is the Spirit that sustains him. For a believer to keep moving from one level of glory to another and lead a life that is devoid of disgrace and shame as he journeys towards heaven, he needs the Spirit of God. 1. THE PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT IN YOU John 3:3-6; 14:17; Romans 8:1-4,7,8,9,14,13. Mere religious profession does not make anyone a Christian. What makes one a Christian and qualifies him for the kingdom is the presence of the Spirit in him. The Holy Spirit partners with the believer to lead and guide him. Although Nicodemus, a highly placed individual in the Jewish society, recognized and honoured Christ, he did not know the way into the kingdom of God. “Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” He could not tell the difference between the natural birth and the spiri-

tual birth. The spiritual birth by the Spirit brings total transformation of life and makes the believer to possess the Spirit of truth; lying, deception, hypocrisy, diplomacy, will all be gone. He is enabled to live a consistent Christian life and walks in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit means that the believer has no more interest in fleshly pleasures like alcohol, drug, tobacco, pornography, fornication, adultery, partying at night clubs, gambling, fraud, greed, etc. The believer who walks after the dictates of the flesh cannot please God. Thus, if a member of any religious gathering, a bishop, preacher or priest does not have the Spirit of Christ, “he is none of his.” Those who choose to live after the flesh will die spiritually. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

2. THE PURITY THROUGH SANCTIFICATION IN YOU Psalm 24:3,4; Matthew 5:8; Acts 15:9; 1 Timothy 5:21,22; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Jude 20,21,24,25. Obtaining salvation and enjoying good health, deliverance and

prosperity without sanctification is not sufficient to take the believer to heaven. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?... He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…”. Professing believers, who are sensual in their mode of worship, filled with immoral thoughts, steal money from the coffers of the church or government, defraud their employers or employees, kidnap others and demand for ransom, assassinate or murder their fellow human beings, give or take bribes, earn salary with forged certificates and wish their enemies evil, do not possess clean hands and a pure heart that qualifies one for God’s kingdom. Christ teaches that, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Possessing clean hands is by obtaining forgiveness of sins and doing all necessary restitutions to have clear conscience before God and men. For a believer’s thought, desire, affection, ambition, pursuit to be patterned after Christ’s, he must be sanctified. When a believer’s heart is purified, he is always careful in his walk with God, avoiding anything that will make him a partaker of other men’s sins. He is always watchful to guard the sanctification experience jealous-

ly. Without sanctification, all our labour in God’s vineyard will be in vain. So, we constantly take inventory of our Christian life to know the state of our hearts and where we are heading to. Hard work and zeal in Christian service without regular intake of the Word and holiness will amount to a waste of time. Therefore, we must “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Believers, who willingly consecrate by laying down all on God’s altar and seek Him with a sincere heart, will be sanctified and made ready for heaven. Sanctified, we must shun every form of hypocrisy and “keep ourselves pure” while labouring to bring others into the Kingdom. 3. THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT IN YOU Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,5; 19:2; Isaiah 40:31. Christ’s command is to “…tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Believers must not allow church administration, religious activities and running errands for leadership to make them disobey. ➔ TO BE CONTINUED

Dr. Obinna Iheanyichukwu Life Discovery Series obirt@yahoo.com, dovechurchinternational@yahoo.com 08033454006

Your Life Is Beautiful

The attributes of God are deposited in our spirit man the moment we are born

“For every house is built by someone, but he that built all things is God” Heb 3;4. This is an eternal truth that can change your life. Every thing we see around us today is built by some one. Inventions come and go, beautiful clothes and cars are manufactured year in and out. Yet, the best is yet to come. The Bible says that every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord- (James 1;17). Every creation of God is wonderful and good. Satan came to counterfeit and destroy the good that was intended. However, he will fail in your case because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, glory to God. If He can get the chance to live in you, then everything good is in-

side of you. God owns everything, even the houses people are building in their names, the cars we drive registered in our names. He said it that “Silver and gold ,they are mine”. If He owns all these things, we ought to give Him first place in our lives for letting us enjoy it on His behalf. Every thing that God builds is good, it is beautiful. If He builds your life, it will come out fine. (Gen 1;3) “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness”. To maintain the goodness in you, there should be a separation from darkness and all forms of pollution. God in cre-

ation knew that for light and darkness to stay together was not practicable. Your beauty can be tarnished . You see, after God finished creating the beautiful garden and created a beautiful life for man, satan came to steal the beautiful position in paradise where God had put man. You must understand that the devil cannot override your will to do anything to you. He tricks you into giving him the authority to do so. He tricked Adam and Eve into thinking their lives were not good enough. When they succumbed to his tricks, he took away the beautiful life they had. Today, satan is promising lots of people a better life than they have- all lies; in effects, he wants to take away the blessings

they already have. And God said, “Let us make man in our image,after our likeness” Gen 1;26……. His image and likeness is in the spiritual nature and character of God. The attributes of God are deposited in our spirit man the moment we are born again. We carry His divine nature by the Holy Spirit. If God is good,so are we; if he is powerful, so are we; in fact we carry His genetic nature traffered to us at the time of the new birth. We only fail because we do not, willfully, demonstrate this attributes on the outside. We can if we try a little more by the help of the Holy Spirit. Let His nature be expressed through you and give Him glory.

For a believer’s thought, desire, affection, ambition, pursuit to be patterned after Christ’s, he must be sanctified

opinion

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Cross River Central: Beyond Politics By Emeka Okoro,

I am not from Cross River State by birth, but can lay some claims to that geographical location having spent my early, formative years there. Immediately after the Nigerian civil war, my family lived in Ogoja for some years before relocating to Calabar and finally to Lagos. I am not a politician, but have followed politics closely, especially the political progress of Senator Victor Ndoma -Egba, the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) in the Nigerian legislature till date, who, as very young people then, we saw as a teenage sensation. How can I forget the Aloysious Ekanem-anchored schools quiz, which was a programme that commanded radio listenership after the civil war and the regular names then were Essien Oku, George Amadi, Aloysious Ononye and the same Victor Ndoma-Egba who, then, in his teens, was also a regular contributor to the South eastern stateowned Nigerian Chronicle. He was also a regular name along with Chudi Nwike in inter schools debates. Even at that age, he was seen as serious minded and was not associated with frivolities. I doubt if he knows me or my family because we do not share the same background or move in the same social circles. His father was a famous lawyer while mine was a petty trader but when, as a very young lawyer working with the

radical lawyer, Kanu Agabi, who was to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and attorney general of the federation, he and his friend, Paul Erokoro, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, came to live on our Iwong Murphy Street in Igoli -Ogoja, things changed for us, the younger ones in the neighborhood. Parents, especially mothers, reminded their children to be like them and there were stories of their courage and exploits in courts.They were far more responsible than their ages. They worked hard and hungered for success and followed the spartan discipline of their boss, Kanu Agabi. It is no wonder that they are who they are today. My knowledge of Ndoma-Egba trajectory has clearly shown that he is not an accident of history. His example confirms that hardwork, determination and focus pay and that he is clearly a child of destiny. From becoming commissioner for Works and Transport in the old Cross River State, in what is now Cross River and Akwa Ibom States at the uncommon age of 27 years, to becoming an unusual two-term chairman of the Calabar branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), an unprecedented threeterm president of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce, member of the Body of Benchers, three-term senator and now leader of the Senate, he has exhibited zeal, dignity and nobility in every assignment. On my return from the diaspora, I

have heard and learnt that after so many years in the public, he has not been associated with controversy or scandal. This speaks volumes of his character. I am told that his initial ambition in life was to be a catholic priest. This, and his background, explains his persona. He never believed that the geography of his birth, being a minority, was a limitation. He rather saw it as an opportunity and exploited it. It is also public that he seeks a return to the senate. If his return is to be judged by performance and character, why not? While we cannot deny him the right to seek a return, we cannot also deny anyone the right to aspire to his seat. I, recently, read in the papers that Hon John Owan Enoh, who chairs the House Committee on Appropriations seeks the senate seat. This was widely carried by various media on 27th September, 2014. This is, certainly, within his constitutional rights and democracy is best promoted through competition. It is the acknowledgement of the role of competition in the promotion of democracy that has prompted this piece. From media reports, I garnered that Hon Enoh justifies his ambition to replace Senator Ndoma-Egba on three planks: 1. That there is a leadership vacuum in Cross River Central Senatorial district that Ndoma-Egba represents; 2.That Ndoma-Egba is not popular and he, Enoh, even gloats about his triumphant entry into Ndoma-Egba’s home-

stead of Akparabong during their last New Yam festival and 3. That he, Enoh, could do better if what I have heard of Ndoma-Egba, all these years and my deductions from and perceptions of his public personality, are correct, then, it is crystal clear that Ndoma -Egba has not only ambushed Owan Enoh, but has also set him up and his sponsors. When it comes to mental games, do not be deceived by NdomaEgba’s humility and ready concessions. I do not believe they are weaknesses.They are not only his strength; they are his magic. When a few months ago, he undertook his widely publicized tour of 41 major projects out of the numerous projects he’s attracted to his constituency, it was a master stroke to bypass the formal structures of power to connect directly with the people. He immediately followed his project tour with his, now famous, empowerment redefined, which attracted senate president, David Mark; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and the governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, among others. Brand new cars as against Keke NAPEP were given out, laptops were given out to students. His sponsored- Central Bank Entrepreneurship Trainees got seed capital. Mr Emeka Okoro recenly returned to Nigeria after decades of sojourn in Europe.

When it comes to mental games, do not be deceived by Ndoma-Egba’s humility and ready concessions. I do not believe they are weaknesses.They are not only his strength; they are his magic

Nass, The Media And Objective Reporting By Justine Jacob

‘Making a mountain out of a molehill’ is an English adage that refers to a situation where an event, happening or occurrence is blown out of proportion or over hyped to an extent that those, who receive second hand or third hand information about the event or occurrence, become unduly alarmed, apprehensive or perceive it as being more consequential or significant than it really is. In this regard, the media, especially in Nigeria, cannot be exonerated from this distressing practice, which, at times, casts doubt on the sincerity or credibility of the press in upholding the tenets of journalistic practice and reporting. A case that comes into light was the shoddy and patently brutal manner the press handled the so-called Patricia Etteh scandal in which the former House speaker and other House leaders were alleged to have embezzled hundreds of millions of Naira allocated for the renovation of their official accommodation. With considerable goading by perceived adversaries of the embattled House speaker, the press had a field day dishing out sensational headlines and calling for the head of Patricia Etteh and her collaborators in the House. Matters came to a head when the entire House leadership composed of Patricia Etteh, deputy speaker, Babangida Ngaroje, the majority leader, deputy

majority leader, etc threw in the towel and resigned their positions. However, some years later, fresh revelations came by way of an independent and unbiased enquiry into the alleged scandal, which exonerated Etteh and her lieutenants of complicity in the embezzlement of National Assembly funds. In fact, the probe panel stated unequivocally that neither Etteh nor her subordinates received a kobo of the supposedly embezzled funds. That such a high ranking public officer could have her reputation and those of her colleagues irredeemably tarnished and maligned on the basis of trumped up allegations beyond proportions by a supposedly responsible media, is, indeed, a sobering food for thought for the whole gamut of the Nigerian socio-political environment. For instance, some papers, have upped the ante in the media-hyped war by publishing issues that concern NASS out of context or beyond proportions and creating a false scenario of crisis or anarchy when, to all intents and purpose, the National Assembly is being run smoothly, transparently, responsibly and efficiently by the management. Previously last year, some national newspaper ran sensational headlines alleging that the NASS staff were being owed CONLESS allowances and emoluments but on rigorous investigation, it was discovered that the management did not owe the workers a kobo

or a dime, as the Americans would say. The blatant attempt to incite the workers against the purposeful and responsive NASS management collapsed like a pack of cards in the face of the ‘egregious charlatans’ in the media and other assorted jobbers in the larger society. Seemingly undiscouraged by the exposure of their redolent antics and recidivist shenanigans, the paid contractors jumped on the media platform, once again, to sensationalize a relatively brief power outage in some parts of the NASS complex (at a time when the 469 federal legislators and their aides, who constitute more than 70% of the NASS work force were on Sallah holiday) and present it as a symptom of a larger malaise in the NASS bureaucratic structure. However, nothing could be farther from the truth as rather than an indictment of the NASS management, it is conversely, a testimony to the efficient manner in which the NASS complex is being run that a power outage of such short duration could attract media headlines and intense scrutiny, even if unfair or unbiased. For instance the nearby Federal Secretariat and even the Supreme Court complex are for considerable periods of the day in total or partial power outrage and it is such a common phenomenon that the media do not even take notice not to talk of sensationalizing it while the National Assembly, which

has been having uninterrupted power supply for years, is being taken to the cleaners, for as the saying goes, ‘a toad running in broad daylight elicits considerable attention’. In fact, the National Assembly’s constant power supply scenario, which was punctured last week by a brief power outrage, is worthy of emulation by most ministries and parastatals in Nigeria as they suffer epileptic or non-existent power supply. In NASS, the lifts work round the clock and the premises, thoroughfares and passages and offices are kept immaculately clean by various sanitation companies meticulously selected by the hygiene conscious NASS management. In fact, this writer posits that rather than engage in negative or self serving propaganda against the NASS management, the media organs concerned, as well as their assorted puppetters, should rather commend the NASS management on their sound, proactive and pragmatic operational, organizational and administrative policies that have repositioned the entire NASS for a more efficient, effective and responsive service delivery to the federal legislators in particular and the Nigeria people in general. Barr Oseni Agbobayemeh wrote in from Benin, Edo State

The media, especially in Nigeria, cannot be exonerated from this distressing practice, which, at times, casts doubt on the sincerity or credibility of the press in upholding the tenets of journalistic practice and reporting

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Zainab Jaji Zee’s Corner zeescorner@gmail.com,Twitter. @addazee

The Importance of Children’s Rights

Both Malala and Satyarthi have given us the hope that whatever they are fighting for on behalf of others is a battle that remains relevant

In Nigeria, we have been told, times without number, that we have an estimated 10.5million children of school age out of school. Looking at our huge population, this should, naturally, cause an outrage from the population, but we are happy to just mention it and move on. This year, the Nobel committee decided to honour two people who are fighting for children’s rights in different ways. On the one hand, the committee selected Kailash Satyarthi from India and Malala Yousefzai from Pakistan. The irony is not lost on many considering the historical rift between India and Pakistan. Malala is fighting for the right of each child, regardless of gender to have the right to a qualitative education, whilst Satyarthi has fought for years against child labour and also the right to education. They are considered worthy of this prize, “For their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”, according to the Nobel committee.

By selecting these two recipients, the issue of child rights has been brought to the front and centre, globally. We all need to be reminded of our humanitarian duty to protect our children. We must recognise their inalienable rights simply because their rights matter. If these are not recognised, then it will mean that they will also not recognise their rights nor the rights of others. We can draw inspiration from both Malala and Satyarthi because they have both illustrated the importance of a lone voice. By encouraging children to speak up, demand for and defend their rights, it reinforces the long held belief that they are the leaders of tomorrow. We need to nurture leaders that have compassion and can recognise the vulnerabilities of the human spirit. For someone like Malala, who was attacked because she went out, as a girl child, to seek education, her defence of the rights of her contemporaries will put leaders on notice that remaining silent is no longer an option. It is the burden

of the 21st century generation to ensure that education and knowledge reaches all citizens. For every child that is abandoned and ends up on the streets or in a work camp under harrowing conditions, it is time for them to know that they have champions. Satyarthi has worked hard in the last twenty years to make us recognise that one of the important ways to end child-labour and slavery is to curtail our massive appetite for consumption of material objects. We have to make conscious and informed choices on what we purchase regardless of our buying power. He has fought for the rights of bonded children in India and believes they should be on our conscience. As much as we celebrate Malala and Satyarthi, we cannot but look at our surroundings. Everywhere we go, and literally on each street in Nigeria, we have a child selling something or a child not going to school. We know the resistance of our legislators in passing the Child’s Rights Bill in the National Assembly. We are just

comfortable seeing other people’s children working in our homes while ours go to school. We should then be concerned about what their lots will be in future when a clear class-divide will be obvious. It is necessary that we encourage and allow all our children to aspire to be contributors to the nation’s growth. The rights of each child is something that must be undeniable. At the Girl Child Summit held this week in Abuja, the consensus was that all must be done to protect all children but, more so, our daughters, who face threats even in the home. The World Bank data has shown that by enrolling just ten percent girls more in schools, the GDP of a country can increase by roughly three percent. This should encourage us all to see that all children’s rights are human rights, and are rights that cannot be shoved aside. Both Malala and Satyarthi have given us the hope that whatever they are fighting for on behalf of others is a battle that remains relevant.

Hamza Atta Isn't It Funny? hamzolo@yahoo.co.uk 08181091784

The ‘All-about-me-no-matter-what’ Syndrome

I feel ashamed to be a Nigerian when our leaders display such immaturity, violence and greed. I suppose it is a reflection of who we are, so it is no wonder the rest of the world looks down on us

The Adamawa State power tussle, where the immediate-past acting governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has returned to his previous post as the speaker of the house is a classic case. Fintiri’s four-month reign as the chief executive of the state highlighted the confusion that has been created in Adamawa by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party’s quest for power. From the onset, it was clear that an opportunistic Fintiri capitalized on the resolve of Abuja to dethrone former governor, Murtala Nyako, for waging war against Mr President. Fintiri offered to be used by the PDP, knowing fully well that if he succeeded in booting out Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, he would be well positioned as acting governor to deploy machineries towards his election as a substantive governor. The PDP and Fintiri struck a symbiotic accord founded on illegality. The speaker’s civilian coup was bankrolled by the PDP. The idea was to wrestle the state from the hands of the opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC) even though they are not popular there. The deputy governor, a PDP stalwart, was coerced and bullied into resignation, despite his constitutional right to assume the

office of governor in the absence of Nyako. The initial strategy was ‘an impeachment joint ticket’, but what was his crime? He is a PDP member and did not defect like his principal. Other PDP members should beware. He was forced to resign under duress and was booted out until the court reinstated him as the governor as due process was not followed. In Ekiti State, the courts have not been allowed to wade into the controversy with a high court judge being beaten and now, the courts are being sealed by the military until the governorelect is sworn in by which time the immunity clause would have taken effect and the law, supposedly, can do nothing. As social commentators and citizens, we shouldn’t belittle the desperation of these people, as they are doing untold damage to the stability that rules and regulations and respect bring to the land. Our President (and I do not use the word “our” lightly) should understand that he is the leader of the country, the chief executive officer of the entire nation, not the posterchild of his party. The president is, definitely, not just the leader of the PDP. These illegalities perpetrated under President Jonathan’s watch only lend credence to those who

said his body language encourages corruption. Quite frankly, he did not create corruption; he inherited it. But whether he is putting enough into tackling it is another matter entirely. In a democracy, a strong opposition is key, because it brings balance and debate to our polity – essential ingredients for a healthy democracy. Unfortunately, a similar crisis is brewing in Rivers State, though they are being met with strong resistance. Both sides are perpetrating the abuse of power and lives have been lost. Edo State is brewing. Legislators are under constant attacks from “unknown” sources. Even the state assembly is not immune from attacks, with thugs shooting and damaging private and government property, all in the name of intimidation and impeachment. In Ondo, the governor has returned to the PDP – the same party, which but for the Judiciary, had stolen his mandate. Now, members of the state House of Assembly, who have refused to decamp, are being persecuted. In Ekiti, I repeat, the judiciary – the third arm of government – has been shut down and militarized so that anointed Governor Fayose could escape

prosecution for his lawlessness. Courts and judges will only resume after his inauguration. What message are we teaching our youths? If the sanctity of the judiciary cannot be protected, how can citizens look up to it to protect their rights? The NJC has let us down by not protecting and upholding the institutions from where they derive their legitimacy. We now see that politicians are bent on dismantling the legal instruments that brought them to power. What will we be left with but a downward spiral towards anarchy that nobody here will escape? I feel ashamed to be a Nigerian when our leaders display such immaturity, violence and greed. I suppose it is a reflection of who we are, so it is no wonder the rest of the world looks down on us. What a disappointment to the black race! Our leader, the president, should appreciate that this is all happening under his watch. He should be mindful that, at best, he would be with us for another 4 years. Will this be worth it? Is this the legacy that he wants to leave behind? William Shakespeare said: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” We should all mark these words.

foreign

news

Protesters Re-take Parts Of Hong Kong Protesters in Hong Kong have reoccupied the Mong Kok site, a key zone in the heart of the city after police had cleared the area on Friday, sparking some of the most violent confrontations since the demonstrations began three weeks ago. Al-Jazeera reported that on Saturday, police used batons and pepper spray against protesters who were shielding themselves with umbrellas on the central district, but were forced into a partial retreat as the sun began to rise, to

recieving cheers from the crowd. Kong police said in a statement that they had made 26 arrests in scuffles with a crowd that had swelled to 9,000 people in the early hours, with 15 officers sustaining injuries in the clashes. Activists rushed to rebuild makeshift barricades in an area police had opened to traffic 24 hours earlier, while thousands of others staged a sit-in at the protest camp that has existed for nearly three weeks according to AFP reports.

Power Outage For Thousands In Bermuda As Hurricane Moves Away HAMILTON, Bermuda - Power was out for nearly 30,000 customers in Bermuda, and many roads were impassable on Saturday after Hurricane Gonzalo pummeled the island with rain and howling winds through the night, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Reuters reported that the strongest storm to sweep the subtropical British territory in a decade whipped Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of around 110 mph (175 kph) as it made landfall Friday night, forecasters said, with hurricane force winds extending up to 60 miles (95 km) from its centre. By Saturday morning, Gonzalo was about 270 miles (435 km) northeast of the Atlantic island, with sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (160 kmh), the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. “The centre of the eye went right over them,” said Chris Landsea, a

meteorologist at the National Hurricane Centre. It was a direct hit.” Damage from the storm was still being assessed but appeared widespread in Bermuda, a tourist destination and affluent insurance industry hub about 640 miles (1,030 km) off the coast of North Carolina. Some buildings took a beating from the strong winds, and roads or sections of roads on the island were blocked by fallen trees and debris, Bermuda Police Service spokesman, Robin Simmons said. “We’re very thankful that there has been no loss of life that we’re aware of”, he said. Most part of the island was without power Saturday morning, a Bermuda Electric Light Co. spokeswoman said. As the company worked to restore electricity to an estimated 28,850 customers out of 36,000 metered connections, it warned people not to approach downed wires when inspecting damage.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

US-led Coalition Jets Strike Kobani After Islamic State Shelling SYRIA - US-led coalition jets struck suspected Islamic State targets, at least, twice in the besieged Syrian town of Kobani on Saturday after fierce shelling by the insurgents hit the town centre. Reuters reported that shelling continued after the strikes, according to witnesses. Islamic State militants have been battling Kurdish fighters for a month to take control of the town near the Turkish border, but stepped-up coalition airstrikes have helped Kurds fend off the advance. The coalition has been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq since August and ex- Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from tended the campaign to Syria in the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 18, 2014. September.

Houthis, Sunni Supporters Clash In Central Yemen YEMEN – Yemeni Shi’ite Houthi fighters and supporters of the Sunni Muslim party Islah clashed in central Yemen on Saturday, residents and local officials said, another sign of sectarian warfare in the violence-prone country that borders Saudi Arabia. Reuters reported that fighting in the town of Yareem in Ibb province came after 15 people were killed in fighting on Friday between Sunni tribesmen and Houthi rebels on the outskirts and in the city of Ibb, 150 km (90 miles) south of Sanaa. Houthi fighters were attacking the home of an Islah official, Ali Bdeir, in Yareem, residents said. The attack came after the Houthis were ambushed at dawn in Yareem and four Houthis were killed Eyewitnesses told Reuters dozens of bodies of fighters from both sides were strewn on the main street in Yareem. In a letter seen by Reuters, the police chief

of Ibb province resigned after the Houthis entered Ibb. “There are heavy clashes now between the Houthi fighters and the supporters of Islah. It’s a very scary situation,” a local Ibb official told Reuters. The Houthis established themselves as power brokers in Yemen last month, capturing the capital, Sanaa, on Sept 21. The weak administration of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi put up little resistance. Clashes between Houthis, Sunni tribesmen and fighters from Al-Qaeda, who regard Shi’ites as heretics, have since intensified across several provinces in Yemen, alarming neighboring oil-exporting giant Saudi Arabia. Activists in Hodeidah told Reuters on Saturday that residents took to the streets of the city, the second-largest port in the Arabian peninsula after Aden, calling on the Houthis to leave. The Houthis, who come from

the northern highlands and champion the interests of the Zaydi community, which makes up a fifth of Yemen’s population of 25 million, extended their control to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Tuesday. The conflict with the Houthis has also extended to clashes with Al Qaeda fighters who view the group as pawns of Iran. Before its fight with the Shi’ite group, Al Qaeda was already battling the government, frequently attacking security officials and government targets. Early on Saturday, suspected Al-Qaeda militants shot dead Saleh Al-Subaihi, the head of the government-allied local militia in the southern province of Lahj, and two of his aides, a local official said. Tribal leaders said Houthi fighters withdrew to the outskirts of Radda in Bayda province, an Al-Qaeda stronghold, on Saturday after an agreement with the tribes.

India, Pakistan In New Gunfire In Kashmir JAMMU, INDIA - India and Pakistan exchanged gunfire across the Kashmir frontier on Saturday, Indian military officials said, ending a pause in fighting that has already killed 17 civilians in the two countries in the worst skirmishes in a decade. After nine days of attacking each other with mortars and heavy machine guns, the two armies abruptly stopped fighting on Thursday night, although their governments kept up the war of words blaming the other of launching unprovoked fire. But on Saturday, Pakistan

border guards targeted 10 Indian border posts in the Poonch sector, an Indian army official said. “Our troops retaliated. Heavy firing is going on,” he said. There was no immediate report of casualties. There was also no word from Pakistan on the latest outbreak of fighting. Both sides have blamed the other for triggering a crisis on the border, with Pakistan suggesting that India’s new government led by nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, was flexing its muscles on the dispute over Kashmir, the cause of

two wars. New Delhi says Pakistan has ratcheted up tensions to keep alive the 67-year-old dispute and vowed a strong response to any Pakistani attempt to stir up trouble in the Muslim-majority region where India is trying to end an armed revolt. “Pakistan wants to internationalize the Kashmir issue, but they have failed in it. They have failed in infiltrating terrorists they want to give cover to them by firing at our posts. We gave them a befitting reply,” army lieutenant general K.H. Singh said.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

EPL: Chelsea Maintains Gap, West Ham Zooms To Top Four Chelsea maintained their fivepoint advantage at the head of the English Premier League (EPL) after goals from Oscar and Cesc Fabregas secured a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace yesterday in a game where both sides were reduced to ten men. Oscar’s sixth minute free-kick

sent Chelsea on their way and Fabregas’s 51st-minute goal ensured they had a cushion to protect them from Palace’s late rally that was capped by a 90th-minute reply from Fraizer Campbell. Chelsea’s victory was reward for the way they reacted after the dismissal of Cesar Azpilicueta and

Siasia Vows To Build U-23 Around Local Players

By Salifu Usman, Abuja

The new national U-23 team, Samson Siasia, has vowed to build a formidable that will make Nigerians proud once again. Siasia, who previously handle the team between 2007 and 2008 where he guided the team to the finals of the 2008 Olympic Games against Argentina and won silver, was re-appointed on Thursday by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to qualify and take the team to the Rio 2016

Olympic Games in Brazil. Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday sports in Abuja, he said his utmost desire was to build a team that will do Nigeria proud. While commending the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation for the opportunity given to him, he said he will build his team around domestic league players where their counterparts playing in foreign leagues will come to challenge them for shirt. “I commend the NFF for the opportunity given me to serve

my nation again. “I would like to build a formidable team here in Nigeria where the foreign players will come here and compete for their shirts with home team. “It won’t be a situation where I will have beg foreign clubs to release their players, no. The local league players will form the nucleus of my team. There is know how we will not have 30 players who are good in our local league. “I will build a team here that will compete with any team anywhere in the world. I know it will

work out well perfectly,” he said. He added that the presence crop of players in the U-20 team who won U-17 world cup in the United Arable Emirate last will be given opportunity to fight for shirt in his team. “We have U-20 team that is doing well at the moment and they are on verge of qualify for Africa Youth Championship. I would have the opportunity to see in action when they qualify for AYC and that in turn would boost my technical knowledge of the players.

Ronaldo Inspires Real Madrid Rout Of Levante Real Madrid ensured they will head into a big week full of confidence with a 5-0 thrashing of Levante ahead of their meetings with Liverpool and Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his fine scoring streak at club level to nine games as he opened the scoring line from the penalty spot before Javier Hernandez headed home to double Madrid’s lead before halftime.

Ronaldo powered home his 15th league goal in just seven appearances this season to make it 3-0 before sweet finishes from James Rodriguez and Isco rounded of a seventh consecutive win for the European champions. Madrid now lies just a point adrift of leaders Barcelona, but the Catalans can restore their four-point advantage with a win over Eibar later on Saturday.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was missing a host of first team regulars as Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane missed out due to a fever, Sergio Ramos was sidelined by a calf injury and Gareth Bale handed a rare rest after his exertions with Wales in the past week. However, the visitors could still have put the game to bed inside the first 15 minutes as Ronaldo was uncharacteristically wasteful in front

Ronaldo

Palace’s Damien Delaney in the space of three minutes towards the end of the first half. In another match played in EPL yesterday, West Ham gave manager Sam Allardyce an early 60th birthday present by moving into the top four with a 3-1 win at Burnley.

Aguero Hits Four As City Rout Spurs Sergio Aguero scored four goals in a game of four penalties as Manchester City recorded a memorable 4-1 win over 10-man Tottenham Hotspur at Eastlands on Saturday. Aguero’s impressive haul means the Argentina striker is now City’s top-scorer in the Premier League era, with 61 goals in 95 appearances. He opened the scoring and, after the outstanding Christian Eriksen pulled Tottenham level, Aguero added the hosts’ second with a penalty. Aguero had another first-half spot-kick saved by Hugo Lloris, but Joe Hart stopped Roberto Soldado’s penalty before Aguero converted his third attempt of the day after a foul from Federico Fazio that earned the Tottenham defender a red card. Former Atletico Madrid star Aguero then added his fourth goal with 15 minutes left to secure a comfortable win as the reigning champions kept the pressure on leaders Chelsea. After the 4-4 draw between Bradford City and Derby County in 2000, it was only the second time in Premier League history that four penalties have been awarded in one game. The only downside for City was an injury that saw veteran midfielder Frank Lampard carried off in the first half with a thigh problem. After the chaos that saw them concede just 13 seconds into a 6-0 defeat at Eastlands in November, Tottenham’s afternoon actually began reasonably well this time. They had more energy in midfield and might have led when Nacer Chadli’s run down the left ended with him crossing for Ryan Mason to drag wide from the edge of the area. Mason got an even better opening when he was picked out by Soldado’s pass only to be denied to a block from Hart. City had threatened when David Silva wrongly chose to pass for an offside Aguero rather than shooting from a good position. But they moved ahead after 13 minutes when Erik Lamela lost possession and Lampard fed Aguero for the striker to work the ball into space away from Younes Kaboul and bend a shot into the bottom corner.

AMUSEMENT PARK

I may be fat but you’re ugly–and I can lose weIght — jo brand

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

19.10.14 No. 454 N300

Aniebo Nwamu

the sunday column

Ambassadors Of Mischief

aniebo@leadership.ng

erhaps, the presumed talks with Boko Haram and the publicised truce on Friday were a hoax after all. Were it not so, the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would have been freed on Friday or, latest, Saturday morning. Up until the time of this writing, however, there has been no news of the release of even one defiled girl. Little wonder most Nigerians were sceptical. The mark of mischief was made visible by the coincidence of the supposed ceasefire with the “grand finale” rally of the SOT (slaves of transformation) in Abuja yesterday. Could it be that the “abduction” of 276 girls since April 14 has been a political gimmick all along? Could some presidential campaigners with eyes on the public till have scripted the abduction saga? I don’t know what to believe now. But it is possible the number of girls abducted was nowhere near 100. It is also possible they have been kept in a comfortable place and treated to choice drinks and food while the propaganda machinery of the politicians revs on. The picture of those behind the deceit is getting clearer. So, parents of Chibok, be of good cheer; your daughters are in safe hands. Governor Kashim Shettima must have understood the true situation when he refused to make any statement on Friday. If the girls had been released by Saturday morning, they would have been marched to Eagle Square to boost the egos of some mad people

that describe themselves as “transformation ambassadors of Nigeria” (TAN). The song at the Square would have changed from “Jonathan who provided roads and railways” to “Jonathan who snatched 200 lambs from the mouths of lions”. How shameless could some people be? How could professors, PhDs and other university graduates have launched attacks on the psyche of innocent Nigerians so callously? Are these not the same people that universities found “worthy in character and learning”? Anyone seeking evidence of the failure of the education system should go no farther than where the “transformation ambassadors” picked their certificates. President Jonathan, as I have often stated, has not been a wicked ruler; he is relatively decent. But leadership entails more than these qualities. He should give this thing up and anoint the equivalent of Obama, if need be, to face the electorate next year. For the sake of his health and his good name, he should ignore the hawks that regard him as the mother cow with breasts to be sucked. He has nothing to lose but the chains. Elections cost money, I know. The national treasury is bleeding. The president should quickly turn off the tap from which these TAN liars are drawing illicit funds. Their campaigns are not doing the president any good. At a time states are refusing to share allocations because of declining oil revenue, the last thing the president should do now is throw money on un-

0805 410 0220 (sms only)

productive activities. As an advertising student, I was taught that a good advertisement can kill a product. If a product doesn’t measure up to what the advertisement says, consumers would reject it. And common sense would tell one that lies (which some call “pernicious propaganda”) do not change an audience’s view. Candidate Jonathan as a brand is being demolished daily by propagandists that don’t even believe their own lies. All they are after is money obtained by fair or foul means. Many of them don’t have voter cards and have no connection with actual voters. The media alone provide channels for peddling their falsehood. Within the confines of Aso Villa, the president can’t hear the truth. These hangers-on can only tell him what they believe pleases him. President, beware the Ides of March! They don’t love you. They are after money because you hold the key to the public treasury. A different world exists out here. Most Nigerians are not going to vote for you in February. So the only thing your spin doctors can do is falsify election results and declare you the winner. But never far away are reminders of the consequences. Since you ignored my advice in 2011, a lot has happened: almost 20, 000 killed, millions displaced; the country is disunited and has not known peace. Nobody recites the National Anthem or the National Pledge with sincerity anymore. If only the APC would put its house

in order, the PDP would be sent packing. That is the truth, President. As a witness to Nigeria elections since 1979, I know that cabals have always determined election winners here. If votes had counted, the PDP could not have won the presidential election in 2003. It could have won in 2011 but not by a landslide and not at the first ballot. In 2015, it would be thoroughly defeated everywhere else except in the south-south and south-east. And it would be very dangerous to tamper with the votes from the north-east, north-west and parts of the northcentral this time round. If the APC could raise money in time and match the PDP naira-fornaira and rigging-for-rigging, even the votes from the south-east and south-south would be so whittled down that the president would feel betrayed. Thus says the augury! TAN could continue with its mischief forever; it won’t change the outcome of the polls. So, please, Sir, stop wasting our money on the mischief-makers who compare you with Mandela, Obama, Yew or King on television. Away with these “ambassadors” and their like! In the end, the truth will emerge. Like my Facebook (Aniebo Nwamu), follow me on Twitter (@aniebonw), like my website (www.eyeway.ng)

GHANA MUST GO Jonathan is best Nigerian president

Gowon Comes Of Age Today is the actual 80th birth anniversary of Nigeria’s second military leader, Gen. Yakubu Gowon. The celebrations have since started and may not be concluded today. To the former head of state, 1966-1975, we say “80 happy cheers!” once more. Gowon remains the youngest person to rule Nigeria so far: he was not yet 32 – and not married – at the time he became head of state. Likely, he will hold the trophy until the end of Nigeria. Many a young Nigerian chal-

lenged with political office has often found courage in the fact that Gowon did it at a younger age. Those rooting for gerontocracy have always told the youth to keep quiet because they have had their time. Almost all other military leaders of Nigeria assumed power in their youth. At 80, the general has since come of age. I have no difficulty in commending him. But I still believe his generation has been the most destructive so far. Had he and con-

temporaries like Ojukwu, Nzeogwu, Danjuma and Adekunle been in their 40s or 50s by 1966, there would have been no coup or a civil war that killed over one million innocent Nigerians – and reversed our development. Now that Gowon has entered the “departure lounge” of an airport, I’m sure he sees things differently. Just as generals Aguiyi-Ironsi and Ogundipe at the time were not misled by “youthful exuberance”. Indeed, wisdom comes with age.

The president should quickly turn off the tap from which these TAN liars are drawing illicit funds

— Tan

Clowns!

• LEADERSHIP (ISSN 0331-328X) is published in Abuja by LEADERSHIP GROUP LIMITED, 27 Ibrahim Tahir Lane, Off Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Way, Utako District, Abuja P. O. Box 9514, Garki II, Abuja. Lagos Office: 34/36 Adegbola Street, Anifowose, Off Oba Akran, Ikeja. E-mail: info@leadership.ng, advert@leadership.ng, newsroom@leadership.ng