02 jan 2015 by Newtelegraphonline

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Sanctity Of Truth

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Vol. 1 No. 317

Friday, January 2, 2015

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N150

Anenih, Ali, Gana, Fani-Kayode, Modibbo on jonathan's campaign committee }9

Global recession, oil glut threaten 2015 budget, says FG T

he Federal Government has identified the sluggish recovery of the global economy,

Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

the non- conventional oil exploration and the emergence of new regional oil producers as potential

threats to the N4.4trillion 2015 budget proposal pending before the National AsCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

NEW TELEG

Award

RAPH FRIDAY , JANUARY

2, 2015

How COSO N AFRIMA 2014directive almost marred

Trending

Chocolate City coun ts blessings

Entertain ment

13 years af Miss Nig ter, ex er with Nat ia returns u Festival re

Stories by Sony

Page 25

Nollywood Aki on vac star, ation ollywood

edu Ikedi actor Chinknown eze, popularly as Aki, ceeded has on tion start a one month provacaing from 20. His media Com December revealed pany, ment on this in a signed MIM, Saturday stateIkedieze . “Mr. Chin for the (Aki) has shut edu year till down 2015. It late Janu was successful a rather long ary so he has year for the star and and on vacat to take a break and go ion with his famil The state close wher ment did not y.” but specu e Aki is vacat disioning probably lation is rife that in the US it mas, going or the Bahais by an inter granted view he a late last national news paper quoted month where he as sayin was g needed a break, that when he he alway to the Unite s mas wher d States or the went Bahahim that e people do not know much: “When from all I want to get of ally take this (acting), away I the US or my family and usugo to there, not the Bahamas becau se me so I canso many people streets like afford to walk know on the and won’ every other person t get mugg Well, it also ed by of the US depends on the fans. anyway, part always selec that is why t the part I not have that does African a large population American of ans who s or Nige rijust like watch Nigerian films he said. Nigerians at home ,” Aki’s last year befor official outin cation wase he proceeded g this on president the wedding eventvaNigeria, of the Actors Guild of AGN ma, on Satur , Ibinabo Fiber of Port Harc day, December isijetted out ourt, Rivers State20 in wedding. immediately after. He would have“There is no way the missed the he of Ibina wedd bo a robust who he had enjoying relationsh the years ip with ed , so he built over rather tight schedule.”it into his

Neme

orld AbundancNatu ral (WNAM), e Model a trade tiative undemark for a new inir the Touc der Hear hing ts of the 2001 Foundation, an TenEkpo. The Miss Nigeria, NGO Amina entertainmblend of fashi on Sustainabl ent will witne and at the WNAe Earth Cam ss an paign will hold M Nature Festi at of Le Meri the Banquet val Golf Reso dien Ibom Hote Hall State on rt, Uyo. Akw l and a Sunday 28th Dece Ibom 2014. The expected week-long activmber, of activ to feature a pot-pity is ities that ouri Eco Frien will inclu Eco Frien dly Fashion Showde s, Amina dly Pageant and who recen more. the coun tly flew into States of try from the United gramme, America for the pect at thespoke on what proto exfestival… 13 years Amina Miss Nige after your reign been heard ria, not much as has abou What have t Amina This has Ekpo. you been been one idea that I than up to? uniq the Ame k God for every the yearsI have nurtured ue fered me. rican society thing with even but as you over has its umbr know ella can powermenThe training, the of- is of essen ts the right timin duce the only but ce. I am g environme t and the enab em- ful and prowill help kind of result strategic a very careling nt that that veloped promote industry me as a has helped de- know, a lot of planner. You our fashi projects savvy busin woman and right and they on participan and that come ly posit decided is why I ess are left either pack up that WNA ts. Suffice to ion to in have or bring a coma this wond becau back hom tose state mote contrM stands to say e proce se it was not Our inclin immensel erful idea that proproperly sustainabl ibuting to activ ation will that ssed, I am and creat y benefit our fashi e one and know is mind perso ive world Our inclinearth campaign.e ledge in Nigeria.on meal is prepful of how a goodn ation and edge on on the poss ared no how long the possi knowlHow and ibilit matt solvi y bility when ng the ceive the it. So WNAit takes to prepa er of solving sustainabi nagging need of WNAM did you conthe val? s thorough M has been undere Nature nagg world overlity, and powe of Festiproce r ing r the ssing and need fully conv can be through achieved of sustaina s ing is now inced that the am bility, principlessustainable desig timripe for and Nigeria is and power earth pract and sustainab n fully it with me and you will agree clean energice. These inclu le world over the evolved that Nigeria y cum powe de can be velopment into a natio has r deachieved envied by which n that is covered throu is undi all. stials in sustainable gh ecologicalpoten nature, What woul economic health, socia design princ d you say l and impact nonviolen justice, democracy is the you have iples with WNA made so and sustaina SONY NEM will boos ce and peace whic , far M? E t future h EDITOR, Pretty power ENTERTAINM economic earth prac ble enhancem feel the soon Nigerians sony.neme@n ENT tice. ism and ent. Tour will ewtelegrapho overall grow There is impact of WNA nline.com economy no dispu th of the that my © Daily Telegra if conscient ting the M. and found fact ph Publis strat iousl ation Tender hing Compa That is egically harnessedy Hearts has , Touching ny Limited why we focused remained have a week . long activ on tives and its aims and objec case and ity to educate, show now WNA entertain. M unde Many would r have thoug ht that

Best of showbiz

Tragic New Year CONT INUED

ON PAGE 28

Aki

lSuicide bombers hit church, military barracks in Gombe lDSS acquires hi-tech gadgets to intercept Boko Haram }2

Travel Advisory Your guide to local and international flights 4

Quick Read L-R: Managing Director, Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA), Mr. George Noah; All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, during the grand finale of the 2014 Count Down at the Bar Beach, Lagos…yesterday.

Jonathan promises to fight corruption, insecurity }5

Editorial

Govt’s tardy negotiation process }19 Eid-el Maulud: IGP promises violence-free celebration }5

News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Suicide bombers hit church, military barracks in Gombe Ben Ngwakwe and Emmanuel Onani

n less than 24 hours, Boko Haram launched a series of attacks on targets in Gombe, hitting a military barracks and a church. At least one soldier died and three others sustained varying degrees of injury following the bomb blasts that rocked the Army Barracks and Mammy Market, Gombe on Wednesday night. By yesterday morning, another suicide bomber blew himself up at ECWA Church, Gombe while trying to attack the church. Sources said the suicide bomber, while attacking the military targets, planted the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in a motorcycle and tried to gain entry into the barracks before he was stopped by soldiers on duty. One of the soldiers alerted others but the explosives went off killing, one soldier, the suicide bomber and injuring three others. About one hour later, there was another explosion at the same place, but there was no causality recorded. While the state was yet to get over the shock of the two previous attacks overnight, another suicide bomber blew himself up at ECWA Church, Gombe, injuring several others. According to a witness, the man arrived during the church service and refused to park his motorcycle outside a security barrier set up by church volunteers. It was gathered yesterday that members of Boys Brigade who were at hand to provide security during the New Year service had barricaded the road, which prevented the suicide bomber from getting close to the ECWA Church, located behind Gombe State University. However, the suicide bomber refused entreaties to stop for routine security checks and while he was trying to evade the Boys Brigade members, the explosives hidden in his body blew up. "There was an explosion outside the ECWA church this morning. A suicide bomber who was restrained from getting into the church blew himself up," said Abubakar Yakubu, who heads the Nigeria Red Cross in Gombe. "Luckily no one was killed but some people were mildly injured." "He insisted on riding through the barrier," said Dahiru Badamasi. "It was while he was arguing with the volunteers that his suicide belt exploded."

Another witness heard an explosion and rushed outside. "I saw a man leading three children with their new dresses stained with blood," said Jummai Maifada. Five among the boys sustained minor injuries with the exception of one who was probably closest to the bomber that had one of his arms almost chopped-off. Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Fwaje Atajiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the incident at the ECWA III involved a young man who tried to jump a security barricade when the bomb exploded on him. According to him, only

the man died and a few people sustained minor injuries and have been taken to the hospital for treatment. He added that the suicide bomber did not look like a Nigerian, judging by his facial marks. These triple bomb blasts in Gombe metropolis dampened the New Year celebrations as residents stayed indoors. Meanwhile, the Department of State Service (DSS) has acquired more sophisticated surveillance and monitoring equipment to fight terrorism. It was gathered from a highly-placed security source that the hi-tech equipment enables special operatives to track and arrest suspects within a distance of over 10 kilo-

metres. The source said the sophisticated technology had helped to frustrate several attempts made by suspected insurgents to attack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) since the last bomb explosions that rocked the city. According to the source, several attempts to hit the city had been foiled by the heightened level of intelligence gathering. "That Abuja and its environs have remained peaceful since the last bomb explosion does not mean attempts have not been made severally. "The truth is that millions of naira have been spent to acquire sophisticated surveillance and detective equipment that have the capacity to track

and intercept terrorists within a 10 or more kilometre radius. "Once our men in the strategic office locate their spot, they immediately alert those in Ops (operation), who go on their trail, intercept and effect arrest. "You will marvel at the kind of feats we are recording, especially with the commitment of our DG to excellence, professionalism and reward," the source added. New Telegraph also gathered yesterday that some politicians have been placed under watch by security operatives ahead of the 2015 elections. Another security source said the surveillance was necessary to forestall any breakdown of law and order following

inflammatory statements being made by politicians. "When the military and security agencies issued those warnings, some of you thought it was just for the fun of it. "Let me tell you in confidence that some of these politicians, who feel they can threaten the state without consequence, are closely being watched. "We are subjecting their movements and activities to intense surveillance and we will move against anybody whose actions or words threaten our hardearned democracy and constituted authority. "Whoever threatens national security, will be made face the music; it doesn't matter who he is or what his affiliation is," the source stated.

L-R: Senior Pastor, Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche; his wife, Becky and President Goodluck Jonathan during the New Year service in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Propaganda won't give you victory, PDP tells APC

lSays Amaechi, Kwankwaso, others implement ruling party's manifesto Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) that propaganda will not come to play when Nigerians decide to elect their president in the February 14 election. "There is no need to spin and manufacture propaganda to win elections because the PDP has done a lot to deserve re-election of the president in the 2015 elections next month," the

PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu'azu said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tony Amadi. Mu'azu accused APC of embarking on propaganda in its bid to win the presidential election at all cost. "All the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has to do is state the facts of our achievements on the ground over and over as they stand because Nigerian voters are not dumb or silly. They know that propaganda don’t win you votes, they only complicate matters because sooner rather than later,

their propaganda and lies will fall flat on their faces. "The Nigerian electorate know that leopards don’t change their skin overnight. The change Nigerians need is a change in their standard of living, transformation of the basic infrastructure to better roads, bridges, education standard and management of the economy as well as better health infrastructure which make us a better country and not change to a political party just to achieve their personal desires," he said. Mu'azu noted that politicians who consistently

point accusing fingers at the PDP for failing to make a difference in the governance of Nigeria over the past 15 years, share more of the blame for the so-called “incompetence and cluelessness." "How can the gang of five governors who left the PDP in 2013 extricate themselves from those accusations when they were all part of the decision-making organs of the party? For the better part of the eight or four years they governed Rivers, Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa and Kwara states, they executed PDP manifesto

before they decamped to join the APC where they have continued to execute PDP blue print for success. "Nigerians should ask Governor Amechi if he has executed any other manifesto other than those of the PDP even after he left the party. Ask Governor Kwankwaso whether his infrastructure successes were not planned by PDP government that he headed in Kano State? Has Sokoto’s Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko done any work that was not originated by the PDP government through which he came to power?"

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Travel Advisory

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

International Flight Schedule

Local FLIGHT SCHEDULE FIRST NATION AIRWAYS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06.50; 09:30; 11:45; 16:00 (SAT) 06:50; 11:45 (SUN) 11:45; 16:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 11:30; 13:40;18:30 (SAT) 09:00; 13:40 (SUN) 13:40; 18:30 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 14:45 (SAT) 16:15 (SUN) 14:45 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:50 (SAT) 18:20 (SUN) 16:50 AEROCONTRACTORS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06:50; 13:30; 16:30; 19:45 (SAT/SUN) 12:30; 16:45 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 13:00; 19:00 (SAT) 12:30 (SUN) 15:30 MEDVIEW AIRLINES LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:50; 12:00; 15:30 (SAT) 10:00; 15:00 (SUN) 17:30; 18:30 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 14:00, 15:00; 18:30 OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00 ARIK AIR LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:00; 09:00; 11:00 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00; 20:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 09:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI)07:00; 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 (SAT) 07:00; 11:00; 15:00 (SUN) 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 09:00; 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 (SAT) 07:30; 11:30; 09:00; 13:00; 17:00 (SUN) 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 ABUJA-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30; 16:50 (SAT/SUN) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30 PORT-HARCOURT-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10; 18:30 (SAT/SUN) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10 AZMAN FLIGHT SCHEDULE WEEKLY SCHEDULE Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 12:40pm Lagos-Abuja/Kano 4:00pm Abuja-Kano 5:45pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kan 10:10am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 12:40pm Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm WEEKEND SCHEDULE SATURDAY Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Sunday Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 10:30am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 1:20pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm

Air France

Destination Abuja- Paris Paris-Lagos Paris-PHC PHC-Paris Paris –Abuja Lagos –Paris

Flight No. AF 513 AF 3822 AF514 AF513 AF514 AF3849

Departure 23.55hrs 10.55hrs 11:00hrs 21:20hrs 11:00hrs 23:55hrs

Arrival 6:05hrs 17:15hrs 19:15hrs 6:05hrs 17:00hrs 6:20hrs

Amsterdam-Lagos Lagos-Amsterdam

KL587 KL588

13:15hrs 23:05hrs

20:00hrs 05:50hrs

Lagos-London London-Lagos Lagos-New York

W3 101 W3 102 W3 107 (Mon, Wed & Fri) W3 108 (Tues,Thurs & Fri) W3 103 W3 104 - (Tues, Wed &Thur) - (Tues, Wed &Thur) -

12:00hrs 21:30hrs 23:50hrs

18:30hrs 05:15hrs 05:30hrs

12:30hrs

16:00hrs

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

New York-Lagos Lagos-Johannesburg Johannesburg-Lagos Lagos-Douala Douala-Lagos Lagos-Accra Accra-Lagos Abuja-Accra Accra-Abuja Lagos-Freetown Freetown-Lagos Lagos-Banjul Banjul-Lagos Lagos-Dakar Dakar-Lagos

10:45hrs 09:35hrs 11:10hrs 13:25hrs 07:20hrs 17:00hrs -(Tue,Thur,Sat,Sun) 08:05hrs -(Mon,Wed,Fri) 13:35hrs 18:00hrs -(Daily) 17:00hrs 06:00hrs - (Wed,Fri,Sun) 08:00hrs 17:00hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 08:00hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 15:20hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 21:00hrs -(Mon,Tue,Thur, Fri,Sat) -(Tue,Wed, 01:00hrs Fri,Sat,Sun)

BRITISH AIRWAYS

hrs 14:44hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

London-Lagos Lagos-London Abuja-London Abuja-London

BA075 BA074 BA 082 BA 083

17:55hrs 00:00hrs 09:00hrs 22:40hrs

11:55hrs 5:50hrs 14:35hrs 06:00hrs

Lebanon-Lagos Lagos-Lebanon

MEA 571 MEA 572

3:00hrs 14:00hrs

8:00hrs 19:00hrs

Middle East Airlines (Two flights weekly (Tues & Friday) to Lagos) EMIRATES AIRLINES

Lagos-Dubai Lagos-Dubai Dubai-Lagos Dubai-Lagos Abuja-Dubai

EK 7821 (Sun-Sat) EK 7822 EK 7831 EK 7811 EK 761

21:30hrs 14:40hrs 07:35hrs 14:20hrs 23:55hrs

07:40hrs 01:05hrs 12:50hrs 19:45hrs 10:30hrs

Lagos-Doha Flight Doha-Lagos Flight

QR 1414 (daily) QR 1415

14:55hrs 07:20hrs

23:45hrs 13:35hrs

Lagos-Atlanta Atlanta-Lagos

DL053 DL 054

22:15hrs 5:15hrs

05:32hrs 16:15hrs

Lagos-Houston Houston-Lagos

UA 143 UA 142

10:10hrs 19:10hrs

6:05hrs 15.15hrs

QATAR AIRWAYS DELTA AIRLINES

UNITED AIRLINES

ASKY AIRLINES

Destination Lome to Abuja Abuja-Lome- Kinshasa Kinshasa-Abuja Abuja-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Kinshasa Kinshasa-Libreville Libreville-Lagos Lagos-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Brazaville Brazaville-Libreville Brazzaville-Lagos Lagos-Lome

Flight No. KP 032 (Tue-Fri) KP 032 ( Tue-Fri) KP 033 (Wed-Sat) KP O33 (Wed-Sat) KP O40 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP O44 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP O45 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat)

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

Departure 14:00hrs 16:30hrs 8:20hrs 10:35hrs 13:00hr 14:40hrs 17:00hrs 7:15hrs 9:35hrs 11:55hrs 13:10hrs 14:50hrs 17:10hrs 07:00hrs 09:20hrs 11:40hrs

Arrival 15:55hrs 18:15hrs 10:00hrs 12:20hrs 14:00hrs 16:30hrs 18:45hrs 08:55hrs 11:25hrs 12:45hrs 14:10hrs 16:40hrs 18:50hrs 08:40hrs 11:10hrs 12:30hrs

Lagos to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Lagos Abuja to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Abuja Enugu to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Enugu Kano to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Kano

ET900 ET901 ET910 ET911 ET930 ET931 ET930 ET931

13:15hrs 09:00hrs 13:40hrs 09:40hrs 12:00hrs 09:20hrs 14:05hrs 09:20hrs

20:25hrs 12:15hr 20:10hrs 12:20hrs 20:50hrs 11:15hrs 20:50hrs 13:20hrs

Lagos-Madrid Madrid-Lagos

IB 3337 IB 3336

22:55hrs 16:00hrs

05:25+1hrs 20:20hrs

Lagos-Casablanca Casablanca-Lagos

AT738 AT 737

06:25hrs 02:15hrs

09:55hrs 6:00hrs

Lagos-London London-Lagos

VS 652 VS 651

11:00hrs 22:40hrs

17:00hrs 4:40hrs

Lagos- Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi-Lagos

EY 0672 (Sunday) (Monday) (Saturday) EY 955

20.45hrs 09:50hrs 09.20 hrs 06:30hrs

07:00hrs 20:05hrs 20:10hrs 11:45hrs

Lagos-Cairo Cairo-Lagos

MS 876 MS 875

14:25hrs 08:30hrs

22:20hrs 13:30hrs

Lagos-Nairobi Nairobi-Lagos

KQ 533 KQ 534

12:30hrs 18:00hrs

19:35hrs 23:45hrs

Lagos-Kigali

AWB 201 11:15hrs (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) AWB 202 14:00hrs (Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun)

16:45hrs

332 333

06:00hrs 21:20hrs

IBERIA

air maroc

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ETIHAD AIRWAYS

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

Turkish Airlines

Lagos-Istanbul Nairobi-Lagos

22:35hrs 15:10hrs

17:30hrs

ASKY Airlines international travel tips Earning Miles on ASKY Airlines ASKY is a Lome -Togo based airline that provides an extensive route network within West Africa. The airline provides excellent connections with Ethiopian Airlines flights serving cities in West Africa. Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY provide an end-to-end service for frequent flyers enrolled in ShebaMiles. The airlines jointly provide full coverage of Africa providing full mile earning opportunity for a frequent flyer.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Jonathan promises to fight corruption, insecurity Anule Emmanuel

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday restated the commitment of his administration to check the dual scourge of corruption and terrorism bedeviling the country. He said at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, during the New Year church service, that what his administration was doing was to strengthen the institutions responsible for fighting graft and terror so that the fight would be sustainable. He also reiterated that just like Nigerians came

together and defeated the Ebola Virus Disease, the war against terrorism and corruption can also be won. He said: "Let me thank you for the warm reception. Today is a unique day for us. Having listened to the message by Pastor Enenche, I don't want to dilute it. I have realised that for you to achieve anything, you must have a clear vision. "If you look at what we have been doing as a nation, the nation used to have a 25 year national rolling plan, which formed the basis upon which budgets were made, but things have collapsed and we ran gov-

ernment on emergency basis. But things have started improving and we will go back to the good old days. "Nigerians talk about corruption and terrorism. We are doing everything to end this scourge. It is not about arresting one person and parading him on the television; but strengthening institution so that we will be able to check this. This is what we are doing," he said. The president who also thanked religious leaders for their prayers for the country, saying that the relative calm witnessed in the country is because of these prayers and the efforts by the government.

"The kind of conspiracies both internal and external against our country would have been worse if not for the prayers from all Nigerians. The country has been calm because of your prayers and what the government has been doing. "I will do my best and do things that will impact on the ordinary people. Just like we won the war against Ebola we, will win the war against these challenges," the president added. According to him, 2015 is a turning point for the country as it goes into election and his administration will ensure that

the polls are free, fair and violence-free. "Some people will not mind even if half of the country gets burnt for them to achieve their ambition. "But you must have a country before ambition. We want to serve the people and we should not compromise the lives of our people. My ambition or the ambition of anybody is not worth the blood of any Nigerian" Jonathan said. Earlier in the day, the president had in a nationwide broadcast to mark the New Year, assured Nigerians of his administration's commitment to provide good governance

L-R: Secretary to Oyo State Government, Mr. Ismail Olalekan Alli; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu; Governor Abiola Ajimobi and All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, during Osinbajo’s visit to the governor in Ibadan… recently.

Salaries’ arrears: NLC threatens to disrupt services in states lUrges workers to vote out anti-workers’ politicians

he Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday threatened to disrupt services in some states of the federation over arrears of salaries owed workers by the state governments. The NLC President, Mr Abdulwaheed Omar, made the call in his New Year message to the workers. He said 11 state governments and some federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were owing workers’ salaries. The NLC president noted that states like Osun, Benue and Plateau owed their workers arrears of salaries ranging from three to eight months. He added that some Federal Government employees in the Ministries of Education, Labour and Productivity, among others, were also owed arrears of salaries ranging from one to three months. Omar also called on workers to vote out `anti-

workers’ politicians’ during the 2015 general election. He said that politicians who were insensitive to the welfare of workers should be rejected to ensure industrial peace and progress in the country. “We call on workers to massively reject these anti-workers’ politicians in the 2015 elections. We direct our councils in the affected states to serve appropriate ultimatums on their government to pay the arrears of salaries or face disruption of services,” he said. He called for fair, transparent and credible elections, saying: “Nigeria is bigger than any partisan interests and its sovereignty and inviolability are sacrosanct.” Omar urged workers to come out en masse to perform their civic duty and defend their votes during the elections. He attributed the incessant industrial actions in

2014, especially in the education and health sector, to breach of agreements government entered into with workers. He urged the government to tackle unemployment, reduce crime rate and address the problem of power supply in the New Year. According to him, government should fashion out a comprehensible and implementable national security strategy, to deal with the myriads of threats to national unity and sovereignty. He also called on government to boost the nation’s domestic refining capacity instead of depending on imports, whose landing cost was dependent on prevailing exchange rates and other motivations. “We still stand by our time-tested position that the only permanent solution to the crises of petroleum product pricing is adequate domestic refining,”

the NLC president said. He also urged government to diversify the economy by developing other sectors, and expressed support to the introduc-

tion of luxury tax on the rich. Omar warned against any move to rationalise staff due to current economic challenges.

and deliver better public services to the people. He said: "The coming campaigns and elections will not distract us from our ongoing work to significantly improve the living conditions of our people. And I urge all tiers of government not to be distracted as well. "The elections are very important for us as a country. Their successful conclusion will further strengthen our democratic institutions and place our beloved country even more firmly in the comity of truly democratic nations. "Given the challenges that have characterised some previous electoral contests in our country, the eyes of the world will certainly be on the conduct and outcome of our fifth post-military rule general elections. "I reassure all Nigerians and the international community of our firm commitment to free, fair and credible elections. My commitment to free elections and one man, one vote remains unwavering." According to him, the Federal Government will continue with programmes designed to create more jobs for the youth to enable them contribute more to national development. Earlier in a sermon at the New Year church service, Enenche had emphasised the need for a vision both at the individual level and institutional level, saying that an individual or a nation without a vision cannot achieve any progress. He prayed for the president to have a vision for the country; the courage for him to oversee the conduct of credible elections and the will of God to be done in who gets elected into all positions.

Eid-el Maulud: IGP promises violence-free celebration Juliana Francis and Emmanuel Onani

he Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Suleiman Abba, has ordered police formations across the federation to be at alert as Muslim faithful celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammed today. The IG assured of adequate security during and after the Eid-el Maulud celebration. A statement conveying Abba's assurances was signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Emmanuel Ojukwu, an

Acting Commissioner of Police. Ojukwu said the IGP has since directed all police commands and formations across the country, to remain at alert throughout the celebration. "The IGP has ordered all Commands and Formations of the Force nationwide to remain at alert and ensure the security architecture put in place are improved upon to ensure adequate protection of life and property. They should also supervise the control of the flow of traffic and safety of commuters and all road users,” Ojukwu

said While acknowledging the hard work of officers and men as exhibited during the Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year festivities, the IGP directed all officers to be more professional in the course of discharging their duties so that the citizens can have a hitch-free holidays and Eid-el Maulud celebrations. He further urged all Muslim Umma to emulate the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet by being kind and accommodating to their neighbours and everyone they come across.

News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Reps may dump National Conference report Philip Nyam Abuja

he prospects of considering the report of the national conference may not be in sight as members of the House of Representatives are yet to be given copies of the national conference report. Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, told journalists in September 2014 that the report of the confab has been sent to the House by the presidency and distributed to every member to study. “We have the report, and the report has been shared to every member to study. May be, by next week or there about we will start deliberation on the conference report.” But speaking to New Telegraph yesterday in Abuja, a member of the House said no member of the House has been given the report. "As I speak to you, I have not seen a copy of that report and I don't think any of my colleague has seen it either. "Perhaps, the leadership has copies but as a

member no report has been sent to me to study," he disclosed. According to the lawmaker, who preferred anonymity, the consideration of the report may not be feasible given the limited time at the disposal of the current House. "We may not be able to consider or debate the content of that report because time is not on our

side. What I have read is that the report is about 10,000 pages, so when are we going to study it and prepare for debate? "Remember, the PIB is still not passed up till now and when we resume in about two weeks, we will be working on the budget. The budget is very important because this is an election year and the proposal was submit-

ted late. We have to finish with it before going into any other business." He said the House may be compelled to leave the recommendations of the confab for the 8th House to handle. It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed his desire to send the report to the National Assembly for implemen-

tation shortly after receiving the report from Justice Idris Kutigi-led committee. The House resumes on January 13 and may spend most of its time working on the 2015 appropriation bill, copies of which were circulated to members barely a week ago. Apart from the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)

and the budget, the House will be saddled with completing work on amendment of the 1999 Constitution, the report of which has been returned to the National Assembly by the 36 state Houses of Assembly. Attempts to get the House spokesman, Mohammed, to shed light on the development did not however yield result.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

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Credible electoral process, leaders’ll bring devt to Nigeria, says NBA

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L-R: Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola; the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris; Special Adviser to the governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina and Medical Director, Isolo General Hospital, Dr. Olufunmilayo Bankole, during the presentation of the First Baby of the Year to the governor's wife at the Isolo General Hospital, Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

22oC

Mostly Sunny

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

he Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday said that credible electoral process and good leaders would bring development to Nigeria. NBA National President, Augustine Alegeh

(SAN) in a New Year message called on Nigerians to shun any action that may negatively affect the forthcoming general election. NBA also called on the security agencies to effectively confront the Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal groups with renewed zeal in 2015. "It is our fervent prayer

that the security and welfare of all Nigerians would receive prime attention from the government as Nigerians cannot continue to live with fear and insecurity," Alegeh stated. Ale geh fur ther charged members of the bar to get prepared for the challenges that may arise from the 2015 elections

with a firm belief that such challenges would be overcome. According to Alegeh,"We must all prepare ourselves for 2015 general election. We must endeavour to make a positive impact in the 2015 elections. We owe our nation a duty to contribute positively to voters’ education and mobilisa-

tion for the 2015 general election and ensuring a successful election. "We appreciated all the success we recorded as an association in 2014 and must strive to build upon our modest achievement of 2014. We must also prepare ourselves for the challenges that would confront us in 2015," Alegeh added.

Global recession, oil glut threaten 2015 budget, says FG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

sembly. In a preliminary appraisal of the 2015 Appropriation Bill, the Budget Office of the Federation said the global economic recovery had remained rather slow and uneven as evidenced by the further downward revision of global forecasts for 2015 to 3.8 per cent recently from its earlier position of 3.9 per cent in April 2014. According to a copy of the appraisal, which New Telegraph obtained yesterday, the performance of the global economy, in the

coming months, may even be more lacklustre despite signs of recovery in parts of Europe. "The impulse to stronger global growth in 2015 is expected to be driven by advanced economies. Growth in major emerging markets, although strong , is expected to be weaker than earlier anticipated largely attributable to slowdowns in China and Brazil. The likely implication is a dampening of demand for our primary commodities," the report said. New Telegraph learnt that the rising output from

non- conventional shale oil and gas sources as well as the emergence of new producers of oil across Africa were already creating excess oil supplies in the international market. Experts believe that the oil glut, which is expected to continue for some time, could lead to a significant reduction in the demand for Nigeria's crude oil. Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had during the budget presentation, explained that this scenario informed the low

benchmark of oil price, fixed at $65 per barrel, for this year's budget. In addition to these external threats, the budget faces a risk in the low projected oil production benchmark due to the the phenomenon of oil pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft. Although the Federal Government has played safe by adopting a conservative oil production figure, it said it would collaborate with the oil producing states in the Niger Delta, security agencies and other stakeholders

to contain oil production losses. On the risks to non- oil revenue, the Federal Government said it would remain committed to implementing policies that would reduce the cost of doing business in the country, diversify the economy, enlarge the tax base and consequently increase non- oil revenue. Similarly, the government said the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) would intensify efforts to increase tax collection efficiency and reduce tax evasion.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Afenifere blames FG for nation’s economic woes lOil price crash won't affect Lagos, says Fashola

Muritala Ayinla

fenifere Renewal Group (ARG), a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, has blamed the current economic challenges bedevilling Nigeria on mismanagement of the nation's resources by the Federal Government.

This was even as the Governor Babatunde Fashola gave an assurance that the crash in the oil price would not affect Lagos State, saying that the state's economy is built around people and not oil revenue. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, ARG expressed displeasure over

the poor state of the economy, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency on the nation's economy. The ARG Chairman, Hon. Olawale Oshun, said indicators showed that since 1999 when the country returned to democracy, the nation has failed to get its political and economic

policies right. Oshun said:" We are now faced with a depressing economic outlook because of dwindling revenues, corruption and heavily flawed and extravagant budget. Worst still, divisive politics is now so pervasive that the concept of a free and fair election in 2015 is looking like a

APC to Jonathan: Match your words with action Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday welcomed President Goodluck Jonathan's New Year message to conduct free, fair and violence-free elections. The party, however, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, asked him to match his words with action. It said it was satisfied that the president and his

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had come out publicly to join the APC in pledging commitment to successful and violencefree polls next month. APC said: ''In a statement we issued on December 28, 2014, we assured Nigerians that we will do everything in our power to make the 2015 elections violence-free. Since then, PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu'azu and the president have joined us in making similar pledges. This is a welcome development that will gladden the

hearts of our citizens who are very apprehensive about the forthcoming elections''. The party, however stated that the best way to make the elections free, fair and devoid of violence was for the Federal Government to ensure a level playing field for all the parties by not tampering with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not using the security agencies to persecute the opposition and not deliberately disenfranchising

eligible voters. ''If an election is free, fair and transparent and seen to be so by all, it will be easy for all concerned to accept the outcome and there will be no violence. Violence only occurs when there is a realisation that the process has been skewed against some and in favour of others,'' APC added. It restated its assurances to Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to make sure that the 2015 general election are violence-free.

mirage. "In the absence of socio-political and economic justice, nepotism and ethnocentrism have taken over as the emblem of our presidential politics. For instance, it is difficult not to read meaning to the fact that under the current administration all economic agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Security Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Ministry of Finance, among others are headed by experts from one ethnic nationality." Afenifere called for the immediate restructuring of governance framework to reduce the cost of governance. Meanwhile, Governor Fashola yesterday spoke on the readiness of Lagos to survive the impact of the oil price crash. He said: "We saw these days coming. Every kobo that this state collected under the Excess Crude Account (ECA) went into bricks and mortal. I documented everything,

because I knew this day was coming. We invested in infrastructure, while they chose to save – Sovereign Fund. Now the money is devalued. So, the money we kept yesterday has lost in value. What are they recommending now? They said they will increase VAT, meaning you and I are going to pay more, for their mismanagement. "If all states, including Lagos are losing revenue of 15, 20, 30 to 40 per cent on monthly basis, if you hear that commissioners of finance get to Abuja, but walk out and refuse to collect money, if you hear that salaries are not paid promptly, they are indications that they would have done better if they have had more. "Nevertheless, what we have prioritised for the end of the year is to pay as many contractors as possible so they can keep their businesses going and pay their workers and have something to take to their families."

NSCIA angry with FG for abstention in Palestine vote Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned the failure by the Nigerian government to support the vote for independence for Palestine during last week's meeting of the United Nations. Secretary General of the council and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who addressed newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, yesterday on the development lamented that the Federal Government played an ignoble role in the exercise. He said: "We were therefore surprised by the turn of events at the Security Council where nine votes were required for endorsement of freedom for the people of Palestine only for Nigeria to abstain from voting for this historic resolution of the 66-year-old crisis. "NSCIA is very sad about this development and we feel that the Federal Government has betrayed the people of Nigeria and has created a very serious problem for our foreign policy. We believe that what Nigeria has just done is not only a summersault in terms of foreign policy of Nigeria; it is also a slap on those who are lovers of freedom all over the world.

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (right); his wife, Olukemi and others, during the watch night service in Akure...yesterday

Baby Onyejieke emerges first newborn in Lagos Appolonia Adeyemi

aby Onyejieke has emerged the 2015 First Baby of the Year in Lagos State. Onyejieke, a male who weighed 2.5kg, was delivered at 12.01a.m. at Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, through a natural process. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, made the announcement during the celebration held at the hospital

yesterday. At the Island Maternity, Lagos, Baby Sherifat Ogunnaiki, weighed 2.3kg, was delivered at 12.01a.m. through caesarean section. Also, at the Ajeromi General Hospital, Baby Rukayat Mahmud, a female who weighed 3.9 kg, was delivered at 12.05a.m. through normal delivery. Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Emmanuella Fashola, who led the Committee of Wives

of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) and some officials of the Lagos State Government, to the ceremony, commended the state government for the “various reforms in the state’s health sector for the benefit of all Lagosians.” Idris used the occasion to urge medical doctors and other health workers to jettison rivalry and work as a team so as to move the health sector forward. The Health Commis-

sioner explained that the First Baby of the Year is an annual event meant to celebrate the New Year with those who for some reasons are in the hospitals for treatment or delivery of babies. Medical Director of the Isolo General Hospital, Dr. Olufunmilayo Bankole, said one of the major hindrances in the health sector is shortage of personnel. “In the last two years, our staff strength has dropped from 550 to 409

while our patronage is on the increase. Hence, we are under pressure to service the clientele presenting to our facility,” she said. She listed other challenges facing the hospital as power shortage and paucity of hospital equipment. On his part, Dr. Donald Imosemi, Medical Director/ CEO, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, called for the establishment of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Island Maternity.

News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Jonathan, Mark, Amosun call for prayers at Eid-el-Maulud Anule Emmanuel and Kunle Olayeni ABUJA, ABEOKUTA

resident Goodluck Jonathan has urged Muslims to devote special time during the celebration of Eid-El-Maulud to pray for the peace and unity of the country. That was also as the Senate President, David Mark and the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun also asked Muslim faithful to use the period to pray for the unity of the country. The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, extended greetings to the Muslims faithful as they commemorate the birth of Prophet Moham-

med. He said: "As they celebrate Eid-el- Maulu which has fortuitously fallen on a Friday this year, President Jonathan urges Muslims across the country to offer special Jumat prayers for successful and peaceful elections in Nigeria next month. “The President reassured Muslims and all other Nigerians that the Federal Government will do all within its powers to ensure that the General Elections in February are free, fair, credible and violence-free. Also speaking, Mark, urged Muslims to reflect and imbibe the true teachings of Prophet Muhammad. In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh in

Abuja, Mark said: “We should reflect and indeed imbibe the true teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Those attributes of love, selfless service, sacrifice and care, especially for the less privileged, should of a necessity be our guide today.’’ Mark also called for sustained prayers, honesty and unwavering commitment to the ideals of nationhood on the part of all to help the country out of the myriads of challenges, especially insecurity. Amosun urged Muslim faithful to use the opportunity to reflect on the state of the nation and preach peace as exemplified by the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant

on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, the governor stressed the need for continued prayers and peaceful coexistence as Nigerians approach the 2015 general elections. "It is only in an atmosphere of peace that we can be joyous. Therefore, we must learn to live in peace with one another. The life and teachings of the Holy Prophet typified peace, just as Islam is a religion of peace," he noted. Amosun, who wished the Muslim Ummah a rewarding and peaceful celebration, also said as the various political parties begin their campaigns in preparation for the general elections, people need to set aside their differences and vote in the right candidates at all levels.

Boko Haram: Kalu commends Armed Forces, Police

minent businessman and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has applauded the Nigerian armed forces, police and other security agencies for their patriotic efforts in curbing insurgency facing the nation. He explained that the military and police remain a great asset in ensuring internal peace and security. Kalu made the remarks yesterday at a meeting with a group of Nigerian professionals based in London. He said: "Boko Haram is a collective challenge and we must bury our political, ethnic and religious differences to overcome the menace. For Nigeria to be great, all hands must be on deck to ensure the indivisibility of the country is not jeopardized. I personally salute the noble role our security operatives had been playing in fighting terrorism. According to the for-

mer governor, “the efforts of the international stakeholders are commendable. However, we still count on the support of advanced countries like United States of America, England and China among others in the provision of equipment. The weapons being used by terrorists in Nigeria are more sophisticated than those of the Nigerian military. Kalu, who advocated exchange programmes in capacity building between Nigeria and advanced countries explained that in order to have an edge above terrorists, the Nigerian armed forces and police need to update their knowledge on intelligence . The former governor, while acknowledging Federal Government's efforts in fighting terrorism, called on policy makers to increase budgetary allocation to the armed forces and police for improved welfare.

2015 elections: BEN TV assures Nigerians in Diaspora of live coverage s part of its contribution to credible, free and fair election in Nigeria come 2015, United Kingdom (UK) based first ethnic minority satellite channel, BEN Television has assured the people that the over 70 million Nigerian living in the Diaspora will watch every event leading to the 2015 general election live in various parts of the world. Speaking to journalists in Lagos, BEN Television Regional Director (Africa), Mr. Lanre Ijaola said the resolve to beam the Nigerian election to the international community was spurred by the fact that Nigerians living outside the country are keen about monitoring political developments in the country before, during and after the elections. He also stressed the need for speedy passage of a law that will allow Nigerians in Diaspora to participate actively in general election by allow-

ing them to contribute their quota to who govern the country by being giving opportunity to vote in general election. He said BEN Television as the largest blackCarribean oriented television network was set up to bridge the gap between those back home and those the Diaspora is partnering with Naijalive, which is providing the Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) technology required to broadcast events from Nigeria and other parts of Africa to the rest of the world. He also appealed to Nigerian politicians not to see the 2015 elections as do-or-die and also advised them to ensure that their campaign is issue based. “Politics is not a do-or-die thing. Politicians should imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and ensure that their campaigns are issue based. They should desist from mudslinging and raining abuses on others. And whoever emerges winner, others should accept defeat," he added.

The governor also thanked the people of Benue State for their support and show of solidarity in the last seven and half years, which he says were instrumental to the achievements recorded since 2007. He said he was hopeful and confident that the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) governorship flag bearer in the state, Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor will build on the foundation erected by his administration. He therefore appealed to the people of the state to accord the same support they gave him for Tarzoor and his running mate, Hon. John Ngbede.

Temitope Ogunbanke

Members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, during a New Year special session for the abducted Chibok girls in Abuja...yesterday

Ogbeh leads committee to raise N5bn for Buhari from yams

ormer PDP National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh will on January 4 inaugurate the sale of five million tubers of yam donated by farmers to raise N5 billion for Buhari/Osibajo presidential campaign. Mrs Felicia Yakzum, The Public Relations Officer of APC Micro

Finance Cooperative Society Ltd, said in a statement yesterday in Jos that the sales would commence at Mararaban Demshin in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau. She said that an APC organised New Year wrestling tournament and the ``Job Oppor-

tunities for Osinbajo and Buhari Supporters (JOOBS)'' would also be inaugurated. Yakzum said Ogbe was behind the yam initiative and has been appointed chairman for the sales. The spokesperson said JOOBS on the other hand, would create opportunities to

unemployed youths nationwide to be engaged meaningfully to enhance their lives. Yakzum said: “We have constituted a committee charged with the responsibility of creating job opportunities for youth supporters of the Muhammadu Buhari/ Prof Yemi Osinbajo ticket.''

Suswam urges Nigerians not to lose faith Temitope Ogunbanke

overnor of Benue State, Dr. Gabriel Suswam has called on Nigerians to be faithful to the unity and indivisibility of the Nigerian nation and reject the notion that the country will break down in 2015 by doomsayers.

He said most developed countries of the world have travelled through the same way Nigeria is going through and did not have to break down because of political turbulence, which he said, was inevitable in democratic experience, noting that the United States of America had endured political hiccups

and downturns for many years before it matured to a front line democracy envied by the world. Suswam, in a New Year message by his Director, Media and Public Affairs, James Uloko, urged the Nigerian political class to tolerate each other, stick to the rules of the game and engage in issue-based

politics ahead of the February general election. He said the people have already been traumatised by the activities of insurgents and therefore advised politicians not to make matters worse by engaging in untoward political activities capable of further undermining the security of the nation.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

News

NATIONAL

Jonathan appoints Anenih, Gana, Ali, Modibbo, others, into campaign team

resident Goodluck Jonathan will on Monday inaugurate his campaign team for the February 14 presidential election. According to a statement signed yesterday by the Political Adviser to the President, Rufai Alkali the presidential campaign team will be inaugurated at the Legacy House, Maitama . The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, according to the statement has been appointed the National Campaign Adviser, while a former National Chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali, will serve as the Director-General of the campaign organisation. A former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, will serve as the Deputy Director General of the campaigns’ head office, while Special Duties Minister, Kabiru Turaki and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, will serve as Deputy Directors-General for North and South respec-

tively. Also, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi FaniKayode, is the Director of Media and Publicity, while former Information Minister, Jerry Gana, heads the campaign’s contact and mobilization unit. Other members of the campaign team include former FCT Minister, Aliyu Umar Modibbo, who will head the Directorate of Administration and Logistics, while ex-Minister and Senator, Nenadi usman, will head the Finance Directorate. Former Senator Nimi Amange will head the Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics, the directorate of security and intelligence will be headed by Emmanuel Imohe, and Youth Mobilisation by PDP’s National Youth leader, Abdullahi Maibasira. The release also shows that Nick Eze will head the Directorate of Civil Society and Support groups, while Becky Igwe will head that of Women mobilization.

Ex-deputy gov's group set to dump Ogun PDP Kunle Olayeni ABEOKUTA

he political group of T former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Alhaji

Rafiu Ogunleye, has indicated its readiness to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. The group, known as Imole Group and which claims to have 150,000 membership strength, declared that it would not hesitate to defect if the PDP failed to honour the agreement reached with it while joining the party in October 2013. This development came on the heels of moves by

aggrieved members in Ogun PDP loyal to former Governor Gbenga Daniel, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and two-time minister, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, to dump the party. The three groups apparently lost out in the power game within the party that greeted the disputed congresses and primaries in the state. Ogunleye, who served as deputy governor in the administration of former Governor Olusegun Osoba between 1992 and 1993, defected from the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the PDP in 2013.

Methodist Prelate: Nigeria drifting from God’s kingdom Temitope Ogunbanke

he Prelate of Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche, has said that Nigeria is drifting from the kingdom of God as evident in the multifaceted challenges facing the country. Uche, in his New Year goodwill message to Nigerians, made available by the church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Emmanuel Daramola, assured Nigerians that with fervent and faithful prayers, the February general election will go smoothly without

any violence, no matter how hard the enemies of the nation would try. His words: “It is apparent that the nation is drifting from the kingdom of God as evident in what seem to be a helpless situation confronting her. These situations are enemies which include home grown terrorism, infrastructural decay, economic saboteurs, deepening corrupt practices in the formal and informal sectors, religious extremism and fundamentalism, flagrant disrespect for the rule of Law and a complete collapse of our social values and moral ethics.

L-R: Proto-Presbyter, Methodist Church of the Trinity, Tinubu, Very Rev. Stephen Tunde Adegbite; Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche; Chaplain to the Prelate, Very Rev. Rufus Atolaye and Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, during the New Year church service in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

PROTEST

Enraged passengers protest airlines inability to airlift them to New York Wole Shadare

rik Air passengers yesterday staged a protest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, accusing the carrier of inability to airlift them to New York. However, some of the passengers said they were scared of losing their jobs as they were expected to resume at their different places of work today.

Stranded Arik passengers fear losing jobs in US They told New Telegraph that they were expected to travel out of the country on Wednesday with the aim of arriving in New York City and resuming today. One of the passengers said they came to the airport with the hope of travelling, only to be told by the airline that there was no aviation fuel; a situation they said enraged them. According to the passenger: “The excuse that there was no aviation fuel does not make sense to us. If Arik claimed there was

Buhari not Nigeria's messiah, says Fasehun Wale Elegbede

he National Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Dr. Frederick Fasehun said the notion that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), is the Messiah that Nigeria needs is false, adding that the idea is like turning truth and logic on the head. Speaking yesterday in Lagos at a press conference, Fasehun noted that it was ironic that the Buhari, who once took up arms against democracy, is now flaunting himself as the harbinger of the system he once trampled upon. "General Buhari has often been painted as the Messiah Nigerians have been waiting for. This is turning truth and logic on the head. For the avoidance of doubt,

General Muhammadu Buhari is not the saviour Nigeria has been waiting for. The truth is that under Buhari’s “HolierThan-Thou” facade lurks a smelly throat of evil. "Instead of standing for election, General Muhammadu Buhari should, in fact, be standing trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for crimes against humanity over the killing of thousands of Nigerians in the ongoing insurgency and terrorism instigated by him and his supporters. "Feigning incorruptibility, he willingly became a beneficiary of the bribe that his supporters, APC governors and businessmen, doled out to delegates to secure his victory. "When he served as Petroleum Minister, the N2.8 billion fraud broke out, signifying a new height in corruption in the country."

scarcity of aviation fuel, how did Delta and United Airlines, two American carriers operating USNigeria route get theirs? “We expect the aviation regulatory body to take this up with the airline because this could pose more serious image problem for not only the country, but also for Nigerian carriers.” Spokesman for the airline, Banji Ola, said the matter had been resolved, stressing that the aggrieved passengers departed Lagos for New York at 3pm yesterday. A top official of the airline, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said

Kalu hails Ooni at 85

minent businessman and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has described the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade as a detrabilised monarch, who is committed to the unity of Nigeria. Kalu acknowledged the pivotal role the revered paramount ruler has been playing in promoting social, economic and political development of the country. In a birthday message signed by his Special Adviser, Prince Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said:"I join millions of your well wishers, Ile Ife Royal Dynasty and entire people of Ile Ife in celebrating your 85th birthday anniversary. Your reign has brought tremendous development to your kingdom. We appreciate the fatherly role you play on national issues. It is my prayer that God Almighty will continue to grant you robust health in serving the people.

the problem was caused by scarcity of aviation fuel, otherwise known as JET A1, which cost has been spiralling in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, a top manager with one of the leading aviation fuel companies denied that the commodity was scarce. He disclosed that the firm, like other marketers, has over five million litres of the commodity for the Yuletide season. The source stated that his firm was not oblivious of high traffic during Christmas and safeguarded that by stockpiling the commodity to ensure supply.

CHANGE OF NAMES

MOKOLADE

Former Miss Olofindayo Florence Abosede, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Mokolade Florence Abosede. All former documents remain valid. General Public note.

ALHASSAN

Former Miss Christiana Buba Bappa, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Christiana Usman Alhassan. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

AGHEDE

Former Esther Ifeoma Maduka, now wish to be addressed as Esther Ifeoma Aghede. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

OGUNLANA

Former Onotilo Ejimotu, now wish to be addressed as Ogunlana Ajimot Abike. All former documents remain valid. WEMA Bank and general public note.

ABDUL-JELEEL

Former Oloyede Samuel Oyetunji, now wish to be addressed as Oloyede Abdul-Jeleel Oyetunji. All former documents remain valid. General public note.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro Man says lover flees with pregnancy

businessman, Azeez Mohammed, has accused his lover, Aderayo Kafilat Alao, of running away with his pregnancy while they were on holiday in the United States in September. Mohammed, who said he was surprised at his lover’s action, expressed concern that all efforts to trace her had proved abortive. He said: “My concern is that I don’t even know where she is. We left Nigeria in September for vacation in the US and there was no problem between us. When she could not be traced, I had to return to Nigeria.” But one of the girl’s relatives, who craved anonymity, blamed Mohammed for the incident. The said relative accused Mohammed of incessant domestic violence, which got to a climax in April, adding that this could be the reason for Aderayo’s action in the US. To buttress his point, he presented a medical report purportedly prepared by the Medical Director of Prime Rose Hospital and Maternity Clinic, Lagos, Dr E. M. Uruetse. The report states: “The above-named (Aderayo Alao) was seen on 24th April 2014, about 7.30pm with injuries from domestic violence, said to have occurred following a quarrel with partner. “She was in obvious distress with soft tissue, swollen face, both the upper limbs, back and left thigh. The most significant injury was a left ‘black eye’ (marked periorbital oedema with subconjuctival haemorrhage). “She was subsequently placed on antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and analgesic.”

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Seven-month-old boy dies as fire guts building

Muritala Ayinla

ragedy struck on New Year’s Eve in Ijanikin area of Lagos State as a sevenmonth-old boy, Raphael Adewale, died in a fire incident. This was as fire incidents consumed more than N15 billion worth of property and claimed several lives, especially children. In the latest incident, claimed the life of Raphael, who was youngest of the babies lost fire in 2014. According to the state Director of Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, the seven-month-old baby was in the room when the fire started. Fadipe, who spoke on the phone, added that the little boy had already died before help could come from neighbours. He said: “His father had gone to the church before the incident. His mother was cooking in the room when the kerosene stove she was using exploded. “People should endeavour to call fire service on time. That is the appropriate agency to call for fire incidents. “Out of the 16 fire outbreaks responded to yesterday (Wednesday) a male infant of seven-month-old was consumed by fire. “Fire also gutted buildings at Ireakari Street, Mile 12, Ayoola

File picture of a burnt building

Street at Ijagemo, Moronkola Street, Ijanikin, Okota, Igando and others. New Year’s Eve was a busy night. The public needs to be fire safety conscious.” Earlier on August 9, 2014, a seven-year-old child was burnt to death when fire gutted a building at the Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Ogba, Lagos. Three days after, two-yearold infants, Joel Chukwu and Monardi Samuel, were burnt beyond recognition when fire gutted a house at Mafoluku area of Oshodi in Lagos. It was learnt that the trag-

edy, which occurred at No. 43 Salami Street, Mafolokwu, around 20:43pm, was caused by a candle light which engulfed the entire two-bedroom flat. The children got burnt before the arrival of the fire service men from the Lagos State Fire Service. Meanwhile, Fadipe bemoaned the losses recorded in fire incidents in 2014. He said that most of the fire incidents could have been averted if people were safety conscious enough. According to him, the Lagos

Riot policeman killed in lone accident Joe Obende

Cleric calls for seven-day prayer

Warri

middle-aged man identified as an anti-riot policeman died yesterday in an auto crash on the WarriPort-Harcourt Road. Though his name could not be immediately ascertained, other policemen who rushed to the scene said he was a corporal serving with the anti-riot unit of the force. The deceased wore police trousers and a T-shirt. He was said to have been deployed along with some others in Delta State on special duty. His colleagues said they were together with the deceased on New Year’s Eve. Although the cause of the crash could not be ascertained, indications were that the deceased, who was alone in his grey Volkswagen Vento car with registration AJ 46 KWC

State Fire Service saved over N89.94 billion worth of property while about N15 billion property were lost to fire in 2014. He said: “In March, the agency responded to 108 rescue calls ranging from rescue of victims who got drowned in the well or swimming pool and those trapped in the nine collapsed buildings recorded in the state in 2014.” It was gathered that about 150 lives were lost in the emergency situations, including that of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

The crashed car

(DELTA), lost control of the vehicle which summersaulted several times after ramming into the road median. The deceased, who obviously did not use his safety belt, was catapulted out of the car and hit

his head on the hard road surface. He bled profusely from the head. His colleagues picked his phone and started making frantic calls to inform others of the tragic incident.

he presiding Pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Harvest Centre, Ikorodu, Lagos, has called on Nigerians to join him in a seven-day prayer and fasting to prevent multiple deaths in the New Year. The cleric, Pastor Wale Ojo, said if the people participated in the prayer and fasting, Nigerians would enjoy unprecedented and abundant blessings from the Lord. He said: “But for the grace to manifest, Nigerians need to come together and pray for the country and the leaders and the less-privileged in the society.” Ojo said the Lord told him the prayer should hold on the seventh of every month from January to July. He added: “The prayer does not exclude the President, governors and the lawmakers. Other African countries can also participate in the prayer.

News 11

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Man cuts lover’s throat for turning down proposal Taiwo Jimoh

jilted lover, identified as Henry Sikiru, attempted to slit his girlfriend’s throat for turning down his marriage proposal. The police said the furious Siliru used a blade and attempted to cut Boluwatife Ajayi’s throat but failed. The suspect allegedly lured his lover to an uncompleted building located at Alhaja Wosilat Street, Baruwa area of Lagos State on New Year’s Eve, to carry out the evil deed but was caught. Sikiru was said to have pinned the struggling lady down and started slitting her throat, when some nearby residents heard her faint cry and dashed into the building. They rescued her. A witness, Mr Oluwole Olalekan, who was sitting in front of his house heard Ajayi’s strangled cry. He said: “The boy was using the sharp razor to cut the lady’s neck and also trying to strangle her, so that she would not cry out for help. It was a few minutes before 11pm and there was no light. “I was sitting in front of

my house to receive fresh breeze before going to bed when I heard a voice that shouted “Egba mi o” (help me). I decided to trace the voice. On getting to the uncompleted shop, I switched on my torchlight, only to found the boy sitting on the lady’s chest, trying to strangle her. “I shouted thief ! The man dashed off ! I started shouting thief ! thief ! I ran after him. Neighbours joined me in chasing him. Luckily, we were able to nab him. We handed him over to the police. There were deep cuts on three different areas on the lady’s neck. We took her to the nearby hospital.” The Chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA), Rt Captain Akinmona, said the matter was reported to the police. Akinmona promised that the community would follow the case to a logical conclusion. He said the people suspected Sikiru was sent by ritual killers as against his claim that he was angry that the lady turned down his marriage proposal. The suspect, whose Tshirt had blood stains, said

Senator donates medical supplies to General Hospital Muritala Ayinla

that the victim was his lover and that he saw her off to the street but could not say what prompted him to harm her. He said: “Bola is my girlfriend. She came to me for money to plait her hair. I gave her N3,000. “While I was seeing her off, I did not know what came over me but I only realised I used the razor in my pocket which I used to cut my nails earlier to cut her neck. She had offended me earlier. I wanted to kill her and kill myself.” It was also gathered that policemen had retrieved the blade used by the suspect from the scene. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Charge of Ipaja Police Station, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP),

Ajewole Adebayo, said that the suspect had been arrested alongside some boys residing in the same place and investigations were on to unravel the truth. Adebayo commended members of the community for their efforts in ensuring that the suspect did not escape. The DPO promised that the case would soon be transferred to the higher authority before taking it to court. He urged the community to continue to support the police. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Kenneth Nwosu, said the victim was presently receiving treatment at a private hospital. He added that she was responding to treatment.

Female employee accuses Ondo agency boss of assault Babatope Okeowo Akure

female member of the contract staff of Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA), Funmi Alao-Kawell, yesterday accused the Chairman of the agency, Mr Akin Akinbobola, of assaulting her over her demand for salary increase. Alao-Kawell, who was wearing ‘cervical collar,’ walked into the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) assisted by her brother and lawyer. She said Akinbobola, who also doubles as the organising secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), gave her the beating of her life, adding that she had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment. The woman, who is in her

Ondo Gov. Olusegun Mimiko

early 40s, said she broke her neck and sustained other bodily injuries. But Akinbobola denied beating Alao-Kawell. He also said he was not in the office on the day in question, adding that he was in Lagos for an official assignment. The ODSFA chairman,

NASFAT trains 80 women A

n Islamic organisation, Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT) trained over 80 of its members on various aspects of Islamic teachings during its 2014 annual ‘Train the Trainers’ Dawah training course. The four-day programme, which held at Homat College, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos from December 24 to 29, 2014, provided a veritable platform for the participants to be trained extensively on three basic ar-

eas of Islamic religion propagation. The event, which was graced by top officials of the body and erudite Islamic scholars invited from Islamic Education Trust (IET), Minna, drew participants from all NASFAT branches across the country. The programme was organised by the women’s wing of the society and the Mission Board, in collaboration with IET, Dawah Institute of Nigeria, Minna, to educate

who spoke on the phone, said was still in Lagos. Akinbobola said the story was an attempt to smear his good name and image. He also said that there was no Funmi Alao-Kawell in the employ of the agency. But narrating her ordeal, Alao-Kawell said she was invited by Akinbobola for a discussion after she demanded a salary increment through a text message. Alao-Kawell explained that the management of the football agency recently increased the salary of the contract staff but said there was a slight difference between her salary and those under her which she asked the chairman to help to review. She said: “I am the coordinator and the head of the contract staff. When the incre-

ment was done I discovered that my salary was only N200 higher than those under me and I sent a text message to the chairman to help review the salary while he invited me to his office for discussion via text message too.” But Alao-Kawell, who said she was employed in March 2014 as a maintenance manager on a contract basis, said when she tabled her demand before Akinbobola, rather than explained the rationale behind the action, he ordered her out of the office. She added: “While ordering me out of his office, he hit me on the chest and dragged me out of his office in annoyance. I had to hold on to his clothes in order to stabilise myself on the staircase as he was dragging me towards the secretary’s office and to reception.

and empower the participants, about Islam, the religion of peace. Speaking at the opening of the programme, the National Women Affairs Secretary, Alhaja Samiat Mumuni, reiterated that the training was particularly targeted at women. According to her, women spend a great deal of time with children and the need to train them to be able to infuse proper Islamic teachings in the children has become imperative. NASFAT President and former Director-General,

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Kamil Bolarinwa (an engineer), charged the women’s wing to expand the training beyond educated women by also designing similar training for women in market places and youths He said: “This is very important because these less-educated women meet a larger number of people, who come to challenge them on their religion on a daily basis. So empowering them with necessary knowledge that can keep them steadfast in their religion is very key.”

he lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, yesterday donated medical supplies to the Ikorodu General Hospital. The lawmaker, who also appealed to the rich to look in the direction of the poor and those abandoned in the hospitals, said challenges of Nigerians were not insurmountable if only the citizens could show love to one another. Speaking during the presentation, Ashafa enjoined all and sundry to remain focused and steadfast despite the challenges the country faced in 2014. He said: “Of course, we faced some problems and serious trials in 2014, including atrocious terrorist attacks and natural disasters but we have managed to remain steadfast. This steadfastness has become a reminder of how close we all are. “The year 2015 holds a lot of promises for everyone. Collectively as a nation, we must ensure the fulfilment of those promises; most importantly, the promise of change that will be effected when the general election hold in the next two months. 2015 is indeed a set time; one that cannot be stopped. “The wish for change has been reflected in the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians who have watched their dear country wallow for too long in the cesspool of pity in the comity of nations.” Commending the lawmaker, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Mobolaji Olukoya, said the gesture was good and timely as well. Olukoya described the gesture as commendable especially in this season when the patients need someone around them. He said: “Just three days ago, the lawmaker visited us in company with his friends and promised us that he would donate some items which he did today. “He also promised to donate a utility bus next year. We are very pleased with these items, may God Almighty grant him his heart desires as well.”

Ashafa

News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATIONAL

Court restrains INEC, APC over Amayaevbo ORDER! Court orders candidate from parading as party’s flag bearer Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has restrained the Independence National Electoral Commission

from accepting the name of Charity Amayaevbo, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Ovia federal constituency during the February 2015 election in in Edo state pending the determination of the motion on notice before the court. In the ex parte motion dated 23rd day of December , 2014, and made available to newsmen in Benin , the state capital, Justice Ahmed Mohammed also restrained the

electoral body, Mr. Charity Amayaevbo and APC from presenting Charity Amayaevbo as the candidate to representing Ovia Federal Constituency pending the determination of the motion on notice. It would be recalled that the duo of incumbent lawmaker representing the federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Engineer Isaac Nosakhare Osahon and Mr. Charity Amayaevbo have laid claim as winner of the APC primaries

held recently in the state following the crisis that trailed the outcome of the exercise recently. But Justice Ahmed Mohammed in his ruling on Wednesday directing INEC to show cause why the interim orders sought should not be made against them. He ordered that Charity Amayaevbo should desist from parading himself as APC flag bear /candidate for Ovia Federal Constituency pending the determination of the motion. Justice Ahmed Mo-

Children having horse ride during New Year Day activities at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos…yesterday.

hammed further ordered that INEC, APC and Charity Amayaevbo should appear before the court on 6th of January , 2015 and show cause why the interim orders being sought by Hon. Nosakhare Osahon should not be made by the court. According to the court, “An order of this court restraining charity Amayaevbo from parading or holding himself out as the APC candidate for Ovia Federal constituency pending the determination of the motion on notice .”

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Okorocha flays police on partisanship Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

overnor Rochas Okorocha, of Imo State yesterday decried the alleged partisanship of the Police Commissioner Mr. Abdulmajid Ali, in his dealings with political parties in the state. He accused the commissioner of being favourably disposed towards the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state against other political parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said that such glaring partiality did not reflect the federal colouration of the Nigeria Police Force. Okorocha, made the allegation yesterday while donating five Hilux patrol vehicles to the Imo Police Command to encourage them in crimefighting in the state. Said he: “it was shocking that the police in the state provided unparrallel security for the Imo PDP before, during and days after their primaries, but could not do the same for APC and other political parties in the state that also carried out the same exercise”. Okorocha noted that as governor in the state, he has never interfered in the operations of the security agencies in the state because of his firm belief that they were meant to protect the interest of all Nigerians irrespective of their political parties.

FG pledges diversification of economy

Why I joined Ebonyi Assembly race, by APC candidate

Abdulwahab Isa

Charles Onyekwere

Abuja

he Federal Government has restated its commitment to diversify the economy in 2015 and beyond to boost non-oil revenues, plug loopholes and cut unnecessary expenditures. To achieve the objective of growing non-oil sector, the Minister of State for Finance, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, said government has resolved to ensure full take-off of the Development Bank of Nigeria this year. Stating this in a statement by his Media Assistant, Mr. Ikechukwu Ezethat, Yuguda said gov-

ernment would not waver in its resolve to further diversify the economy, significantly to boost non-oil revenues, plug loopholes and cut unnecessary expenditures”. The minister described 2014 as a challenging year, but maintained that the country managed to maintain a stable economic growth and re-established itself as Africa’s largest economy with an impressive diversification trajectory. Describing the situation where crude oil price had been sliding below the 2015 budget benchmark of $65 per barrel as a dangerous trend, he said if sustained for long, it might affect gov-

ernment’s spending in the year. Yuguda explained that government’s preparedness for the regime of oil price shocks was structured to proactively respond to such situations. He said, “We recognize that prices might slide further, but we do not intend to revise the benchmark further down. We are aware that price intelligence indicates that prices might average between $65 and $70pb in 2015. This is anchored on the fact that American shale oil which is largely driving this price shocks also runs the risk of becoming unsustainable as it is produced at a high cost of atleast $65 per a barrel.”

ABAKALIKI

n All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ohaozara West constituency in Ebonyi State Mr. Ekwe Macauley, contesting for the State House of Assembly, has said that he joined the race because he wants to contribute to the building of a better Ebonyi state. Ekwe stated that he is also in the race for the state legislative assembly, as a response to peoples entreaties to him to offer service, for effective representation to them. The APC candidate stated these yesterday at

his country home at Uburu Ohaozara local government area of Ebonyi state when he was given a heroic welcome by his people. Received by about 2000 crowd of supporters, mostly youths drawn from the four federal wards that make up Ohaozara West Constituency zone the APC candidate said that he accepted to run due to the demand for him to go to the House to give effective representation to the people. The position is curreently being occupied by Hon Jerry Obasi of the People Democratic Party PDP. He lamented that Ebonyi is at a cross road, stating that any representative

of the people in the House of Assembly, should be a person of substance and requite experience. He said, “When I analyzed the situation of our young state in the last 15 years, I discovered that Ebonyi state is in a very critical situation. Ebonyi is at a cross road, that whoever will represent us at the House of Assembly must be people of substance”. “People who will stand for truth and who would ensure that the interest of the people is well protected and are not swayed easily unless they have the conviction, because Ebonyi are a state where you have to fight and struggle for your people.

Amaechi promises to complete all projects before handing over

ivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday pledged to complete all ongoing projects being undertaken by his administration before handing over to his successor. In a broadcast to mark the New Year in

Port Harcourt, Amaechi said the government was mindful of the task ahead and would remain focused to complete work in the various sectors in the remaining months. ‘’As we noted in our New Year address on January 1, 2014, we have

pursued our projects with great zeal within the financial space available,’’ he said. According to the governor, the administration will also properly document all the projects and programmes it executed for handover to

its successor. Amaechi said the administration had focused on building a knowledgebased economy anchored on the development of infrastructure, agriculture, human capital, and Information and Communication Technology

(ICT). He listed some of the achievements of his government to include construction of 500 worldclass primary schools and four international secondary schools. ‘’ We retrained over 10,000 teachers and em-

ployed over 13,000 fresh ones to improve teaching in our schools. ‘’A University of Education was established to help produce professional teachers and it has graduated its first batch of 688 graduate teachers post-affiliation.”

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

State of the Nation Jonathan: We’ll deal with troublemakers

Open Forum

Ikedife: Politicians should avoid provocative statements

2015

17, 20

Why I’m the best candidate for Abia – Udensi

Politics

Ogun: PDP and Isiaka’s second chance In this analysis, KUNLE OLAYENI examines the controversy over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in Ogun State, emergence of Prince Gboyega Isiaka as the party’s gubernatorial candidate and the challenges of leading a fractured party to the poll in 2015

fter weeks of horsetrading, mudslinging and power play, the conundrum over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial ticket in Ogun State has been apparently laid to rest. Though pockets of resistance still exist within the party, the emergence of Gboyega Nasir Isiaka as the party’s standard bearer has interestingly presented a rematch with the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. In 2011, both Amosun and Isiaka squared up in the race for the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta but the former drew the first blood. Then, the latter had bright chances of becoming governor. He had already been selected as the PDP flag bearer before a judicial ambush truncated his ambition. In the heat of factional squabbles that rocked Ogun PDP at that time, the ruling of Justice Abdul Kafarati of a Federal High Court, Abuja ultimately decided the party’s governorship ticket in favour of former ECOMOG Commander, General Adetunji Olurin (rtd). Olurin enjoyed the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and notable party

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Amosun

chieftains who were opposed to the faction loyal to ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel. Dissatisfied with the court verdict, Isiaka defected to the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) to run for the governorship seat. By the time the gubernatorial election was conducted on April 26, 2011, his dream could not be realised as his party lost. The PPN, however, got some consolation as it won a seat in the House of Representatives and three state constituencies in the Ogun State House of Assembly. But the technocrat, who hails from Imeko-Afon in Ogun West Senatorial District, did not abandon his governorship quest. He followed Daniel and his political associates when they defected to the Labour Party (LP). In the LP, Isiaka renewed his ambition and was a frontline aspirant. He later brought the drive back into the PDP when the party readmitted former aggrieved members. Now, about four years after his first stint at governorship, Isiaka is on the march again. With a PDP desperately trying to put its house in order after disputed congresses and primaries and the burgeoning Social Democratic Party (SDP) being promoted by erstwhile governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, political analysts have averred that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would be locked in an epic battle for 2015.

Isiaka

After weighing all options in consultation with the Presidency, the PDP national leadership has proceeded to submit Isiaka’s name to INEC as the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State for 2015

However, while the political players plot their strategies from the trenches, the PDP governorship candidate may have his hands full in trying to balance contending interests in his second attempt at gubernatorial contest. Isiaka, who was former Group Managing Director of the state’s investment arm, Gateway Holdings Limited, won the PDP gubernatorial primaries on December 8 amidst controversy. The exercise, held at the PDP state secretariat in Abeokuta, was allegedly in defiance of the directive of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). The NWC, led by the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, had prior to the primaries strived to resolve the internal crisis in Ogun PDP and harmonise the different camps on the sharing of elective positions. The state chapter had been unsettled by the turf war among Daniel’s loyalists, two-time minister, Senator Jubril MartinsKuye; and party financier, Prince Buruji Kashamu. Kashamu’s men constituted the state executive committee of the party headed by Chief Adebayo Dayo. Their decision to shortlist delegates for primaries for the House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship aspirants without other camps’ input consequently sparked a ruinous conflict and

shook the party to its foundations. The war raged on at the judicial, media and political fronts. Isiaka clinched the coveted ticket for the governorship ticket after polling 705 votes at the primaries. He beat a former House of Representatives member, Kayode Amusan, who polled 151 votes. Nine governorship aspirants, however, boycotted the exercise. The absentees included former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Sarafa Isola, former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye, and a serving member of the House of Representatives, Abiodun Akinlade. Others were Dr Yomi Majekodunmi, Chief Remilekun Bakare, Prince Yanju Lipede, Chief Anthony Ojesina and Professor David Bamgbose. Another gubernatorial aspirant in the party, Omoba Segun Adewale, had earlier pulled out of the contest although he graced the primaries. On his part, Amusan said he accepted the outcome of the primary election and urged party members to rally round the governorship candidate to enhance victory for PDP in 2015. But the stiffest opposition to Isiaka’s candidacy came from Bankole. The ambition of the former number four citizen ostensibly drew huge support from Daniel, Martins-Kuye, Mu’azu and some power brokers in the Presidency. The aspiration soon suffered a setback when a suit filed by his loyalists to challenge the delegates’ list in respect of the PDP ward congresses in the state was struck out by an Abeokuta High Court. Notwithstanding, Bankole and his associates continued to fault the process that gave birth to Isiaka’s ticket and urged the NWC to reject it. To Isiaka, however, his emergence followed due process. He maintained that his ticket remained popular, legitimate and sacrosanct. “The authentic delegates’ list was used, observers from the national secretariat of the PDP were present, the full complement of the Police and State Security Service (SSS) monitored it and made their reports. More importantly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored and made its report. All of these in their own purview validated the primaCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Jonathan: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll deal with troublemakers President Goodluck Jonathan, in his New Year broadcast to the nation yesterday, warned political leaders against causing crisis before, during and after the general election. He threatened to deal with troublemakers. The president gave an assurance that Boko Haram insurgency will be routed this year. He also speaks on efforts to stabilise the economy Birth of a new nation Dear dreat people of our nation, I greet and felicitate with you all as we enter the New Year today. As we mark the beginning of this New Year, 2015. A new nation is being born because of the foundations we have all laid, working together for the good and progress of our dear fatherland. I join you all in thanking God Almighty who has brought us this far, for continually bestowing His Grace upon us and for guiding our great nation safely through all the challenges of the past year. This year, as in the year past, I reaffirm my commitment to work to ensure a secure future for our dear country and the generations yet unborn. Last year, we celebrated our 100th year of nationhood. The year brought us further progress, challenges and fresh opportunities. We have contended with the normal challenges of nationbuilding and the unusual challenges of terrorism. But we have continued to vigorously confront those who seek to destroy the bonds of unity that hold us together. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll rout Boko Haram On this first day of the New Year, I want to pay special tribute to the gallant officers, men and women of our Armed Forces and other security agencies who have been in the forefront of the war against terrorism and violent extremism in I also commend all Nigerians who have remained vigilant and cooperative with our security agencies in the fight against the common enemy. We are re-equipping and repositioning our armed forces to enhance their capacity to win the ongoing war against terror and insurgency. Regrettably, terrorists have unleashed much pain and agony on our land. They have made widows of our mothers and sisters and orphans of our children. They have shut down businesses, desecrated places of worship and brought untold hardship to both men and

Jonathan

women. They have violated the culture and peaceful way of life in our country, which took generations to build. They have destroyed countless schools and displaced people from their communities, driving them into exile. I want to assure you that the terrorists will not get away with their atrocities: they will not win; they will be routed. As President, I feel the pain of all affected communities and families. I hear their cries and share their sorrow and pain. We will not forget; we will not look the other way. We have done a lot of painstaking planning and work to resolve the current security challenge. We will bring justice to the savage terrorists known as Boko Haram. They will be defeated. That is the solemn commitment I make today as President of the Federal Republic, and Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. By the Special Grace of God, the Federal Government, under my leadership, has continued, in the past four years to lead our country forward, even under the most trying circumstances. Progress made so far The progress we have made in priority areas bears us testimony. Amongst other achievements, we have rehabilitated and expanded our rail transportation network, successfully privatized power generation and distribution, significantly reformed and increased local participation in our oil and gas industry, and improved nationwide access to potable water from 57 per cent in 2010, to 70 per cent at present. We have also made significant progress in improving access to primary, secondary and tertiary education by building and equipping more schools, including special Almajiri schools, and estab-

This government will act decisively against anyone who disrupts the public peace, before, during or after the 2015 general elections

lishing additional universities to ensure that each state of the nation now has at least one Federal University. Our national economy maintained a steady growth rate of close to seven per cent in the past four years and millions of fresh employment opportunities were created for our people as a direct consequence. Recently, we launched the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and the $100 million dollars Government and Donor Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) to fasttrack the positive transformation of our agricultural sector. The Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) targets 750, 000 market-oriented young agricultural producers while the $100 million dollars Fund is to provide affordable longterm financing to support the development of small and medium agribusinesses in the country. This is in addition to a N50 billion Farm Mechanization Support Fund set up by the Central Bank to establish 1,200 agricultural equipment-hiring enterprises. Both funds will become fully operational this year. Policies and programmes such as these to boost agricultural production remain topmost on the agenda of this administration. Being very conscious of the inherent perils of our over-reliance on income from crude oil exports for national development, we have focused on accelerating the diversification of our economy. The non-oil sector which has grown by an average of eight per cent in the last few years, is now a major driver of growth in our economy. Stabilising the economy The 2015 national budget, which is now before the National

Assembly, is targeted at deepening our efforts at becoming a non-oil economy. The budget also includes measures to ensure that the downturn in the price of oil does not affect our development plans and our national economy too adversely. We are adjusting our financial processes to safeguard our economy. We are also taking steps to ensure that the poor and the low and medium income earners do not bear the brunt. In 2015, this administration will continue to lay the foundation for a vibrant economy that attracts significant Foreign Direct Investment and promotes policies that ensure economic stability. We will ensure stability in the value of the Naira by striving to take away speculative behaviours that cause market exchange pressures. We will continue to build and maintain a healthy external reserves position and strengthen fiscal buffers. We will ensure the Naira remains strong, and gives foreign investors the clarity and certainty that they need, to guide future investment decisions. We will continue to improve our payment systems and strengthen risk-based supervision mechanism for Nigerian banks to ensure overall health and stability of the banking system. We are introducing a broad spectrum of financial instruments to boost sector-specific enterprise areas in agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), manufacturing, and oil and gas to enhance our aggregate supply capacity, reduce poverty, promote job creation and increase the general well-being of our people. These efforts and other measures being spearheaded by relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, are geared to ensure a secure future for Nigeria and create a much more prosperous country, where people live more peaceful and fulfilled lives. Governance and credible polls Fellow countrymen and women, As we enter an election year, I assure you that our administration will remain fully focused on providing good governance and the delivery of better public services to our people. The coming campaigns and elections will not distract us from our ongoing work to significantly improve the living conditions of our people. And I urge all tiers of government not to be distracted as well. The elections are very important for us as a country. Their successful conclusion will further strengthen our democratic institutions and place our beloved country even more firmly in the comity of truly democratic nations. Given the challenges that have characterised some previous electoral contests in our country, the eyes of the world will certainly be on the conduct and outcome of our fifth post-military rule general elections. I reassure all Nigerians and the C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 4

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

OPEN FORUM Dr. Dozie Ikedife is an elder statesman and former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo

believe that many Nigerians will be concerned about what 2015 portends for Nigeria. Nigeria will make or break in 2015 based on the way and manner the February elections are conducted. If they are conducted free and fair, I’m sure there would be peace. I fear that if any section feels that they have been cheated by either rigging or any deceit, the electorates is more conscious, awake, alert and more concerned, they may protest and the protest may take any shape or form. So, I think it rests squarely on the shoulders of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free and fair elections. INEC as an independent organisation should be truly independent if they can; not crossing to the left or right, not favouring, fearing or against anybody in particular. If INEC is fair in the conduct of the general election, we might avert the crisis that might follow the election. The Federal Government must also be very serious about handling insecurity, corruption, impunity, and constitution. These are ingredients that can lead to serious problems. Politicians should also be cautioned about

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, a human rights activist and women advocate, is the Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC)

think 2015 is going to be a very challenging period for Nigeria but I am sure that we would scale through. We have a lot of tasks ahead of us. The general election is around the corner. At the tail end of 2014 there were complaints about austerity and economic alternatives that can help us address the crisis that we find ourselves in, if we don’t do what

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa representing Delta North Senatorial District at the National Assembly is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state

...expectations on 2015

Ikedife: Politicians should avoid provocative statements

Politicians should also be cautioned about use of provocative and threatening utterances

Ikedife

use of provocative and threatening utterances. For example, one person would say if so and so person doesn’t win, there would be trouble and the other person saying if so and so wins,

there would be trouble. This is dangerous. Nobody should see the election as a do-or-die. The reason people are so desperate to fight over elections is because the

elected do not take proper care of the people of the country. If, for example, the president ensures that there is electricity in Yenogoa, Yola, Sokoto and Calabar; ensure that water runs in Abeokuta, Abagana, Abonima, Borno and ensure that social amenities are evenly distributed across the country, many people will not care whether the president is from his ethnic, religious, geo-political zone or political party. This applies to state and federal. It also applies to local governments and even towns and villages. Let the person who is capable take over the steering wheel. I don’t also like the idea of people muscling against individuals and persons, particularly when such muscling, accusations and counteraccusations are fabricated. We must stop confusing the populace. I hope we will be able to take most of the things I said and more things I haven’t said into consideration in the conduct of the affairs of the state and the February general election.

Interview by TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Akiyode: Nigerians must be watchful is necessary at this point in time. For the February general election, there are lots of fears about how free the election would be and the most important issue is that of insecurity in the country. There is a lot of fear whether the insecurity would not turn around to become trouble that could lead to electoral violence. If you look at the two major political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), there are lots of altercations going on between them and they need to slow down because when you have major political parties exchanging such altercations, it portends a lot of danger.

If you look at it historically, our elections have gone through the direction of ethnicity and also religion and it seems that the forthcoming election is going to have that factor. The implication of this is that when people are divided along ethnic and religious lines, it could lead to degeneration, and of course the end of Nigeria. It will be good for all of us to see 2015 as a big challenge; a year that is quite challenging in terms of managing ourselves for God to see us through, so that at the end of the day, we will not have a divided country. I will advice Nigerians to use the 2015 election to make a decision about what type of country we want.

Akiyode-Afolabi

We should vote for the right person. I will also call on Nigerians to be watchful of 2015. We should try to fight corruption and work towards achieving the Nigeria of our dream.

Interview by TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Okowa: Elections will be peaceful

irst of all, I want to wish Deltans in particular and every Nigerian in general a happy and prosperous 2015. We should thank the good Lord that he saw us through all the challenges that came with 2014 as a united nation, and prosperous nation.

Okowa

We should rededicate our efforts in 2015, especially one in which we will

hold elections, to be more dedicated to the cause of building a better and prosperous nation. So, it is imperative for everyone of us, in whatever capacity we find ourselves, whether in government, or in the private sector, to continue to make positive inputs in the collective effort to move the nation forward. The resolve of the Goodluck Jonathan--led administration to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians, and the nation’s economic fortunes, through its transformation agenda is not in doubt, and should be supported by all. As we go into another year, and look forward to a lot of good things that I’m sure will be put in place by government, I urge us to continue to

remain united and peaceful. I can assure you that the PDP-led administration both at the state and federal levels would continue to give purposeful leadership. Contrary to widespread speculations and worries, I am also confident that the general election will be peaceful, and I want to urge all Nigerians to remain steadfast in their support for our great party, the PDP. I want to implore our good people to continue to give their unalloyed support to the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan-led administration in the state, and to President Jonathan. The PDP will continue to work to develop Delta State and the nation.

Interview by Etaghene Edirin

Politics

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 4

international community of our firm commitment to free, fair and credible elections. My commitment to free elections and one man, one vote remains unwavering. Our administration has worked hard in previous elections to prepare all key stakeholders including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the electorate optimally, to ensure a progressively improved electoral process in the country under my watch. We will continue to do so for the coming elections. We will continue to provide adequate funding to INEC and maintain the Commission’s independence and isolate it from any form of interference or meddling in its day-to-day affairs. This shall continue to guarantee its impartiality and ability to conduct more credible and acceptable elections. National security agencies will also be given all necessary support to enhance their ability to ensure that the elections are peaceful and violence-free. The Nigeria Police has already established an Elections Security Planning and Monitoring Unit. I am optimistic that with the cooperation of all law-abiding citizens of the country, our commitment to have a peaceful and violence-free election will be actualised. President warns political leaders I will like to say this, once again, to my fellow politicians and political leaders. None of our political ambitions is worth the blood of any of our countrymen, women and children. The improvement of their lives and living conditions ought to be our primary motive and the driving force of our quest for political power and leadership positions. Let us not promote sectionalism, disunity, intolerance, hate, falsehood or the malicious abuse of political opponents. Whatever we feel or seek, we must have a

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

ries,” he said. Kashamu, who has been the butt of criticism for his role in the party’s crisis, also declared that the primaries were in order. The chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of South West PDP said he threw his weight behind Isiaka despite the fact that the latter just returned to the PDP from the LP. “On the governorship ticket, we did evaluation and we discovered that among all the aspirants, GNI (Gboyega Nasir Isiaka) is the best. In terms of acceptability, credibility and exposure, GNI is the best. Would I now deny him because of my own personal interest?” Kashamu argued. Sources within the state executive committee of the party told New Telegraph that Isiaka was favoured among other aspirants because his brand was well known in all the 236 wards of the state having contested previously. Also, the recurring sentiment that Ogun West zone has never produced governor in the 38 years of the state creation and Isiaka’s religious leaning as a Muslim boosted his chances in the political permutations. Additionally, his professional and academic background, private sector experience, public sector performance and achievements as well as deep knowledge of the socio-political and economic landscape of the state endeared him to many. After weighing all options in consultation with the Presidency, the PDP national leadership has proceeded to submit Isiaka’s name to INEC as the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State for 2015 while some of those who lost

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Terrorists won’t get away with their atrocities – Jonathan I want to assure you that the terrorists will not get away with their atrocities: they will not win; they will be routed. As President, I feel the pain of all affected communities and families. I hear their cries and share their sorrow and pain Jonathan

nation and a people before we can dream of political ambitions. Let us put the nation and the people first. Let us all conduct our electoral campaigns with the highest possible decorum and civility towards political opponents. Let us give INEC the fullest possible support and cooperation it requires to conduct credible and violencefree elections in 2015. After the 2011 general elections, some unpatriotic elements embarked on an orgy of violence, resulting in the destruction of lives and property. That will not be allowed to happen this time around. This government will act deci-

sively against anyone who disrupts the public peace, before, during or after the 2015 general elections. All Nigerians, of voting age, are free to vote based on their convictions. It is our duty to defend and protect that basic right, and let no one be in doubt, we will. Fellow Nigerians, I urge all of you to enter the New Year with renewed zeal and patriotism, to serve our fatherland with love, honesty, faithfulness and hope for a greater tomorrow. As I have always maintained, none of the challenges before us is insurmountable. We must come together as a people and work with single-minded unity of

purpose to overcome them. Nigeria is a key country in Africa. We must work together to maintain our strategic position and collaborate with others to move the continent forward. I call for peace in Africa and an end to all conflicts in our continent. I urge all Africans to promote democracy in their respective countries to ensure faster development of the continent and faster economic and political integration. We will continue to pray and offer hands of fellowship and assistance to our fellow Africans suffering from the Ebola Virus Disease. I urge all Nigerians to show compassion and contribute in whatever way we can to help our African brothers and sisters. As we go into this New Year, I salute the indomitable and resilient spirit of our people in Nigeria and wherever they are in the world. Our spirit of enterprise and the doggedness to succeed amongst all odds has been our strength. With our collective prayers and efforts, we will grow our economy and our people will become wealthier. Government will continue with programmes deliberately designed to create more jobs for our youth, to enable them contribute more to the growth and development of our nation. Let us continue our march to the future, towards the attainment of our collective vision of a strong, united, prosperous and harmonious nation – a secure nation for us and for our coming generations. I wish you all a happy and fulfilling 2015.

Isiaka’s second chance Ogun out in the power game are beginning to count their losses. With the general election fast approaching, there is no gainsaying that Isiaka has pressing tasks ahead. He would have to placate those aggrieved, galvanise his party members for the gubernatorial campaign, articulate his programmes and mobilise for votes. Findings revealed that the candidate has embarked on reconciliation drive already by visiting key leaders and party chieftains in order to solidify the Ogun PDP for another electoral expedition. This is against the backdrop of the threat by aggrieved members to defect over the outcome of the primaries.

Speaking about his agenda for the party, the electorate and the state at large, he promised “life more abundant.” He said, if elected, he would expand the state economy, provide quality human capital, strengthen the people and society as well as energise the government and the polity. Isiaka said: “I assure our party members that my emergence as the candidate of our great party has presented the best chance for the party to defeat the incumbent in February 2015. I have come with a fresh breath of hope and relevant change in our state to make life more abundant for all and sundry. “My main agenda is to align our sys-

tems and processes to that of a modern state where things work for the benefit of all. I will conduct governance with vision, passion, equity and integrity. I believe my path in life has prepared me for this moment. I have what it takes to make life more meaningful for our people. “Let us not be despaired by the disappointments, dashed hopes, failed promises and pains of the present regime in Ogun State. I will be a listener, I will not inflict pain on our citizens, our policies will have human face, I will consult with all layers of the party always, I will run an efficient and opendoor administration and I will utilise the resources of our state judiciously.”

Ologunde leads Ambode campaign organisation Temitope Ogunbanke

political tactician, public administrator and Vice-Chairman of the Lagos West Senatorial district of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Folusho Ologunde, has been appointed the Director General of the Akinwunmi Ambode Campaign Organisation. Ologunde, who was also once the Deputy Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, will lead a team of seasoned and committed politicians and professionals to co-ordinate the activities towards the election of Akinwunmi Ambode as Governor of Lagos State in

2015. The statement also announced Mr. Adeniji Kazeem as Deputy Director General of the campaign organisation. Kazeem is an experienced lawyer and consummate strategist. Similarly, a former Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror newspaper, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, was named as Director of Media and Communication for the organisation. The Ologunde-led team will assist the Epe born candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, to intimate Lagosians with his manifesto of continuity and progress as well as co-ordinate the campaign that will witness a series of mega rallies, door to door activities and media

Jonathan

outreach carefully designed to bring the message of Akinwunmi Ambode to every doorstep in Lagos.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Chief Chikwe Udensi is the Abia State gubernatorial candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) in the February 28, 2015 election. In this interview with DONNORMAN OBINNA, he identifies the many challenges of Abia and offers insights on how he intends to solve them if elected governor in 2015. Excerpts:

What are your plans for Abia State if elected governor in 2015? I have a blueprint for Abia State in all areas and sectors – health, education, infrastructure and social services among others. Infrastructure is where Abia State is in dire need. I will as a governor of the state relocate my office to Aba for the first two years and declare Aba a disaster area. I will ensure that I supervise personally with other relevant agencies and ministries to ensure that Aba is cleaned up. Aba right now is in total mess and it will require enormous effort and personal supervision by the governor himself, not just the Commissioner for Works or Environment. It takes a people’s governor to do this and that is what I represent. Aba is the commercial hub of the Ndigbo, not just Abia State. I feel personally sad that Aba is in this mess. The Ariara Market was built by my father, so we know the situation in Aba, and what it used to be and what it is now. Under my watch as a governor, I will ensure that infrastructure in Aba is put to a reasonable level. How do you intend to achieve this unprecedented turnaround you are promising? I intend to go into partnership with foreign companies to achieve this. The situation right now where local, unprepared, ill-equipped and inexperienced contactors are being used will not happen under my watch. I will use experienced and reputable international contractors to build Aba. That is why all the infrastructure the late Sam Mbakwe constructed are still strong, while the roads they are constructing now do not last more than six months, at worst one year. Take a look at Milverton road and a few others constructed by local contractors under this administration, then you will understand what I am saying. Let us take a cursory look at the education sector, because therein lies the future of Abia State. Any revolutionary plan? Education is the only thing that bridges the gap between the so-called poor and the rich in the society. It is the pivot of which most developmental activities revolve. As governor of Abia State,

Why I’m the best candidate for Abia – Udensi Government. A lot of states have done it and some are doing it, I don’t know why Abia State should be different. The idea of separating federal roads from state roads is ridiculous because government everywhere exists because of the people. The rate of infant/maternal mortality is high in Abia State; how do you plan to reduce or eradicate it entirely if possible? I do not have the figures and I am also not well informed as to the position as we speak. However, everything in Abia State has a problem. If you check the report of the National Planning Commission on health and infrastructure, Abia State came last. In fact, the man was being diplomatic by saying that Abia came first from behind. It is unfortunate that everything in Abia has problem, not only in health care. So, if we have very high infant/ maternal mortality rate, it is as a result of the maladministration of the present government. And what we have to do is change what is on ground and the only way to do it is change the government.

Udensi

I will ensure qualitative and free education in Abia State. Not only that, our schools will be equipped with computers to enable our pupils compete with their contemporaries outside the state. It is achievable because we have the resources for it and we shall do it. Constitutionally, the local government ought to take care of primary schools while the state takes care of the secondary schools. But because of the joint account, the state takes the whole money and ignores the development of both primary and secondary schools. What we have here is a state that makes over N10 billion monthly with a wage bill of just about N1bn. The fact remains that we ought to have developed Abia which presently is not happening. What is your plan for the youth? Youth empowerment goes beyond giving the people tricycle (Keke) or buses and cabs. I felt terribly sad when our graduates were turned to drivers, all in the name of youth empowerment. This shows lack of direction, vision and mission of this government. My concept of youth empowerment is to ensure the revamping of our moribund industries like Golden Guinea Breweries which has the capacity to employ thousands of our youths. The Aba Textile Mills and Glass Industries are there and when they are revamped, a lot of graduates and youths will be gainfully employed and have a substantial living. But we have a visionless government and therefore they have become the people’s problem.

I felt terribly sad when our graduates were turned to drivers, all in the name of youth empowerment. This shows lack of direction, vision and mission

But if the brewery you mentioned had been sold, will you partner with them or review the agreement? Well, brewery business ought to be run by private organisations not government. It is supposed to be private sector-driven arrangement under Public Private Partnership (PPP). Anyway, I do not know what the situation is at the moment, but if it has been sold to a private company, then something must be done urgently to ensure that they commence operation in order to help our youths get gainful employment. Look at what Peter Obi did with Premier Breweries. Today, that company produces Hero beer and Hero malt. It also has in its employment thousands of people mostly Anambra citizens. That is exactly what we want in Abia. The road leading to your community, Arochukwu is not accessible... There is no road to Arochukwu, so trying to say that it is not accessible is an over-statement. What we have here are gullies and death traps. The problem of road is not peculiar to Arochukwu alone, go to other places they are all the same. The day I went to Isiala Ngwa to visit my friend, Alex Otti, there was no road to his place; same goes for Senator Nkechi Nwogu and Emeka Wogu. It is very unfortunate that things turned out this way. The story by Abia State government, that Arochukwu road is a federal road is absurd, because a proactive government would have repaired the road and seek for reimbursement from the Federal

What are your plans to improve agriculture in Abia State knowing that majority depend on it for survival? What we have in Abia State today is subsistent farming, where majority of farmers produce mainly for family consumption. What we should be talking about in the state is mechanised agriculture with the standard that the late Michael Okpara initiated many years ago; farm settlement. Every council has what they are known for. The last time I went towards Aba there was massive production of pineapple, I do not even know that it could happen here. What my government will do is to create an enabling environment for the farmers, not going into farming ourselves, because farming is not for the government. What are your plans to ensure prompt and regular payment of civil servants salaries in Abia State? If you consider the wage bill of Abia State, it is very minimal compared to the state’s income. On the average, we were told for the past 48 months that Abia State makes between N4.5 billion and N5 billion monthly from basic allocation, not Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). This amount does not include SURE-P, VAT and other differentials. This money is enough to pay and take adequate care of workers every month. Only God knows where Abia State money is and why civil servants in Abia State are not paid. My administration will ensure that civil servants are well taken care of, and paid as and when due. Tell us why you left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for PPA because rumour has it that you were CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion

Toning down Tinubu’s time bomb

Emissary EMEKA OBASI

emobas2003@yahoo.com 08094457557 (sms only)

good trader must either trade with advantage to himself, or not trade at all. In Nigerian politics, we see more of winner-takes –all situation than compromise. And experience has shown that what you do not get before elections, you may never get at all. I followed keenly, events that led to the emergence of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as the All Progressives Alliance Presidential running mate. I quite understood the intrigues that enveloped his choice. It was not going to be easy for Senator Bola Tinubu to run with General Muhammadu Buhari. Yes. In other climes, it could have worked. Muslim- Muslim ticket, that is. It did work here in 1993, simply because Chief Moshood Abiola was a Nigerian. No one looked at his background as Yoruba or muslim. His many ‘sins’ did not matter. Nigerians found in him a man they could trust. That also meant that his choice of running mate did not matter. Tinubu fought to get something out of his sweat as the brainbox of the opposition. Give it to him. When other more seasoned Yoruba politicians ate Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s apple in 2003, the former Mobil accountant avoided the poisoned chalice like Ebola. Obasanjo conquered the South-West but could not cross the Lagos Lagoon. Tinubu taught the ex- Marine Commando officer that you do not need to go to Mons or Shrivenham to be decorated with the Victory Cross. And till date, if there is one battle the retired General has not recovered from, it is the one against the Asiwaju. He is also the Jagaban Borgu. From One state in 2003, Tinubu gradually fought and conquered more states. He thus became the face of the

opposition. His Lagos home is busier than Aso Villa all through the Weekend. Those who do not worship in the Bourdillon temple of politics can at least go for offering or pay their tithes. That is the Headquarters of Nigerian politics. And the Governor-General is Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu has a a large heart, that is what makes him relevant. He has made governors out of ordinary men. He has empowered many who had no hope for tomorrow. Love him ,hate him he is a very popular Nigerian who has what it takes to turn the tide. And he has done it severally. In Lagos, in Edo, in Osun, in Ekiti. He has also embraced erstwhile foes. You see him dancing with Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola Buhari was a financial orphan whose only collateral was the far North. You cannot even describe Buhari as a politician. He was wandering from one disappointment to another until Tinubu baptized him. You know there is a lot of water in Lagos. The moment Tinubu took in Buhari in the alliance that eventually gave birth to the APC, the equation changed. I am so sure that even the PDP will agree that the Tinubu touch that Buhari has received is more threatening than the pancake ACN rubbed on Nuhu Ribadu’s face in2011. Tinubu brought the opposition together. Tinubu spent his wealth, he sacrificed time, offered his experience to take APC to the mountain. And if there is any body that should reap from where he sowed, this is the man. Yes, the man was right to have fought to become Buhari’s running mate. No good strategist wins a war for another to take credit. You can imagine what would become of Tinubu if Chibuike Amaechi or Adam Oshiomhole had emerged. Tinubu would lose grip and power, in the event of an APC victory in 2015. It is even more disturbing now that a Yoruba has emerged as running mate. A Yoruba Vice President will be the end of Tinubu’s political empire. Yes , Osinbajo is a pastor. We can not trust a Nigerian pastor to remain one in politics. The game of politics is fraudulent with tricks. So a pastor may eventually end up as a trickster if he is

surrounded by fraudsters in power. Tinubu does not look like an Ahmadu Bello that gave away the position of Prime mInister to one of his boys, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. And I have not seen a Balewa in Osinbajo. Strands of grizzled hair do not compare with a golden voice. The Sarduana remained Premier unto death. Tinubu left Government long ago, it is not going to be easy to control a Vice president, no matter how loyal. And that is, if the loyalty will not wane after a short spell. Oyinlola was right when he said that dogs are more loyal than politicians. Take a trip round the country ,you will see tens of politicians who were thrown off balance by men who rode on their pockets to the podium. So I respect Tinubu’s dogged fight to remain not just a Kingmaker, but a key player. I had wanted him to remain the godfather. That thought changed when I noticed the gang up against him, prior to Buhari’s announcement. And let us face it. There is no guarantee that Buhari may not turn tomorrow against the man who fought for his emergence as Presidential candidate. Let us paint a picture of APC winning the Presidential Election in 2015. Buhari begins to purge everybody. Do not forget what happened in Pakistan in the 1970s. Gen. Zia Ul Haq received accelerated promotion from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The same general would later hang the Prime Minister. In Uganda, Apollo Milton Obote kept pushing heavyweight boxer and NCO idi Amin to the top, until the bully toppled him. In Cameroun, I hope we all remember the story of Ahmadu Ahidjo and Paul Biya. It is always good to look at history. It may not repeat itself because APC has not won, Buhari is far from the Villa and Tinubu has his thinking cap on. Things do not always work out the way we want. In my heart of hearts, I think Tinubu has not got a fair deal. And conversion is ruled out. He could have gone to Redemption Camp with his senator wife to become a redeemer. Well, that is not possible anymore. But Tinubu indeed deserves more from those in his party. Even if it means taking the Lions share now.

Lagos and waste management Tayo Ogunbiyi

hat Lagos is the commercial nerve center of West Africa and one of the most populous cities in the world is incontrovertible. It is this reality that is partly responsible for the prosperity of the city. However, as much as its population constitutes a great strength in terms human and economic resources, it also serves as a great challenge to the city managers. One area where this becomes quite perceptible is waste management. A 2008 report estimates that Lagos generates about 9,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. A recent report has, however, puts the waste generates daily in the state at 10,000 metric tonnes, almost three times higher than what the whole of Ghana generates daily. A major headache for successive administrations in the state has been how to device appropriate and efficient waste management mechanism that would enhance a cleaner, safer and healthier environment. It got so bad, in times past, that major highways and streets in the city became dumping ground for heaps of refuse. It was such a sorry sight. Since it came on board in 2007, the Fashola administration has been working tirelessly to enhance improvement in the state’s waste management system. One vital strategy it has successfully deployed in this regards is the establishment of Transfer Loading Stations. It has since established three of such stations at Simpson (Lagos Island) and Oshodi respectively while the third and latest

one, which was recently formally handed over for use by the state government, is located at Agege. When the Fashola administration commissioned the first Transfer Loading station at Simpson Street in Lagos Island, the State blazed a trail with an innovation uncommon anywhere in the country. Unlike the first one at Simpson which was simply about solid waste, the Oshodi Transfer Loading station does more as it addresses the danger of medical waste, syringes and all of the end products of surgery which are usually indiscriminately dumped to constitute health and environmental hazards. Interestingly, the provision of additional Loading stations is equally bringing up fresh developments in the sector. Shrewd industrialists are already taking advantage of government’s efforts to turn the Loading stations into recycling plants. At present, a new recycling plant is in place in Alimosho. And going by the efficient and professional manner the plant is being managed, Lagos may no longer need the envisioned 20 Transfer loading stations any longer. Other strategies of the state government in waste management include the introduction of Dino bins in over 2000 locations of the state, contracting Highway managers for cleaning of highways and roads, introduction and regulation of PSP operations. Equally, government has acquired a new Mobile Sewage Laboratory to improve on efficient sewage management in the State- the first of its kind in Africa. The state has also rehabilitated the dump sites at Olusosun (Ojota), So-

lous (Igando) and Abule Egba in addition to the establishment of additional mechanized land fill sites in Badagry, Mowe and Ikorodu. Also, government has provided over 200 new refuse compactor trucks. Before now, rickety vehicles were in used by the PSP operators in refuse collection. With this, the sight of dispersing refuse all over the metropolis has become history. Similarly, the State is working on a programme that would ensure that cart pushers are properly integrated into the state’s waste management progamme. In order to inculcate the culture of proper waste disposal into the younger ones, the state government devised a school advocacy programme. This is already yielding positive impact. Today, there is no school in the state that incinerates or burns refuse as they have all been supplied with waste bins which are regularly collected. Equally, government has provided schools with waste sorting bins to teach students how to sort their wastes and effect attitudinal change. It has also constructed modern .toilets in different schools in the State to enhance sanitation and inculcate personal hygiene and sanitary habits in pupils, students and teachers. Perhaps more importantly, the state government is already exploring the possibility of turning the huge waste the state generates into wealth. This is being done through the Landfill Gas Recovery and Utilisation Project which has reached an advanced stage. The idea is to make the dumpsites become usable resources from which methane will be extracted for elec-

tricity generation in Lagos State. Revolving waste into energy is an established technology that could help provide a major amount of domestic energy needs. Presently, the Olusosun dumpsite boasts of a recycling plant that processes waste into various products. A waste-to-wealth project as being put in place by the state government will, no doubt, transform waste management into wealth creation venture that will help tackle the twain issue of poverty and unemployment. Presently, the various waste management initiatives of the government has generated over 46,000 direct and indirect jobs for Lagosians. However, it is important that Lagos residents support the state government in its bid to rid the state of waste. Most cities of the world experience environmental abuse as a result of the ignorance of the people. As a people, we need to really come to terms with the significance of an improved environmental habit. When we deliberately choose to act in manners that could endanger the environment, we are the ones that would certainly bear the consequences of such actions. What is required to maintain sane and friendly environment is not just about what the government is doing, but also about the people’s attitude. It is still common to see people throwing things out on the highways from their cars. This dirty habit is not justifiable in a state where the government is doing so much on environmental sanitation. It is detrimental to our common good. • Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

EDITORIAL

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Government’s tardy negotiation process

ecent shocking disclosure by the Department of State Services that the Federal Government was duped of millions of naira by some impostors who claimed to have contacts with the leadership of Boko Haram came as a rude shock to many Nigerians across all strata of the society. Seven persons, including a former aide of the governor of Borno State, Governor Kassim Shetitma of Borno State, Junaid Idrissa Khadi, allegedly served as accomplices to the self-acclaimed Australian negotiator with Boko Haram, Mr. Steven Davis. Khadi allegedly confessed to knowing Davis since 2006 and had worked as a member of and a credible link to the leadership of the Boko Haram sect. Clearly, it was very despicable that these mere youngsters cashed in on government’s tardy manner of handling the release of the Chibok girls and halting of the ferocious activities of the insurgents which have decimated towns and villages and led to displacement of over 700,000 people in the past years. This discovery is not without its lessons. It provides ample explanations for the phoney ceasefire announced some months ago by the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Barde. Also regretably, the

information provided by these impostors apparently formed the basis for that hasty announcement and movement of an aircraft to Yola, Adamawa State in a vain attempt to rescue the 209 Chibok girls. With a benefit of hindsight, no government, past and present, has found it easy to negotiate successfully with terror groups. It is usually very tricky. A classical case was that of Britain who took a number of harrowing years to secure a peace deal with the Irish Republican Army. The fact that the latter even attempted to breakaway decades after gave eloquent testimony to the fragile peace secured since then. But in this particular roundly flawed negotiation, government paid -and handsomely too- for its preference for individual perception at the expense of institutional sagacity. Equally instructive was the fact that government must have played down on the actual loss to the impostors. Not a few people believe that the figure is more mind-boggling, probably running into millions of dollars. From the time Stephen Davies and a number of other negotiators of his sort appeared on the scene, many people had taken them with a pinch of salt. Professionals should have be given free hand to call the shots here. Rather, politicians who lack req-

uisite competence and driven by personal interest were allowed to hijack the entire process. Hostage release negotiation and indeed negotiating with insurgents is a specialized component of security management, with its peculiar modules and expertise. Hence, this quintessential negotiation is a job for professionals, not for politicians - though they could be included in the team. In this particular incident, the Federal Government bungled it again. In handling this scrupulous case, it was either ill-advised or it ignored institutional approach to taking a vital security issue as negotiating with the insurgents. For instance, when it received the names of the so-called negotiators, the most professionally advisable and internationally acceptable action was to send it to the DSS for vetting. At that point, the agency would have carried out due diligence and background checks of the said negotiators. That due diligence would have answered such questions as Who are these people? Who recommended them? What is their pedigree and integrity? What is the veracity of their claims to having links with the insurgents? A professional investigation would have provided insight into their background and saved the

nation of an embarrassment of this nature. Even if the facts were ascertained, the security agencies would have also put the negotiators under surveillance- a case of watching the watchman. In developed climes, the shoddy management of national security issues are more than sufficient reasons for resignation of key security managers or an over-haul of the entire security apparatus. Government should match its words with actions. Nigerians are hardly deceived by the frequent refrain “we are on top of the situation.” On the other plank, it is indeed scandalous that despite various pacts- regional, sub-regional and international- the Boko Haram scourge has continued to fester. Though this warfare is irregular and the army has re-captured some of the local governments from the insurgents, the protracted war makes a mockery of the nation’s avowed ability to protect its territorial integrity. It is for these reasons and more, that we take serious exception to government’s slipshod handling of this entirely embarrassing and gradually degenerating fight against Boko Haram and indeed the various components of the war. In a crucial situation like this, professionals and institutions should be at the frontline with proficiency and effectiveness, while political jobbers are kept at bay.

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief n Eric Osagie Deputy Managing Directors n Gabriel Akinadewo

Felix Oguejiofor Abugu

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Politics

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Udensi: I’ll transform Abia in two years CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

planted there to hold forth for Alex Otti. How true is it? I was shocked to my marrow when this story came out. In fact, that was what Otti told some of the prominent sons of Abia for reasons best known to him. That was a bloody and wicked lie. However, Otti has come to my house to apologise and I have accepted his apology. The first time I went to Otti to discuss my political ambition, I was there with a very good friend of ours, Senator Ben Ndu; he is still alive,

you can ask him. Otti encouraged me. He told me that he is in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but that he is in support of my ambition. The next time I met Otti in his house and discussed my ambition again, the then Anambra governor, Peter Obi, was there. I have never, either by commission or omission, discussed with Otti about his coming to APGA and he never indicated his intention to do that. Let us reason together; when he indicated his interest, why did he go to

PDP instead of APGA where I was standing for him? If the arrangement ab nitio was for him to come to APGA where I was standing for him, why did he opt for PDP? The truth of the matter is that Otti went behind me and made the kangaroo arrangement with APGA national chairman, Victor Umeh, and the next thing I heard was that Otti was going to pick up APGA form. I have accepted his apology like I said earlier, but the point is that if a man at that level,

whom I respect a lot can condescend to that level, then it leaves much to be desired. When I realised, I was willing to go into primaries with him, which he accepted. But I didn’t know that it had been arranged before hand with Umeh who removed APGA Abia State chairman, Prince Ukaegbu and replaced him with Otti’s man as well as changed the delegates in order to pave way for Otti’s emergence. So, it became very clear that there will not be a fair primaries, and instead of

me to stay and allow them do what they want to do, I left and joined PPA. Surprisingly, a month after I left the party, they still conducted their primaries and included my name and came out to say that I contested the primaries with Otti and lost. Otti later came to my house and apologised and later told newsmen that he won in the primaries. Can you imagine such callousness? One of the traditional rulers later told me that Otti said it is all about politics. But I maintain that politics should

be played with morality. We noticed that your posters and billboards are being destroyed in Aba. What is the reason and who are those behind this act? You should know that PPA is a threat to the present government. You should also know that this government is desperate and their desperation has gone out of hand. When I became the candidate of PPA, they offered me all kinds of things to no avail. They are afraid of PPA more than any other political party in Abia State, and it is leading them into violence. Anyway, the matter has been reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and we are hoping they do something. But if nothing is done, we will do everything within the ambit of the law to protect our properties from them. Anybody who can destroy billboards can equally destroy human life. That is why we have to ensure that it is stopped now. Do you have enough security considering what you have just highlighted? Not at all, they have tried all kinds of things, they have severally sent people after us to attack us, but we are prepared to defend ourselves if the law enforcement agencies fail to do so. Nobody has the monopoly of violence. but we are lawabiding citizens and we are sure that the law enforcement agencies will do their jobs, in ensuring the safety of lives and properties. What are your chances of emerging victorious in the February 28 governorship election? Before now, I never imagined the strength of PPA at the grassroots. When I left APGA, I did so with my entire structure, so I am very optimistic. Abians will consider the experience of the individuals contesting elections today before casting their votes. In PDP they should consider his experience of not being able to manage disposal units in Aba, in APGA they should consider the idea that; the more deposits you bring the more you climb in the banking sector, otherwise this idea of people becoming managing directors after 10 years is funny. Abians should consider the person who is capable of creating wealth, not someone who will keep it. I am the right candidate for Abia and I will surely put smiles on people’s faces again.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Culture

Many songs in visual arts

Arts

Media

Tourism

Rise in music scene

Government, tourism stakeholders devise path to growth

2014 Review

2014: mixed fortunes, different tales

Tony Okuyeme and Moses Kadiri For live theatre, remarkable year

ith the upswing in the level of programmes in the arts and culture sector that engaged practitioners in the last 12 months, the year 2014 could be said to be not a bad one for the sector, given the sundry challenges they had to confront to ensure that “the show must go on”. From the visual arts, theatre, to music, and the movie industry, there were sustained series of activities. Lagos, the entertainment hub of the country, was agog with live theatre performances across major venues, art exhibitions – group and solo – by both established and celebrated artists were mounted at various venues, that generated interest among collectors and art aficionados, show that featured array of talented musicians performing and thrilling. The standup comedy scene was also busy as usual inspiring new talents that also making statements and headlines with their performances. The movies industry took the centre stage. The literary scene was vibrant with activities. These were not limited to Lagos alone; as show promoters, event organisers, producers, curators, among others ensured that other parts of the country were not left out. From Lagos to Port Harcourt, Abuja to Jos, Abeokuta to Calabar, Enugu to Kaduna, theatre stages came alive with performances, exhibition venues were buoyant with shows, cinema houses were inundated with premieres and screenings, literary festivals and book fairs adorned events spaces. In the theatre scene, there were sustained productions of stage plays at the multi-cultural centre, Terra Kulture, Lagos. Its 10th year anniversary celebration was marked with impressive performances at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island. The March 27 yearly World Theatre Day (WTD) celebrated in Nigeria by the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) featured series of performances at National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. The National Troupe of Nigeria’s yearly Dramatised Story Telling Competition and Children Creative not only enriched the stage with performances but also demonstrated its commitment to promoting children theatre and showcasing the arrays of talents in the creative sector that abound in the country. And

TONY OKUYEME tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

A scene from Ajoyo by the National Troupe of Nigeria

under its new Artistic Director, Mr. Akin Adejuwon, the Troupe had a performance tour of three states in the country, namely, Kogi, Ekiti and Kwara states respectively, ending it with a performance at the University of Ilorin. A drama workshop for students of the department of Theatre Arts of the University conducted by the Director in charge of Drama, National Troupe, Ms. Josephine Igberaese and the Head of Music Mr. Mike Anyanwu preceded the staging of ‘Ajoyo’ (Celebration), a dance drama, which highlights the need for unity, love and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. The year Macmillan Youth Day and Macmillan Literary Night, organized by Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Limited, kept aglow with performances. The 2014 edition of the Macmillan Literary Night themed “The Rebirth”, reflects the characteristic responsiveness of Macmillan Nigeria Publishers limited, sponsor of the event to the promotion of ennobling and productive values, essential to national development. It featured an engaging thought-provoking dance drama by Crown Troupe of Africa. In Jos, the 8th Jos Festival of Theatre organized by the Jos Repertory Theatre (JRT) featured series of plays that thrilled theatre enthusiasts in the Plateau State. Highlight of major theatre events in 2014 include the series drama presentations to celebrate the 80th birthday of Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka. It was a feast, that featured some of his plays - Dance of the Forest, directed by Tunde Awosanmi, at the Ijegba, Abeokuta, home of the celebrant, and at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Death &

For the stage arts, we must continue to believe that there is still a whole lot of room in the wide sky and there is more than enough work for those companies that continue to be forward looking

A scene in Jagua Nana the Musical

King’s Horseman, directed by Femi Osofisan/Bisi Adigun, Alapata Apata, performed by Crown Troupe of Africa. There were also the performances of Oba Koso, Lanke Omu, Our Culture, Our Pride. The annual MUSON Festival of the Arts returned for its 18th edition themed “Comes of Age”. The Festival Drama for 2014 featured Jagua Nana – the Musical, Cyprian Ekwensi’s famous novel produced and directed by Nigeria’s intrepid drama producer, Wole Oguntokun, visual arts exhibition, classical concert that featured the MUSON Symphony Orchestra conducted by MUSON’s new Artistic Director, Composer, Cellist and Kora player, Tunde Jegede. There was also dance workshop and concert put together by the Society of the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). After a breathtaking premier last year at the Grand Ballroom of Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, that was greeted with ‘rousing reception’, and acclaim, Saro: The Musical makes a sizzling return to the theatre stage for this Christmas season. The Broadway style theatre feast produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions gave teeming theatre community in Lagos something to cheer, chew, chat and think about. This year’s showing tagged Saro: The Musical 2, opened on Tuesday December 23, 2014, at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 6pm, and ran till Sunday December 28, 2014. Stakeholders, however, more shows could have been done, but for the security challenges confronting the nation. For the Artistic Director of Jos

Repertory Theatre, Patrick-Jude Oteh, “2014 was a very remarkable year. “We were able to continue our regular festivals as well as run a definite Season of Plays in our nations’ capital and take a tour to Lagos. It has not always been easy but somehow we managed to pull through. It has also been a remarkable year in that we were confronted with security situations that daunt the spirit. But we believe and know that the arts must continue to allow us to assert our humanity even though the odds are scary’,” he said, noting that there is more than enough work. “For the stage arts, we must continue to believe that there is still a whole lot of room in the wide sky and there is more than enough work for those companies that continue to be forward looking. We continue to thank all those who continue to support our work and buy our tickets and despite the odds we are a very fortunate and blessed company.” Apart from sponsorship, insecurity was a major problem for the thriving of stage plays in 2014. “Ultimately, the problem we all face is the economy; if the economy doesn’t improve we cannot get much from those that appreciate art and promote it. I think there were one or two musicals that were presented. I am not sure there was much in terms of promotion of theatre activities. There is a lot of theatre activities going on in Lagos; Terra Kulture is thriving. But the kind of initiative that we had in terms of the Charms Theatre Series, has stopped,” renowned dramatist, Prof. Femi Osofisan said.

Arts

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Many songs in visual arts

n the visual art sector, it has been a busy year for Nigerian artists and arts collectors. There were lots of art exhibitions in and around the world, and Nigerians artists shine like stars. Notable names like Bruce Onobrakpeya a specialist in printmaking, painting and sculptor, Jelili Atiku, whose multimedia work with political concerns for human rights and justice. The artist who is known for installation sculpture, photography, video held audience spellbound with video and live art performance, Adeola Balogun, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Art, Yaba College of Technology staged the emotional come back of the captured Chibok girls in the exhibition titled Mirage at the Quintessence Gallery, Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos. His works dwell extensively on the female gender. Adewale Alimi engaged art lovers with his “Eclectic” art exhibition, a pointer to the increase in the number of people vis-

oremost art collector and founder of Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF), a nonprofit organization established in 2007 to promote the appreciation and study of Nigerian arts and artists, making the collection available to museums, educational institutions, and scholars, Engr. Yemisi Shyllon posits that nothing spectacular was done in 2014. He said the visual art sector was just the usual things. “Art exhibitions were here held, the major auction houses

iting exhibitions and art galleries in the country today. Alimi uses paintings to explore urban issues. Also, works by Moyo Okediji, Tola Wewe, Mufu Onifade, Peju Alatise, Stella Awo, adorned several galleries. Organisations such as National Gallery for Art, Nike Art Gallery, ARF, Goethe lnstitut, also made bold statement organizing art workshops and shows. According to Wewe, the sector has really grown. “The visual art sector is one of the most virile and very exciting of all the sectors,” he said. “Nigerian visual artists perfor med credibly well on the international scene. And I am very sure they will continue to do more in the coming years.” For Alimi, the visual art sector witnessed significant rise in exhibitions. “More international art fair participation by Nigerian Galleries; it is the year the Federal Government start recognising the role of Art in National Development.

The visual art sector is one of the most virile and very exciting of all the sectors

Some of the visual arts

“In 2015 I see groundbreaking exhibition due to the international exposure of art stakeholders in 2014. With the Terra Kulture Auction coming up in 2015 couple with Arthouse Auction, there will be a high

turnover in auction in 2015; there will be focus on pop up exhibition in 2015, exhibition in alternative spaces will provide opportunities for artist not represented by galleries,” he said.

visual art: Nothing spectacular –Shyllon

in the country did there auctions. There is not much spectacular development in the visual art in 2014. The only remarkable thing that happened last year was Terra Kulture coming up with the box office drama “Saro, The musical”, and also the screening of the film “October 1”, by Kunle Afolayan. “But there was nothing much spectacular in terms of OYASAF, we carried out our usual lectures; we had three lectures in 2014,

which were well attended. We sponsored the University Creative art workshop successfully in October, and the output of over 100 works artists was exhibited. And of course, we hosted our galaxy of scholars in New York; all the various objectives and programmes were carried out. But there was nothing spectacular in the art sector in 2014,” he said. “There just the normal activities in the visual art sector, but I think the major one was Olu

Amoda’s feat at the Senegal Biennial where he came out tops as a sculptor. That was good for the image of Nigeria. There was also the Port Harcourt tenure as World Book Capital. These are very important developments in the year. But in terms of art, there wasn’t any spectacular thing, unlike in the past when we had major auction in which Ben Enwonwu’s work was sold at a super prize. “Well we took part in the art

We performed excellently, says Enwonwu P

resident of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Oliver Enwonwu said the art sector in Nigeria performed excellently this year with an exciting schedule of exhibitions and increased exposure of art from Nigeria at international fairs. “The year also saw the continued production of exceptional exhibition catalogues and magazines like “ Omenka”, Africa’s leading art, business and lifestyle publication, as well as increasing prices for Nigerian art. Indeed, prices for Nigerian art continued to soar on both the domestic and international markets. The domestic scene saw the emergence of a new auction house Sogal to a secondary market largely dominated by Arthouse Contemporary and the

Lagos Art auctions- the result of a partnership between Terra Kulture and Mydrim Gallery. Sogal was established by Lagos art dealer and proprietor of Signature Art Gallery, Rahman Akar. Among other highlights of the year are the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Society of Nigerian Artists, which held in July. The three- pronged event featured ; a major international conference CONADEV held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos; an award and fundraising dinner at the MUSON Centre, Lagos; and “ The Next 50 Years”, an exhibition of work by leading contemporary artists across the country . Lagos- based Omenka Gallery was the venue of the show that served to trace an important trajectory in

contemporary art developments in Nigeria. On the international scene, Omenka continued to play the leading role in increasing the visibility of contemporary art from Nigeria with its participation in major international fairs like the; Cape Town Art Fair; Art14, London; Paper Art Cologne; LOOP, Barcelona; Art Dubai; Docks Art Fair, Lyon and the Joburg Art Fair. The Red Door Gallery and Art 21 made their debut on the international scene at the Joburg Art Fair, with the latter following up with another appearance at 1:54 Contemporary Art Fair in London. Arthouse Contemporary also marked its entry at At 14, London. Other events that added colour to the Lagos art scene include George Osodi’s “Nigerian Mon-

archs”, an exhibition of photographs celebrating traditional kingship institutions in Nigeria. It was organized by leading Lagos auction house Arthouse Contemporary. Others were Joseph Eze’s “Conflict Resolution” at the Red Door Gallery. Here, his preoccupation was in shared history between the West and Africa and it’s impact on how we define ourselves as individuals. The African Artists’ Foundation and The Ben Enwonwu Foundation were not left out, with another successful edition of the month- long LagosPhoto and the 10th annual Ben Enwonwu Lecture themed “Art as an Alternative Investment” delivered by Oscar Onyema, the CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, respectively. Both events have since become

fair in South Africa in which I was invited along others to talk about art collection in Nigeria. There was also the Dubai Art Fair and the London Art Fair we which took part in.” The point is we need to go beyond just exhibitions, gallery owners, auction houses; we need to do something much spectacular than that that will go to preserve and conserve our cultural patrimony and creativity of the Nigerian artists.

permanent fixtures on the Lagos art calendar. The excitement continued with “ Power and Powers” a powerful commentary on 54 years of epileptic power supply in Nigeria, as well as “ An Artist and his Muse”, a solo by Duke Asidere, which revolved around the several women that have inspired his art, most especially his mother. Both exhibitions were staged at the Omenka Gallery. Yetunde Ayeni- Babaeko and the Society of Performing Artists Nigeria( SPAN) Lagos also left their mark on a busy quarter of the Lagos art scene with “ Eko Moves”, which held at The Wheatbaker and was curated by Sandra Obiago. The Lagos Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists rounded up a truly remarkable year with its Gala Night, which held at Terra Kulture in Lagos. The evening was also an occasion to honour those who had contributed immensely to the growth of the visual arts in Nigeria, as well as the chapter. Fittingly, life- time achievement awards were bestowed on Professors Yusuf Grillo and Abayomi Barber, Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya, Kolade Oshinowo, Bisi Fakeye and Nike Okundaye.

Media 23

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Rise in music scene M usic practitioners showered praises for the rapidly growing Nigerian mainstream industry in 2014. The production, number of songs, videos shot up with artistes competing for a spot top in the music scene. Despite the raise key players in the industry suggest that there is still much hurdle to cross. Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli (MFR), bemoan over the state Nigerian music. He said most of the songs are too sexy. “l must be frank with you in the 70’s and in the 80’s the showbiz business was good, but it started to go down and down, it got to the level where the videos have become too sexy,” he observed. One of the areas the music scene receive boost is the friendly atmosphere for collaboration among artistes. The like of Phyno and Olamide where in separable; the fans embrace their chemistry as they blended nicely whenever they pear together to do a song. It was not that rosy for the Phyno Okoye twins comprising Peter and Paul that made up P Square group, but for quick intervention Nigerians would have wake up to know that there was once P Square. The duo did not allow the separation saga which almost tear them apart to affect their work, they bounced back to top the chat in every club. Contributors to the growth of the music industry include Tuface

Patoranking

Idibia, D’banj, Don Jazzy, Rymzo, Wizkid, Davido, Iyanya, Kycee, Flavor, Phyno, Tim Dakolo, Tiwa Savage, others are The Prince, Ice Prince, Sound Sultan, Burna Boy, J Martin, Bez, and Harrisong. Others are Chidinma, Brymo, Terry G, Duncan Mighty, Solid

Star, Oritsefemi, Seyi Shay, Patoranking, Sean Tizzle, Timaya, Harry Songz, Don Jazzy, Cohbams Asuquo, OJB Jezreel, Shizzi, Sarz, DTunes, Masterkraftz, Selebobo, among many others. Reggae star Rymzo also notes that 2014 has been a great year, projecting that

2015 looks most likely the year of many harvests. “But our system and the authority need to take the industry serious, so that it can edify and inspire all music lovers by encouraging the practitioners to become more innovative and secured in their profession in terms

of royalties and piracy,” he said. No doubt it has been a busy year for established musicians. It is hope that the new year will bring good tidings for the up-an-coming artistes who really struggle to make it, and be heard in the industry.

...Sad painful year

he year had its dark and ugly side, as the sector lost some of its practitioners. Veteran photographer, Johnson Donatus Aihumekeokhai Ojeikere (J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere), who is known for his work with unique hairstyles found in Nigeria, died February 2, 2014, aged 84. Two months after, precisely on April 28, 2014, the nation was again thrown into

Tony Okuyeme

he 2014 edition of Ikorodu Community Development Award (ICDA) has received a boost as the presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Okonkwo pledged his full support to it, with a promise of substantial financial to this edition of the award and subsequent editions. Okonkwo who initiated the National Transformation Department (NTD), as a statutory unit of TREM worldwide, made the promise when the organising team of ICDA paid him a courtesy visit. It was encomiums galore at the meeting which was called at the instance of the ICDA team from TREM Liberty Centre, Ikorodu to brief him on the progress and successes so

mourning, as one of her foremost film producers, writer, director and a leading player in the motion picture industry, Amaka Igwe passed on in Enugu. The prolific, award-winning and critically acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker and broadcasting executive “had gone to Enugu in company of her husband for a pre-production preparation for a new Igbo soap when the sad in-

cident occurred. She suffered asthmatic attack and was immediately rushed to a hospital, but died before getting there. Five months after, Ayo Oluwasanmi, a production theatre manager, television and film production expert, died. The theatre artiste, who started his career with the Isola Ogunsola Theatre in the 1960s, died in Lagos. Amaka Igwe He was 59.

Boost for Ikorodu Community Development Awards Churches should do more than preaching to their community

far recorded by organizers of the annual community award, which is gradually becoming a force to reckon with in Ikorodu division and its environs. He commended the efforts of the Pastor, Mike Egwu and members of the NTD of TREM Liberty Centre, Ikorodu for blazing the trail among TREM branches worldwide, through the annual award event, meant to celebrate deserving individuals, organisations and institutions in Ikorodu community, whose positive impact are visible within and outside the community. The Bishop said that he was particularly impressed that the ICDA award has been organized as a credible platform for the rejuvenation of our eroding

societal values and virtues, rather than being used as a platform for generating funds, as being done by many other award organisers. He reiterated the fact that churches should do more than preaching to their community, but should strive to make indelible impact on the community where they are located. He further stressed that a church without visible impact on their immediate environment has done nothing. He concluded by congratulating the ICDA team for the progress they have recorded, so far. In his opening remarks, Pastor Mike Egwu, Senior Pastor of TREM Liberty Centre, Ikorodu appreciated Bishop Okonkwo on be-

half of the Ikorodu branch for his immense spiritual and fatherly support to the branch while also soliciting for more support as well as a special visit by Bishop Mike Okonkwo to Ikorodu soonest. Earlier, the Director, National Transformation Department, Liberty Centre, intimated Bishop Okonkwo on the efforts of the Church in Ikorodu towards raising the bar of excellence in the society, through the yearly Ikorodu Community Development Awards (ICDA). He disclosed that the effort has been yielding positive results by the positive disposition of residents in the community to the Church since the award was first held. He used the occasion to

solicit for the support of Bishop Okonkwo towards the success and sustenance of the laudable community development initiative. The delegation which was led by Pastor Mike Egwu, included other members of the directorate in attendance. Publisher of Owambe magazine and chairman, ICDA circuit screening committee, Mr. Peju Akinyemi represented the screening committee, Dr Idowu Adeyemi and Mr Rotimi Erogbogbo who are members of the ICDA board of trustees were also there. Veteran actress, Mrs. Sola Onayiga (popularly known as Ireti, in “Fuji House of Commotion”), worn the Art category in the maiden edition of the awards.

Tourism

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Government, tourism stakeholders devise path to growth

enue of accessing finance for the sector.

Kenneth Tyohemba Abuja

ENULTIMATE week, tourism was put in the front burner as both the private and public sectors operators gathered together in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja to brain storm on the state of the industry and chart a new path for its growth and development. The occasion was the “Hospitality and Tourism Stakeholders Summit” organised by the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR). It was the first major event held under the watch of the new director general of the hospitality training school, Mrs. Chika Balogun. The Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Edem Duke who collaborated with the parastatal alongside other partners, which included the New Telegraph as media partner, led the team of government officials to the event, which had in attendance a number of major players in the tourism industry cutting across hotels, tour operators, travel agents and consultants. The theme of the summit was “Training the Manpower of the Future”, and it afforded both the government and the various stakeholders at the event to periscope the industry with focus not just on achieving the desired level of manpower and capacity building for the industry but also on how best to organise the industry in such a way that it delivers economic gains in terms of revenues to the country and benefit the various operators and investors. Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s approach: The Minister of Tourism, spoke on some of the activities and projects being undertaken by the ministry as part of effort in exploiting the gains of tourism. These include constructions of resorts in all the existing dams across the country with the pilot work to commence at Kashimbilla Dam. Duke who foresaw a vibrant economic future for the tourism industry said that the time has come for the sector to take charge of the economy following a dip from the oil revenues. He further harped on the need for the Tourism sector to wake up and take front seat in the drive of the country’s economy to explore avenues for non-oil revenue generation. “The recent downward trend in the economy is telling us in the face that the tourism and hospitality sector will become a critical point for us to develop the

L-R: Mr. Tomi Akingbogun, DG, NIHOTOUR, Mrs. Chika Balogun, Chairman, NIHOTOUR Board, Mr. Kanayo O. Kanayo, MFR, Hon Minister, Tourism, Culture, Chief Edem Duke; CEO, Transcorp Hotels, Mr. Val Ozigbo, DG, National Gallery of Arts, Alh. Muku and, and Hon. Commissioner, Culture & Tourism, Delta State, Richard Mofe Damijo.

economy, as oil will soon be of less value; in this difficult time, let it be told that men/women came together and transformed the sector that added value to the economy and create jobs for the youths,” Duke. As part of measures to improve on professionalism the Minister also revealed that the FG has given directive to NIHOTOUR to be transfer into a full professional body to be known as Directorate of Hospitality and Tourism Development. This initiative is to provide a platform for staff in the hospitality industry to receive more professional training that could enable the sector compete with the rest of the world. NIHOTOUR’s perspective: NIHOTOUR in its presentation took the audience through its mandates and the progress its have achieved over the years and the challenges confronting its. The school, which has its head office in Abuja, has campuses in Osogbo, Lagos, Benin, Enugu, Bauchi, Kano, and Kaduna. It offers among others PGD, Diploma, Certificate, IATA/UFTAA, WAHEB and NABTEB programs. The institute also offers Management programs in Tourism, hospitality and Travels. Moving forward, the Chairman, Board of NIHOTOUR, Kanayo O. Kanayo advocated for Public Private Partnerships and commended the minister for leading the way in this regard. Despite progress made, Kanayo however stated that the country’s hospitality industry is still at the crossroad, maintaining that a lot of things needed to be fixed especially in the area of regulation. According to him the FG and states governments are yet to reach a workable agreement on a set of unified laws that would guide the smooth operation of the industry. He also expressed dismay over the inability of the insti-

tute to provide tertiary and vocational certification that would add more value to the industry, even as he pointed out that the Bagauda Campus of the institute in Kano is worthy to be turned into a university. He also frowned at the low revenue generating capacity of the institute, which according to him has not generated up to 10 percent of the stream of revenue that can take charge of the staff, adding that some staff needed to be retrained, or be shown the way out. Still on training, Kanayo took a swipe at hotels in the country for poor service delivery, and attributed the failure to inadequate training of personnel. He restated the commitment of the board to address the challenges that would reposition the sector. While the DG of the institute, Mrs. Chika Balogun, stressed that NIHOTOUR’s mandate of training and developing manpower of the hospitality industry is to ensure professional service delivery in the sector. She therefore charged hotel owners to train and retrained their staff for optima and professional service delivery. Balogun further revealed that the sector has recorded growth, despite challenges of finance, as there are up to 800 standards hotel in the country, with an annual revenue generation of about N1.4trillion, and two billion naira realised from bookings of hotel rooms each day. As a way of promoting domestic tourism, NIHOTOUR has created websites, and is presently running online courses. The institution also promised to help hotel owners train their staff. According to Balogun, “Nigeria is blessed with abundant tourist opportunities to take advantage of, we need to move away from oil dependence and create opportunities for investment in the tourism industry.” Hoteliers’ Point of View: Hotel owners and man-

We have venture capital for people to get financial access to build their institutional capacity, the NSE has the platform that is ready to support the tourism sector

agers have also recognized their role as critical to the transformation of the tourism sector. MD/CEO Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Valentine Ozigbo who spoke for hoteliers affirmed that service delivery is critical to the hospitality sector. Ozigbo emphasised that hotel owners must be capable of training and retraining their personnel. He charged them to embark on capacity building by hiring the right set of people that would bring the desired change in the sector. Transcorp and Abuja Sheraton Hotel were commended for their level of commitment to training and developing the capacity of their human resources.Accessing Finances: One of the challenges confronting the sector is in the area of financial literacy. DG the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema stated that the NSE is ever committed to helping the tourism industry get financial access to investment. According to him, tourism is one of the sectors where NSE’s impact is functional. “We partner with CBN and other financial institution to address challenges of accessing finances for the sector. We have venture capital for people to get financial access to build their institutional capacity, the NSE has the platform that is ready to support the tourism sector”, said the NSE boss. Also, the Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda said the Finance Ministry is investing in tourism and hospitality industry through SURE-P by engaging young graduates in internship (GIS). Infrastructure projects is another area the ministry is collaborating with hospitality and tourism sector through the modernisation of airports, which is believe to burnish the corporate image of the country. The Development Bank of Nigeria which is targeted at providing capital for entrepreneurs is also another av-

Patching linkages: NIHOTOUR as a regulating body needs to beef up its regulation and monitoring activities that would bring sanity to the hospitality sector if the sector is to yield the desired transformation. Stakeholders providing support services should be recognised as critical components, hence the sector cannot act in isolation. In the words of the President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Tomi Akinbogun,taxi drivers and all other transporters should be accorded significance in the tourism chain of stakeholders. Also, the institute should regulate prices of hotel rooms, as Nigeria hotels are adjudged one of the most expensive in the world, and is discouraging tourism. Attention was also drawn to the eight NIHOTOUR’s campuses, which are in dilapidated condition need to be fixed. Roll call: Roll call of attendees at the event included such names and institutions as Transcorp Hilton, Regent, and Reiz Continental hotels were the prominent hoteliers represented at the summit. Others included Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Taleveras Group, Nigerian Breweries, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), SURE-P and some reputable media organisations. Panelists at the event were eminent personalities and celebrities including Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, CEO, Transcorp, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, DG NIHOTOUR, Mrs. Chika Balogun, Minister of State for Finance, Ambassaor Bashir Yuguda, Executive Secretary National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. M.A Kazure, Chairman SURE-P, Gen (Rtd), Martins Luthher Agwai, DG National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Emeka Mbah, DG Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, President, Nigeria and Executive Secretary Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Mrs. Saratu Umar, Chairman Board of NIHOTOUR, Kanayo O. Kanayo, and Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), who was also the anchor man.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Award

How COSON directive almost marred AFRIMA 2014

Trending

Chocolate City counts blessings

Entertainment 13 years after, ex Miss Nigeria returns with Nature Festival

Nollywood star, Aki on vacation

Stories by Sony Neme

orld Natural Abundance Model (WNAM), a trademark for a new initiative under the Touching Tender Hearts Foundation, an NGO of the 2001 Miss Nigeria, Amina Ekpo. The blend of fashion and entertainment will witness an Sustainable Earth Campaign at the WNAM Nature Festival will hold at the Banquet Hall of Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo. Akwa Ibom State on Sunday 28th December, 2014. The week-long activity is expected to feature a pot-pouri of activities that will include Eco Friendly Fashion Shows, Eco Friendly Pageant and more. Amina who recently flew into the country from the United States of America for the programme, spoke on what to expect at the festival… 13 years after your reign as Miss Nigeria, not much has been heard about Amina Ekpo. What have you been up to? I thank God for everything the American society has offered me. The training, the empowerment and the enabling environment that has helped developed me as a savvy business woman and that is why I have decided to bring back home this wonderful idea that will immensely benefit our fashion and creative world in Nigeria. How and when did you conceive the WNAM Nature Festival?

SONY NEME

EDITOR, ENTERTAINMENT sony.neme@newtelegraphonline.com

Amina

This has been one unique idea that I have nurtured over the years but as you know with events the right timing is of essence. I am a very careful and strategic planner. You know, a lot of projects come and they either pack up or are left in a comatose state because it was not properly processed, I am one person that is mindful of how a good meal is prepared no matter how long it takes to prepare it. So WNAM has been under thorough processing and am fully convinced that the timing is now and Nigeria is fully ripe for it and you will agree with me that Nigeria has evolved into a nation that is envied by all. What would you say is the impact you have made so far with WNAM? Pretty soon Nigerians will feel the impact of WNAM. There is no disputing the fact that my foundation, Touching Tender Hearts has remained focused on its aims and objectives and now WNAM under

Our inclination and knowledge on the possibility of solving the nagging needs of sustainability, and power the world over can be achieved through sustainable design principles and sustainable earth practice.

its umbrella can only but produce the kind of result that will help promote our fashion industry and rightly position participants. Suffice to say that WNAM stands to promote contributing to active sustainable earth campaign. Our inclination and knowledge on the possibility of solving the nagging needs of sustainability, and power the world over can be achieved through sustainable design principles and sustainable earth practice. These include clean energy cum power development which is undiscovered potentials in nature, ecological health, social and economic justice, democracy, nonviolence and peace which will boost future economic power enhancement. Tourism and overall growth of the economy if conscientiously and strategically harnessed. That is why we have a weeklong activity to educate, showcase and entertain. Many would have thought that CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

ollywood actor Chinedu Ikedieze, popularly known as Aki, has proceeded on a one month vacation starting from December 20. His media Company, MIM, revealed this in a signed statement on Saturday. “Mr. Chinedu Ikedieze (Aki) has shut down for the year till late January 2015. It was a rather long and successful year for the star and so he has to take a break and go on vacation with his family.” The statement did not disclose where Aki is vacationing but speculation is rife that it is probably in the US or the Bahamas, going by an interview he granted a national newspaper late last month where he was quoted as saying that when he needed a break, he always went to the United States or the Bahamas where people do not know him that much: “When I want to get away from all of this (acting), I usually take my family and go to the US or the Bahamas because there, not so many people know me so I can afford to walk on the streets like every other person and won’t get mugged by fans. Well, it also depends on the part of the US anyway, that is why I always select the part that does not have a large population of African Americans or Nigerians who watch Nigerian films just like Nigerians at home,” he said. Aki’s last official outing this year before he proceeded on vacation was the wedding event of president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Ibinabo Fiberisima, on Saturday, December 20 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He jetted out immediately after the wedding. “There is no way he would have missed the wedding of Ibinabo who he had enjoyed a robust relationship with over the years, so he built it into his rather tight schedule.”

Aki

Entertainment

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

How COSON directive almost marred AFRIMA 2014

Vanessa

Marisse and 2Face

Stories by Sony Neme

t was with a high sense of patriotism on display by the chairman of Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON that saved the maiden edition of All African Music Awards (AFRIMA) from a total boycott by Nigerian musicians. Reason is because, days to the epic event, COSON, Nigeria’s sole government approved copyright collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings, had asked all musicians, music industry operatives and stakeholders in the creative sector to begin an immediate boycott of Oriental Hotel, Lagos. The decision was unanimously ratified by f COSON members that thronged Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja on Tuesday, December 16 for their Extra-Ordinary General Meeting where royalty distribution of N90 million to musicians in the country was also approved. According to information reaching, New Telegraph, the boycott is predicated on the allegation that Lagos Oriental Hotel is infringing the copyright of members and affiliates of COSON as it has

reportedly failed despite repeated requests, to license its facilities for the use of musical works and sound recordings as required by law. COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said, “At the last meeting of your Board, it was decided that COSON and all its members begin an active boycott of all hotels and event venues who have failed to obtain copyright licences for the music deployed in their establishments. This is necessary to send the message to one and all that we mean business and that there will be consequences to those who do not respect their obligations to us. I hereby call on all our members to heed this decision of the Board and stay away from those places where they have no respect for us. Please remember that we continue to be in a historic struggle and that we must make the necessary sacrifice for the success of the struggle”. In an exclusive interview with New Telegraph, both the COSON and AFRIMA bosses explained their last minutes efforts that put the COSON threat on hold. According to Mr. Mike Dada of AFRIMA, “You can see it (COSON’s directive) didn’t affect the

We engaged them (COSON), and they saw the need to allow us be

Award

Winners

Country

Track

Best Female in Central Africa

Laurette La Perle

DR Congo

Lembo La Mboka Ame

Best Male in Central Africa

Fally Ipupa

DR Congo

Original

Best Female artist in East Africa

Vanessa Mdee

Tanzania

Cover

Best Male in East Africa

Diamond Platinumz

Tanzania

Number One

Best Female Artist in North Africa

Noura Mint Seymale

Mauritania

Tzenni

Best Male Artist in North Africa

Ahmed Soultan

Morocco

It’s Alright

Best Female in Southern Africa

Cindy Munyavi

Zimbabwe

Parere Moyo

Best Male in Southern Africa

Heavy K feat. Professor

South Africa

Beautiful War

Best Female artiste in West Africa

Angelique Kidjo

Benin

Shango Wa

Best Male Artiste in West Africa

Davido

Nigeria

Skelewu

Album of the Year

Olamide

Nigeria

Baddest Guy Ever Liveth

Song Writer of the Year

Olawale Ashimi (Brymo)

Nigeria

Down

Best African Group/Duo/Band

Paul and Peter Okoye (P-Square

Nigeria

Personally

Best African Collaboration

D’Banj and Friends

19 countries in Africa

Cocoa Na Chocolate

Most Promising Artist in Africa

Wiyaala

Ghana

Rock My Body

Best African Contemporary

Angelique Kidjo

Benin

Shango Wa

Best African Electro

Mi Casa

South Africa

Jika

Best African Hip Hop

Davido

Nigeria

Aiye

Continental Categories

event, because at a point we had to shut down the gate because of the influx of musicians and industry stakeholders. We engaged them (COSON), and they saw the need to allow us be. We resolved the issue at their office as we also engaged Oriental Hotel management who also promised to work with COSON.” Okoroji they softened their resolve, because, “There was a delegation that came from AFRIMA, which was led by AFRIMA boss, Mr. Mike Dada, comprising of top entertainment journalists and some members of the international committee of AFRIMA. Their argument was that they didn’t know about the issues, else they would have gone for another venue. So we considered them as we don’t want to destroy an industry that we are trying to build. Those things will not happen in 2015. But we stayed away, as a mark of our resolve, because we cannot be seen with people who are not willing to respect the rights of our artistes. We are going to picket that venue soon.” Meanwhile the AFRIMA 2014 succeeded in uniting Africa at spectacular ceremony in Lagos, as it brought together some of the

best talents from the five regions of the continent to the 2014 main award ceremony held on Saturday, December 27, at the Grand Ballroom, Oriental Hotel, Lagos.. The night of glamour began from the red carpet to the stage where Africa’s enduring cultural heritage and creativity were on display. At the severally postponed but anticipated awards ceremony were guests from African Union Commission, AUC, government officials from ministries of culture; trade and industry and captains of industry across Africa. The awards’ hosts, 2Baba Idibia and Togo’s bilingual radio and TV personality, Marisse Akotie, was decked in true cultural concept of the awards. Then the ceremony opened with a dramatic appearance on stage of the 11 feet high ‘Adagbe’ drum; arguably the world’s tallest drum -rhythmically beaten by drummers on stilts while fire breathers brought a fiery glow to the performance. The capacity audience was further awed by the presence of veteran Nigerian actor, Pa Peter Fatomilola, who came on stage to chant a litany of prayers and proverbs in Yoruba language.

Big & Beautiful Queen wins Camry car

he grand finale of the 2014 edition of the Miss. Big and Beautiful pageant proudly powered by Geswill Global Investment held as planned in Benin City, Edo State. the event organized by the Amb. Austin Enehizena establishment, ended well with the winner of the 2014 edition - Abia State born Miss. Nwakanma Gift Chioma clinching the star prize of a brand new Toyota Camry car. The pageant, which was organized to showcase and celebrate the beauty and pride of the African woman from states across the SouthSouth geo-political zone was a huge success in all its ramifications. From the security arrangement, venue decoration and timing as well as choreography and crowd control, organisers gave a good account of what event planning is all

about While presenting the star prize to the Queen, President Big and Beautiful pageant, Enehizna, applauded the A plus size girls for their talents and courage in showcasing their size. He further noted that “The Big and Beautiful pageant Nigeria is poised to accentuate plus size women,most of whom have been relegated and spat upon by some belief that plus size women are just unhealthy, obese and not trendy.” He said that plus size women represents the crown of the true African woman. His words: “it is good to know that the acceptability of plus size women all over the world is gaining grounds by the day. The plus size women are more matured, more humane, trendy and exquisitely fashionable”, he noted.

Entertainment 27

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

CINEMAWATCH (Radio/TV/Events Guide) JAN. 2 — 9 HIGHLIGHTS Stories by Sony Neme

bi Emelonye’s multiple-award winning Igbo language comedy film, ‘Onye Ozi (The Messenger) has finally been released on DVD in Nigeria. The film which has won twelve local and international awards since it debuted on cinemas across the world in 2013 has been receiving rave reviews by film critics. According to the director and producer, Obi Emelonye, the film, shot in London, was designed to set a pace and ignite the passion in fellow producers, who erroneously think that it is only in English language that filmmakers can make lasting statements. He said: “From now on, I will make sure I shoot one film in Igbo language every now and then. And I will put in as much technical expertise as I would put into any other film. Honestly, the time has come for us to lift our language because; nobody would do it for us. I have many friends who are really passionate scholars of the Igbo language in London and they have been reminding me, with regards to Igbo language, of the small power we have as international filmmakers to influence trends and set public agenda. He further regreted that, “I am also (shamefully) one of those parents who are both Igbo but whose children can-

Emelonye’s comedy, Onye Ozi now on DVD

Scene from the Broken Angel

Scene from Onye Ozi

not speak the language well. I am passionately Nigerian and proudly Igbo. So I decided to make a script that I had written in English into an Igbo film to make my native language the centre-piece of an international film. The roots of Nollywood can be traced to ‘Living in Bondage’ which is an Igbo film subtitled in English. ‘Onye Ozi’ is an attempt to revive the telling of African stories in Igbo language.” The film, which explored the issue of economic tourism features Okey Bakassi, Ngozi Igwebike, Stephen Moriaty, Anthony Aclet, D’Kachy Obi-

Emelonye and Adesua Atuanya. Technically detailed, the film deployed shooting bullet time with 60 cameras and introduced aerial photography to achieve its cinematic shots. Describing the challenges in getting this film to reality, Emelonye said: “First, I needed a lead who was a proper leading man: funny, intelligent and with an army of followers. Okey Bakasi ticked all the boxes. But teaching white people Igbo language and getting them to speak it in the film with the right accent was also tough.”

‘Subscribers can stay connected throughout the year’

Caroline Oghuma, PR Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria and Noyen Omotola, Stakeholders Manager, MultiChoice Africa

or DStv subscribers to experience the ultimate digital viewing experience during this holiday season, MultiChoice, Nigeria’s leading entertainment destination has urged DStv subscribers to make use of the self-service platform to resolve their queries. DStv subscribers who want to access more self-service options can now dial *288*2# and

follow the voice prompt, and subscribers who want to get more details of the various online payment options can log on to www.dstv.com for more information. Speaking on the self-service options, Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, DStv said the variety of options will help subscribers experience seamless reactivation of their accounts when they pay their subscriptions. Oghuma further explained that if a customer needs to immediately reactivate an account after subscription has been paid; “all the subscriber needs to do is SMS RA then leave a space followed by the first ten digits of his smartcard number to 30333 and the decoder will be reconnected” she said She also noted that issues like payment, finding an installer, trouble shooting, FAQs, clearing errors among others can be resolved through the DStv Self Service platform. For subscribers to update their personal details on their DStv account, they can text their phone number and smartcard number to 30333.

OMG, Etisalat, others to unveil Nigerian Idol 5 Edwin Usoboh

DSTV

ptima Media Group, in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria and carbonated drink, Pepsi has concluded plans for the successful take-off of the season five of leading TV reality, Nigerian Idol. The unveiling of the annual music TV reality show is billed to hold in the first week of the New Year in Lagos. Beside the main task of the day, the event will also feature the public presentation of the threeman panel of celebrity judges for Season five and show modalities including procedures for participation in addition to the offer of opportunity for a press Idol to emerge through an on-the-spot singing competition that promises a reward prize of a thousand US Dollars for the top performer of the day.

The reality show, which is in its fifth season, is coming in furtherance of the company’s commitment to providing young Nigerians with exceptional talent in music the opportunity to unearth their potentials, hone their skills and develop into fulfilled music stars. The Group Managing Director of Optima Media Group, Rotimi Pedro expressed delight in the potentials of the platform to offer talented Nigerian youths with flair for music the unique opportunity to express themselves on a global stage while creating a career path for themselves. “We are delighted to be able to create the right and unique platforms across different fields for Nigerians to take advantage of and maximise their potentials. We have successfully done this over the years on a global stage as the Idol franchise provides,” he concluded.

Fri, 02 Jan 19:30 M-Net Series Zone Give Me That Bill Mzansi Sat, 03 Jan 19:00 Mzansi Magic King of the Nerds Sat, 03 Jan 20:55 Discovery Channel The Arrangement Sun, 04 Jan 20:30 Ebony Life TV Fashion Bloggers Sun, 04 Jan 22:00 E! Entertainment Television Broken Angel Mon, 05 Jan 18:00 Telemundo Operation Repo S7 Tue, 06 Jan 19:00 CBS Reality Would I Lie To You? S8 Tue, 06 Jan 21:05 BBC Entertainment The Wendy Williams Show Tue, 06 Jan 23:00 BET Mistresses S2 Documentary Sun, 04 Jan 18:00 BBC Knowledge Yankee Jungle Mon, 05 Jan 18:20 Animal Planet Tanked Mon, 05 Jan 19:15 Animal Planet Storage Wars Texas Mon, 05 Jan 20:05 HISTORY Embarrassing Bodies S7 Mon, 05 Jan 21:00 BBC Knowledge Sport NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder vs... Sat, 03 Jan 02:50 SuperSport 6 Remind me FA Cup: Tranmere Rovers vs... Sat, 03 Jan 16:50 SuperSport 3 Nigeria La Liga: Valencia vs Real Madrid Sun, 04 Jan 17:55 SuperSport 5 Nigeria La Liga: Real Sociedad vs... Sun, 04 Jan 21:55 SuperSport 3 Nigeria FA Cup: AFC Wimbledon vs... Mon, 05 Jan 21:45 SuperSport 3 Nigeria NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers vs... Thu, 08 Jan 01:50 SuperSport 6 NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder vs... Sat, 03 Jan 02:50 SuperSport 6 Remind me FA Cup: Tranmere Rovers vs... Sat, 03 Jan 16:50 SuperSport 3 Nigeria Lifestyle & Culture Oprah Prime: Rob Lowe Thu, 08 Jan 20:55 TLC Entertainment RV Rampage Fri, 03 Jan 18:00 Travel Channel Piha Rescue Sat, 03 Jan 21:00 Travel

Channel Farm Kings Mon, 05 Jan 13:45 Food Network Bethenny Ever After Tue, 06 Jan 19:20 Style The Kandi Factory Wed, 07 Jan 20:15 Style Oprah Prime: Rob Lowe Thu, 08 Jan 20:55 TLC Entertainment Children Incredible Crew Sat, 03 Jan 16:15 Cartoon Network Phineas and Ferb Mon, 05 Jan 17:25 Disney XD T.U.F.F Puppy Tue, 06 Jan 16:25 NickTOONS Twitches Wed, 07 Jan 17:00 Disney Channel Henry Danger Fri, 09 Jan 17:45 Nickelodeon News & Commerce This World – The Secret Life... Sat, 03 Jan 22:10 BBC World News The System with Joe Berlinger Thu, 08 Jan 22:00 Al Jazeera Fault Lines Fri, 09 Jan 20:30 Al Jazeera Religion Generation Gap Sat, 03 Jan 20:00 FAITH Destined to Reign Sun, 04 Jan 10:00 Rhema TV For Young Men & Woman Only Thu, 08 Jan 19:00 FAITH Generation Gap Sat, 03 Jan 20:00 FAITH Movies Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Tue, 06 Jan 18:45 M-Net Movies Premiere Thor: The Dark World Wed, 07 Jan 18:10 M-Net Movies Action+ Carrie Fri, 02 Jan 20:30 M-Net Movies Premiere Free Birds Sat, 03 Jan 17:30 M-Net Movies Premiere Khumba Sun, 04 Jan 19:15 M-Net Movies Family Remind me Captain Phillips Sun, 04 Jan 20:00 M-Net Movies Action+ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Sun, 04 Jan 20:30 M-Net Movies Premiere Looper Sun, 04 Jan 22:15 M-Net Movies Action+ The Impossible Mon, 05 Jan 19:45 M-Net Movies Showcase The Paperboy Mon, 05 Jan 20:30 M-Net Movies Premiere

Entertainment

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Odobeatu clocks 50 as O’jez holds Xmas concert Jan 4

Odobeatu with the late Fatai Rolling Dollars

Stories by Sony Neme

wner of chains of O’jez celebrity restaurants, Chief Joseph Odobeatu was 50 years on December 28. Expectedly, celebrities mainly from the Nollywood industry were present in their numbers. Those present were Charles Inojie 9he was the master of ceremony), and Ejike Asiegbu among others, As part of activities lined up to celebrate the cerebral showbiz promoter, several events have been lined up to celebrate the entertainment cum business mogul as he joins the golden age club. To kickstart the events was a family get together which was held at his Anthony Village residence December 26, being the Boxing Day while 28 will begin with a thanksgiving mass at St’ Dominics, Yaba-Lagos. The birthday party will begin immediately at his Anthony home till late into the night. Also, this year’s O’jez Xmas Blast concert, scheduled to hold on January 4 at the celebrity restaurant, O’jez, inside the National Stadium premises from 7pm, will be a continuation of the birthday celebration. “We have made provision for more gifts items that will dwarf previous year’s edition come January 4,” Odobeatu said.

Interestingly, two plasma television sets have been added to the traditional four to be given out to loyal customers on the night of January 4. Also to be given out same day is a giant refrigerator as well as an air conditioner with a power generating set. On how he feels to be 50, Odobeatu popularly called O’jez, said he feels happy to be alive. His words, “I feel very happy to be alive. The journey has been long and tedious but by His grace, we have made it to 50. I feel happy, fulfilled and I cannot ask for more from God because he has given me everything I asked for and more at 50. I have a lovely family, I have my businesses and we are a household name in terms of entertainment and hospitality business in Nigeria. I am happy and I thank God for His kindness and grace.” This year’s O’jez Xmas Blast will feature comedian Mc Prymzo who will be standing in for bereaved O’jez in house comic, Elder O (He lost his wife some couple of weeks ago). Ada Owerri, Crazy Legs and the O’jez Band among many more acts have been scheduled to be on the bill. Celebrities that that have been confirmed to grace the event include Nollywood stars

Charles Inojie, Ejike Asiegbu, Leo Mezie, Zach Orji, and Aki of the Aki and Paw Paw fame among others. According to the O’Jez boss, “This year’s event is special in the sense that it coincides with my 50th birthday celebration. It is a full blown concert people pay thousands of naira for elsewhere but here at O’jez, it is added value for being a patron of O’jez. This is how we do it every year to say thank you to our loyal customers that always come to patronize us.” He also explained that, “Aside the usual Friday and Sunday night music and comedy sessions we have at O’jez and of course the monthly O’jez Entertainment Award given to deserving Nigerians in all fields of human endeavour, we ensure that we hold five major shows for our customers in a year and they are; the O’jez Valentine Party, O’jez Easter Fiesta, O’jez Democracy Jam which holds every Democracy Day (May 29), O’jez Independence Party and finally the O’jez Xmas Blast. These are major shows people pay thousands of naira to go and watch elsewhere but at O’jez, it is complimentary to the rich Chinese, Nigerian and continental dishes plus exotic wines and drinks we serve our customers.”

Nature Festival for Uyo CONT INU E D FROM PAGE 25

you will host such a festival in big cities like Abuja or Lagos. Why the choice of Akwa Ibom? Akwa Ibom has what it takes to host a world class event as ours but of particular interest to me as organizer despite having the right infrastructure on ground is the state support for its youth which I am one of the beneficiaries. My state fully stood by me when I enlisted for Miss Nigeria beauty contest. The state saw in me the substance of a future leader and encouraged me to make a difference not just for me and my people but for our great nation Nigeria. Although this is a world class event, but as they say, Charity Begins at Home. This is my own small way of saying thank you to the government and people of Akwa Ibom and to all Nigerians that stood by me during my reign as the 44th Miss Nigeria. What are the unique things we should expect at this year’s event? This year’s event will feature, Eco friendly Fashion Shows, Public awareness program on how to contribute to a sustainable earth, Eco friendly pageant with the crowning of Mr and Miss World Natural Abundance, Contestants carnival road show on climate change awareness campaign, Cultural carnival involving various cultural dances in the state, folk songs and gala night. There will also be a flower show and an Eco friendly Christmas party. Finally, there will be the WNAM Awards ceremony to honor well deserving personalities in our societyThis week-long program of activities will attract many Nigerians both within and outside the state. As you know, the event kicks off from the 21st-28th of December and the venue is the prestigious Le Meridien Ibom Hotels & Golf Resort, Uyo. Do you feel sad that your former platform, Miss Nigeria is almost none existent and has been somehow overtaken by other pageants? This is the more reason through our program we are campaigning for a sustainable earth. Nevertheless the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant remains a very prestigious platform where beauty queens are thoroughly bred into becoming role models and great leaders. I like the way you coined the question about the state of the platform that crowned me the 44th Miss Nigeria, however, we must appreciate ups and downs of life, as an optimist I am confident the Miss Nigeria pageant will surely get back on track.

Chocolate City counts blessings

Ice Prince

or Chocolate City, one of Nigeria’s frontline record label, 2014 was a year they will not forget in a hurry as it turned out a huge blessing for its leading acts. In a press release made

available to New Telegraph, the management enthused thus: “From Ice Prince to Dice Ailes Chocolate City artists put out a lot of strong content this year from songs like Jambo, Whiskey, N Word remix, Shots on Shots, Can I Talk? & That Could Be Us by Ice Prince who continued promoting his sophomore album Fire of Zamani, the singles “Prokoto” & “Show” by Victoria Kimani, Crush and Buckle Up by DJ Caise, Fantasy and Telephone by Dice Ailes to King James by M.I Abaga. M.I Abaga and Nosa released iconic albums this year; the Chairman by M.I has received rave reviews around the continent while

Nosa’s debut Open Doors has created for him a huge fan base and followers of his music.” They further stated that Chocolate City artists were involved in some of the biggest events and programs that ran last year; Ice Prince headlined at events like Music Meets Runway, Sound City Blast, Corporate Elite Nite Concert and The Liverpool International Music Festival, Nosa performed at some of the biggest Churches in Nigeria and was given an audience at the Aso Rock villa on the 1st of October while Victoria Kimani participated in the One Campaign which featured some of the biggest musicians across Africa.”

AFRIMA 2014 CONT INU E D FROM PAGE 26

That gave way to the first music performance by 2Baba who appeared in the royal Pharaoh attire to his hit single Odi Ya to backing choreography by 54 children representing the 54 countries on the African continent. Marisse complemented 2Baba in her Nefetiti outfit as she joined her co-host on stage after his performance for the formal opening of the night’s event. Other sizzling performances came from top African performing artistes such as Dear Zim from Zimbabwe; Wiyaala from Ghana; Radio and Weasel from Uganda; Others who got the guests dancing were Nigeria’s Bez, TemiDollface, Niyola, Timi Dakolo, Oritsefemi and Davido among others.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Insurance A year without cover for underwriters

Agric

Labour

Intrigues as union schemes to thwart Oteh’s return bid

For agric, another busy year

Business What's news

Aviation: 2014 recorded lowest crashes in 80 years Despite the number of air crashes recorded last year, 2014 has seen the lowest number in more than 80 years, the Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives has said

FG plans N200 billion recapitalisation for FMBN Housing finance Efforts gear toward bridging the 17 million accommodation deficit

Refinance Company (NMRC) to commence processing of applications of 66,000 people that subscribed to 10,000 mortgages launched by it in 2014. All these, he said, would

generate more activities in the year. One of the major issues for Nigeria’s growing populace is a lack of adequate housing to meet the needs of urban

dwellers. The housing deficit currently stands at 17 million units with additional two million units needed each year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

p.30

Dayo Ayeyemi

Maersk Line to begin new service in Lagos, Cotonou Maersk Line has concluded plans to launch a direct weekly service from India to Apapa, Tin Can, Cotonou, Port Elizabeth and other ports from late January, 2015.

p.30

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Godson Ikoro

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dele Alao

Industry & Agric Editor

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa

ne of the outcomes of the recent Presidential Housing Retreat held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital was the decision to recapitalise the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria to the tune of N200 billion, President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Tunde Lasabi, has disclosed. Speaking exclusively with New Telegraph, Lasabi said that President Goodluck Jonathan had directed the recapitalisation of FMBN to the tune N200 billion. He expressed satisfaction, saying although NIOB was proposing N500 billion recapitalisation for FMBN considering the huge number of Nigerians in need of accommodation the N200 billion was good for a start. He said if implemented it would drive activities in the housing sector in the New Year as developers and accommodation seekers would be able to access loan for construction of houses. One of the problems of housing shortage in Nigeria is the absence of virile secondary mortgage bank that can muster the needed pool of fund for housing finance. To boost finance and provide housing for teeming Nigerians in need of accommodation, the NIOB president hinted that president Jonathan had also directed the Nigerian Mortgage

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

L-R: Product of Little Saints Orphanage, Esther George; Business Director, Globacom, Kunle Akanmu; Administrative Director, Little Saints Orphanage, Lagos, Mrs. Ruth George-Udeh, Marketing Communications Officer, Globacom, Femi Osikoya and another product of the Orphanage, Joseph George, during the presentation of gifts by Globacom in Lagos… recently.

Nigerians spend 5.3bn minutes on smartphones daily –Investigation Kunle Azeez

martphone users in Nigeria spend an estimated 5.3 billion minutes daily on their smart devices, New Telegraph investigation has revealed. Nigeria currently has 134.5 million phone subscribers connected on all mobile networks

with 20 per cent or 26.9 million of the total subscriber base having smartphones. “In Nigeria, 200 minutes is the average time spent on smartphone per day,” Head, High Value Acquisition Strategy, at Airtel Nigeria, Ms Zainab Baruwa-Abiola, disclosed in an interview. With each of the 26.9 mil-

lion smartphone users in Nigeria spending an average of 200 minutes per day in making calls and surfing the internet in all forms beneficial to them, New Telegraph learnt that a total of 5.3 billion minutes are spent daily on smartphones. According to investigations, CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE November 2014........................7.9% October 2014............................8.1% September 2014.....................8.3%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate....................12.57% Prime Lending Rate...........17.93% Maximum Lending Rate...26.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parallel As at Dec. 28)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N180 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N290 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N238

l Foreign Reserves – $35.19bn as at 18/12/2014

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Official As at Dec. 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N168 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N263.39 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N205.41

Business | News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Aviation: 2014 recorded lowest crashes in 80 years CHEERY NEWS

About 75 per cent of air accident is caused by flight crew, while the airplane takes eight per cent, maintenance accounts for five per cent Wole Shadare

espite the number of air crashes recorded last year, 2014 has seen the lowest number in more than 80 years, the Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives has said. The organisation counts the AirAsia disappearance as a crash, bringing this year’s number to 111. Nigeria had its own fair share of crashes between 2011 and 2013 where over four plane crashes were recorded. The figure contributed to high accident rates in the continent. But 2014 was a generally good year for the sector in Nigeria as the nation never recorded a single plane crash. Just recently, the Managing Director of Bristow Helicopters, Captain Akin Oni, said that Africa had the worst safety record and that 75 per cent of air accidents were caused by flight crew. Oni, however, noted that the safety standard in Nigeria had improved over the years, adding that more was still need-

ed to be done to enhance safety of passengers as well as pilots and flight crew. He affirmed that most of the air mishaps that bedevilled the aviation industry in the past were caused by flight crew, stressing that the element of human factor was always connected to all the accidents that took place in the past. “About 75 per cent of air accident is caused by flight crew, while the airplane can take eight per cent, maintenance – five per cent, weather – three per cent, airport facilities/ATC – two per cent, others – seven per cent. The flight crewinduced accident must be addressed,” Oni stressed. The disappearance of AirAsia Flight 8501 between Indonesia and Singapore over the weekend capped a bizarre year in aviation, marred by a series of missing planes and air disasters. As a result, experts are divided over whether or not 2014 was worst in terms of safety for global aviation. A pilot with one of the leading airlines in Nigeria, who preferred anonymity, told New Telegraph that the last time the world had 111 crashes was in 1927. “If you consider sheer numbers of aircraft crashes, flying today is safer. However, there are more aircraft in the sky, so naturally the overall number may appear similar to previous decades and, in some categories of disaster,

FG plans N200 billion recapitalisation for FMBN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

President Jonathan reckons that at least N56 trillion (about $350 billion) is needed to alleviate the deficit while the World Bank put the estimate at N59.5 trillion. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) mobilises long-term funds for on-lending to Nigerians to build, buy or renovate their residential houses under the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme. Essentially, the mandate of FMBN is to finance housing delivery to Nigeria’s teeming population, exploring funding sources such as NHF, the Nigerian Capital Market and offshore financial markets. Its mandate also includes ensuing that there is ad-

equate liquidity in the Nigerian mortgage sector. It strives to create and nurture a viable and robust housing finance system to improve home ownership for all categories of Nigerians through affordable mortgage services. Some of the challenges confronting the sector include dearth of long term funds, resulting in mismatch in creating longterm mortgages; high inflation and cost of funds; under-investment in the housing finance sector; lack of secondary mortgage market to provide liquidity; legal issues such as delay in obtaining Governor’s consent; costly and cumbersome foreclosure and lack of uniform mortgages, among others.

Nigeria capped year with no air fatality higher.” In terms of fatalities, the numbers paint a grimmer picture. So far, aviation disasters this year have claimed 1,158

lives. The source noted that the AirAsia flight was carrying 162 people, hinting that If all of them perished, this year

would have the most aviation deaths of 1,320 since 2005. Already, 2014 has put an end to a steadily improving global aviation

safety record. Ronan Hubert of Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives stated that, “Every ten years or so, we have a year that is less safe than others. Unfortunately this year was one of those.”

Customers of GT Bank besiege the bank’s branch, for cash withdrawal at the Eve of new year celebration, at Ikotun, in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

NEW SERVICE

Some ports in African countries will enjoy faster service this year.

Bayo Akomolafe

aersk Line has concluded plans to launch a direct weekly service from India to Apapa, Tin Can, Cotonou, Port Elizabeth and other ports from late January, 2015. The move is to provide quicker service from Indian shipping trade lane to African countries as consignments would no longer be delayed by two weeks. The liner said it would deploy 10 ships with capacities CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

smartphone is currently driving digital revolution globally and Nigeria, being the fastestgrowing telecoms market in Africa, recording 30 per cent annual growth, is attracting increased shipment of smartphones. According to studies, of the 40 million devices estimated to be purchased in Nigeria in 2015, half would be smartphones. In Nigeria, findings already showed that telecoms users are dropping feature phones for smartphones with either 2G or 3G capabilities. “Our outlets stocks more of smart devices than feature phones, because we get more patronage for internetenabled devices than those with basic features,” said Chief Executive Officer, Mi-

Maersk Line to begin new service in Lagos, Cotonou of around 3,500 20-feet-equivalent units in the new service, branded the MESAWA. In a trade advisory, the shipping line noted that the direct service would help cut the transit time from Nhava Sheva, India’s largest container port, to Durban and Mozambique by about 14 days. It added: “The port rotation will be as follows: Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates; Mundra and Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru), India; Durban, South Africa; Luanda, Angola; Apapa and Tin Can, Nigeria; Cotonou, Benin; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Durban, Port Louis, Mauritius; and back to Jebel

Ali.2bn tons of coal wasting in Enugu, others.” “The service will be a stable and reliable product with high schedule reliability. It will significantly improve transit times from India into South Africa.” The Maersk Group is a worldwide conglomerate and operates in some 130 countries with a workforce of over 89,000 employees. In addition to owning one of the world’s largest shipping companies. The shipping line is involved in a wide range of activities in the shipping, logistics and the oil and gas industries.

Nigerians spend 5.3bn minutes on smartphones daily –Investigation cro Station, one of the major phone outlets in Nigeria, Mr Nestor Coutroupis. According to him, Everybody wants to access the internet for social media, emailing, online shopping and the rest. Using smartphone has become more of a lifestyle and a way of life than status symbol. Available reports also show that mobile devices such as smartphones are used more for online shopping in Nigeria than personal computers (PCs). However, telecoms industry regulator and the operators have lamented that uptake of smartphones in Nigeria is still slow.

Speaking in an interview, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr Akinwale Goodluck, noted that though there may be close to 30 million smartphone users in the country, the actual number of 3G devices connected to the networks is 12 million. “I think for now, we have just an estimated 12 million 3G devices connected in Nigeria compared with the large number of devices we have accessing voice services,” he said. The figured was also confirmed by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, who stated that the figure was disappointing.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Insurance YEAR 2014 IN REVIEW

A year without cover for underwriters Another significant event during the period under review was the formal interaction between the new Chairman of NAICOM Governor Board, Rt. Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, with the media and other stakeholders. Nwuche, who was appointed in 2013, restated his drive to see an industry where discipline and professional ethics remain the watchword. Despite the odds within the period, the year also witnessed the highest level of telecommunication service providers’ entrant into the insurance sector. The deal involving all the major service providers, Globacom, Etisalat, Airtel and MTN, has boosted penetration especially at micro insurance level. Moreover, even with the wave of insecurity and policy inconsistency, the sector was able to attract some foreign investors into its fold. At the end of November, France’s Axa announced that it had acquired a 77 per cent interest in Mansard Insur-

Sunday Ojeme

f the nation’s economy is solely measured by various sectors’ contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) then it would be appropriate to say that the insurance sector has done nothing but fared worse in this regard considering the fact that the growth potential embedded in the industry has not been fully exploited by Nigerian operators unlike their counterparts in other climes. Regrettably, the Nigerian insurance sector has great potential for massive growth. The population size of the country, if adequately harnessed, gives an added advantage to the insurance industry to further develop its market. Just like it was in the past, the 2014 industry operation began on a note of optimism especially from the regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), which has been battling to stabilise and grow a sector fraught with operators who are poor in creativity as well as far from being proactive in product design and approach to business. Save for a few, who have been able to capture a large chunk of the market, others have had to struggle to stay afloat with poor annual gross premium written followed with gross profit losses. The year 2014 was the year the operators celebrated the implementation of Section 51 of the Insurance Act, which borders on ‘No Premium No cover.” In the wake of 2014, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, rather than talk more on industry projection, had the unenviable burden of carrying over some of the operators’ inability to adapt to changes that would grow the sector especially the newly introduced International Financial Reporting Standard. To say the least, the outgone year was a period the regulator came out strongly to castigate the operators over their poor performance. Those who failed to reconcile their accounts as directed were made to pay heavy fines to NAICOM and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The IFRS remained the bane of some operators whose account details failed to get to the regulator even as late as November. At the close of business in 2014, only 55 out of the 59 insurance companies successfully presented full details of the accounts for the second

Daniel

quarter of that year. This was made known in the National Insurance Commission Status Report titled “2014 quarterly return of insurance companies as at November 21, 2014.” The Commissioner for Insurance recalled that the Insurance Act 2003 provides for submission of annual accounts not later than June 30. It was also a year that the regulator emboldened shareholders by blaming their woes on operators of listed insurance companies whose poor business engagements deny the investors their due dividends and other benefits. He said despite the obvious challenges faced by the industry in the areas of low penetration occasioned by low income level of prospective consumers, low insurance education and, religious and cultural overview which are beyond the control of the operators, the market still remained attractive, stressing that this was evident in the fact that some few insurance companies, playing in this same market are always able to declare profit annually and consistently pay dividends to their shareholders. According to him, “It is open secret that not many of these listed insurance companies make substantial profit if at all they make any profit. The direct consequence of this is that these companies are not

able to pay you dividends, no bonus issue and no capital appreciation. In fact, the price of most insurance stocks in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) remains at nominal value of 50k. “The operators were yet to conduct insurance business in a manner that would earn them the requisite profit and also boost the profile of the industry. “Pricing of risk is very critical to insurance underwriting. How well an insurance company performs on a particular risk depends largely on how you are able to appropriately price the risk. So, if you are one of such companies that offer prices that are not commensurate with the risk you are taking, there is no way such a company will make profit. “No company will make profit and pay dividends if it writes business for almost free, give rebates and gratis but pay huge claims on risk it collected little or no premium on. This is what most of these insurance companies do. The Group Life insurance of federal workers is a key example in this regards. “How do you reconcile a situation where a company reports a gross premium income of N12billion, for instance but goes ahead to report a loss of N4billion? It is because the gross premium as reported is a fraud and thus, nonexistent.”

The regulator emboldened shareholders by blaming their woes on operators of listed insurance companies whose poor business engagements deny the investors their due dividends and other benefits

ance, formerly GTAssurance, for €198m. Axa is not the first foreign entrant into the Nigerian market. It joined Old Mutual (Oceanic Insurance), Sanlam (FBN Life Assurance), NSIA Participations (ADIC Insurance) and Greenoaks Global Holdings (Union Assurance). Axa has taken the welltrodden path to insurance companies in sub-Saharan Africa, following Swiss Re in Kenya (Apollo Investments) and Prudential in Ghana (Express Life). One driver behind the deals in Nigeria has been the decision by the CBN to reverse universal banking licences, which has forced banks to divest insurance subsidiaries unless they opt for the holding company structure. South Africa’s Sanlam views Nigeria as one of its star markets in Africa, noting that the operation achieved breakeven after little more than two years. It cited figures showing that insurance penetration stands at about 10 per cent in South Africa yet less than two per cent in Nigeria. It might have added that the authorities are supportive, and we give the example of the requirement for all companies with at least five employees to provide life cover. Foreign companies can own insurance firms in full, and we can see their becoming the dominant players in the industry within this decade. The industry regulator reported a total of N258bn in gross premium income for 2013 and expects N1trn for 2018. Writing under the headline, ‘Nigeria’s insurance firms ripe for foreign acquisition,’ in Financial Times, Irene Madongo, said the Nigerian insurance sector was growing rapidly and had low levels of penetration in a young society inhabiting Africa’s largest economy. . Madongo recalled the March 2014 Fitch report, which says, “foreign investors in the Nigerian insurance market have shown a preference for acquisition or partnership above setting up new insurance operations,” adding that this preference is down to a need for local knowledge, a good distribution footprint and the ability to achieve scale quickly. The year, however, did not end without evoking tears from the industry with the death of one of the foremost operators and founder of Industrial and General Insurance, Chief Remi Olowude, who was also the immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Labour GROWTH The Director-General is believed to have improved on the fortunes of the commission Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

resh intrigues are revving between Ms. Arunma Oteh led management at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the leadership of workers’ union as Oteh’s first tenure expires in few days’ time and she is rumored to be plotting for tenure renewal. A source within the Amalgamated Union of Public Cor-

Intrigues as union schemes to thwart Oteh’s return bid porations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employee, SEC chapter, who confirmed the brewing tension occasioned by Oteh’s push for tenure renewal to our correspondent on phone, said the union had laid out plan on how to thwart her bid. He said that while she inherited a market that was not in perfect situation in January 2009, her incompetence had worsened the commission instead of improving it. The source advised President Goodluck Jonathan to be wary

of being misled by Oteh’s hired agents in approving what could be a final nail to the coffin of capital market. He said that realising that her tenure was inching to a close, the SEC boss had been wasting organisation’s scarce resources to purchase coveted Chairperson of the African/Middle East Regional Committee, AMERC, of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, IOSCO, to improve her rating, a slot he said had been resident with SEC right from the tenure of former DG, Suleiman Ndanu-

sa to Elfaki and transferred to former Acting DG, Mrs. Ekine. He said Oteh had lately been trying to secure the attention of President Jonathan by attending most public occasions including the church service that Mr. President attended. Asked what the union’s plan was should presidency grant her tenure approval, he said: “Just leave that to us. We will not allow her collapse the market. Look at the way investors’ confidence has waned. She is practically not in a good relationship with capital market stakeholders.” Responding to the union’s threat, the Media Adviser to the DG, Mr. Obi Adindu, dismissed their threat as “a mere ranting of no effect.” He said, “As usual, I will tag this as irresponsible threat. They are in no position to determine who the DG of SEC is. That is the prerogative of Mr. President and Commander-inChief. The fantastic work DG has done in the last five years is obvious for everyone to see. The so called union was executed in the middle of the night purposely to obstruct the transforma-

tion effort the DG has embarked on and I can tell they will fail.” Adindu said the DG on assumption at SEC made training of staff a compulsory exercise, adding that those from the cadre of Assistant Manager were entitled to several local trainings and once in a year foreign training. He said should they press ahead with strike as they were be contemplating, the management will be left with the option of invoking the no work, no pay rule. The outgoing SEC boss in her earlier days in office encountered problem with the House Committee on capital market during an open hearing on the activities of the capital market conducted by the House of Representatives. The frosty relationship between SEC and House of Representatives would later deepen; a situation that made the House embargoed approving the organisation’s annual budget. Appointed in December 2009, Oteh is expected to round off her first tenure first week in January 2015.

Ondo promotes 4001 public school employees

L-R: Chairman, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) Plc, Mr. John G. Coumantaros, retiree, Mrs. Mary Uriah; Group Managing Director, FMN Plc, Mr. Paul Gbededo and Dr. Ify Uriah, during the farewell dinner held in honour of Mrs. Uriah on her retirement as FMN Human Resources Director in Lagos.

Flour Mills honours employees, retirees

lour Mills Nigeria Plc has honoured its high performing employees, retirees, long serving employees, and graduating trainees. Plaques certificates and other gifts were given to more than 100 deserving employees based on outstanding performance, promotion and excellence in demonstrating and exemplifying the company’s core values in their day-to-day activities. Prominent amongst the awardees was the retiring Human Resources Director, Mrs. Mary Uraih, who served the company for over 30 years. In his address at a farewell dinner held in honour of Uraih, the Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Mr. John Coumantaros, said it was a happy and memorable event which afforded the management an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the good works and great contributions of Uraih to the progress and growth of Flour Mills Group.

He said it was remarkable to note that she ended up spending most of her entire working career with Flour Mills, Uraih was commended by the chairman for having a distinguished career, spanning 30 years during which she “clearly instilled sound industrial relations practices and discipline in the Flour Mills Group and that she also demonstrated a high level of passion, competence and dedication.” Speaking at the Employees Day Ceremony, the Group Managing Director, Mr. Paul Gbededo, said the ceremony was about celebrating enthusiasm, commitment, sheer hardwork and excellence. He said, “We are honouring those who worked late into the evening and early in the morning. We are honouring those who challenged the status quo, to winners who wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer.” He added that the awardees

worked alone or in groups but had the support and encouragement of co-workers, family and friends. Without that backup they would not have been able to do the work they have done. Gbededo encouraged the awardees to continue the good work, stay encouraged and also transfer the skills and expertise acquired over the years to other team members who would take FMN to greater heights. He enjoined everyone present to take up the famous words, “All things are possible until they are proven impossible, and even the impossible may only be so for now.” Coumantaros also said that for FMN to attain its goal, it would need to offer customers and consumers consistent, superior and affordable quality products supported by exceptional customer service. He requested all the employees to rededicate themselves to the same goals too.

he Ondo State Government has issued letters of promotion to 4001 employees in public secondary schools in the state. While issuing the letter, the state government also assured that the ongoing recruitment exercise of another 1,500 teachers would be completed before the end of this month. The Gover nor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, presented the letters of promotion to the beneficiaries during an interactive session for Prin-

cipals of Public secondary schools in the state, which held in Akure, the state capital. Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Aderotimi Adelola, Governor Mimiko said the ceremony is in fulfilment of his promises on assumption of office, which includes, prioritizing the welfare of all workers in the state, particularly payment of salaries and prompt issuance of letters of promotion to deserving staff.

SURE-P: GIS trains graduates in Ibadan

he Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Ministry of Finance has trained some graduates in Ibadan, the Oyo state capitalin collaboration with Axiom Learning Solutions Limited. The three-day mentoring programme is intended by the GIS to make unemployable graduates fit into the

employment sector. The government of the federation is responsible for training cost and N30,000 monthly salary paid to each intern for the one year internship period. The Director, of GIS, Mr. Peter Pakpa, said: “This administration recognises the private sector as the major employer of labour, but the sector requuires certain minimum skills from graduates in order to employ them.”

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Poultry farmers groan over feed adulteration p.34

A gric

Agric sector: Facts, fiction, reality p.34

YEAR 2014 IN REVIEW

2014 might have come and gone, but not without leaving the agriculture sector with exciting activities. Dele Alao writes

For agric, another busy year

he year ended 2014 was very remarkable for the Nigeria agricultural sector. The Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme continued. It was indeed a year that recorded many activities under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. “I think it has been a very remarkable year. If you talk to farmers across the state, you will hear their testimonies on how the Federal Government has been able to support them,” Chairman, Rice Importers Millers, Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN), Tunji Owoeye, said. Beside the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary for the ministry. Sunday Echono, who took over from Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, during the year, the agriculture sector was a beehive of activities even till the twilight of the year. Early activities in the sector in the year under review include the launch of Agricultural Extension Transformation Agenda, whose goal was to bring to the service of farmers the best of agricultural extension approaches, building on global best practices. To this end, the country’s first Federal Department of Extension was established to provide the much needed impetus for leadership, coordination, monitoring and quality assurance to drive the transformation of extension delivery at the grassroots by the states, local governments and private agricultural advisory service providers. A recent landmark in the sector in 2014 was the launch of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and Fund for Agricultural Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN), as part of the strategic measures of the present administration to diversify the nation’s economy. According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Adesina Akinwumi, at the launch of the twin project in Abuja, “as the price of crude oil plummets, I am convinced that the new currency for Nigeria will be agriculture, not just oil and gas, agriculture will become Nigeria’s new hub, for agriculture was Nigeria’s past and in agriculture as a business lies Nigeria’s greater future for inclusive growth.’’ Addressing the stakeholders present at the event on the objectives of YEAP, the minister said that the programme would develop a new cadre of 740,000 market oriented, young agricultural

producers in rural areas, which will include school leavers and rural youth leaders, summing up to a total of 20,000 beneficiaries per state. “They will develop businesses along the various agriculture value chains from the farms, storage, processing, value addition, financial services and logistics, together with the recently launched presidential school initiative, we will connect the young school children in agriculture to the nagropreneurs and they will become the new millionaires and billionaires of Nigeria,” the minister said. Also, in the course of the year under review, the ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) on climate change and geographical data information system. In August, the Federal Government said it has set aside N50 billion as Mechanisation Intervention Support Fund for the establishment of 1,200 private-sector driven Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHE) across all states of the federation. AEHE was first launched in Zamfara State in October 2014. Adesina said that between 2014 and 2016, the Agricultural Mechanisation Fund will establish a minimum of 1,200 AEHEs across the nation while the centers will provide 6,000 units of tractors and their implements, 15,000 power tillers and over 20,000 planting, harvest and post harvest equipment. The fund will also be used to mechanise four million hectares of farm land in the country and expand food production by an additional 20

They will develop businesses along the various agriculture value chains from the farms, storage, processing, value addition, financial services and logistics

million metric tonnes. The centres are projected to create over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs for youths.” Earlier, 100,000MT Silo complex was commissioned at Sheda, Abuja. At the launch of the silos, over 590 units of tractors, 500 power tillers and harvest and post-harvest equipment were made available, with the Federal Government assurance of making available a minimum of 6,000 units of tractors and power tillers, with 13,000 units of various harvest and postharvest equipment in 2015. On cocoa, the Federal Government released over N1 million worth of cocoa seedlings to 40, 000 farmers across the cocoa geoecological zones in the country to boost the production and export of the commodity. The country’s cocoa production is now in the region of 380,000 metric tonnes. The Federal Government also earmarked $100 million for rice and cassava farmers. Faro 44 and Faro 52, which meet the quality requirements of rice millers, are now being produced.Average yields on farmers’ rice fields increased from 1.5 metric tons per hectare to four to five metric tons (MT) per hectare. Paddy rice production is rising higher than at any time in Nigeria’s history. The year witnessed investment in rice farming. Olam, a global conglomerate, is investing over $70 million in a 6,000 ha fully mechanised rice farm in Nasarawa State and has completed a 210,000 MT integrated rice mill that will process Nigerian paddy rice into finished milled rice. Also, Dangote Industries Ltd, is investing N165 million in a fully integrated rice production and

processing operations in Edo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states on farmland totalling 150,000 hectares. Dangote will establish two stateof-the-art large-scale rice mills each with a capacity to mill 120,000 MT of rice paddy, with plans to double capacity within two years. Over 360,000 jobs are said to have been created through the rice transformation agenda. For maize, though as at the end of 2013, a total of 3.5 million farmers registered as maize farmers nationwide, 2,276,631 maize farmers were covered and supported in 2014. Out of this, 1,006,102 were from 18 states in the south, while 1,270,529 were from northern states. At the rate of 10kg maize seeds per farmer, a total of 22,766.31 tons (22,766,310kg) of seeds were redeemed with 10,061.02 tons in the South and 12,705.29 tons in the Northern States. Similarly, at the rate of 100kg (2 bags) of fertilizer per farmer, a total of 227,663.10 tons of fertilizer (NPK: 27-13-13 and Urea) were redeemed nationwide. In 2014, maize seeds and other inputs were delivered to all the southern states for maize farmers under the GES support programme and input redemption took place in them. Also, the inputs (maize seeds, fertilizers and others) were delivered in all the northern states. The value chain supported a total of 39,066 small scale maize farmers to cultivate 39,066 hectares of land in 25 project states and the FCT, Abuja. As it were, stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to keep the current momentus in the sector and increase budget allocation to it.

Business | Agric

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Taraba women to get 8,000 bags of fertilisers

he Federal Government and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Office have concluded plans to distribute at least 8,000 bags of fertilizers to women farmers in Taraba State. Already, some of the women have received their own shares of the stock, as distribution began in Jalingo. Acting Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Amos Mafe, said that the initiative was designed by President Goodluck Jonathan to empower women and reduce poverty through food production. He noted that under the MDGs Women Empowerment Scheme, each

of the beneficiaries was entitled to a bag of fertiliser free. According to him, the exercise will go a long way to spur food security in the state. Mafe said the beneficiaries were expected to redeem their fertilisers from the four redemption centres located in Jalingo, Iware, Mutum-Biyu and Bali local government areas of the state. He said the distribution was expected to last five days. Mafe urged the beneficiaries to ensure that they make good use of the fertilisers by applying them on their farms instead of selling them.

Poultry farmers groan over feed adulteration DISMAY

Envisage loss of revenue Dele Alao

oultry farmers under the umbrella body of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), has lamented the rate of adulteration of products of popular brands in the industry. The body said that adulteration of genuine products has reared its ugly head in Nige-

ria’s poultry firms that are producing frozen chickens, day-old chicks and table eggs. The Director-General, PAN, Mr. Onello Akpa, appealed to the Federal Government to protect genuine poultry farmers in the country. He admonished farmers to always take extra effort to buy only from accredited distributors and agents of registered hatcheries. “Failure to do this, will result in the purchase of poor produce day old chicks which will not lay properly or grow properly and experience high

mortality, causing them to lose savings or bank loans and give the poultry business a bad name. Innocent farmers should be aware of this nefarious activity,” Akpa said. Meanwhile, the National Congress of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has reelected Dr. Ayo Oduntan as its president alongside all other members of the executive to lead the association for another two years. Their re-election was based on the successes recorded during their first term.

ICRISAT develops use of sorghum in poultry feed

nternational Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has introduced the use of sorghum in poultry feed making. The introduction was made under the ministry’s Sorghum transformation value chain programme. During a field day at Imawa in Kura Local Government Area of

Kano State, the sorghum desk officer at the ministry, Mr. Naphtali D. Telta, stated that previously sorghum was not given attention like other crops, adding that it was in the year 2012 that it got enrolled into the crop transformation value chain project. According to Telta, with the Federal Government intervention, hybrid seeds and fertiliser were distributed to sorghum farmers.

Poultry

Agric sector: Facts, fiction, reality Kabiru Usman

ecently, the Minister of Agriculture between 2001 and 2007, Malam Adamu Bello, released a document to journalists in which he attempted to rubbish performance claims of the incumbent minister, Dr. Adewumi Adesina. In that document, Bello argued that performance claims of Adesina were not justifiable as, according to him, they cannot be verified by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). According to Bello, performance of the agric sector in terms of GDP growth has been in decline since former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office. He argued that based on data from the NBS, the last time growth was recorded in the sector was 2007. According to him, growth then was put at 7.20 per cent. Bello further argued that between 2008 and 2011, the growth rate was 6.30 per cent, 5.90 per cent, 5.60 per cent and 5.60 per cent respectively. In 2012 and 2013, even though a target of eight per cent was set, the growth rate was 3.97 and 4.50 per cent growth. He also disputed specific claims by Adesina on fertilizer subsidy, saying claims that N870 billion had been spent on fertilizer subsidy

was not true. Angered by Adesina’s performance indices, Bello said: “It is only God the Almighty that will judge the unfair way past administrations are being portrayed. To claim that there was subsidy of N870 billion spent on fertilizers since the use of fertilizers was initially encouraged by government about 40 years ago is most unfair, as I doubt if the entire agricultural budgets for the whole period was up to that sum.” Bello is pained. His anger has, no doubt, caused many to begin to wonder who between him and Adesina should be believed. However, given the myriad of accolades that have trailed developments in the country’s agricultural sector under Adesina’s watch, Bello’s outburst may pass as a most unwelcome commentary. Meanwhile, statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that Bello may just have engaged in wasteful bellyaching. For instance, at the launch of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria, which held in Abuja, the silent turnaround of the nation’s fortunes from the agricultural sector in the current dispensation, which is one

promise in the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, was high pointed. The event designed to identify young farmers that would eventually plough their energies and talents into the sector for anticipated dividends began three years ago when President Jonathan launched the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. However, with current developments in the international oil market, alongside the giant strides being taken to revamp agriculture, there is perhaps no better time to tell fellow Nigerians the reality of the situation than now. Reality is that before long, and given investments already made in agriculture, Nigeria would have no further need to depend solely on oil as its income mainstay. Today, Nigeria’s e-wallet system, which delivers subsidised farm inputs to farmers via mobile phones, has reached 14 million farmers, with their data fully captured. According to available statistics, food production has risen massively and, as a nation, Nigeria has produced an additional 21 million metric tonnes of food within the last three years. The National Bureau of Statistics records show that Nigeria’s food

import bill declined from N1.1 trillion ($ 6.7 billion) in 2009 to N684 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2013. It continues to decline. This became possible because of increased capacity for local food production which reduced food importation. And at a time of falling oil prices and devaluation, agriculture has created the buffer to safeguard the economy. Latest statistical release by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the agricultural sector grew by 9.19 per cent (yearon-year) in Q 3 of 2014, up by 2.7 per cent points from Q3 of 2013. The agricultural sector grew by 38.53 per cent between 3rd and 4th quarters of 2014, with crop production being the main driver, with a growth of 43.5 per cent. Under Adamu Bello, as minister, the ministry was regarded as ministry of fertilizer where hefty government contracts for fertilizers were signed off annually. Fertilizer adulteration prevailed during the period. The Ministry of Agriculture was turned into an open market for contract favours and the sale of fertilizer contract papers. Allegations of fertilizer contract over-invoicing were rampant. Spokesman of the ministry, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode, challenged Bello to show what positive reforms his seven-year

tenure brought to Nigeria’s agricultural sector. “It will help greatly for Adamu Bello to point to the number of investments generated in seven years, whereas, within two years, under Adesina, Nigeria has attracted US$4 billion in private sector investments in the agricultural sector,” he said. He added: “Adamu Bello never told Nigerians the truth about his actual performance in office. Let him give details commodity-by-commodity, and let him state where and how this impact was felt.” Professor Pat Utomi also added his voice. He noted that Bello’s claims were simply unfortunate and laughable. Utomi argued that under the current dispensation, the ministry of agriculture has reconstructed its relationship with farmers so well that Nigeria is close to achieving sufficiency in food production. Like it had been said, Bello made a classical mistake in challenging the transformative feats of Adesina. In attempting to put a lie to an open truth, Bello made a pity of himself as one who speaks without facts. l Usman, a Public Affairs commentator, writes from Abuja.

Business | Agric

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

CHALLENGE New tools needed to avert wastages Stories by Dele Alao

outh farmers at the Youth Farm settlement, OkeOyi, Kwara State, have lamented the inability to access modern postharvest equipment. Speaking during their maize harvest processing exercise at the farm site, the president, New Face Farmers Cooperative Association, Yusuf Onimago, expressed regret that

Harvesting: Youth farmers decry absence of modern tools members were recording wastages as a result of lack of modern harvesting equipments. He noted that the best remedy would be to have unhindered access to combined harvesters capable of not only saving time but reduce wastages. He said: “Having realised the grave implication of not harvesting

and processing on time, I quickly went for a motorised sheller machine which I rented at N10,000 per day. Last year, when faced with similar situation, I could not get thresher machine in time and it led to a lot of soybean wastage on the farm due to blasting that occurred along the line and it adversely affected the bean

quality and quantities in the market.” He appealed to government to provide them with post-harvest machine at subsidized rate in order to avert frequent losses being incurred by the youth farmers, adding that if the problem was allowed to persist they could be driven out of agribusiness. Also, a member of

another youth farmers group, Harmony Cooperative Farmers’ Association, Murtala Ismaila Kajola, advised the state government to collaborate with machine fabricators in the state with a view to alleviating their losses on seasonal basis. He said: “On our part, we have prepared nothing less than N35,000 for our

10 hectares for the postharvest processing. As a matter of fact, if we have had our own sheller machine, we would not spend such an amount.”

Ogun inaugurates farmers’ market

he Ogun State government has opened the first-ever modern farmers’ market, Oja Agbe, at Asero, Abeokuta, the state capital. Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, said the objective of the farmers’ market is to bring healthy food close to the people at affordable prices. Amosun said that government was collaborating with some foreign and local agricultural experts to impact their knowledge on the state farmers. He added that his administration was committed to returning the lost glory of the sector and explained that increased agricultural production could lead to job generation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and serve as source to finance to other social services within the state. The governor said: “In the days of our forefathers, our economy was stable even though there was no oil, their major source of livelihood was farming and we are back to the roots to restore the old glory of the agricultural sector. This state is blessed with fertile land and we are going to continue exploring it.” The governor said his administration was proposing to replicate the Farmers Market in the remaining 19 local government areas of the state. He said that motor able roads would be made available to enhance transportation of farm produce and enable investors have access to various farm locations and markets. Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, said that the daily market is made up of 24 open stalls and one main lock-up shop, explaining that the open stall will serve as display for sale of fresh farm produce such as fish, egg, fruits and vegetables, while the lock-up shop will be used to sell packaged farm products such as smoked fish, among others.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Auto Beat

2014: Nigeria revives local motor assembly

Interior of the Innoson jeep

Innoson bus Paul Ogbuokiri

s far as advancements and achievements in the local motoring industry are concerned, 2014 was one of the best years we’ve had in a while. Over six local car manufacturers are reporting recordbeating commencement of assembly of vehicles in the country. As many as 20 more, according the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, have indicated intention to commence assembly their vehicle in the country. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan recently flagged off the launch of “Made-in-Nigeria” cars in Abuja, to the admiration of many in the country who believe this move would pave way for the nation’s industrialization, thanks to government’s automotive policy which encouraged the localisation of manufacture of vehicles plying Nigerian roads. The policy, according to the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP), is meant to encourage local auto manufacturers to produce less expensive models with price range of between N1.2m and N1.5m. Director General of National Automotive Council, Mr. Aminu Jalal, said the policy spells out collaborative options for auto manufacturers, reputable motor dealers, franchise holders and banks to foster all-inclusive domestic dealership network for user-friendly vehicle purchase scheme which could be funded by NAC. Apart from vehicular production, NAC is also expected to introduce measures to revive the tyre industry in 2015. The end result would be that the revival of the tyre plants alone, according to NAC’s analysis, would create over 3,000 direct jobs and save Nigeria N120bn annually which is the amount being spent annually to import tyres into the Nigeria. The policy implementation has already given birth to “Made-in-Nigeria” cars, which were recently launched with a lot of fanfare, most especially new brands unveiled by Stallion Group, whose man-

agement also presented President Goodluck Jonathan with a “Made-in-Nigeria” Sporty Utility Vehicle (SUV). Likewise, Kia Motors Nigeria’s first indigenous Rio, Cerato and Optima, were unwrapped by the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs. Olajumoke Akinjide, at Eagle Square, Abuja. Before now, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) Limited, as a pioneering indigenous auto company, before the close of the year, launched its first set of passenger cars to roll off its assembly plant in Umudim, Nnewi, Anambra State. Interestingly, the new cars named Fox and Umu, have already been described as the pride of the nation and “truly made-inNigeria.” The company had since had to ensure increase in its capacity for production of buses, SUVs and setting up of a training centre in Nigeria to boost creativity, which was its main focus; IVM had signed an agreement with Chinese auto companies, Gonow Auto Company (GAC) of China

and Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co. Ltd of China. This is currently yielding result Besides that, Stallion Group, which is the biggest automobile conglomerate in Nigeria, in October 2013, kicked-off a process which had today metamorphosed into the launch of its own “Made-in-Nigeria” vehicles. Stallion Group started with Nissan-branded vehicle, but later in April, 2014, it commenced full production of automobile production work at its auto assembly plant in Lagos. With a business initiative entrenched in long-term partnership, Stallion Group chairman, Mr Sunil Vaswani, believes Nissan will continue to flourish with expansion capacities and in product range, also believing that the assembly plant functioning in full capacity will be able to generate significant employment opportunities for Nigerians and give birth to establishment of several ancillary industries. “We believe that this is a historic moment in Nigeria’s progress towards creating and fostering local industries. It will result in Nigeria becoming the region’s

leader in automotive industry,” Vaswani said. Recently, Kia Motors Nigeria unveiled its “Made-in-Nigeria” vehicles, which included the Rio, Cerato and Optima, just as the auto company said it delivered to its brand slogan of “The Power to Surprise.” Historically, the journey to achieving the feat had taken the country through many decades. Even, the most recent attempt, which was the presidential approval for the NAC policy, was given on December 30, 1992 and later endorsed by the Transitional Council on August 10 1993. That was 21 years ago. Much more earlier than that, the first attempt to indigenise automobile production in Nigeria was in the early 1960s, when private investors established auto plants in the country. Then, it was the United Africa Company (UAC), which set up the first plants to assemble Peugeot pick-up vans, followed by SCOA Motors plants, where buses and Peugeot pick-ups were assembled. Organiser of Lagos Motor Fair, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, said it was a December 12, 1975 agreement that government signed with privately owned, but foreign auto companies that led to the establishment of four commercial vehicles plants in Nigeria, namely: MB - ANAMMCO in Enugu, Leyland Nigeria in Ibadan, National Trucks Manufacturers in Kano and Styr in Bauchi, the capital city of Bauchi State.

KIA Rio is Budget Car of the Year

n recognition of the policy of making its brand of cars affordable to the buying public, Kia Motors Nigeria was recently honoured at the 2014 Nigeria Auto Journalist (NAJA) Award which held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. The honour came in form of a prestigious award for one of the best-selling sub-compact passenger cars in the Nigerian market – the Kia Rio – which was declared the ‘Budget Car of the Year’ by the journalists. According to the organisers, the award to the Rio was in recognition of KIA’s efforts to make the prices of its vehicles pocket-friendly to her customers. They further explained that the awards generally were the result of objective analysis of the auto market trend and performance evaluation. Hence, they were borne

out of the desire of the auto journalists to encourage the companies in the auto sector to do better.. Reacting to the recognition, the Chief Commercial Officer, Kia Motors Nigeria, Mr. Sandeep Malhotra, said: “We are truly honoured to receive this award. It’s indeed recognition of our commitment to continually provide quality and affordable cars to the Nigerian market. We pride ourselves in the delivery of the best automobile technology and will not rest on our oars in exceeding the

expectations of our customers. The Kia Rio is a subcompact sedan that belies its low price tag with attractive styling and a well-designed interior. The Rio boasts a thoroughly modern power-train in addition to plenty of standard features.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Feminique

Uchora Udoji: Passionate about people development

Graceful, classy and accomplished, yet modest in every way, Uchora Udoji diligently carries on with her job of moulding lives and changing destinies. Currently sitting on the faculty of the Lagos Business School where she has lectured for over a decade, Uchora who is also a certified Life Coach had a chat with EBERE AMEH, where she revealed her great passion for people development

ong before she joined the Lagos Business School, Uchora Udoji had a wide experience in the areas of information technology; corporate development and strategic planning; people training and people preparation for change. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA, both from the University of Nigeria, she proceeded to London for her Master’s degree in Organizational Behaviour at the University of London. Uchora has had postgraduation exposure since 1990 and has facilitated leadership sessions in Advanced Managers and Chief Executive Programmes in Nigeria and in Europe. An entrepreneur skilled in the development and management of small and medium scale enterprises (SME’s), she facilitates sessions in the areas of human resources management and organisational behaviour in LBS programmes, leading sessions in Teamwork and Informal Organization Terrain Management. She combines her teaching and research interests with industry consulting engagements, spanning state government units, information technology services, financial services, oil and gas, real estate and fabric care sectors in the areas of her core competence. “I have a passion for people development. I develop people every day with a passion. but specifically, I have organizations that have come to me and said we want you to develop our people. I have done some work with Skye bank, Chevron, Shell, MTN Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries plc and a host of others.”

EBERE AMEH ebere.ameh@newtelegraphonline.com

Versatile and still ready to learn, Uchora just came back from a trip to Paris where Total Exploration and Production Ltd invited her to the Total Education and Energy Seminar (TEES). “Total Université hosted 80 professors teaching in universities across 50 countries. We discussed major education and energy issues with key Total managers and industry experts – engineers, geologists, human resources developers, economists, etc. It was a most rewarding experience,” Uchora enthused. She was also a guest at the IESE business school, an International Graduate School of Management in Barcelona and Madrid, where she gave Leadership sessions to CEOs from across Africa. Ever busy and ever ready to help others not just to actualize their potential but also find happiness, Uchora is driven by a constant need to add value and justify her existence. “I hate to be idle. I feel a constant need to justify my existence. A wise old man o n c e t o l d m e

I hate to be idle. I feel a constant need to justify my existence

“there’s enough time to rest in the grave” and I agree with him. I think we shouldn’t spend too much time idling around. If you idle around too much when you’re alive what do you do with yourself when you’re dead? There’s a lot of time to rest when one dies – especially when one dies well.” As a life coach, she has helped many overcome their problems and find happiness again. “People walk in here (her office) with all sorts of difficulties and problems and we sit down and talk about them,” she said. “By creating selfawareness in the person, I get the person to actually answer their own questions. The things I teach bring people to me, I also get invited to handle sessions outside.” While many go to her about their jobs, others go for help in their relationships and marriages, the effect of culture on their progress in life, managing work and family, managing stress and so much more. Talking about the high rate of divorce nowadays, she said it is worrisome and the reasons always feeble. “Marriages don’t last long anymore, and I find some of the reasons for the collapse of marriage very flimsy,” Uchora who has had close t o 27

years of happy marriage said. “People are more in love with the idea of getting married than the substance of marriage itself. It is one thing to get married, it is another thing to pay the price of being married. Marriage is much more than seeing a beautiful girl or a handsome man and saying I love this person and will live forever with him or her.” Piqued by the effect of technology on people, especially their work life balance, Uchora, an avid researcher, has set out to carry out a research in the area in no distant time. “Technology is great and has come to stay. Even experts have said that the development of technology is inevitable. Unfortunately, technology is running at a very fast speed that a lot of us are finding it difficult to cope. For example, security systems are not as fast as technology and so you find sometimes technology creating problems that we are not yet ready to solve. So we are waddling in the problem until somebody provides a solution and just as a solution is being provided, another problem surfaces. So it is about striking a balance. I love technology, social media, is wonderful but I think it should not be abused.” The whole idea of prying into people’s privacy, stealing peoples identities as once happened to her, addiction, it’s sabotage of work life balance, effect on health, especially mental health and much more, all contribute to her worries for technology. But the Computer Science graduate was also fast to acknowledge the fact that technology has helped her and many others to be more effective. “On the positive side, a lot more can be done now with technology. One can work from home or anywhere, get educated, connect to the office or home using Skype, you can adjust your work hours, make that business trip only when necessary and so much more,” she enumerated. Accomplished and happy, Uchora describes the Nigerian woman as intelligent but thinks that successful women should always carry the younger ones along, especially in the areas where they are struggling to find their feet. However, she also observes that when some women get to the top, they push the ladder down.  “If you find a young lady who seems to be repeating the same mistakes you did while you were younger, it would be a good idea to invite the person for a one-on-one session. But if you are a young person and you really want people to help you, you must have that disposition and show that you are willing to learn,” she says. With her hands always full, one wonders how she balances her work and family and still find time to relax. But the experienced counsellor said it is not a problem. “I am unrepentantly on the side of my family,” Uchora who relaxes by listening to music, reading, sharing her knowledge, and helping people through challenges said, thanking God for an amazing husband and an excellent son.

Feminique

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Introduction to oral sex W hat is oral sex? One of the best definitions you can get is from Wikipedia, the online dictionary. Here it is. Oral sex or oral intercourse is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including lips, tongue or teeth). Cunilingus, is oral sex performed on the female, while Fellatio is oral sex performed on a male. Anilingus, another form of oral sex, is oral stimulation of a person’s anus. Oral stimulation of other parts of the body (as in kissing and licking) is usually not considered as oral sex. Now the last sentence is considered archaic by sexologists. Why? Kissing, licking and fingering are now considered as an integral part of oral sex. This is because oral sex has two roles. The first is this from Wikipedia again. Oral sex may

be performed as foreplay to incite sexual arousal before other sexual activities such as vaginal or anal intercourse. The second is that oral sex can be continued until the woman orgasms. And/or the man ejaculates. This is popularly known as the woman giving the man a blow job. Unfortunately, as sweet, exciting and fulfilling oral sex is, only a very small portion of lovers actually do it. And this is sad. The first reason is that a lot of cultures consider it as taboo. In fact in some cultures, it is placed on the same platform as homosexuality. Secondly, some consider it as a form of depravity or sickness or promiscuity. I once had a couple for sex and marriage counselling. Both enjoyed oral sex very much in their other lives before hooking up with each other. Now after their marriage neither could tell the other what he/she wanted out of fear of being labelled wrongly. Soon-

Ebere Ameh

harles thought long and hard; cupping his face in his hands, he broke down uncontrollably. If there is anything I hate, it is seeing a man cry. I must have goofed, telling him about my predicament. But he needs to know that by the end of the month, his job will be terminated too. “What do I do now? I least expected this reaction,” I told my self. “Pull yourself together Charles and be a man,” I said, reluctant to go closer. “You of all people should know that when one door closes, another one, at times better ones open.” But he continued until I assured him that I will call him back as soon as I get another job. His instant calmness, drying his tear made me know that kind words give hope. “How is he sure I’ll get a job soon, given the prevailing economic situation and high rate of unemployment?” But despite my plan to go on shoestring budget, going forward, I had to not only pay him more, I gave him stuffs for Christmas and he cheered up. With my 40 million naira severance package, I should be able to show some love to struggling souls like Charles, even though I’m yet to receive it. The traffic coming from Lagos was terrible and the crowd, made up of both buyers and sellers, who have turned even the streets to market was unprecedented at Balogun market on Tuesday. Even thieves and pick pockets were very much in the market. Despite the presence of security men strategically positioned, there were pockets of incidents. While some were arrested, others disappeared effortlessly in the crowd. Thank God I went with Ekaete, it would have been difficult carrying my bags around that busy place. “Thank God we are home,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief as Charles packed the car. The children ran out, very excitedly as they welcomed us. It was one of those very few occa-

er than later, sex became boring for both of them and each was ready to back out of the marriage. Fortunately, I was able to make both of them see the light. Someone please say Halleluiah!!!. The third reason is that oral sex is considered dirty and one could catch sexually transmitted disease from oral sex. This is not true. What most of us fail to realize is simply this. It is not oral sex that is dirty. It is the people practicing it that are dirty and bring dirty habits resulting in disease into it. The same rule applies to all forms of sexual intercourse. Vaginal or otherwise. If the partners are clean, then no problem. If not, then wahala go dey. This series will be continued, but meanwhile, Oral Sex Is Not Dirty and Is Not a Taboo. Have fun, lots of sex and enjoy yourself until we meet again in 2015 by His Special Grace. Have a Merry Xmas and a wonderful, sexful New Year in advance.

as sweet, exciting and fulfilling oral sex is, only a very small portion of lovers actually do it. And this is sad.

Fadeyi

Dr. Taiwo Fadeyi is a Western trained medical practitioner and one of the very few certified Sexologists in Nigeria. He is also a marriage counsellor and would be bringing his immense knowledge and experience to bear in writing this column. Make it a date with him every Friday for that expert advice on sex and relationship. He can be reached on drtaiwofadeyi@ gmail.com or 08033148899 (sms only)

Ego: Diary of a single mom Segun surfaces at Christmas

sions when we left them alone. Only, this time, we stayed so long that I expected them to be anxious or afraid. “Tobi, it was getting dark I thought you should be afraid but you guys seem very excited, the cartoon you were watching must be very interesting.” I said, pleasantly surprised and at the same time, happy that maybe, my children are growing fast and getting to be independent. “No mom, we weren’t watching any cartoon, we were play-

ing with dad. He bought us clothes, cakes and biscuits and asked that we visit him on Christmas day;” Tobi answered, jumping up and down in excitement. “What!” I screamed but Tosin was too happy to hear. She interjected, telling me more about their escapade. “Mom, dad was fun to be with, we played hide and seek and he told us many stories,” Tosin chirped before I interrupted her with my growl.

“Oh my God! You mean he entered my house? Didn’t I tell you not to open the door for anybody?” I queried, pacing the floor and banging the table in anger. “But it was dad mom, we were excited to see him after a long time,” Tobi explained in a very shaky voice. Tosin was so scared that he held Ekaete who was equally terrified by my reaction. They have never seen me in that mood. “How could he? How did he know they were alone? And they collected his miserable gifts?,” I thought to myself. To say that I was angry was an understatement. But I have to calm down before I cause more harm than I can handle. I stormed to my room, leaving all I bought for Christmas with them at the sitting room. I thought Daniel will soothe my frayed nerves when he called but he added more salt to the injury. “Ego, you are over-reacting. In short, what you have done is misplaced aggression. Whether you accept it or not, he is their father. If you were at home, I think he’d have come still. What you should occupy yourself with is talking to the children, possibly tomorrow, telling them why you reacted the way you did. You should also call him or make out time to have an urgent discussion with him. But in the meantime, you need to calm down,” he advised, while I held the phone without really listening. “Ego, are you there?” he called out when he did not hear my response. “I’ve heard you. Please I need some rest,” I said before switching off the phone. “Who was there when Segun turned me to a punch bag? All these while he never cared how they went to school and somebody is telling me to calm down? Please, I need a break.!”

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Islam

39 E X H O RTAT I O N

04 Rabi Al-Awaal 1436 AH

“Do good with your relatives, and the orphans, and the needy and the neighbor (who is) near, and the neighbor (who is) farther away, and the companion by your side and the traveller and what possess[ed] your right hands. Indeed, Allah (does) not love (the one) who is [a] proud (and) [a] boastful.” ( Qur’an 4:36)

UNDERSTAND YOUR FAITH

Christmas Greetings and Cards QUESTION

Is greeting of Christians for Christmas and New Year’s Day allowed in Islam? ANSWER

As for your questions, we would like to cite for you what Dr. Mostafa Az-Zarqa (may Allah be merciful to him) stated in this regard: When Muslims greet their Christian acquaintances for Christmas, in my opinion, it is by way of compliment and keeping good relations with them. It is not prohibited in Islam to make these acts of compliment and friendliness, especially because Christ is one of the great Messengers of Allah according to our Islamic creed. Thus, he is revered in our religion too, but the Christians exaggerate in revering him and believe that he is Allah, Glorified is He and Exalted above what they say. Whoever thinks that wishing Christians a merry Christmas is unlawful because it has to do with their belief in Christ’s divinity is wrong, as there is no connection between this compliment and the details of their creed and their excessiveness in it. Once a funeral procession of a Jew passed by our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was sitting with his companions, so he stood up by way of expressing the solemnity of death, and this has nothing to do with the dead person’s belief. It is required of Muslims to show the merits and moderation of Islam to non-Muslims, and Muslims are not allowed to force non-Muslims to embrace Islam, even if they are living in a Muslim state. Muslims should be tolerant and leave non-Muslims embracing whatever religion they like. In addition, Muslims today are suffering from a state of weakness among other countries of the world, and major countries plot against them and accuse them of being terrorists and fanatics who cannot be trusted. Therefore, Muslims now need to change this dark image.

L-R: NASFAT’s Financial Secretary, Alhaji Moroof Ajiroba, General Secretary, Alhaji Abdul-Kabeer Alaraba and Deputy Chief Missioner, Alhaji Abdul Azeez Onike, at the 2014 International Missioners’ Conference of the association held in Ijebu-Ode recently.

2015: Cleric sets agenda for Jonathan, govs TASK IPAN leader challenges government at all levels to tackle insecurity and unemployment Adeola Yusuf

he National President, Islamic Progressives Association of Nigeria (IPAN) and Spiritual Head (Amir), AS-SALAM Praying Centre, Nigeria, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Lawal, has tasked President Goodluck Jonathan-led federal government and the state governors to tackle the socio-economic and political problems facing the nation with a view to moving the nation forward. Lawal said this at a lecture delivered in Ibadan at the weekend, noting that the

economy would improve only when the lives of the citizenry, their property and investments were safe. “The government should tackle energy problem, revive industries, encourage entrepreneurs, create mass employment for the youth, look into the security situation in the country, resolve the crisis of the Boko Haram, reorganise the Nigeria Police, take the war against corruption to higher level by dealing with all cases of corrupt practices, adhere to the tenets of the rule of law and reform the electoral process, finding means of diversifying the economy, among others so as to strengthen the nation’s democracy,” the muslim cleric submitted. Besides, Lawal urged the government at all levels to move swiftly in the area of road construction and rehabilitation, food security, as, ac-

cording to him, the bad roads have led to unnecessary loss of lives, cripples businesses and wastage of man hours. Lawal recommended a thorough review of the nation’s foreign policy in such a way that the government would be responsive to the plight of all the citizens, wherever they might find themselves. “If, in the spirit of oneness and peace, the Nigerian public ethos was sacrificed, then corruption, arrogance, cheating and oppression, among sundry ills, would be unthinkable. That all these ills are the order of the day, shows we have a long way to go. “So we need to work towards those fine ideals that can truly make our nation great and also make that giant leap towards making Nigeria a better place”, the IPAN leader said. Lawal further stated that

Muslim faithful and others should call on Allah to intervene in a manner that would bring lasting peace in Nigeria, as we are on the verge of another general election, hence, our leaders should do the just to the people. The Islamic leader also explained that the country is passing through uncertainties, discordant views and political acrimony. “People are hungry and angry, and as human beings, if our leaders have failed us, our creator will never fail us,” thus, maintaining that “until our leaders are ready to sacrifice for the need of the masses, we may not grow as a nation, except by the will of Allah”. Sheikh Rahman-Lawal noted that leadership in Islam is a trust, while also, calling on Muslims to unite and fight for their common good, so as to get liberated from oppression.

NASFAT wants collaboration with FG on security Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT) has urged well-meaning Nigerians to collaborate with the Federal Government in tackling the challenges of insecurity in the country. The Chief Missioner, Alhaji Abdullahi Akinbode, made the call at the 2014 International Missioners’ Conference held in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The conference had as its theme: “Spirituality in the 21st Century: The role of missioners in the re-invention process.”

Akinbode, who was represented by the deputy Chief Missioner of the association, Alhaji Abdul Azeez Onike, said that rather than criticising government’s efforts on the Boko Haram insurgency in some north eastern states, Nigerians should appreciate the authorities. He, however, advised the citizens to intensify prayers in order to overcome the security challenges facing the nation. He said: “Every administration will face its own challenge; this is the challenge they are facing and we just need prayer to overcome this kind of thing. “Nobody can say they are not

doing well; those who are doing arm chair criticism, go and ask them how they are managing their own home. I think the government is doing its best. I don’t think any government will fold its arm and say okay, my nation should go into ruin.” The Islamic scholar enjoined the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to rethink its security strategies in curbing terrorism in the country. On the essence of the conference, the Islamic scholar explained that it was aimed at sharing experiences and charting way forward for the association.

He said: “When we meet, we know one another more, we share the opportunities available at no or minimal cost. In short, annual missioners conference is where we rub minds, exchange ideas, share experiences and chart the new way forward for the society. “Every aspect of human need is divided into six: spiritual development, education, career development, family, human relation and health. NASFAT, being a spiritually-inclined society, emphasises the spiritual development of our members. If you have good relationship with your creator, every other thing will fall in line.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Leisure Arcade NUTS

NTPuzzle

By Kaycee

Compound Words Word search puzzle

Find and circle all of the words from the word list in the puzzle. Words may be forward, backward, horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

MAMA LASISI

Word List sandbox birthday outside inside swimsuit playhouse flashlight firefly backyard skateboard rattlesnake baseball sunshine raindrop bluebird bumblebee butterfly catfish playground homerun sailboat

By Aliu Eroje

MOYIN & FRIENDS

By Ayo Oyerinde

NTJokes FUNNY AIRLINE

SUDOKU - Answer to No 25 8

6 8

1 2

SUDOKU - No 26

8 4

How to play

Sudoku

ALIU EROJE

CHIEF CARTOONIST aliu.eroje@newtelegraphonline.com

The objective is to fill a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9. A cell is the smallest block in the game. A row , column and region consists of 9 cells and the whole game consists of 81 cells. A region has thicker lines surrounding it. This simply makes it easier to play the game.

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is your captain (Boniface) welcoming you on board of Nigeria Airways. We apologize for the four-day delay in taking off, it was due to bad weather and some overtime I had to put in at the bakery. This is flight 126 to Lagos. Landing in Lagos is not guaranteed, but we will end up somewhere in the south. If luck is in our favor, we may even be landing on your village! Nigeria Airways has an excellent safety-record. In fact our safety standards are so high that even terrorists are afraid to fly with us! It is with great pleasure; I announce that since starting this year over 50% of our passengers have reached their destination. If our engines are too noisy for you, on passenger request, we can arrange to turn them off ! To make your free fall to earth pleasant and memorable, we serve complimentary Bongo tea and Okin biscuits! For our not-so-religious passengers, we are the only airline who can help you find out if there really is a God!

We regret to inform you, that today’s in-flight movie will not be shown as we forgot to record it from the television. But for our movie buffs, we will be flying right next to Al Barka, where their movie will be visible from the right side of the cabin window. There is no smoking allowed in this plane. Any smoke you see in the cabin is only the early warning system on the engines telling us to slow down! In order to catch important landmarks, we try to fly as close as possible for the best view. If, however, we go a little too close, do let us know. Our enthusiastic co-pilot sometimes flies right through the landmark! Kindly be seated, keep your seat in an upright position for take off and fasten your seatbelt. For those of you who can’t find a seatbelt, kindly fasten your own belt to the arm of your seat …and for those of you who can’t find a seat, do not hesitate to get in touch with a stewardess who will explain how to fasten yourself to your suitcase.” Enjoy Nigeria Airways

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Crime

2014: Boko Haram tops scale in violence Juliana Francis

ince the Boko Haram Islamist sect started unleashing violence and was declared a terrorist organisation in 2013, no bloodletting incident in Nigeria, has topped its scale in viciousness. For almost 12 years and counting, the killings carried out by Boko Haram have continued to be number one in end of year reviews. And it’s not different in 2014. The Executive Director of the Lagos State Trust Fund, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, said that terrorism in Nigeria is the world’s deadliest. He noted that the four most active militant groups are Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, now named Islamic State, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and transnational Al-Qaeda networks. According to Wikipedia, more than 15000 people have been killed by Boko Haram in Nigeria. January 2014 was greeted with series of attacks in the northern parts of the country. Boko Haram members killed several people at Kawuri, Borno State. The death toll was put at 85. On January, 31, a pastor and 10 members of his congregation were killed in Chakawa. In the Chakawa attack, throats of several church worshippers were slit, while others were shot. The death toll was put at 138 people. On February 14, 2014, Boko Haram members attacked Christian villagers in Borno State, killing at least 121 people. The village where the attack occurred was a predominantly Christian village. Dressed in military gear, dozens of militants raided the village. Some of their victims were shot. Others had their throats slit. The militants yelled, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ before embarking on killings of their victims. The following day, Boko Haram launched a similar styled attack in Gwoza, where over 90 Christians were killed.

JULIANA FRANCIS CRIME Editor

juliana.francis@newtelegraphonline.com

Terrorists

Abducted Chibok school girls

On May 6, 2014, around 200 people were killed when the insurgents, dressed in military uniforms, attacked Gamboru, a town in the state of Borno on the Nigeria-Cameroon border. The attackers stormed into the town when some of the residents were fast asleep and set ablaze houses while shooting at residents who tried to escape from the fire. On February 25, 2014, 59 boys were killed at the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe State. The 24 buildings of the school were burnt down. On the fateful day, the insurgents barged into the Federal Government College while the students were sleeping. They threw explosives into dorm rooms as they sprayed the rooms with gunfire. Students who tried to escape through windows were slaughtered as their

throats were slit. Others who ran were gunned down. Boko Haram, targeted schools for violent attacks on a number of occasions. The group burnt more than 200 schools. Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, issued a video statement in mid-February 2014, promising to continue attacks against western values. On April 14, 2014, two bombs exploded at a crowded bus station, southwest of central Abuja, killing at least 88 people and injuring at least 200. Explosives hidden inside vehicles detonated during morning rush hour at a bus station in Nyanya on the outskirts of Abuja. After the initial blast, further explosions occurred as fuel tanks in nearby vehicles ignited. 71 people were killed and 124

injured. By April 18, the death toll had increased to 88. Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche was arrested by Interpol in Sudan in May 2014 on the suspicion of being one of the masterminds behind the bombings. Ogwuche who served in the intelligence unit of the Nigerian Army between 2001 and 2006 was on November, 24, 2014, cleared of charges of terrorism and his alleged role in the bombings. The charges against him were struck out by a Nigerian high court for lack of diligent prosecution by the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services One of the most stunning of Boko Haram deeds was the abduction on April, 14-15, 2014, 276 female students from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State. The militants broke into the school, pretending to be guards, telling the girls to get out and come with them. A large number of students were taken away in trucks. The children were aged 16 to 18 and were in their final year of school. On May 5, a video in which Shekau claimed responsibility for the kidnappings emerged. Shekau claimed that “Allah instructed me to sell them...I will carry out his instructions.” and “Slavery is allowed in my religion.” He said the girls should not have been in school, but should have been married since girls as young as nine were suitable for marriage. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4 2

Crime

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Boko Haram kills over 15,000 in Nigeria C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 1

Following the kidnapping incident, Boko Haram again abducted another eight girls, ages 12–15, from northeastern Nigeria, a number later raised to 11. On May 5, at least 300 residents of Gamboru Ngala were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants after Nigerian security forces left the town to search for the kidnapped students. On May 12, Boko Haram released a video showing about 130 kidnapped girls, each clad in a hijab and a long Islamic Chador, and demanded a prisoner exchange. A journalist-brokered deal to secure the release of the girls in exchange for prisoners held in Nigerian jails was scrapped at a late stage on 24 May after President Goodluck Jonathan consulted with U.S., Israeli, French and British foreign ministers in Paris, where the consensus was that no deals should be struck with terrorists, and that a solution involving force was required. On May 30, it was reported that a civilian militia in the Baale region of Northeastern Nigeria found two of the kidnapped girls raped, “halfdead,” and tied to a tree. Villagers said the Boko Haram group had left the two girls, and killed four other disobedient girls and buried them. 223 were still missing. On June 24, it was reported that 91 more women and children were kidnapped in areas of Borno State. One source estimated in June that there could be as many as 600 girls held by Boko Haram in three camps outside Nigeria. On October, 12, it was reported that four girls from the original kidnapped group escaped and walked three weeks to freedom in Nigeria. They said they had been held in a camp in Cameroon and raped every day. The #BringBackOurGirls hash tag was launched to spread awareness of the kidnapping. US First lady, Michelle Obama, holds a sign with the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag, posted on her official Twitter account, helping to spread the awareness of the kidnapping. Parents and others took to social media to complain about the government’s perceived slow and inadequate response. The news caused international outrage against Boko Haram and the Nigerian government. On July 22, the militant group again attacked nearby villages, killing at least 51 people, including 11 parents of the abducted girls. The US government agreed to send experts to Nigeria to assist in the search for the students. The American team consists of military and law enforcement officers, specializing in intelligence, investigations, hostage negotiation, information-sharing and victim assistance. On May 12 and 16 military personnel from US African Command joined the Search and Rescue Operations. Later, for reasons yet unknown, the foreign interventions were aborted and the Chibok girls still continued to be held in captivity. On May 1, 2014, a car bomb exploded in New Nyanya a suburb of Abuja. The explosion killed at least

Injured students from bomb blast

Mrs. Obama

19 people and injured at least 60. On the night of May, 5-6, 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State. Roughly 310 residents were killed in the 12-hour attack, and the town was largely destroyed. Most of the survivors fled to Cameroon. Armed with AK47 rifles and RPGs, the militants attacked the town on two armoured personnel carriers, stolen from the Nigeria Military. The attack occurred in the night when some residents were still sleeping. Having set homes ablaze, the militants gunned down residents who tried to escape. The official death toll was first set at 200 on May, 7. Later, the death toll was around 336. On May, 20, 2014, two bombs exploded in Jos Plateau State, killing at least 118 people and injuring more than 56 others. The first bombing occurred in a market place, and the second near a bus station. On June 1, 2014, a bomb was set off at a football field in Mubi, Adamawa State. At least 40 people were killed in the attack. Nineteen others were injured. At approximately 6:30 pm, a bomb went off as spectators were leaving a football field in Kabang, Mubi. A number of shops were destroyed in the blast. The blast appeared to come

from within a crowd of people walking across the field on their way home, suggesting the attack was the work of a suicide bomber. The May 2014 Buni Yadi attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on May, 27, 2014, Yobe State. Some 49 security personnel (soldiers and police) and nine civilians were killed. The Gwoza massacre was a terrorist event that occurred on June, 2, 2014 in the Gwoza local government district, Borno State near the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. Militants dressed as soldiers slaughtered at least 200 civilians predominantly Christians in the villages of Goshe, Attagara, Agapalwa and Aganjara. Eyewitness reported that men and boys were targeted in these attacks. Another source reported that mothers had their male infants taken from them and shot. On November 10, 2014, at least 46 people were killed and 79 wounded, in a suicide bombing Potiskum, Yobe State. The attack took place when students assembled in the hall of the Government Science Secondary School. The bomber entered the school wearing a school uniform. Following the attack, the state governor closed all public schools in the area. The Kano bombing was a terrorist attack on November, 28, 2014, at the Central Mosque (Grand Mosque) in Kano. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire on those who were trying to escape. Around 120 people were killed and another 260 injured. A for mer Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav,

blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the horrifying killings and insecurity recorded in 2014. He said: “Insecurity in 2014 worsened with increased Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and kidnappings in the South-South apparently because President Jonathan did not take the matter of security seriously. He was more preoccupied with his desire for re-election. He did not care a damn about security. The nation has never had it so badly. Even the military was overwhelmed.” National Coordinator of Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), Okechukwu Nwanguman said: “Insecurity remained on a steady increase in 2014, with Boko Haram practically keeping most of Northern Nigeria under siege, while kidnappers and armed robbers keep most of southern Nigeria under hostage. Security forces were not only incapable of checking crime, but were complicit in crime as much as they perpetrated human rights crimes.” In the year under review, Nigerian soldiers had on several occasions, been killed and routed by the Boko Haram. Many of the soldiers sought haven in border country Cameroon, rather than get killed. The soldiers repeatedly complained of their weapons being obsolete and inadequate in comparison to those used by Boko Haram members in the war. While the 2015 election heats up, more Nigerians, soldiers and policemen continued to be killed by Boko Haram. • Additional report from Wikipedia

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Photo | News

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information, Dr. (Mrs.) Folasade Esan; Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Shola Omole, at a news conference on the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan, in Abuja.

Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo (middle), with some of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship contestants, after the reconciliation meeting in Kebbi.

L-R: Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka; Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, Dr Vivien Offodile; celebrant and former House Chairman of Public Petitions Committee, Hon Chudi Offodile and wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, at the 50th birthday of Hon Offodile in Awka, Anambra State.

L-R: Adamawa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Sule Mohammed; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands & Survey, Ibrahim Gisinbee; Adamawa State Secretary to the Government, Ibrahim Welye; Chief Executive Officer, JOF, Mr. Segun Fagboyegun and Director of Finance & Management, Mr. Sogo Omosona, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Adamawa State Government and JOF on Sugar Plantation/Production in Adamawa.

L-R: Bishop Jonas Benson Okoye; Prof. Eugene Nwana; Mrs. Maria Menuba; Managing Director/CEO, Mike Susan Foundation, Mrs. Gloria Odumodu and Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Joseph Odumodu, during the 2014 Mike Susan Foundation charity and health care programme at Amawubia, Anambra State.

L-R: Parish Pastor, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Peace Assembly, Ijegun-Ikotun, Lagos, Pastor Akinfemi Akinlade; Area Pastor, Pastor Bisi Fadoyin and Assistant Parish Pastor, Bro Mayowa Phillips, at the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cross over service in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Lagos West, Bishop James Odedeji (left), in handshake with former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, after a Church Service, on Christmas Day at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Senator Philip Aduda (middle), during his visit to Kuje Prisons, Abuja, where he presented food items, beddings and mattress to inmates. PHOTO: NAN

Business | Money Line

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Jonathan sees strong naira in 2015 INVESTMENT Robust currency will boost investors’ confidence Stories by Godson Ikoro

espite being the third worst performer in Africa in 2014 against a basket of fairly liquid currencies, President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the country will keep its currency strong and economy stable in 2015 as it seeks to boost investor confidence following a downturn in oil prices. The government will “take away speculative behaviors’ and maintain ‘‘healthy’’ external reserves to ‘‘ensure the naira remains strong,’’ Jonathan said in a national broadcast to mark the New Year. That will ‘‘give foreign investors the clarity and certainty that they need,’’ he said.

The 2015 budget contains measures to guarantee economic stability and ‘‘ensure that the downturn in the price of oil does not affect our development plans too adversely,’’ he said. Oil accounts for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s income and 95 per cent of its foreign exchange. Nigeria is struggling to curb currency volatility that led to a 12.6 percent retreat last year, as oil prices lost almost half their value in the biggest annual decline since the 2008 global financial crisis. Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, proposed cutting this year’s budget by eight per cent to N4.36 trillion ($23.6 billion) while the government will seek to strengthen tax collection, raise taxes on luxury items and alcohol, and diversify the economy. The 2015 budget ‘‘is targeted at deepening our efforts at becoming a non-oil economy,” and attract foreign direct investment, Jonathan said. The president, who faces a reelection challenge in February

Discount House activities rise by 20.4 % in Q3

rading activities of discount houses in the third quarter of the out gone year increased by 20.4 per cent, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said. Provisional data indicated that total assets and liabilities of the discount houses stood at N187.0 billion at the end of October 2014, representing 20.4 per cent above the level at the end of September 2014. The development was accounted for largely by the 43.5 and 24.9 per cent rise in claims on banks and claims on Federal Government respectively. Correspondingly, the increase in total liabilities was attributed largely to the 66.4 and 29.5 per cent rise in borrowings and money-at-call respectively. Similarly, deposit money banks in the country increased their activities in quarter three as available data indicated that total assets and liabilities of the banks amounted to N26.336 trillion. This amount showed 1.5 per cent increase above the level at the end of the preceding month. The CBN said the funds were sourced mainly from increased mobilisation of central government deposit, increase in unclassified and foreign liabilities and reduction in foreign assets. The funds were used largely to increase claims on central government, claims on central bank and reduce time, savings and foreign currency deposits as well as demand deposits. It also showed that at N13.87 trillion, banks’ credit to the domestic economy fell marginally by 0.7 per cent, compared with the level at the end of the preceding month. The development was attributed to the 3.9 and 0.5 per cent

decline in credit to the Federal Government and credit to the private sector during the month under review. However, total specified liquid assets of the banks stood at N6.413trillion, representing 37.0 per cent of their current liabilities. At that level, the liquidity ratio declined by 0.8 percentage point below the level in the preceding month, and was seven percentage points above the stipulated minimum ratio of 30.0 per cent. The loans-to-deposit ratio at 62.8 per cent was 2.9 percentage points above the level at the end of the preceding month, but was 17.2 percentage points below the prescribed maximum ratio of 80.0 per cent. Meanwhile, total request for CBN standing facility transactions in October 2014 was N23.86 billion, compared with N130.69 billion in September 2014. The decline reflected the liquidity condition in the market during the review period. The average daily request stood at N4.77 billion compared with the N7.69 billion recorded in September 2014. The interest received during the period was N9.15 million, compared with N67.53 million in September 2014. Also daily aggregate request for SDF in October 2014 ranged from N115.59 billion to N524.78 billion. The total deposits stood at N5.754 trillion compared with N6.745trillion in the preceding month. This culminated in a daily average of N338.49 billion for 17 business days in the period. Total interest paid during the review period amounted to N2.40 billion, compared with N2.60 billion interests paid in September 20.

amid an Islamist insurgency, said security agencies would be bolstered to ensure the balloting is peaceful. Meanwhile, the naira rose against the dollar in thin trade at the interbank market on Wednesday, the last day in 2014, but closed at N181.50, a 13.5 per cent fall in the year, compared with the N160.60 to a dollar it was at the end of December 2013, according to Reuter’s data. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had devalued the naira

at the end of November and this month tightened trading rules to try to curb speculation against the currency, slowing trading to a trickle, after the naira was hard hit by falling world oil prices. The devaluation of its target band by eight per cent to N160N176 against the dollar was meant to halt the slide in foreign reserves, but the naira has traded well outside that band – and reserves are still falling. The nation’s currency was

the third worst performer in Africa in 2014 against a basket of fairly liquid currencies. It followed Ghana’s cedi and Zambia’s kwacha. The CBN decreed last month that banks were no longer allowed to hold their own funds in dollars and that all dollars bought from the interbank market can be held only for up to 48 hours, as it sought to get tough on speculators. The result has been a sharp drop in currency trading.

Sterling Bank to boost CSR in 2015 terling Bank Plc will con- ment. Adeola, who spoke with S tinue to undertake corporate In the area of education, passion on the existing partsocial responsibilities across he said that the bank adopted nership with the media, said a school during the financial literacy week and published two books on financial literacy for children .The bank also sponsored workshops on education and skills acquisition prgrammes for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)as well as partnering with various skills acquisition schools to train artisans and fresh graduates. On the way forward for the bank, which has been nicknamed the social lender, Adeola said that given the realignment and repositioning of the banks’ retail and consumer banking departments, it would become the lending consumer banking franchise and a bank of choice for customers in its target markets.

states of the federation particularly in waste and highway management as well as education sector in 2015, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Yemi Adeola, has said. In his presentation to financial correspondents on the activities of the bank in Lagos, Adeola said the bank would continue to partner with states of the federation to kit their highway managers and sweepers. According to him, Sterling Bank has already kitted highway managers and sweepers in states like Lagos , Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun, Ekiti and Delta. While noting that the bank workers engage in the cleaning exercise periodically in all these states, Adeola underscored the importance of clean environ-

that the bank had received more mention than any other bank. He recalled how the bank started in 2006 with an equity of N26 billion but has now grown it to N65 billion. Although the bank has done commensurate exploits with the present equity, he averred that the bank’s desire was to close this year with equity of N100 billion, stressing that arrangements were on course to achieve it. He also hinted that the bank would float a multi-currency bond to strengthen it because of the many projects it will embark on in 2015. He explained that the choice of multi-currency was deliberate, because it does not want to tie it to one currency because of volatility.

Economic Indicators As at M2* CPS* INF IBR MPR 91-day NTB DPR PLR Bonny Light Ext Res**

N14,737,618.7m N16,509,472.5m 8 0.0000 12 10.899 7.96 17.01 US$109.9 US$42,604,781,796.6

Description

TTM

4.00% 23-Apr-2015 13.05% 16-Aug-2016 15.10% 27-Apr-2017 16.00% 29-Jun-2019 16.39% 27-Jan-2022 10.00% 23-Jul-2030

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 2/5/2014 1/20/2014 11/6/2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 1/20/2014 2/5/2014 Source:CBN

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

Treasury Bills Maturity Date 08-May-14 07-Aug-14 22-Jan-15

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

Bid Spot ($/N) 163.28 THE FIXINGS –NIBOR,NITTY and NIFEX of February 6,2014

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

Open-Buy-Back (OBB) Overnight (O/N)

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

Business | Financial Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

31-Dec-14

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may not be accurate or up to date. We do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information.

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

23-Apr-10 16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

4.00 13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

535.00 581.39 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 414.68 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 178.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,783.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,366.10

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

0.31 1.63 2.32 2.57 2.67 3.41 4.49 4.81 7.08 9.20 13.91 14.39 14.89 15.56 19.55

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

13.97 15.28 15.28 15.30 15.30 15.34 15.37 15.38 15.32 15.13 14.49 14.43 14.37 14.81 15.21

13.45 15.17 15.20 15.22 15.23 15.21 15.27 15.27 15.25 15.07 14.44 14.38 14.30 14.75 15.15

97.00 96.85 99.60 88.73 87.33 87.99 102.00 72.19 104.50 95.40 102.96 88.31 64.29 71.00 81.00

97.15 97.00 99.75 88.88 87.48 88.29 102.30 72.49 104.80 95.70 103.26 88.61 64.59 71.30 81.30

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

24-May-12 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

24.56 3.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.39 1.13 1.94 2.30 2.51

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

16.20 18.04 17.31 16.29 16.30

93.95 99.17 97.95 95.70 92.54

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

322.97

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

309.18

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.67

4.44

18.48

96.36

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.51

3.23

16.37

99.26

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

1.02

4.46

20.33

94.49

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

1.02

3.48

19.35

96.62

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.30

5.59

20.88

80.83

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.57

1.00

16.42

96.52

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.00

1.79

17.11

92.93

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.17

1.80

17.09

94.81

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.76

1.00

16.36

93.50

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.37

1.00

16.30

96.77 89.42

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.37

4.78

20.08

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.56

1.00

16.30

96.53

A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

*GOMBE LAGOS

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12

15.50 14.50 14.75

16.23 80.00 26.62

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.81 4.89 2.87

1.00 1.00 2.74

16.31 16.38 18.05

98.46 93.79 93.07

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.40

10-Oct-20

3.33

1.00

16.34

96.13

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.91

1.00

16.35

89.42

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.00

1.94

17.29

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.66

1.44

16.79

94.21

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.52

1.95

17.29

94.25

96.66

A/Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

91.67

461.14 424.21

Corporate Bonds Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.39

4.88

18.51

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.34

09-Dec-15

0.70

1.00

15.20

98.25

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.54

2.63

15.95

98.76

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.75

1.00

16.37

95.00

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.82

1.34

16.68

96.25

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.75

1.00

16.31

92.84

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.77

1.88

17.24

102.09

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.77

3.48

18.84

96.21

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

1.94

5.20

20.51

96.46

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

1.94

5.06

20.37

101.82

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.73

1.35

16.71

92.65

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.05

2.29

17.58

97.29

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.13

6.11

21.40

92.95

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.00

2.16

17.48

96.79

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.87

2.76

18.11

89.85

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.75

1.00

15.92

80.47

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.75

1.00

15.92

86.91

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

124.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

116.58

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.12

1.00

16.33

85.46

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.34

1.00

16.39

84.88

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.25

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

6.38

6.12

101.83

103.16

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.46

5.02

98.94

100.34

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.69

6.48

97.99

99.31

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,493.78

Corporate Eurobonds B/Fitch; B-/S&P

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

30.85

26.63

83.38

86.63

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

7.00

100.63

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.47

99.48

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

11.21

10.58

88.16

89.77

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

8.21

7.48

92.82

95.11

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

23.60

21.10

65.25

70.42

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.49

95.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

13.31

10.78

85.20

93.03

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

10.01

92.00

B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

6.63 DEC 09, 2020 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

09-Dec-13 24-Jun-14 23-Jul-14

6.63 9.25 8.00

360.00 400.00 450.00

09-Dec-20 24-Jun-21 23-Jul-21

19.13 10.95 10.66

19.13 10.52 10.66

56.75 92.50 87.00

56.75 94.38 87.00

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

9.97

8.99

93.42

98.03

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,181.25

**Treasury Bills DTM 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57

FIXINGS Maturity 8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 26-Feb-15

Bid Discount (%) 12.99 14.14 13.91 13.50 13.84 13.94 13.52 12.76

Offer Discount (%) 12.74 13.89 13.66 13.25 13.59 13.69 13.27 12.51

Bid Yield (%) 13.03 14.22 14.03 13.65 14.03 14.17 13.78 13.02

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.9583 14.5226 15.2433 15.9265

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.00

O/N

11.00

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 11.25 15.10

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

186.00 185.29 185.58 186.26 187.51 188.77

186.10 185.39 185.72 186.71 188.50 190.25

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

24-May-12 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

24.56 3.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.39 1.13 1.94 2.30 2.51

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

16.20 18.04 17.31 16.29 16.30

93.95 99.17 97.95 95.70 92.54

Agency Bonds 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

FMBN ***LCRM

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Business | Financial Market News 46 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

A/Agusto

*EBONYI *BENUE

A+/Agusto

*IMO

Management of the local LAGOS A-/Agusto *BAYELSA bourse gets good rating A/Agusto EDO A+/Agusto; A+/GCR despite downward*DELTA trends A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.67

4.44

18.48

96.36

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.51

3.23

16.37

99.26

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

1.02

4.46

20.33

94.49

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

1.02

3.48

19.35

96.62

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.30

5.59

20.88

80.83

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.57

1.00

16.42

96.52

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

Stories by Chris Ugwu A/Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

309.18

LCCI lauds reform initiative at NSE

COMMENDATION

A-/Agusto

322.97

*GOMBE

LAGOS otwithstanding the downside the*OSUN equities A/Agusto *OSUN market Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡ witnessed LAGOS durA-/Agusto; KOGI year, ing theBBB+/DataPro 2014 financial A/Agusto *EKITI financial analysts have said A-/GCR *NASARAWA that the reform initiated by TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE the market regulators which TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION was majorly geared towards Corporate Bonds repositioning the exchange Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC for profitability has *FLOURMILLS improved A-/Agusto the market. BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO According to Lagos ChamA-/Agusto ber of Commerce andFSDH Industry A/GCR UBA (LCCI) in its 2014 review and BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING A/Agusto; A-/GCR

30-Dec-10 14.00 billion in 2011, were justified 30-Sep-11 14.00 on the back of the improved 04-Oct-11 14.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 govmarket transparency and 14.00 ernance.12-Dec-13 The market therefore 14-Feb-12 15.50 recovered in nominal term to 02-Oct-12 15.50 22-Nov-12 pre-crisis level by the14.50 end of 14.75 2013. At12-Dec-12 41.97 per cent return 10-Oct-13 14.75 in 2013,27-Nov-13 the market 13.50 outper15.00 formed31-Dec-13 peers in emerging 14.50 markets31-Dec-13 and many developed 06-Jan-14 15.00 markets,” it said. The chamber, however, noted that fundamentals of the stocks showed that Nigeria’s equities 17-Aug-10 10.00 market 09-Dec-10 might be significantly 12.00 underpriced, adding that 06-Jan-11 14.00 the 29-Sep-11 13.00 PE ratios of most sectors on the 14.25 Nigerian25-Oct-13 Stock Exchange were 30-Sep-10 13.00 lower than that of its peers. 30-Nov-12 18.00

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 outlook for 2015, the large scale 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 and innovative reforms of the 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 market since the tenure of the 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 current administrators of the 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 Nigerian capital market have 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 market supported improved 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 activities. 14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 The13.50 chamber listed some of LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI to 31-DEC-2020 the reforms include the in14.50 EKITI troduction ofII 31-DEC-2020 market makers, 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 expansion of trading hours, new and modern trading platform (X-Gen), improved corporate reporting, market data 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 availability among others. 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 “Significant surge in for14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 eign inflows into the market in 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 the 2012/2013 period reaching 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 $15 billion in 2013 from $3.69 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

25.00

31-Dec-17 “The banking sector, 3.00 ag34.14 30-Sep-18 2.17 riculture and oil and gas 3.76 are 9.00 04-Oct-18 13.73 attractive. 09-Dec-18 2.37 very FMCG which 10.20 2.37 were hitherto12-Dec-18 overvalued have 27.00 14-Feb-19 2.56 experienced significant price 16.23 02-Oct-19 2.81 80.00 22-Nov-19 4.89 correction and the sector cur26.62 12-Dec-19 2.87 rently offers value for invest11.40 10-Oct-20 3.33 ments. 87.50 27-Nov-20 5.91 5.00 31-Dec-20 6.00 New frontiers of opportu4.55 31-Dec-20 nities are also unfolding3.66in 4.79 06-Jan-21 3.52 power privatisation and likely 461.14 reforms of the oil and gas sec424.21 tor. Key risks, however, include the possible volatile exchange 3.61 17-Aug-15 0.39 rate environment and the 0.70 un9.34 09-Dec-15 folding dynamics of the politi0.60 06-Jan-16 0.54 29-Sep-16 of the 2015 1.75 cal15.00 landscape ahead 5.53 25-Oct-16 1.82 general elections in the coun20.00 30-Sep-17 2.75 try,” the chamber noted. 1.77 0.64 30-Nov-17

1.79 17.11 92.93 Speaking on the economic 1.80 17.09 94.81 outlook for 2015, the chamber 1.00 16.36 93.50 said1.00Nigeria 16.30 overtook 96.77 South 4.78 20.08 89.42 Africa to become the largest 1.00 16.30 96.53 economy in Africa by GDP 1.00 16.31 98.46 at 16.38 in 2013, 93.79 over1.00$510 billion add2.74 18.05 93.07 ing 1.00 that according to JP Mor16.34 96.13 gan,1.00the Nigerian economy 16.35 89.42 1.94 17.29 91.67 parades stronger emerging 1.44 16.79 94.21 market characteristics than 1.95 17.29 94.25 any other countries in Africa due to its compelling drivers. It noted that the lingering infrastructure and institution4.88 18.51 96.66 al challenges notwithstanding, 1.00 15.20 98.25 the 2.63 Nigerian economy remains 15.95 98.76 1.00 in metrics 16.37 as one95.00 strong of the 1.34 16.68 96.25 emerging investment destina1.00 16.31 92.84 tions in the world. 1.88 17.24 102.09

Nil

*DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.77

3.48

18.84

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

1.94

5.20

20.51

96.46

1.94

5.06

20.37

101.82

96.21

NB, CB merger receives approval from SEC

Market operator renews call for listing of key state enterprises AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.73

1.35

16.71

92.65

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.05

2.29

17.58

97.29

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

9.97

8.99

93.42

98.03

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

n an effort to STANBIC ginger listings. 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR IBTC cross border The analyst, who lamentmarket activities in 2015 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE following dismal per- ed that the country missed TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION formance in 2014 that saw the opportunity of compelSupranational Bond the Nigerian stock market ling telecoms companies 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC the NSE when emerging one of the worst to list on 11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDB NCC licensed them, said performing Exchange, a fiTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE nancial analyst has called in attracting major private TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION on the Nigerian Stock Ex- companies that occupy the change to add more effortsIssuercommanding heightsDescription of the Rating/Agency in lobbying the Federal Gov- economy to list, the governFGN Eurobonds ernment to push for manda- ment must as a matter of 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P of major governtory listing necessity grant them fiscal ment incentives. BB-/Fitch; owned enterprises FGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P Eze, who said companies that have been privatised. BB-/Fitch; 12, 2023 inJUL stock Managing Director, list their securities6.38 BB-/S&P Crane SecuritiesVALUE Limited, markets for several reasons TOTAL OUTSTANDING Mr. Mike Eze,CAPITALISATION who made the but basically to have access TOTAL MARKET appeal in a chat with New to long term capital, exCorporate Eurobonds Telegraph, said the revival plained that capital forma11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I of the equities primary mar- tion was the essence of an 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P PLC I ket was a necessityGTBANK if new efficient stock market. 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC listings are to be attracted “New issues that facili6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC by The Exchange. tate capital formation 6.00 NOVtake 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC Eze noted that modificaplace in the primary market. 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC II 6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; ZENITH BANK PLC tion ofBB-/S&P the listing and post Although new bond issues May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC listing requirements could have in recent past8.75 inundat8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC new align the Exchange with ed the primary market, 6.63 DEC 09, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P AFREN PLC III equity issues9.25/6M have virtually international best practicUSD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK LTDdisappeared,” he added. es thus encouraging more 8.75 AUG 14, 2021

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

plomacy . 21.40 of Ni-0.41 thorities17-Feb-19 for their support 17-Feb-12 he management 17.00 2.13 6.11 92.95 01-Apr-14 gerian Breweries 16.00 01-Apr-19 respectively 3.00 2.16The stakeholders 17.48 96.79 , Plc4.50 and approval agreed 14-Nov-20 5.87 2.76 18.11 89.85 14-Nov-13 15.25 has confirmed that its2.05 the company stated that the that the business combina30-Sep-14 11.93 0.10 30-Sep-24 9.75 1.00 15.92 80.47 merger with Consolidated process of operational intetion would not only chal30-Sep-14 13.25 15.44 30-Sep-24 9.75 1.00 15.92 86.91 Breweries Plc has now been gration of the two businesses lenge real sectors operators 124.63 finalised with effect from to overhaul the businesses 116.58“will commence immediately in January 2015”. December 31, 2014. but provide another impetus According to a company With the conclusion of for foreign core investors to 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.12 1.00 16.33 85.46 statement signed by the12.95 the merger, the enlarged positively review their84.88 inter10-Jul-14 11.25 01-Feb-21 4.34 1.00 16.39 Managing Director/CEO24.95Nigerian Breweries is now est in Nigeria. of Nigerian Breweries, Mr.21.25enabled to fully capitalise According to them, the Nicolaas Vervelde, the con- on the opportunities of the affirmation of the proposed Outstanding Nigerian Value firmation follows the receipt beer and malt merger atBidthe 4, Price 2014 Issue Date Coupon (%) Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) Offer Yield (%) Price Dec. Offer ($mm) of approval of the Securities drinks market and create separate Court Ordered Prices & Yields and Exchange Commission significant value through Meetings (COM) would fur07-Oct-11 6.75 6.12 101.83 the Nigerian 103.16 of broader 6.38 prod- ther (SEC) and the sanction by the500.00delivery28-Jan-21 leverage Federal High Court. uct offering, operational real sector 98.94 operations. 12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 5.46 5.02 100.34 Vervelde noted that efficiencies and access to Mr Godwin Anono, Chair12-Jul-13 6.38 12-Jul-23 6.69 6.48 97.99 Professional 99.31 Nigerian Breweries had500.00new markets. man, Nigeria Shareholders Association, formally informed the Ni1,500.00 The merger is also exgerian Stock Exchange of pected to deliver a number said that the shareholders 1,493.78 conclusion of merger pro- of benefits for its stakehold- would support the merger cess as required by the list- ers including shareholders, because of the enhanced ex01-Feb-11 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 30.85 26.63 83.38 86.63 ing regulations. employees, consumers, trad- changed ratio proposed by 19-May-11 7.50 19-May-16 7.00 7.00 100.63 100.63 He also indicated that the500.00ing partners, suppliers and the companies. 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.47 7.47 99.48 99.48 name of the enlarged compa-300.00the Nigerian economy as a Anono said that the ex09-May-13 6.88 02-May-18 11.21 10.58 88.16 89.77 ny arising from the merger whole. change ratio of four 08-Nov-13 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 8.21 7.48 92.82 95.11 NB to five would be ‘Nigerian Brew-300.00 Some 08-Apr-19 investors and capi- shares 08-Apr-12 10.25 23.60 21.10 65.25 Consolidated 70.42 22-Apr-14 22-Apr-19 7.49 95.50 95.50 was a fair deal eries Plc’ and 6.25 the company500.00tal market operators 7.49 at the Breweries 21-May-14 8.75 10.78 85.20 bourse had13.31said when would remain quoted on the200.00nation’s21-May-19 compared with93.03 devel07-Aug-13 8.25 300.00 07-Aug-20 10.01 10.01 92.00 92.00 proposed merger Nigerian stock6.63 exchange. 360.00that the09-Dec-20 opments in56.75 the market56.75 where 09-Dec-13 19.13 19.13 a new platform While thanking shareholders short24-Jun-14 9.25 the stake400.00 introduced 24-Jun-21 10.95 10.52 92.50 were 94.38 23-Jul-14 8.00 23-Jul-21 economic 10.66 di10.66 87.00 87.00 holders and regulatory au-450.00for sustainable changed. 4,760.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

31-Dec-14

4,181.25

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market & Forwards) professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information Offer is accurate; however, theBidInformation is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE”Tenor basis and may Rate not be accurateForeign or up toExchange date. We(Spot do not guarantee DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Discount (%) Yield (%) (%) NIBOR the accuracy,8 timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, 8-Jan-15 12.99 12.74 13.03neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information. FGN

15 22 29 Bonds36 43 50 Rating/Agency 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 120 NA 127 134 176 218 246 337 351

15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 Issuer 26-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 12-Mar-15 19-Mar-15 26-Mar-15 2-Apr-15 9-Apr-15 16-Apr-15 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 NA 7-May-15 14-May-15 25-Jun-15 6-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15

14.14 13.91 13.50 13.84 13.94 13.52 Description 12.76 13.12 4.00 23-APR-2015 12.80 13.05 16-AUG-2016 10.76 15.10 27-APR-2017 13.77 13.55 9.85 27-JUL-2017 12.70 9.35 31-AUG-2017 12.76 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.44 16.00 29-JUN-2019 13.23 7.00 23-OCT-2019 12.46 16.39 27-JAN-2022 13.50 12.24 14.20 14-MAR-2024 12.08 15.00 28-NOV-2028 11.55 12.49 22-MAY-2029 14.50 8.50 20-NOV-2029 14.25

10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

13.89 13.66 13.25 13.59 13.69 13.27 Issue Date 12.51 12.87 23-Apr-10 12.55 16-Aug-13 10.51 27-Apr-12 13.52 13.30 27-Jul-07 12.45 31-Aug-07 12.51 30-May-08 13.19 29-Jun-12 12.98 23-Oct-09 12.21 27-Jan-12 13.25 11.99 14-Mar-14 11.83 28-Nov-08 11.30 22-May-09 14.25 20-Nov-09 14.00

23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

14.22 14.03 13.65 14.03 14.17 13.78 Coupon (%) 13.02 13.43 4.00 13.13 13.05 11.01 15.10 14.23 14.03 9.85 13.15 9.35 13.25 10.70 14.02 16.00 13.83 7.00 13.02 16.39 14.20 13.01 14.20 13.02 15.00 12.52 12.49 16.74 8.50 16.51

Bonds

10.00 12.1493

*for the Amortising bonds, the average TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUElife is calculated and not the duration

Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

Issuer

<3 ***LCRM 3<5

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

>5 Market

OBB

10.00

O/N

11.00

REPO

Tenor Call TTM (Yrs) 1M 3M 0.31 6M

Maturity Date

NITTY 535.00 23-Apr-15 581.39 16-Aug-16 Tenor Rate (%) 452.80 27-Apr-17 1M 13.5903 2M 13.7353 20.00 27-Jul-17 3M 13.8200 100.00 31-Aug-17 6M 13.8357 300.00 30-May-18 9M 14.6149 351.30 29-Jun-19 12M 14.8801 233.90 23-Oct-19 600.00 27-Jan-22 414.68 14-Mar-24 NIFEX 75.00 28-Nov-28 Current Price ($/N) 150.00 22-May-29 BID($/N) 184.7375 200.00 20-Nov-29 OFFER ($/N) 184.8375 591.57 23-Jul-30 178.00 18-Jul-34

Rate (%)

Bid11.25 Yield (%) 15.10 15.40 13.97 16.13

Tenor

Spot 7D 14D 1M Offer 2MYield (%) 3M 6M 13.45 1Y

1.63 15.28 15.17 2.32 15.28 15.20 2.57 15.30 15.22 :Benchmarks 2.67 15.30 15.23 * :Amortising Bond 3.41 15.34 15.21 µ :Convertible Bond 4.49 Management Corporation 15.37 15.27 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 4.81Government of 15.38 15.27 FGN: Federal Nigeria 7.08 Mortgage Bank 15.32 15.25 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria IFC: International Finance Corporation 9.20 15.13 15.07 LCRM: Local Management 13.91Contractors Receivables 14.49 14.44 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 14.39 14.43 14.38 O/N: Overnight 14.89 14.37 14.30 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company 15.56Africa Portland14.81 14.75 WAPCO:West Cement Company 19.55 15.21 15.15 NOTE:

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

186.00 186.10 185.29 185.39 Price 185.58 185.72 186.26 186.71 187.51 188.50 Bid Price Offer Price 188.77 190.25 193.07 195.99 97.00 97.15 202.25 207.74

96.85 97.00 99.60 99.75 88.73 88.88 NA :Not87.33 Applicable 87.48 # :Floating Rate Bond 87.99 88.29 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 102.00 102.30 72.19 72.49 ‡ : Bond rating under review 104.50 †: Bond rating expired 104.80 N/A :Not Available 95.40 95.70 {r} :Issuer in receivership 102.96 103.26 88.31 88.61 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 64.29 64.59 UBA: United Bank for Africa 71.00 71.30 81.00 81.30

4,366.10 Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

Agency Bonds Modified Duration FMBN Buckets

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Rate (%) 10.9583 14.5226 15.2433 15.9265

4,783.63

Rating/Agency

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Total Outstanding 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 Volume(Bn) 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 1,014.06 1,034.18 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 1,380.93 1,365.98 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 564.19 769.57

Porfolio Market Value(Bn)

2,959.18

3,169.73

Weighting by 24-May-12 Outstanding Vol 03-Apr-12

09-Dec-11 32.63 20-Apr-12 43.09 06-Jul-12 24.28 100.00

Weighting 0.00by Mkt Value 17.25

0.00/16.00 34.27 0.00/16.50 46.67 0.00/16.50 19.07 100.00

24.56 3.00 112.22 0.33 116.70 66.49 0.43 0.24

Bucket Weighting

322.97 309.18

1.00

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

% Exposure_ 24-May-15 Mod_Duration 03-Apr-17

Implied Yield

09-Dec-16 13.91 20-Apr-17 46.24 06-Jul-17 39.85

0.39 1.13 1.94 15.28 2.30 15.26 2.51 14.91

100.00

15.13

# Risk Premium (%)

Implied 2.63 Portfolio 2.27Price

Valuation Yield (%)

2.00 116.6407 1.00 119.5815 1.00 86.1303

16.20 18.04 17.31 1,107.85 16.29 1,012.57 16.30 1,007.02

110.5005

1,055.18

INDEX

Indicative Price

YTD93.95 Return (%) 99.17

97.95 10.7849 95.70 1.2571 92.54 0.7015 5.5184

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.67

4.44

18.48

96.36

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.51

3.23

16.37

99.26

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

1.02

4.46

20.33

94.49

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

1.02

3.48

19.35

96.62

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.30

5.59

20.88

80.83

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.57

1.00

16.42

96.52

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.00

1.79

17.11

92.93

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Cleric expresses fear over Nigeria’s future Babatope Okeowo AKURE

he Archbishop of Ondo Province of the Anglican Communion, Revd Latunji Lasebikan, yesterday expressed fears about the continued existence of the country after the February general election. The cleric, who said with the cloud of uncertainty around the country over the February election, the country needs God in order to escape the impending doom. Speaking at IlaraMokin in Ifedore Local Government after the conferment of Church of Nigeria Benevolent Award on Chief Michael Ade-Ojo by the Primate of the Church, Nicholas Okoh, Lasebikan said Nigeria defies all logic in the way it practices its politics. He said: “It is not about painting glooming pictures, but it is looking around and seeing glooming pictures. Politics is not played in Nigeria alone; it is played in different parts of the world. “But when you consider indiscipline, anarchy, discourteous attitude and others, then we know there is a problem. In some states, they are not following the constitution, and government is going on, that is anarchy. Anarchy is not only when you take cutlass and kill each, once you disobey the rule of law, things have broken down.”

NO SHAKING Osinbajo or not, party's aim at sweeping polls in South West still intact

Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as General Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 presidential election in the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not a threat to it sweeping the South-West

IBADAN

he Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has told the Federal Government to actively involve traditional rulers in governance and create well-designed statutory roles for them if the much sought-after Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be achieved. He also warned pub-

Osinbajo’s choice not a threat to PDP, says Osun chairman

during the election. Osun State Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo, described Osinbajo’s political weight in the zone as feeble and weak, affirming that there is no cause for alarm for PDP in the coming election. He said the party’s structure remains solid to face the election. Olaoluwa said the choice of Osinbajo from

the zone would not cripple the chances of the PDP as Osinbajo’s input to the South-West politically, is zero. The chairman insisted that “the six states of the South West will support President Goodluck Jonathan in the February presidential election and the president will sweep all the six states of the South West in the election. “Buhari's running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is not a popular

politician in the South West and cannot command the votes of the people of the region. “He is not known in the South West. He has no impact in the region. We do not know him and our people cannot support a man they don’t know. Osinbajo cannot lay claim to any contribution he has rendered to the South West as a person,” he maintained. He added that the APC presidential candidate cannot get the support of

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Hospital Management Board, Mrs. Omolara Ajayi; wife of Osun State Governor, Sherifat Aregbesola (cuddling the first baby of the year 2015); father of the baby, Mr Rauf Adekunle and his wife, Bisola, at Ijugbe Oja-Ale Primary School, Ode-Omu, Osun State…yesterday

Alaafin: MDGs unattainable without traditional rulers Sola Adeyemo

News 47

SOUTH - WEST

lic functionaries at all levels of government to desist from dealing with traditional rulers by their whims and caprices, as according to him, such would continue to be counter-productive for the nation's socioeconomic growth. Oba Adeyemi gave the warning yesterday while presenting a N5 million cheque to traditional rulers from Oyo and Oke-Ogun areas of the state for their upkeep.

We have no regret voting against Fayemi, teachers say Adesina Wahab ADO-EKITI

eachers in Ekiti State have said they have no regret for voting against ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi during the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state. The teachers, who are members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), also warned against dragging them into partisan

politics. In a statement in AdoEkiti yesterday by the state Chairman of the NUT, Mr. Samuel Akosile, the teachers also faulted Fayemi's party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for saying that the teachers were regretting voting for Governor Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) instead of Fayemi. Akosile said teachers had every reason to vote against Fayemi for intro-

ducing anti-teachers policies during his tenure. The NUT boss also faulted what happened on a programme anchored on an Akure, Ondo State-based radio station, where some teachers were alleged to have phoned Fayemi, who appeared on a live programme and apologised on behalf of NUT members, having now spotted the difference between the former governor and the incumbent.

the people of the South West, despite the fact that his running mate hails from the region. He said: “Both Buhari and Osinbajo have nothing to offer for the people of the South West.”

Eid-el-Maulud: Ambode greets Muslims

s Muslims in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria join their fellow believers to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, has urged Nigerians of the Islamic faith to offer special prayers for the peace, progress and continued existence of the country. Ambode said the commemoration of the birth of the great Prophet should serve as an occasion to further remember Nigeria in prayers, especially as the country prepares for general election next month. In a release signed by his Director of Media and Communications, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the former Accountant General of Lagos State said: “The Prophet’s special day, coming just after the momentous occasion of the New Year celebration, is an opportunity for every Muslim brother and sister and indeed all Nigerians, to rededicate themselves to the virtues of charity, selflessness, fairness and good neighbourliness that holy Prophet Muhammad represents.” While wishing Lagos residents and every Nigerian a happy Eid-el-Maulud, the APC flag bearer said: “As we successfully welcome the New Year and are preparing for violence-free and credible elections, the occasion of Eid-el-Maulud calls for good wishes, belief and commitment to the safety, security and survival of our country and every citizen.”

Ajimobi to Oyo people: Choose between peace, violence

Aregbesola: We will not be slowed down by federal allocation

yo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has said that the choice before the people of the state on the forthcoming elections was between peace, epitomised by his administration and the violence represented by his opponents. The governor stated this during his New Year state-wide broadcast to

the people of the state. Ajimobi acknowledged his government’s efforts at instilling peace in the state and sustaining it, urging the people of the state not to forget the past few years before his administration came on board. “We know what the order of the day was in our state between 2003 and

2011. The choice before us today, my dear people of Oyo State, is between peace and violence. We hold the key to determine where our immediate future goes and we must use it wisely,” he said. As a government, the governor said he believed in the safety of lives of his people and that this had been demonstrated vividly.

sun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has said that his administration will do everything possible to ensure that it was not slowed down in any way by the unpleasant financial weather in the country. The governor in a New Year broadcast held that his government is poised to meet and surpass the

target it has set for the development of the state. Aregbesola also noted that ongoing projects in road construction and rehabilitation will continue apace even as new ones will commence where necessary. Recounting happenings in the year 2014, the governor said the year was one with financial

challenge like no other, when allocation from the Federation Account dipped to less than 25 per cent of what the state used to get. He said: “The year 2014 witnessed an unmatched upsurge in sectarian violence and wanton destruction of lives and property in some states in the northern part of the country."

News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH - EAST

Coalition gives Jonathan conditions for support Uwakwe Abugu ENUGU

coalition of seven groups in the South East zone of the country has warned President Goodluck Jonathan, that unless he accords Ndigbo their rightful place in the political affairs of the country, the people of the zone may not vote for him in the 2015 presidential election. This was the position expressed by the

coalition of Igbo groups, such as the Igbo Traders Congress (ITC), Umuada Ala Igbo, Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), Igbo Students Association (ISA), Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), South-East Self Determination Coalition (SESDC) and Eastern Christian Council, following a meeting held in Enugu on Wednesday night to appraise the zone’s interest in the na-

tion’s polity. One of the leaders of the group and National President of IWA, Mrs. Maria Okwor, said that at the moment, Ndigbo are not happy with the way the President Jonathan’s administration has been treating the Igbo nation’s interest. She recalled how Ndigbo massively voted for Jonathan in 2011, but such gesture up to this

moment, was yet to be reciprocated in terms of the expectations of the people of the zone, in the areas of projects execution and development. She said, “So, we are not happy that we are being taking for granted and we will like the president to make concrete promises to us and start something, not just promises. “Right now, we are considering so many options

because we want our interest to be acknowledged by someone who will recognize our existence and who will solve our problems. We are not recognized. “The East/West rail line they promised to build for us, will it happen? When will it happen? Can it be started before this tenure ends so that we have something to hope for? Otherwise,

Public offices, not for mediocre politicians, says Ndukwe Juliana Francis

ormer Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Senatorial flag bearer in Anambra South; Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, has urged Nigerians not to vote for mediocre politicians and those only given to lies and unfulfilled promises into public offices in next year general election. Ndukwe, said this in his new year goodwill message to people of Anambra State, saying, “Political offices should not be left for rabble rousers or mediocre to grab, as their stock in trade is usually promises that come with little or no fulfillment. I urge the electorate to vote wisely at all levels in the coming elections!” The APGA candidate, noted that the desperation of some politicians in some quarters leaves one to wonder if there would be level playing field in the forthcoming elections. He urged aspirants of various positions to eschew politics of bitterness, rancor and violence as the desire to serve should not be taken as a do or die affair. Ndukwe who recently promised to join forces with other progressives in the Senate (if elected) to take Nigeria to greater scientific and technological heights in other spheres apart from telecommunication sector where he is an expert; also advised that political campaigns should be issues-based rather than on character assassination or mudslinging. He reminded political office seekers at all levels that the electorate can only be interested in those who would make life better for them through democratic activism and positive participation in the political process.

L-R: Former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi; daughter, Amaka and his wife, Margaret, during a New Year visit/presentation of food items and money to the Rehabilitation Centre for the Old, Disabled and Tramp (RECDOT), at Ozubulu… yesterday

Ikpeazu dismisses tax evasion claim DENIAL

Governorship candidate of the PDP in Abia State says he is misrepresented

Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

he governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has debunked the allegation that he has irregular tax papers. Reacting to the issue at his campaign office on Uzuakoli Road Umuahia yesterday, Ikpeazu said

that those who instituted litigation over the allegation were misguided and bad losers, saying that the Abuja court vindicated him by dismissing the allegations and awarding cost against the applicants when it was proved that it was a case of mistaken identity. The PDP candidate, however, said that there was another Chief Okezie Ikpeazu, a businessman and a farmer who also hails from Obingwa, but whom they mistook for Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, saying he is not addressed as a chief. He explained, that as a civil servant for 12 years, he paid his tax compulso-

rily even as the tax of a civil servant is deducted at source and therefore could not be evaded. “Payment of tax was not a matter of choice but I paid compulsorily as a civil servant. Therefore payment or non-payment cannot be an issue for a public servant, every public servant pays tax on pay as you earn system,” he said. He said the people who went to court were operating from the background of misinformation because they “imported the papers of one Chief Okezie Ikpeazu, a businessman who they alleged did not pay tax.”

Falling oil prices ‘ll not hinder state progress, says Obiano

overnor Willie Obiano of Anambra yesterday expressed the optimism that the current dwindling price of oil in the international market would not affect the progress of the state in 2015. Obiano, made the remark in Awka, in his new year message to the people of the state entitled “stretching to a New Height of excellence”,

stating that the future of any society lies in its capacity to withstand current challenges and emerge out of it with determination and hope. “Though many experts have predicted a tough year for Nigeria in the face of plummeting oil prices, such forecasts will never dampen the aspirations of Anambra. “With our enormous

human and material resources, we shall not surrender our ambitions to dwindling oil prices in the international markets,” he said. Obiano further told the people that his administration had taken steps to triple the state’s Internally Generated Revenue from the present N1.1 billion generated annually.

we might have some alternatives because there are other parties that can help us achieve our objectives. We don’t have any infrastructure”. The groups also lamented the poor state of basic infrastructure in the South-East, which has allegedly retarded the growth and development of the zone, citing the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, which has remained a perennial nightmare. On the issue of the development of the zone, the coalition said it was unacceptable that the president has chosen to deal with few people living with affluence, saying that unless the president acknowledges genuine Igbo leaders like Prof. Ben Nwabueze and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, with the assurance of protecting the interest of the zone, there would be not be votes for him next hear. “We thought that since we voted for him that something good will come out of his government, but nothing. Youths from the SouthSouth have been sent abroad for training but the youths in the South East are neglected. We were rejected but our people say that whoever that is rejected will not reject himself. We will take our destiny by ourselves”, another member of the group said.

Ohakim considers dumping PDP Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

ormer Governor of Imo State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has warned that unless the party, redresses what he described as the injustice done to him at the recently held governorship primaries of the party in the state, he and his supporters may consider the option of leaving the party for another. Ohakim was rumoured to have joined the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), a week after the primary election following his inability to clinch the PDP gubernatorial ticket. But speaking on a radio programme on Wednesday in Owerri, he maintained that he was still a member of the PDP, but might be forced to leave the party if justice was not done. The former governor, faulted the party’s governorship primaries

saying the process was not entirely fair and transparent. He stressed that the Chairman of the electoral panel that conducted the election, Hon. Tengu Tsegba, has been a personal friend of the Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha for 12 years and should not have conducted the election. The ex-governor added that some aspirants objected to Tsegba presiding over the primaries but nothing was done to correct it. Ohakim, lamented the attitude of the Appeal Panel which did not entertain complaints or grievances of the aspirants after the primaries. He stressed that the aspirants were not listened to in spite of their efforts to express their grievances. He declared the governorship primaries incomplete, stressing that it was important that the petitions and complaints of participants in the process were addressed.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

POWER CUT

Blackout has caused serious damage to economic life, residents complain

ome residents of Maiduguri yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to re-connect power supply to the city, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. It will be recalled that electricity supply to the city was cut in June 2014, after suspected insurgents attacked a power station in Damboa, headquarters of Damboa Local Government. A cross section of residents interviewed by NAN in Maiduguri, expressed reservation over the delay by the government in restoring power supply to the city. Alhaji Mohammed Zarami, a businessman, said the lack of electricity in the city has caused severe damages to social and economic life of citizens. “It is sad that we have had to stay for this long without electricity supply in Maiduguri. “It is even sadder with the current improvement in power supply in the country, where some states enjoy uninterrupted supply for days,” Zarami said. He said the situation had forced some residents to rely on power generating sets for their supplies. “Most residents depend on power generating sets, but those who

Restore power to Maiduguri, residents pleads with FG cannot afford the high cost of maintaining the sets end up sleeping in darkness,” Zarami said. Alhaji Bukar Bulama, an artisan, who spoke in the same vein, said the situation had forced many artisans to look for something else to do for their survival. “The prolonged power cut has negatively affected the economy of

the state. “Many artisans have been forced out of business as they cannot afford to power their systems daily. “Buying petrol or diesel to run generating sets for business on daily basis is not an easy thing. “Many artisans have either shut their shops or joined other businesses to survive,” he said.

Mr. John Marie, a provision seller, said the prolonged power outage had almost forced him out of business. “We are appealing to the Federal Government to reconnect power supply to the state, because the situation has almost crippled our businesses. “We have to fuel our generating sets as well as buy iced blocks on

MAKURDI

he Accord Party (AP) in Benue State has refused Prof. Steve Torkuma Ugba, its governorship ticket in the 2015 general election. Ugba, who is desperate to govern the state on the platform of the APC and was defeated in the primaries, is reported to be making fresh inroads into Accord Party

after he allegedly lost relevance in APC. The Accord Party backed up its reasons for refusal on the grounds that he is not a registered member of the party and should therefore not be recognised as the party's governorship candidate ahead of next month's gubernatorial poll. In a statement signed by its Secretary, Terhemba Kajo, a copy of which was released to New Telegraph in Makurdi, the

party said it believes in internal democracy and would not allow its fold to be easily infiltrated with illegality. Kajo wondered how Ugbah, who contested with three other aspirants for the APC slot, would casually abandon his court case against the candidature of Dr. Samuel Ortom and impose himself on the party as its governorship candidate. “Referring to the letter dated 10th Decem-

ber, 2014, written by the National Chairman of Accord Party, Hon. Mamuda Lawal Nalado and addressed to Alhaji Abubakar Usman, alias Young Alhaji and Ambassador Mike Gbashah, the two represent the leaders of the Accord Party in Benue State. “While Usman Abubakar is mandated strictly to take charge of Zone C, Ambassador Mike Gbashah is to lead Zones A and B respectively.”

‘Use 2015 election to effect necessary change’ Biodun Oyeleye ILORIN

he flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Senator Simon Ajibola, wants residents of the state to maximise the opportunity of the coming general election to effect the changes they desire in the state. Ajibola in his New

daily basis to sell our soft drinks. “We hardly break even, sometimes we record losses at the end of the day’s business,” he said. NAN recalls that Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, the Minister of State for Power, had repeatedly promised that the Federal Government would restore electricity supply to the city.

L-R: Chairman, Forum for Patriotic Members, All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lawal Garba; former Kaduna State Governor, Hamid Ali and National Organising Secretary, Umar Jibo, at the forum’s conference in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Accord Party denies Ugba Benue guber ticket Cephas Iorhemen

News 49

NORTH

Year message to the people also promised to be fair and just in administering the state if elected into office. Text of the message, which he personally signed reads: “I greet all Kwarans on the advent of the New Year 2015. I urge them to keep hope alive and pray that their desire for total freedom will manifest in the coming year.

“Our dear state has witnessed mixed fortunes. We have experienced good times of prosperity and steady growth as the fulcrum of development in the old Northern Nigeria. In commerce and civil administration, in the arts and in academics, our state was once a front runner. But of recent, Kwarans have experienced hard times and witnessed stunted devel-

opment. “In the face of these challenging times, let us give thanks to the Almighty; let us keep hope alive and be more determined than ever to direct our affairs and influence our destiny for good. With the Almighty God, all things are possible." “Let me, however, remind all - fathers, mothers and children - that our destiny is in our hands."

Rep rallies support for Buhari, Ahmed Biodun Oyeleye ILORIN

member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mashood Mustapha, has urged the people of Kwara State to vote en masse for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, in the February general election. Mustapha, who made the call when he distributed food items to selected members of the society on New Year eve, also called on them to ensure the return of Kwara State governor, Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed, to Ilorin Government House by voting massively for APC during the elections. According to the federal lawmaker, who is representing Asa/Ilorin West constituency in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, Buhari, being a highly disciplined man, is endowed with the wherewithal to tackle the nation's hydra-headed problems. According to him, Buhari would not condone indiscipline and corruption from any quarters and as a result, will be in a position to channel the nation's resources appropriately. He said the need for the people of Kwara State to re-elect Governor Ahmed arises from the fact that he has implemented peopleoriented programmes and policies in the past threeand-a-half years.

Adamawa APC warns PDP against rigging Ibrahim Abdul YOLA

n what could be described as an end of the year salvo, chieftains and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State have warned against rigging of the February general elections. The party vowed to resist any rigging, saying it is ready to resist the ruling PDP if it goes ahead with its plan to rig the election. The party supporters, including the Deputy Director-General of the Bindow Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation and former Chief of Staff to former Governor Murtala Nyako, Alhaji Abdurrahman Abbah Jimeta, gave the warning during a stakeholders’ meeting in Yola on Wednesday. They said members of

the state chapter of the party would no longer condone any rigging as, according to him, they are ready to pay the supreme price in defense of their rights. “If the PDP insists on rigging this election, we will tell them that we are ready to die. Adamawa people are wise and more than ever resolved to defend their rights as they will never allow people of easy virtue to deny them of their rights anymore,” they vowed. Also giving a similar warning, the immediate Chairman of the party and a senatorial candidate, Binta Masi Garba, said the party has a war to fight come the February general election. “APC represents justice; we have a war to fight to get our rights." We must defend our votes, so that all our candidates will win the election,” she said.

WORLD | News

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Syrian president visits front on New Year’s Eve

yrian President Bashar Assad made a rare visit to the front line of his country’s civil war, spending New Year’s Eve with his troops in a tense eastern Damascus neighborhood, state media said yesterday. State TV footage showed Assad having dinner of baked beans and boiled potatoes with soldiers and pro-government militiamen Wednesday night in the Jobar neighborhood, which has seen intense fighting in recent months between troops and opposition fighters.

“On New Year’s Eve families gather, but you decided to be here to protect your country,” Assad told the troops as sporadic gunfire echoed in the background. “I like to be with you on this occasion.” Assad described rebels who use underground tunnels as “rats,” adding that “we fight them above the ground.” The footage, aired Thursday, showed Assad shaking hands and kissing cheeks, surveying fortifications and climbing onto a tank. Syrian troops have been fighting rebels in Jobar

since 2013, and state media says government forces have been advancing recently. Assad’s visit came as rebels fired nearly two dozen mortar shells on Damascus, residents said. It was not clear if there were casualties. Assad has rarely appeared in public since the uprising against his family’s four-decade rule began in March 2011 with peaceful protests. The government’s brutal crackdown led to the rise of an armed opposition, and today the country is in the grip of an increasingly complex civil war that has

Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, shares a meal with Syrian troops during his visit to the front line in the Eastern Damascus district of Jobar, Syria.

Egypt court orders retrial of jailed Jazeera reporters

gypt’s top court yesterday ordered a retrial of three Al-Jazeera reporters whose imprisonment on charges of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood triggered global outrage, but kept them in custody pending a new hearing. Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed of the broadcaster’s English service were detained in December 2013 for spreading false information. Greste and Fahmy each got seven years,

and Mohamed was jailed for 10. “The Court of Cassation has accepted their appeal and ordered a retrial,” Greste’s defence lawyer Amr Al-Deeb said Thursday. The defendants were not at the hearing, which lasted just 30 minutes.Hopes for the journalists’ release have grown following a thaw in diplomatic relations between Cairo and Qatar, where their employer is based. “I hope the reconciliation efforts between Egypt and Qatar continue for the sake of my brother and his colleagues ...

who are paying the price of a political crisis,” Fahmy’s brother Adel told reporters. Both the defence and the prosecution had requested a retrial. Mohamed’s wife Jihan welcomed the retrial as a “small but positive step towards my husband being freed”. “This past year has been the worst year of me and my children’s lives,” she added. Al-Jazeera called for the swift release of its employees. Acting director general Mostafa Souag said the journalists had been “unjustly imprisoned”.

Pope in New Year call for peace, teases ‘noisy’ Mexicans

ope Francis ushered in 2015 in typically unpredictable style yesterday, launching an appeal for an end to war before lightheartedly teasing the many Mexicans in the crowd at St Peter’s Square. Addressing tens of thousands of pilgrims, the Argentinian pontiff marked both the international day of peace and the 2014 centenary of the start of World War I with an impassioned plea for an end to the

many conflicts engulfing the planet. “Let there be no more wars,” he said. “Peace is always possible but we have to go and look for it.” Peace is always possible and prayer is the root of peace. “Happy New Year to everyone. Let it be a year of peace in the embrace of the Lord ...” On that note, the 78-year-old leader of the world’s Roman Catholics abruptly switched tone and gave another example

of the easy charm that has made him one of the most popular popes of the modern era. “I see there are lots of Mexicans in the crowd and I salute them,” he said. “Oh, they’re noisy these Mexicans!” Earlier, presiding over a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis had prayed for “peace in our day; peace in hearts, peace in families, peace among the nations.

claimed more than 200,000 lives and shows no sign of abating. Yesterday, the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 76,021 people were killed in 2014, including about 17,800 civilians. The group, which has a network of activists around the country, said the

dead, included some 22,600 troops and pro-government fighters. Assad was last seen in public on April 20, 2014 when state TV broadcast images of him visiting the Christian hamlet Maaloula north of Damascus after gover nment forces retook the town.

Sierra Leone’s president calls for week of fasting, prayer over Ebola

ierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma asked the country to begin a week of fasting and prayers yesterday to end the Ebola virus that has killed more than 2,700 of his countrymen. The worst outbreak on record of the virus is still spreading in West Africa, especially in Sierra Leone, and the number of known cases globally has exceeded 20,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday. In a New Year’s Day broadcast, Koroma said the seven days of prayers and fasting would begin immediately. “Today I ask all to commit our actions to the grace, mercy and protection of God Almighty,” he said. The death toll from the outbreak, which has been mostly confined to West Africa, has risen to 7,905, the WHO said, following 317 fatalities recorded since it last issued figures Dec. 24. Sierra Leone is the worst-hit country in West Africa with more than 9,000 Ebola cases and the numbers of infections continue to

grow. It accounted for 337 of 476 new laboratory-confirmed cases since Dec. 24. Koroma also said schools - which have been shut since July to curb the spread of the virus - would reopen soon. “The ministry of education is putting in place modalities to reopen schools and colleges in the shortest possible time,” Koroma said, without giving a specific date. Many schools are being used as Ebola holding centers, raising questions as to how soon they will be able to reopen. Koroma urged people not to touch the sick or corpses and not to disobey quarantine orders. “I know what we are being asked to do is very difficult; we are a people that have built our humanity on hugging each other, on shaking hands, on caring for the sick and showing communal empathy by participating in funeral activities,” he said. “But today the Ebola devil of illness and death hides in the innocent clothing of our culture to get us,” he said.

Netanyahu re-elected head of Israel’s ruling Likud

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won another term as leader of the ruling rightwing Likud party ahead of a snap election, the faction said yesterday, easily defeating his lone hard-right challenger. A party primary took place Wednesday ahead of early elections, in which Netanyahu, in power since 2009, will seek to win a third straight term and a fourth in total. He served a first stint between 1996 and 1999. With 60 percent of ballots counted, all indications were that Netanyahu won some 80 percent of the vote compared to Danny Danon, from the party’s far-right fringe, a party spokeswoman said. That clears the way for Netanyahu to lead Likud into the March 17 general election battle. In a speech at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv, the premier hailed the vote as a success, saying Likud had chosen an “excellent list” that would help him win reelection. “It is a list of a govern-

ing party that can continue to lead Israel... that will help us defeat the left under Tzipi (Livni) and Bujie (Isaac Herzog), a winning team that will help me return and continue to lead Israel in security, with responsibility in the spirit of the true Likud,” he said. Likud’s 96,651 members also voted to determine frontrunners on the party list, with 70 candidates in the running. Final results were due later yesterday but an interim count suggested the lineup was largely a reshuffle of the 18 faces who served in the outgoing parliament. “We’re taking the same lineup and starting again,” said Denis Charbit, political science expert at Israel’s Open University. “The fact is that this list is more or less the same as the previous one, in that it is markedly rightwing,” he told AFP. With recent polls indicating a surge in support for the farright nationalist Jewish Home party led by Naftali Bennett, it was no surprise Likud members were keen to avoid any slide towards the centre.

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Sport News

Lampard inspires City, as Arsenal fumble

Egypt can’t stop us, says Quadri

Sport

Did you know? That Chelsea lead yellow card charts with over 1200 bookings

Fire brigade approach won’t help Nigeria in 2015 – Aliu Charles Ogundiya

ormer Nigeria international, Deji Aliu, has called on the Athletic Federation of Nigeria to start preparations early if athletics is to flourish in 2015. According to Aliu, for the nation to have a better performance in the New Year, Team Nigeria must have proper preparations that will translate into results. The 2003 All-Africa Games 100m

champion further stated that fire brigade approach would lead the country nowhere. “To have a better performance than we had last season we must have good and timely preparations. Where are the athletes we will be preparing for the new season? We don’t even know them. By May we will begin to run around looking for those who will represent us at the All Africa Games and the World Championships, that approach will not get us anywhere. “Look at England they already know

To have a better performance than we had last season we must have good and timely preparations

their athletes for the New Year and they have given them what they need to prepare for the new season. When you go to places like Florida and Houston in the United States you will meet these athletes preparing ahead, acclimatising. They have started their build up, whereas our athletes are neither here nor there,” Aliu said. Lamenting the uncoordinated state of Nigerian athletics, he added: “The athletes are in different places now, they are scattered all

Eagles’ fitness level worries Amokachi

over, they don’t know their fate. Some are training with the limited resources that they have, and you would expect the best from them within a month of preparation because they will probably end up calling them to camp four weeks to a major competition.” Nigeria will be participating in two major championships in the New Year, Athletics World Championships and the All African Games in August and September respectively.

Amokachi

Charles Ogundiya

The match against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire will be an opportunity for the boys to shine

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Deputy Editor, Sports

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Editor, Sports

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sports Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sports Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sports Correspondent

Eduok celebrating after scoring a goal

ssistant Super Eagles coach, Daniel Amokachi, has lamented the lack of activity for the home-based players ahead of the team’s tour of Abu Dhabi for friendly games against Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan. Speaking with our correspondent in Abuja, the coach said the players were match rusty following the end of the Nigeria Professional Football League. “We have the bulk of the players playing in the Nigeria league, but unfortunately for us, the league is currently on break and the clubs are yet to resume training. “Only Kano Pillars have resumed and that is because of their continental assignment, and we only have two players from Kano Pillars in our squad. “They (players) are very match rusty and that was why I said if the league is on break you are not going to get players who are really fit, and we just have only seven days which are not enough to prepare the players, but we will do our part and build the team to the level we want for the games,” Amokachi said. The former Nasarawa United coach however said the technical

crew would do their best to get the team ready for the two matches next week, while also saying the team can shock star-studded Cote d’Ivoire. Amokachi said: “In football you just have to continue doing your best and what we are doing now is to bring life back to the players’ legs, let us see what we can achieve within the seven days of training before we embark on our trip to Abu Dhabi. He said: “The match against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire will be an opportunity for the boys to shine. The game will be played by 11 players on each side and a lot of things can happen in the game. “One advantage we have is that the players are very young and feature in the league, I believe they will enjoy playing against the super stars of Cote d’Ivoire, and when you have the opportunity to do that, you want to express yourself and show that you are also a star in the making.” The game against the Elephants, 1992 African champions and Super Eagles’ quarterfinal victims at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, comes up on January 11, while the clash with the Falcons of Sudan comes up on January 17.

SPORT

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Effect of football stakeless “stakeholders”

t is only in Nigeria that scientific predictions that have been tested in other climes and proved to be reliable fail with certainty. In most cases such efforts are not only made to look ordinary, but turn form-books upside-down. The reasons this is so, is beyond my comprehension. Nigeria is a unique place and compares with no other. Rather than influence positively, it has an uncanny way of “denting” the universe. Instances abound how we have made mince meat of all projections in the past. The results are exactly what we are indirectly suffering today. When truth is subverted on the altar of selfishness, so that people will have their way at all cost, the similitude of success obtained through such processes never lasts. The joy is usually short-lived. There is nowhere the above is appropriately captured like the Nigerian Football, which has been crisis-ridden. The crisis began when our administrators murdered sleep, simply because they disliked the face of one man called Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima. Galadima was well-known for his pristine and conservative mien. He worked assiduously to organise the most transparent and peaceful elections in the history of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, in Kano, presided over by Nduka Irabor. But the then powers-that-be felt otherwise simply because the man was considered to be too independent minded to kowtow to instructions from above. The

election was thereafter annulled in broad daylight to the chagrin of all. Was that election allowed to stand, it would have ushered in the much sort-after independence for the nation’s football, and in the process would severe it from the umbilical cord of the federal government. Apparently aided by the then sports apparatchik, the nation embarked on an exercise that turned out to be the nation’s Achilles heels and signaled the creation of an amorphous “stakeholders forum.” The government created the so-called forum as a smokescreen to chase the legitimately elected board of the Federation under the leadership of Alhaji Galadima out of office. The forum was “officially” presented to FIFA by government as the legitimate owners of the game in Nigeria. Unfortunately, that contraption created by some desperate government agents, has hijacked Nigerian Football since 2006 for no other purpose than selfish ends. Their grip on the soul of the nation’s football ever since then has remained legendary and their desperation comparable to nothing. They are prepared to go any length even if it means pulling down the house, to defend their hold, even when they have little or nothing at stake. A cursory look at these characters shows that only about 5percent of the lot truly have stake in Nigerian football, the rest are nothing but hangers-on.

EPL Results Stoke City 1 - 1 Man United Aston Villa 0 - 0 C/Palace Hull City 2 - 0 Everton Liverpool 2 - 2 Leicester City Man City 3 - 2 Sunderland Newcastle 3 - 3 Burnley QPR 1 - 1 Swansea City Southampton 2 - 0 Arsenal West Ham 1 - 1 West Brom

earlier invited had sent a message that he was nursing an injury. He reiterated that only 19 players will be taken to Abu Dhabi from the 24 players currently sweating it out for shirts. Eduok, himself said his trip to Tunisia was a huge success but he would still need proper clearance from his parent club, Dolphins FC, after the two friendly games against Cote D’Ivoire and Sudan. “The trip was okay, I have done my medicals and concluded terms with my new club but Dolphins will still have to clear me after our friendly games,” he said.

joebooster391@yahoo.com

The government created the socalled forum as a smokescreen to chase the legitimately elected board of the Federation under the leadership of Alhaji Galadima out of office They contribute nothing towards the advancement of the game, but feed fat on it. They have no clubs; make no contributions in any way towards sponsoring any of the national teams for any game. They do not even openly identify one way or the other with any club financially or otherwise. Ironically, majority of them being hangers-on, and having either served as team managers or fans at one point or the other, consider themselves

JOE BOOSTER

qualified to be stakeholders in Nigerian football and must have their hands on the pie. They are usually the first to line up for any international trips involving the national team, with all expenses paid, simply because they are idle. They are the ones that sow the seed of discord in most of our national teams as they peddle information that are highly divisive. Their presence creates an atmosphere of chaos. They intimidate and cajole elected officials to accord them undeserved respect and favour. Since majority of them have found their way into the federation’s board through “chimpanzee politics,” they are therefore a cartel that has been rotating them as leaders. They have nothing to add to the Nigerian football other than their nuisance value. This is evident from the fact that every election year, they tow establish path, threatening every one with FIFA ban. In most cases, because they are very close to the corridors of power in FIFA, they are either aided by friends in Zurich or manufacture their own letters threatening and blackmailing unsuspecting government to

Emmanuel Tobi

Quadri

frica table tennis champion, Aruna Quadri, has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to end the dominance of Egypt at the International Table Tennis Federation Africa Senior Championships billed for January 23 to 29 in Cairo. The Portugal-based player is hoping to repeat the 2014 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup feat where he defeated Egypt’s duo

of Omar Assar and ElSayed Lashin to clinch the title. “As a member of Nigerian team, I am looking forward to a better outing in Cairo. Egypt has been ruling Africa for years now and our men and women’s team are looking forward to stoping the Egyptian dominance. I never won the African championships individual event in my career and winning it will make me happy in January and I seriously believe it’s possible and God

will help me as am working harder for the war in Cairo,” he enthused. He however warned that other countries would also pose as threat to Nigeria as they are poised to halt the reign of the Egyptians who had been dominating the tournament in the last five years. “Also, the Tunisians and Algerians including the Congolese are not push over but we see these teams as a lesser threat to our campaign in Cairo,” he added.

Lampard inspires City,as Arsenal fumble A rsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United opened 2015 with characteristic collapses. Only defending champions Man City, though, had the quality to recover to put their title defence back on track.

Kano Pillars sack 10 players

07039241156 (sms only)

tow their path or risks “FIFA ban.” They are impudent and fear no foe. To them, they can afford to crash the house simply because they have no stake in it. The series of election crises spearheaded by this group and their acolytes have inflicted untold hardship, and the crippling effect on the overall administration of football cannot be quantified. The Sani Lulu and Aminu Maigari’s regimes paid their prize via difficult qualifications to major competitions. We must not continue like this, since the administrative lapses left behind of late, culminated in the resultant inferno that engulfed the Glass House building, yet up till now nobody is held accountable for the recklessness. In addition, the toll on us all as a nation every election year has gone beyond the mere politics of who gets a hand on the pie. The brouhaha that eventually produced Pinnick Amaju, as the federations chairman costs Nigeria the 2015 African Cup of Nation’s ticket. It is unthinkable that while other national teams will be busy in Equatorial Guinea slugging it out, the Super Eagles will be under the weather. The recurring crisis in Nigerian football therefore calls for a total re-examination and a complete redefinition of who a genuine football stakeholder is. This can be done when regular check off dues are paid either monthly or annually to qualify them to stand elections in future. Enough of their debilitating effect, what else.

Egypt can’t stop us, says Quadri

Eduok hits Eagles Camp, ready for CIV, Sudan

olphins of Port Harcourt hotshot, Emem Eduok, who is reportedly heading for a Tunisian side in the January transfer window has boosted the Super Eagles with his arrival in camp from Tunisia on Thursday morning. Though, he missed the morning training, he was at the evening session at the Abuja National Stadium under the watchful eyes of Assistant Coach, Dan ‘The Bull’ Amokachi. The former power playing Everton of England forward said with the arrival of Eduok, the team was not expecting any other player as Godwin Igudia

Around the Stadia

hampions Kano Pillars have released 10 players ahead of the new season. AfricanFootball.com learnt that some the players laid off are Nazifi Ammani, Bello Musa Kofarmata, Kingsley Udoh and Kabiru Umar. Fullback Ammani has endured long-term injuries in the last two seasons, same as for-

mer Enugu Rangers and Heartland striker Kabiru Umar. Pillars, who will represent Nigeria in the 2015 CAF Champions League alongside Enyimba, have signed several other players including Nasarawa winger Tony Edjomareigwe, Samuel Tswanya from Bayelsa United and Christian Obiozor of Enugu Rangers.

That piece of quality came from Frank Lampard, who clinched second-place City’s 3-2 victory over Sunderland to avoid a second 2-2 draw against a struggling team in a week. And it showed just how important it was for City late on New Year’s Eve to secure Lampard until the end of the Premier League season rather than returning to sister club New York City FC to start the Major League Soccer campaign in March. Arsenal and Liverpool are just fighting, and struggling, to make the top four. Southampton remain fourth after beating Arsenal 2-0, and Liverpool threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with bottom-placed Leicester.

Lampard

SPORT 53

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Memorable sport images in 2014 (1)

Blessing Okagbare... won 100m and 200m at the C’Wealth Games

Kobe Bryant... erased Michael Jordan’s scoring record

Super Eagles... after crashing out of AFCON 2015

Super Falcons... with the AWC trophy won in Namibia

Amaju Pinnick...after emerging the NFF President

Enyimba... the 2014 Federation Cup champions

Falconets... won silver at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

Real Madrid... after winning the 2014 UEFA Champions League

Emem Edouk scored 20 and Mfon Udoh scored 23 goals in the NPFL

Odunayo Adekuoroye...won wrestling gold at the 2014 CommonWealth Games

Keshi... reacting to Eagles’ woeful performance

Road safety officers helping during the fire accident that engulfed the NFF office in Abuja

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NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

On Marble

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

Willing is not enough, we must do.

Carl Djerassi:

– Winston Churchill

Developed the contraceptive pill (1951)

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Transforming the economy to achieve zero net emissions GUEST COLUMNIST Jim Yong Kim

n a year’s time, the international community will have the opportunity to send a clear signal that we, as a global community, are determined to manage our economies to achieve zero net emissions before the year 2100. Every country finds itself at a different point in the development journey. Therefore, the pace and rhythm of their emissions reductions and investments in adaptation will vary. Nonetheless, we have the opportunity in Paris to make clear our collective ambition. That ambition can be translated into long-term demand for clean growth and an increased commitment to adaptation. The higher the ambition, the greater the demand will be for programmes and projects that will transform economies. Higher ambition will also send a strong message to investors – public and private, domestic and foreign – about the demand and profitability of long-term investments in clean energy and transport systems, sustainable agriculture and forestry, and new resource efficient products. To achieve that, agreements at the 21st Conference of the Parties must include: 1. Binding language that should reinforce our collective ambition and provide a clear pathway to zero net emissions before 2100. 2. Individual country contributions with policy packages that should comprehensively address how to use all available fiscal and macroeconomic policy levers to get prices right, increase efficiency, and incentivize de-carbonization, as well as address resilience. 3. A financial package that recognizes that public development funds and climate finance should be used to catalyze innovative financing for adaptation and mitigation. Financial flows cannot reach the levels we need in the necessary timeframe without some form of networked carbon market based on the market mechanisms, taxes and enabling environments we are beginning to see introduced around the world. 4. And finally, working coalitions of private enterprises, countries, cities and civil society organizations moving forward where their interests are aligned. Unlike treaties of the past, the Paris agreement needs to speak as loudly of economic transformation as it does of pollution or carbon emissions targets. Let me now say a few words about what we consider effective management of the economy with respect to climate change, and what we hope to see in INDCs – the “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions” that will set out each country’s commitment for Paris and beyond. We understand that many of our clients still face huge development

Jim Yong Kim

challenges, and that many countries will reach their own peak emissions at different moments. Managing their economies to ensure that they can, for example, decarbonize their energy sectors over time, while having the energy they need for development, constitutes a challenge no developed country had to face as it was industrializing. Nevertheless, every country, no matter its stage of development, can strive to effectively manage its economy, and to decarbonize while also ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity. At a minimum, this means: strong policy signals that make clear the long term goals; carbon pricing; appropriate energy prices linked to efficiency standards; and removing subsidies that are harmful, including fossil fuel subsidies. All countries should commit to put a price on carbon. It’s a necessary, if not sufficient, step in any journey to zero net emissions. Effective prices on carbon can be discovered by taxes, market mechanisms or regulation. Whichever option a country, region or city chooses, a carbon price makes the pollution we don’t want more expensive, and incentivizes efficiency and clean production. Carbon pricing can raise revenues and these added resources can be used to generate more economic and social benefits. We can do this by, for example: moving from “taxing the goods” to “taxing the bads”; by using carbon tax revenue to reduce labor and investment taxes, and to encourage job creation and economic development; or by supporting innovation and the development of green technologies through research and development subsidies. The example of British Columbia is one of the most powerful. Its carbon price mechanism is neutral to the tax payer – it’s not an increase in tax. The government promised households it would not impact their overall house-

hold tax rate. As the carbon tax was introduced, taxes on labor were reduced. Introduced at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, the carbon tax has risen from 10 Canadian dollars per ton to 30 Canadian dollars per ton today. During this period, the tax has reduced emissions and provided a net benefit to tax payers of 300 million Canadian dollars in personal and business tax cuts. It’s worth noting that British Columbia’s GDP has outperformed the rest of Canada’s after introduction of the tax. But carbon pricing alone is not enough. Other instruments need to be mobilized in parallel to redirect investments toward clean technologies and sectors. Stepping up drivers of energy efficiency is an obvious win-win that can deliver savings for consumers and benefits in better air quality and lower emissions. Strengthened performance standards can help achieve efficiency gains in appliances, buildings, transport and industry. Such energy efficiency measures have the potential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 gigatons by 2020. In addition, specific efforts are needed to scale up renewable energy and develop carbon capture and sequestration technology, at a pace that will allow us to reach carbon neutrality by the end of the century. Investment in infrastructure will also be required. The electricity grids in many countries can, with upgrades, achieve much higher rates of efficiency – a huge opportunity for example in India –and allow renewables to be grid connected. Just this year, once the appropriate regulatory reform and grid development had taken place, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation, financed the first grid connected solar power plant in the Philippines. Public transit investments are also urgently needed in the rapidly growing cities of the developing world to avoid locking them into inefficient and polluting patterns. Removing harmful fossil fuel subsidies is overdue. Today there are $500 billion dollars in direct harmful fossil fuel subsidies that primarily benefit the better off while doing nothing to help the poor and the environment. These funds can be better used to invest in resilience, health or education, or to subsidize technologies that can reduce emissions. Removing subsidies has sat in the “too politically difficult” basket by leaders’ desks for too long. Countries such as Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Mexico are showing that phasing out fossil fuel subsidies can be successful, and benefit the poor, when they are combined with improved safety nets and targeted cash transfers. A policy package that includes these components would give credibility to the transition, and provide the confidence and predictability that all investors and consumers need to change their choices and behaviors. Including these in INDCs—the in-

dividual country contributions—would demonstrate the commitment of every country to play its part to move toward a global carbon-free economy. It would also lay the pathway for essential work before the INDCs come into effect in 2020. Effective management of the economy also means finding ways to invest more in resilience. The contributions of countries, then, must also address adaptation. Governments must implement the policies needed to strengthen resilience and ensure that development takes into account climate risks. A central government’s support and encouragement for cities to transform themselves into being cleaner and more livable, can bring huge rewards. Rapidly growing cities can implement urban planning that drives new development toward safe locations and, in their transport planning, improve resilience and achieve competitiveness at the same time. And finally, we would hope that INDCs will lay out clear policy frameworks for how forestry and agriculture can achieve the needs of nutrition and food security, support of rural livelihoods, and reduced emissions from land use. If countries can offer such comprehensive contributions, the signal to economic actors will be strong. But for these efforts to coalesce and bring us to zero net emissions, we will have to find sufficient financing. The strong demand from investors for appropriately-structured green, climate-friendly investments, is reflected in the speed at which investors have responded to the growing green bond market. About $35 billion dollars in green bonds have been issued so far this year, and a robust, liquid, green credit market is taking shape. The World Bank Group has taken major steps this year by introducing climate and disaster risk screening in our lending in IDA countries (IDA is the International Development Association, our fund for the poorest countries). We have also developed multi-sectoral adaptation plans, to begin with, in 25 IDA countries. If they are found to be helpful, we will expand the initiative. It is our hope that countries could use such adaptation planning, done under IDA, to effectively develop their pipelines for the Green Climate Fund. The economics of resilience are compelling. For every dollar invested in resilience, we can save $4 dollars in the cost of relief. For every dollar invested in early warning, we can save up to $30 dollars in reconstruction. The costs of inaction are rising. Today, I am sending a signal of my own – as the head of the World Bank Group: I will drive our institution and all its capabilities – financial, technical and human – to support this development transition that we must support together, toward the goal of preserving our planet for all future generations. • Kim is the World Bank Group President

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