22nd dec by Newtelegraphonline

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SATURDAY

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS /newtelegraph

Vol. 1 No. 308

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

Corruption: Why we are slow, by EFCC

World Bank boosts power sector with $1.75bn N

igeria's power sector got a lift yesterday with a pledge by the World Bank to com-

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

mit $1.75 billion, over the next four years, to support reform in the industry. The bank’s Country

Energy Task Team Leader for Nigeria, Mr. Eric Fernstrom, said at a capacity CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

N150

NEW TELEG

RAPH TUESD AY, DECEM

Paradigm

UK don advo shift from cates paradigm oil to agric

BER 23, 2014

Research

NUC, minis try endorse research MoU on regulation

Education

Stakehold ers vote fo r REVIEW

Key stak ehol tertiary insti ders in the tutions, last week gath ered at a oneday forum to review the activities of the Terti ary Education Trust Fund (TETFund ) and how to improve managem ent and distr ibuti to revitalise on of funds the tertiary educ nation’s ation syst em.

Page 23 TETFund

Mojeed Alab i

or one-d ay stakehold , last week, key tion, highers in the naer educ sub-s ation governmen ector, inclu ding top t officials, ers and polic capta by the Exec ins of indu y makstry Tertiary utive Secretary , led (TETFundEducation Trus of the Island to ), converged ont Fund review the Lagos funding profile of activities and tions in the coun tertiary institutry. The annu L-R: Mrs. Lulabuka, al TETF ers’ Foru Prof Bogor m, amon und Tax Payo and Mr. an aven g others, Kalu at the ue TETFund between for formal intercreated tiary Taxpayers’ education TETFund action forum. ised priva system, and the turned strengthente sector with a organ- ment out to be an open however, of TETF the Educ ing partnershi view to stake und, descrendorseholde ps country ation Tax-Payers with has ever rs as the best ibed by PHOTO: SULEIM opinion . of thing in the happened AN HUSSIA is critical the Board of Trus education The one-d NI to the natiothat ay secto parle n’s place at provementand essential for tees, terve This year’ r. the Exter y, which took ntion in s event, Federal nance of of quality and the im- stitut nal Ball public tertia which was Palace ions in the mainteRoom, the second in ry inIsland, Lago Hotel, Victo educationstandards in the the serie huge impr s, was a higher funding and effectcountry through al instit s, offered ovem ria for whic utions. While settin agement, ive a platform edition, with ent over the h Bogoro, project mang the tone ened on tax-payers were large turn 2013 parley, TETF stakehold enlig the trend of the the plan to cons who spoke on und Tax (ET) retary, of Educ ht- sentatives ers including out of Prof. SuleiExecutive Sec- agency’s achie olidate on repreof vario pact on collections and ation mana the recounted veme man Fund us nts, comp the tertia gers ’s five-year Bogoro, its imsaid the anies, of highe developme the agen the achieveme ry instit visio at impr r instit ution’s governmental cy over nt. nts of oving acad n was aimed the that the and non-g utions, mental This emic conte allocation years, noting and quality to agen originallyyear’s Forum, institutio achieve nt tives from cies and repreovernto bene Towa excellence senta If there other coun mitted andwas to reward which as Tanz siderably ns has increasedfiting the Depards this end, he 100 tries such. noted that. ania. rtments con- Deve panies in loyal registered comanything is Bogoro, of Resea Estab lopm rch and we per cent the country, whos com- agency lished as an inter rum woul who hinted that cellence ent and Cent of getting righ are been commassessable profi e two Terti under the TETF vention ent the d avail the Fund the fo- Fund had been creat res of Exary Educ utilisation ts have as part und Act ed in TETto presitted to ation tion Tax the educati t in (Esta revitalise of the “The main of the vision. on ter- Terti blishment, etc) Trust Fund on and prog intervention Educa- tutio objective Act of 2011, ary Educ nalis projects sector, it is to instie resea ation Trus institutiorammes across was charg is tertiary ment in tertia rch and devel t ed with establish the optold stake ns in the coun ry insti ity for mana supportin the respo Fund try tutio holde , men nsibi also g estab ns by rs that of highe t monitorin ging, disbursing llishm r institution the number operations of g the educ TETFund of bene and research ent and public tertia these s of learn fittin ation tax outpu ing boss institutions,” ry instit terventiong from the TETF country utions in to the TETFts in added. . the und dously in had increased und inThe mand Bogoro, trem the ate of the cifically According past few years en- cess of the who credited Fund KAYODE is . the sucto the Secretary maintenan for the provision speOLANREW tract-awar agency to its Exec AJU EDITOR, institution, over 180 public utive that part ding status, non-concal infra ce of essential and EDUC tertiary explained physikayode olanre ATION ting from s are currently and learnstructure for teach sure prudof its mandates newtelegraph waju@ bene is to enence and ing tion, as the TETFund inter fit- of the terials anding; instructio online.com accou again bene nal ntabi venst 157 bene fittin © Daily Telegra in 2010. and publi equipment; reseamaTETFund, g institution lity ficiaries ph Publis cation. rch s. he stres hing Compa In his analy not dicta Others sed woul ny Limited te are sis, what out that d academic training proje allocationBogoro pointed ciaries of its and interventict benefiuniversit as any otherdevelopment; staff to each should need whic as well from N303y in the countrypublic noted do with their on funds funds, but h, in the N912 milli million in 2010 grew sists that the Fund that alwa to about on With the in 2014. the utilis projects prop ys inosed for ation of mission focused the inter and trans to provide should relate vention directly formative to the core in-

EIGHT pages of EDUCATION

Ex-Army chief sues B'Haram negotiator CONT INUED

ON PAGE 31

lGen. Ihejirika demands N100bn from Davis for libel

Quick Read

Editorial

Cheerless dance from DISCOs }19 NITEL liabilities hit N300bn, says BPE }7 'APC not threatened by PDP's N21bn war chest' }6

Travel Advisory Your guide to local and international flights 4

Travellers at Jibowu bus station in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

Police beef up security for Xmas lBoko Haram kills 20 in Gombe Emmanuel Onani and Ben Ngwakwe

he police have beefed up security nationwide to ensure Nigerians celebrate

Christmas and New Year devoid of violence. The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman

Abba, assured the people that adequate security will be provided for citizens during and after the

Christmas celebrations. Abba gave the assurances on a day suspected Boko CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

News

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ex-Army chief sues B'Haram negotiator Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, yesterday sued Australian hostage negotiator, Dr Stephen Davis, who accused

him of sponsoring Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East for N100 billion. Ihejirika, in a libel suit filed before an Abuja High Court by his team of counsel led by Chief Nnoruka Udechukwu, is demanding the sum for aggravated damages for defamation.

In an affidavit he deposed to in support of his suit, the former army chief said as a result of the libelous statement in question, he had suffered grievous wrong and he had been exposed to scandal, odium, ridicule, humiliation and his character, credit and reputation brought into

disrepute, both in Nigeria and abroad. After securing an order of court to serve the process abroad, his counsel have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable them to serve Davis who lives in Perth, Australia with the court's processes.

Australia and Nigeria are members of the Commonwealth and a special procedure applies when serving court processes on defendant residing in a country that is a member of the Commonwealth other than the country where the writ is issued. Apart from the N100

L-R: Executive Director, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs. Ibiye Hong; Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Tony Okpanachi; Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BOI), Mr. Rasheed OlaOluwa and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, UBA Plc, Mr. Uche Ike, after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with banks in Lagos… yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Again, PDP accuses APC of sponsoring insurgency lStop lamentation, Mohammed replies Metuh

Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has restated its earlier stand that the All Progressive Congress (APC) and its leaders are responsible for the spate of insurgency in the country. The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, yesterday recalled the alleged inciting utterances of APC leaders, including its presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, which it said fuelled terrorism. It noted that by going to the international media recently to distance themselves from complicity and turning round to blame the PDP, the APC wants Nigerians to forget the barrage of statements by its leaders that promoted insurgency in the country. “Nigerians have not forgotten the spontaneous violence and mayhem on innocent citizens following inciting statements by Buhari and other APC leaders then in the defunct CPC, upon losing the 2011 presidential election," Metuh

stated. He described as funny the claim by APC that Buhari will bring insurgency to an end in matter of weeks if he wins the 2015 presidential election through the use of force, but later turned round to play the card of dialogue. “Ironically, for over a year of General Buhari’s draconian rule in the 1980s and even now in pretended love for democracy, the General is never known to be amenable to any form of dialogue. So, where will this hyped Midas touch on dialogue come from? “Well-meaning Nigerians appreciate the way and manner the Jonathan administration is confronting insurgency using dialogue and military option. Twice, the Council of State has appraised and endorsed this approach despite spirited efforts by the opposition to distract the president and demoralise our security forces," the party stated. But the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told PDP to stop lamenting over its accusation that the opposition party is behind insurgency. “The truth is that we

have a presidency that is not competent enough to address the security challenges in the country. If they said APC is responsible for insurgency, what have they done to rein in the sponsors? Do APC members have immunity from arrest and prosecution? The truth is that they have failed in their responsibilities to protect Nigerians,” he told New Telegraph. In another development, the PDP has hit hard on the APC, describing its presidential candidate, Buhari as a "perennial candidate." "The next election is going to be between darkness and light; Nigeria cannot afford to go back; we will continue to move forward," PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, said yesterday. PDP stated that the former Head of State was not a match for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general election. "We have beaten him three times; we are going to beat him once again," the party stated. This is the fourth time Buhari will be running for the presidency under dif-

ferent political platforms. He contested on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in 2003 and 2007 while he was the flag bearer of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Oladipo, who spoke when he received chairmen of PDP foreign chapters, said APC is not a political party that is ready to offer an alternative to Nigerians. "The only agenda they seem to have is to see our back, but I know that God loves this country so much. God has decided that this country will remain indivisible and has decided that this country will continue to wax stronger. This country will not go back to 1983 where we will start doing trade by barter with Brazil. "God has decreed it that we continue to pilot the affairs of this country and continue to implement the transformation agenda," Oladipo added. The PDP scribe said the party did not belong to any religious organisation or ethnic group. He equally told the foreign chapter chairmen that they would be called

upon to enlighten Nigerians on the programmes of the PDP wherever they reside in the world. "You have a role to play in reaching the world today. It is no longer paper posters alone; we need visual posters to reach people. Of course, APC is there propagating negative about our country, ignoring all the positive aspects of our nation, we are going to call on you to counter this," Oladipo said. The PDP foreign representatives proposed to the PDP leadership the need to have an e-campaign committee. This, according to some of them, was necessary because virtual posters, not paper posters alone, were needed to reach the world. Mr. Chukwuma Obidike, representing the United Kingdom chapter of the PDP, said the opposition parties were propagating negativity about the party and the country. He added that PDP foreign chapters would do everything possible to correct such negative propaganda by putting the achievements of the PDPFederal Government on the internet.

billion damages, Ihejirika is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Davis or his agents from further making defamatory comments about him. He also wants an order for the defendant to publish forthwith retraction and apology in the front page of national newspapers to assuage the plaintiff for the said false malicious and libelous publication. Ihejirika averred that he retired meritoriously from the military after a successful career and that he served the army without blemish. He also averred that on or about August 28, 2014, the defendant granted an interview to Arise TV, a New York-based broadcast station, which broadcast to Nigeria via the Internet, and subsequently published by numerous newspapers and media houses wherein Davis, when asked by his interviewer to name the sponsors of Boko Haram in Nigeria, falsely and maliciously spoke of the plaintiff in the following words: "There is the former Chief of Army Staff, retired January, or actually sacked by the president, he is another sponsor. I could give you the names if you like and it is in fact Boko Haram senior commanders who have been naming them." Ihejirika said the spoken words and publication in their ordinary meaning were understood by reasonable members of the society to mean that he sponsored Boko Haram, a terrorist sect to wage war, insurrection or insurgency against Nigeria. He also noted that the publication implied that he did not retire, but was sacked by President Goodluck Jonathan and that he had committed treason or treasonable felony. He said those who listened to the broadcast believed that he had conducted himself in a manner tantamount to a breach of his oath of allegiance and service as a soldier and a senior officer in the Nigerian Army. The libel suit is coming about a week after the Department of State Service (DSS) paraded seven men, including Junaid Idrissa Khadi, a former special adviser to the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, for impersonating Boko Haram negotiators. They were said to have been the ones that supplied Davis the information that Ihejirika and Shettima's predecessor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, were Boko Haram's sponsors.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Travel Advisory

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 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-New York New York-Lagos Lagos-Abuja-Dubai Dubai-Abuja-Lagos Johannesburg-Lagos Lagos-Johannesburg Lagos-London London-Lagos

W3 107 W3 108 W3 105 W3 106 W3 738 W3 737 W3 344 W3 345

23:35hrs 12:00hrs 9:40pm 12:10pm 09:35hrs 01:00 hrs 12:45hrs 21:30hrs

05:30hrs 16:00hrs 5.40:hrs 17:10pm 14:44hrs 08:05hrs 18:30hrs 05:15hrs

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

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

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

BRITISH AIRWAYS

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

QATAR AIRWAYS DELTA 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

air maroc

Lagos-Houston Houston-Lagos

UA 143 UA 142

10:10hrs 19:10hrs

6:05hrs 15.15hrs

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

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

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)

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-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

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ETIHAD AIRWAYS

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

UNITED AIRLINES

IBERIA

ASKY AIRLINES

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. Wherever you fly and whichever airline you fly with, it’s easy to earn miles. You only need one frequent flyer card to collect miles from either airline – the ShebaMiles Membership Card. It couldn’t be easier to build your miles and start enjoying all the benefits of ShebaMiles and its partner network wherever you are in the world.

Mile Registration Registering ShebaMiles Membership Number on ASKY flight is simple. Members need to advice Reservation Registration Center that they are a member of Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles Frequent Flyer Program, at the time of flight reservation. They need to prompt the reservation center to record the membership number on flight reservations made for ASKY, with Full Name as per Name on Passport coinciding with the Full Name on the ShebaMiles Membership Account and ShebaMiles Membership Number.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Saudi tells Nigeria, others to cut oil output Adeola Yusuf

orld biggest oil producer, Saudi Arabia, has told Nigeria and other oil producers to feel free to cut their output if they so wished, declaring that it will maintain its produc-

tion quota. Nigeria, Africa's biggest crude exporter produces an average of 2.3 million barrels oil equivalent per day (mboe) and exports 1.8mboe quota into the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) market. The price of Brent

crude, Nigeria’s top brand, had nose-dived by 50 per cent since June to about $60.71 per barrel, putting the country’s economy into jeopardy. This has led to stocks’ sell-off by foreign investors and compelled Nigeria to devalue her currency, raise interest rates, cut

Dukku bus station after the Boko Haram attack on Gombe…yesterday.

growth forecast, as well as slash the 2015 budget. OPEC has overlooked pressure on it to cut production, as it retained its over 30 million barrels per day quota at its last meeting. OPEC has 12-member countries namely Nigeria, Algeria, Angola,

Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Libya. Others are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. While the United States, Russia and other countries see Saudi Arabia as the ring leader in the OPEC's decision to retain quota, the coun-

PHOTO: NAN

New electricity tariff take off today CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

building programme on Post Privatisation Monitoring for the Power Sector, jointly organised by the multilateral financial institution and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in Uyo, that the $1.75 billion was 25 per cent of a total of $7 billion earmarked for Nigeria in the next four years. According to him, the bank is encouraged to offer the additional assistance to ensure that the reform objectives are realised as a result of the transparency exhibited in the transaction process and the robust post reform measures put in place by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and BPE. He made the commitment just as the Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is set to release today a new regime of electricity tariff for consumers. The two-day workshop on power reform, held in Uyo sought to expose par-

ticipants to the techniques, methods and information sources for effective postprivatisation monitoring and evaluation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) successor-companies. The workshop was also meant to enable participants analyse performance targets using relevant tools as well as expose them to strategies for effective engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders. BPE Director General, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, represented by Director of PostPrivatisation Monitoring Department, Mr. Ibrahim Kashim, said the workshop had increased the capacity of the participants to effectively monitor power companies. Also yesterday, NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the commission was ready to release the new electricity tariff today. Although he declined to give details of the new tariff structure, he said one

of its key provisions was that residential consumers would be shielded against tariff increment for six months. Amadi spoke in Abuja at a signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on power spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and stakeholders in power sector. Amadi said: “While we ensure that tariff is cost reflective, it will not constitute a burden on consumers. For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no increase for residential consumers for at least six months until we begin to see improvement. We expect that with more gas coming to the power plant because of these facilities and other interventions, in the next two three months, there will be increase in capacity, there will be more reliability and the metering plan that is ongoing. We will be able to ensure that consumers will be much more comfortable.

NERC will ensure that we will approve the tariff by tomorrow (today) which is already well known to the CBN and the transaction advisers as well as the participants from the Deposit Money Banks. That tariff is guaranteed, it is going to come into effect by tomorrow”. Earlier, CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had recalled that the MoU was to seal an earlier agreement that was conceptualised last month by stakeholders, including the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Power, gas operators, Gencos and Discos and the banks aimed at finding efficient ways of providing stable power supply to both residential consumers and manufacturers. Yesterday’s MoU was a follow-up to the November pact with power firms for the provision of N213 billion loan under the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility. "Basically, the MoU is between us and those who

supply this electricity for our consumption. We are taking this bold step at this stage now to get the banks who themselves act as channels through which this fund will be paid to the Discos and the Gencos and the gas suppliers to come in to also sign their MoU,” he said. Emefiele described the occasion as a bold step that further demonstrates the banking sector's commitment towards supporting government’s efforts at resolving the power problem. “I must commend Nigerian banks for having done an excellent job this time by taking the bold step to fund the Gencos as well as the Discos in their assets as well as acquisition project. I am aware that the Nigerian banks are the creditors of these institutions. This further demonstrates the commitment of the banking industry to continue to support the growth of the power sector in Nigeria," he added.

try and the United Arab Emirates yesterday reiterated pledges to keep pumping the same amount of crude. Suppliers from outside the OPEC should cut “irresponsible” output, United Arab Emirate (U.A.E.) Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said in Abu Dhabi. Even if non-OPEC producers were to offer cuts, OPEC probably wouldn’t follow suit, Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said. The two countries account for about 40 per cent of OPEC supply. The two gulf countries blamed non-OPEC producers for the glut of oil that’s driven prices to the lowest in five years. Oil, which has tumbled by some 50 per cent since June, fell about 20 per cent since OPEC chose to maintain its production target at a November 27th meeting, seeking to defend market share rather than prices. The highest US crude output in at least three decades is contributing to a glut that Qatar estimates at 2 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia is confident prices will rebound as economic growth boosts demand and “inefficient producers” trim output, Al-Naimi said. “OPEC’s recent decision to leave production targets unchanged now places greater pressure on non-OPEC output to rebalance an oversupplied market,” analysts from ANZ Banking Group Ltd. including Melbourne-based Mark Pervan wrote in an emailed report. “Expanded production by all OPEC members next year would likely cause sharper falls in prices.” OPEC produced more than its 30 million-barrel daily target in each of the past six months, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Non-OPEC production will expand 2.3 per cent next year to 57.84 million barrels a day after climbing 3.5 per cent this year, the International Energy Agency forecast in a December 12 report. “Irresponsible production from outside OPEC is behind the fall in prices,” Mazrouei said. “We call on all other producers to stop the increase.” The increase in demand was also less than expected, at about 700,000 barrels a day instead of the 1.2 million barrels projected, Al-Naimi said. “The oil market will recover,” he said. “Fossil fuel will remain the main source of energy for decades to come.”

News

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC not threatened by PDP's N21bn war chest –Shuaibu Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that it is not threatened by the N21 billion raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for its 2015 campaign. Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, in an interview with journalists in Abuja called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the provisions of the Electoral Act on donations made by individuals and corporate bodies to the campaign funds of political parties. He said: “We don’t match fraud with a fraud. If INEC is serious about the enforcement of the Electoral Act, the first thing INEC will do is that every individual that made a pledge at the fund raising, must demand for receipt after payment and that individual or organisation must show INEC the source of that money. "This is the law. We are talking about the law, the rule of law. The Electoral Act is very clear about this thing. When a

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governor said he has donated N1 billion, fine, but he can’t donate from the government coffers. “We must know the source of that money. If the money comes from the government account, then INEC has the responsibil-

ity to sanction the PDP or sanction even the individual who stole government’s money and donate for political campaigns.” The APC deputy chairman stated that the APC will publish names of donors who contribute to

its campaign fund raising and will not accept anonymous donations to ensure transparency. “In our own case, we wanted to do fund raising and I am telling you our fund raising is going to be very transparent because

whoever donates, we are going to publish. We are going to publish all donors to our fund raising for presidential campaign so that the world would see. We will not accept anonymous donors. And then whoever brings in

money, it is for the world to know where this money is coming from. So, we don’t have any fear over the N21 billion raised by the PDP as far as there will be transparency as the law stipulates,” he added.

L-R: Managing Director, Mainstreet Bank Trustees and Asset Management Limited, Mrs. Oghogho Osula; Managing Director, UBA Trustees Limited, Ms. Tokunbo Ajayi; Managing Director, FBN Trustees Limited, Mr. Adekunle Awojobi; former President, Association of Corporate Trustees (ACT) and Group Chief Executive Officer, UBA Capital Plc, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni and ACT President/Managing Director, Skye Trustees Limited, Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo, during the send-forth organised for Sanni by the association, in Lagos...at the weekend

Police beef up security for Xmas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Haram militants killed at least 20 people in a bomb attack in a bus station in Gombe. The IG, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, directed zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and state Commissioners of Police (CPs) to ensure "extended police visibility and patrols" in their respective areas of jurisdiction. "The various striking units of the Force viz; Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, Counter Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordinance Department, Dog Section,

Mounted Troop have also been deployed as part of the water-tight security measures. The Police Air Wing will carry out air surveillance patrols while the Marine Police will ensure a sustained patrol of all water ways," the statement added. The police urged operators of public places to be vigilant and ensure they properly screen all visitors and users of their facilities to avoid terrorists from attacking them. The police warning was to forestall terror attacks on leisure spots during the yuletide by Boko Haram which yesterday killed 20 persons in Gombe. Sources said many others who sustained various

degrees of injury from the incident had been taking to Gombe State Specialist Hospital, Federal Teaching Hospital and private hospitals for treatment. Yesterday's bombing of the motor park was the second attack on the city's public transport system, coming after that of October in which triple bomb blasts at a bus stop killed at least 10 people. A report by AFP quoted the state Secretary for the Red Cross, Mr. Abubakar Yakubu Gombe, as saying his staff sent 20 body bags to the scene and "they have all been exhausted." But the police put the death toll at 19. "We are still looking for more bodies among

the carnage," Gombe told AFP, adding that another 18 people with "serious" injuries had been taken to hospital. The bomb was planted near a bus that was filling up with passengers, said Mato Yakubu of the National Orientation Agency (NOA). It was also learnt that the bodies of the terror victims had been deposited at the government hospitals prelude to proper identification and collection by bereaved families. When New Telegraph visited, rescue workers from the Red Cross Society and senior police personnel were scene trying to evacuate the bodies and rescued the injured. The attack incensed

youths who besieged the area and were armed with weapons. They disrupted rescue work by chasing away police and other officials. However, in order not to further aggravate the public angst, the police tactically withdrew their officers and men from the scene of the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Fwaje Atajiri, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who confirmed the incident put the death toll at 19 with 25 others injured. He said the police had cordoned off the area, adding that bodies of the victims have been taken to mortuary.

Boko Haram: Army warns officers, soldiers against misconduct Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he Nigerian Army has warned that any officer or soldier found to have breached the letter and spirit of its rules, will be punished appropriately, to serve as deterrent to others. Specifically, the Army warned its personnel pros-

ecuting the war against Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, to shun acts of indiscipline and other conducts that are at variance with service rules. In an interview with New Telegraph yesterday, the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig. Gen. Olajide Laleye, said the Army considers

discipline as the bedrock of its existence, and so, will do everything within the law, to guide and guard it. The Army spokesman was reacting to an online report, that a one-star General and other officers, may face a court-martial in Lagos. When New Telegraph sought his comment on the story, Laleye said he

was not aware of the development. He, however, noted: "All I do know is that the Nigerian Army will continue to discipline its officers and men, who go contrary to its rules and regulations, especially as it relates to the North East operation. "In that light, anybody who has defaulted or gone against the statutes of the

Army, will be tried in accordance with our laws; it doesn't matter whether you are a Brigadier General or not. "The Nigerian Army, will not compromise discipline, which is the bedrock of its existence," he stated. The Army recently sentenced 54 soldiers, who stood trial for mutiny, to death by firing squad.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Corruption: Why we are slow, by EFCC ANTI-GRAFT WAR

Nigerians' expectation from anti-graft body higher than its size and resources, says Lamorde

Emmanuel Onani ABUJA

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday gave reasons why the fight against corruption under its watch has been very slow. Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, observed that expectations of Nigerians from the antigraft agency, have since "outgrown" its size and resources. That was as he disclosed that some officers of the commission have been dismissed on account of misconduct, even as others are facing probes over unethical and unprofessional conducts. Lamorde spoke in Abuja, at the First EFCC Chairman's Recognition and Awards Ceremony, which held at the commission's Academy in

Karu. While noting that the commission was not oblivious of the expectations of the public, he, nonetheless, maintained that it will not disappoint on that score. He, therefore, pledged on behalf of the commission's board, management and staff, to build EFCC into an "agency of our collective dreams and aspirations, stressing that so far, the "EFCC has redefined for the better, the landscape of law enforcement not only in Nigeria, but also on the African continent." In order to sustain the vision of the commission, the anti-corruption commission boss, stated that high standards have been set for staff, both at the point of entry and in the course of performing their functions. His words: "Right from inception, the Commission took a conscious decision to be different; the challenge we threw to ourselves to chart a totally new part in law enforcement in Nigeria, could only be achieved by and through people. "The expectations of Nigerians from the Commission have not dimin-

ished over the years. If anything, they may have outgrown the size and resources of the EFCC. "Along with the Board, management and staff of the Commission, I am prepared to do whatever it would take to ensure that the EFCC we are building and will leave behind, will be the agency of our collective dreams and aspirations...," he said. The awards, which came in different categories, including Awards for Outstanding Performance; Ex-Staff Category, as well as that of Long Service, went to over 160 recipients. According to Lamorde, the award ceremony, was a platform to recognise the unwavering commitments of staff to the mandate of fighting economic and financial crimes. On the dismissal of some personnel, Lamorde noted: "We set up and fully equipped an Internal Affairs Department, to deal with those challenges that have to do with how officers relate with the stakeholders they meet, whether in the line of duty or off duty. "Consequently, hav-

TETfund condemns Boko Haram's attacks on educational institutions Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

s the insurgency, orchestrated by the Boko Haram sect continues in the North East region, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Professor Elias Bogoro has condemned the spate of attacks carried out by the group on educational institutions. Bogoro made the condemnation during a

courtesy call on him by a Civil Rights Organisation Group, National Association for Peaceful Elections in Nigeria (NAPEN) in Abuja yesterday. He said that the Fund was hopeful that the Safe School Initiative initiated recently by the Federal Government would help in making learning institutions in the North East safe for students and teachers. His words: "We are aware of how school children have been maimed and slaughtered literarily

in schools by insurgents and the midnight attacks being carried out on hapless and harmless children, it is unacceptable. The challenge of insecure schools in the North East today is a very serious issue. We cannot overlook it and turn our faces the other way. If it were possible that we can offer any measure of support to complement the pivotal role that Mr. President is undertaken through the Safe School Initiative of the president, it would be wonderful.

NITEL liabilities hit N300bn, says BPE T he Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has disclosed that the debt liabilities of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and its mobile subsidiary, the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTEL), are in excess of N300bn. The sale of the telecommunications firm to NATCOM Consortium was ratified by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) last week Friday. It was sold for $252 million. BPE’s Head of Public

Communications, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, disclosed the debt profile in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja. According to him, the BPE adopted guided liquidation for the sale of NITEL as a result of the huge debt profile. Also, Anichebe disclosed that a potential core investor, Arabian Amlak for Investment Limited, has dragged the privatisation agency to court over the sale of NITEL. Arabian Amlak for Investment Limited is led by General Abdullahi Mam-

man (rtd). The company said it offered $919,999,999 to buy NITEL and M-TEL as against NATCOM Consortium’s $252m, saying it was absurd to make sell the telecommunication firm to company with a lower offer. Speaking on the development, Anichebe said: “One corporate body by name of Arabian Amlak for Investment Limited has commenced a legal action challenging the current sale process based on its inadequate understanding of our processes."

ing gone through all necessary legal and administrative procedures, a few officers have been dismissed from service; some are being prosecuted for unethical and unprofessional conducts, while others are facing various milder forms of disciplinary measures." Earlier, a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), had argued that Nigeria was suffocating under the weight of corruption. Agabi, who delivered the Keynote Address, and under whose supervision as AGF the EFCC was established in 2003, said: "Nigeria has become a slave to corruption, and our duty is to purchase her freedom. "The enemy that the nation has, is corruption," Agabi submitted. In his Goodwill Message, the pioneer chairman of the commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, expressed appreciation to all staff, past public office holders, institutions and the media; all of whom he said, contributed to his achievements while in office.

Court shuns move to stop Niger PDP from submitting candidate's name Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday declined to restrain the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from submitting the name of Alhaji Umar Nasko as the party's gubernatorial candidate for Niger State. The court also refused the interlocutory injunction which sought to compel the PDP to submit the name of Engr Mu'azu Hanafi Sarkin Sudan as the validly elected gubernatorial candidate for the party in Niger State. A governorship aspirant, Sarkin Sudan, had approached the court via an ex-parte application seeking for a restraining order stopping the PDP from submitting the name of Nasko as the party's candidate. Those joined in the suit are the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu'azu, National Secretary, Prof Wole Oladipo and the Independant National Electoral Commission (INEC). In his ruling, the trial judge, Justice A.R Mohammed, refused the

plaintiff's motion for an interlocutory injunction. The court was of the view that the prayers were the same pleading made by the applicant in the substantive suit, stressing, "court should refrain from touching issues meant for trial at an interlocutory stage. "The court cannot grant the prayers at interlocutory stage without hearing the substantive matter", he held.. The court also admitted that time is of essence in the matter, and therefore ordered for accelerated hearing of the suit on a weekly basis. The time for exchange of processes was abridged by the court just as the defendants were given seven days to file their processes. The matter was later adjourned to January 8, 2015, for hearing of the substantive suit. Rather than issue an ex parte order in favour of the claimant/applicant (Sudan), the court however directed that the defendants be put on notice as well as ordering them to come and show cause while Sarkin Sudan's application should not be granted.

News

NATIONAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari endorses rules on election coverage Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

he All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage. Buhari's endorsement was contained in a statement issued by the Director, Media and Communication for the Buhari Campaign Organization, Mr. Dele Alake. The Media Code of Election Coverage included among others the need to educate the people on the electoral process, provide informed choices, treat journalists with respect and understanding. Also the Director, Media and Communication for the Campaign organization, declared the commitment of the organization to the highest standards of decency and probity in their campaign. According to him, the media and communication office, which was formally opened was to provide honest, credible and responsible information to the general public. Alake in his statement said, "While we congratulate the old media for the maturity and capacity displayed in

integrating new media and technologies into their operations, experience has shown that the traditional skill of gate keeping, crucial to the production of credible and accurate information has become a major challenge in the news dissemination process. "This is why we endorse Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and pledge to cooperate with all media stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the coverage, including the

need to educate the people on the electoral process, provide informed choices, treat journalists with respect and understanding, are attained. Since we cannot blame the messenger for the message, the situation calls for the exercise of strong restraint in the issuance of messages by all interested parties. We challenge our competitors and their sympathizers to produce and propagate only the messages that will enlighten and ennoble the process

of choosing the president of the world's most populous black nation. "We, at the Buhari Campaign Organisation, hereby pledge to conduct a campaign focused on the issues which will qualitatively uplift the average Nigerian from poverty to prosperity and bring hope to a populace seeking refuge from uncertainty. The issues of electricity generation and distribution, poverty elimination, eradication of corruption, mass employment and security

of lives and property are going to form the focal points of our campaign. "These issues have no ethnic colour. Poverty afflicts the old and the young. Unemployment has no political affiliation. Insecurity damages the economy precariously. Insecurity may be more prominent in the North East in the wake of the Boko Haram insurgency but the reality is that Nigerians generally have never been as endangered as they now are".

L-R: Head, Public Relation, Apostolic Faith Church, Mr. Kayode Adeleye; former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Tunde Lemo; District Superintendent, West and Central Africa, Rev. Emma Adebayo Adeniran and Director, Welfare Department of the Church, Amb. James Olaleye, at the 2014 Christmas Concert, organized by the Apostolic Faith Church, Anthony Village, Lagos. PHOTO:TONYEGUAYE

Corruption allegation against us unfounded, says WAEC Mojeed Alabi

n response to the allegation of misapplication of funds against it by members of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives and published in some dailies, the West African Examination Council, WAEC, has refuted the claim describing it as untrue, unfounded and uncalled for. The examination body, in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Ojijeogu Demianus, said the body has been meeting with the convention which guides its activities and operations in the five member countries including the adequate provision for the audit of its accounts and the appointment of external auditors. The statement added that the 200th edition of the examination body’s Administrative and Finance Committee appraised the development and considered the external auditors’ report on the account of the Nigeria’s National Office for the year 2013, saying the committee there and then passed a vote of confidence on the management of WAEC.

Emotions as Fashola meets No waiver yet for Maku, says LP secondary school teacher, 38 he Labour Party (LP) of those exempted by University of Jos. has debunked specu- the party from paying T "I was an executive of years after lation that it had granted any nomination and or the Student Union Gov-

PVCs: IPAC threatens to boycott 2015 elections

Muritala Ayinla

MINNA

t was an emotional scene yesterday at the Lagos State House, Ikeja, when Governor Babatunde Fashola met his secondary school teacher, Mrs. Felicia Iyabode Adefunke Akinola, 38 years after he left secondary school. Decked in a purple attire with head gears Akinola was ushered into the expansive conference room, before the highly powerful delegate of protocol officers ushered her into the inner chamber to see the Governor, who also decked in a white shirt with bow tie. As soon as the governor spotted the woman, he rose from his sit to personally welcome her into his personal office where he usually holds meeting with highly powerful Nigerians and diplomats. The aged woman taught Fashola Bible Knowledge in both ju-

nior and senior classes and English Language and English Literature in his junior classes. Fashola described the meeting with his former teacher as a warm reunion that drew nostalgic feelings, saying the meeting was ordained by God as not all his teachers are alive. According to him, Akinola was his Bible Knowledge teacher at the Birch Freeman High School, Surulere. The governor said Akinola, who joined the School’s teaching staff in 1973 and went on transfer in 1989, taught Bible Knowledge in both junior and senior classes. It was indeed a fulfilling moment of joy, emotions and pride which engendered nostalgic reflections on the past as the obviously elated governor and his former teacher recalled their days as teacher and student at the school then under the authority of Mr. T.A. Ojo as Principal.

waiver to Labaran Maku, a former Minister for Information for its 2015 governorship ticket in Nassarawa State. Speaking yesterday to newsmen, LP National Secretary, Barr. Kayode Ajulo, said insinuation that Maku may have hijacked the party in the state was not true. Ajulo said: "Going by the primaries conducted by our party in Nassarawa State, Hajia Aisha Mbaka, a woman who falls into the category

expression of intent fees emerged the sole aspirant. " To the best of my best knowledge, no aspirants from the state has paid the nomination fee to qualify such aspirants to be considered as our candidate as someone is claiming". "Accusation of hijacking the party is out of place and mischievous" Ajulo said. He described Maku, as a comrade, a former Student Union President of

ernment of the School to know the indelible contribution of Maku. We passed through UNIJOS and UNIJOS passed through us. Labaran Maku is not therefore a stranger to the struggle. "Now that he is coming to LP, if he seeks it, he must be granted a waiver by the National Chairman of the party and my humble self in my capacity as the National Secretary before he could get the party ticket.

INEC makes case for inclusion of more women in politics Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for participation of more women in political activities of this country. At a one-day workshop on Gender and Conflict Sensitive Reportage in the Electoral Process in

Abuja yesterday, the commission enjoined media practitioners to always project the interest of women in the media. A National Commissioner in the commission, Dame Nne Gladys Nwafor, observed that womenfolk especially those in politics are not adequately projected in the media. "The media, as a veritable tool for information,

has a critical role to play in managing and not magnify conflict and therefore in a position to promote peace and peaceful coexistence. "With the current security challenges in Nigeria, the nation look-up to the media to help mitigate conflict and propagate peace through their reports and broadcast", Nwafor observed.

Dan Atori

he Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), Niger State chapter, on Monday described as unacceptable the December 19th to 21th date for the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), warning that it will boycott the 2015 general elections. In a statement in Minna at the weekend signed by the Publicity Secretary, Comrade Abdulazeez Salaudeen, while condemning the decision of INEC for changing the date from 12th December, said it was a ground designed by the electoral empire to disenfranchise many Nigerians, especially Christians, who will be observing their Christmas celebration. IPAC warned that if INEC goes ahead with the exercise, it will mobilize for the boycott of the forthcoming 2015 general election.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESday, december 23, 2014

News

nation's capital

FG moves to create recreational parks at dams TOURISM

Govt moves to add value to multimillion naira dams built accross Nigeria Kenneth Tyohemba Abuja

s part of measures to diversify the economy, the Federal Government said it has directed the construction of recreational parks and resorts in each of the dams across the country. Minister of Culture

and Tourism, Eden Duke, revealed this yesterday during a stakeholders’ summit organised by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) in Abuja with the theme; “Training the Manpower of the Future.” Duke said the initiative is to bring added value to existing multibillion naira dams across the country, constructed by the Federal Government primarily for hydro-power and irrigation purposes. The pilot resort is to be constructed at Kashimbilla Dam. Duke, who foresaw a vibrant economic future

1.34m

The total population of Trinidad & Tobago (rep. 0.019% of world’s population) in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

for the tourism and hospitality industry, said the time has come for the sector to take charge of the economy, following a dip in oil revenue. He further harped on the need for the tourism sector to wake up and take the front seat in driving the country’s economy and 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 economy, as oil will soon be of less value; in this difficult time,

3.285m

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Austria in 2008. Source: Itu.int

let it be told that men/ women came together and transform the sector that would add value to the economy and create jobs for our youths.” The minister also revealed that the Federal Government has directed that NIHOTOUR be upgraded into a full professional body to be known as Directorate of Hospitality and Tourism Development. In another development, Chairman, Board of Directors, NIHOTOUR, Kanayo O. Kanayo, has said that the country’s hospitality industry is still at the crossroads, adding that a lot of things need to

$31m

The total amount of endorsements of Kobe Bryant (Basketball) for 2014. Source: Forbes.com

be fixed, especially in the area of regulation. According to him, the federal 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. “Many of these states have become emboldened by the judicial victory of Lagos State on registration of hotels; this inability to have unified laws apparently leads to circumstances between the various governments and operators of the industry, particularly in the area of taxes and other statutory fees”, said the Nollywood artist.

40%

The crude birth rate of Western Africa in 2010-2015. Source: Un.org

Slums undermine Abuja master plan

NGO supports sick orphans with N30m Kenneth Tyohemba Abuja

Non-Gover nmental Organisation (NGO), Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC) in collaboration with Taleveras Group yesterday brought relief to some sick orphans and vulnerable children as it presented cheques worth N30 million to sponsor them for medical treatment abroad. The checks were presented to the beneficiaries during the annual Christmas/End of the Year party for orphans and vulnerable children held in Abuja. The event, which provided merry to over 5, 000 children also honoured eminent personalities with outstanding awards, even as it gave out 100 wheelchairs to the physically-challenged, in addition to various Christmas gift items, including bags of rice to widows.

Coalition rates Nigeria 4th in global trade, industry

Kenneth Tyohemba

he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) just like any other city in the country has shanties or slums which form the exclusive reserve for the less privileged or low income earners. Most of these slums were villages of the homesteads of early settlers, which have survived the onslaught of many demolishing exercises often carried out by FCT administration to ensure that the city retains its master plan. There are many slums scattered across major highbrow districts in the city. The areas which are homesteads of the indigenous settlers have continued to attract Nigerians, mostly youths from various ethnic groups as their residence. Findings by New Telegraph during visits to some slums in the city, reveal that the slums are the major obstacles to the delivery of the Abuja Master Plan. These areas are overcrowded and filled to the brim, with poor or no social infrastructure. One may wonders whether the government is aware of the existence of these slums and the dwellers. Notable slums in the city are found in Mabushi, Garki, Utako, Jabi, and Gwarinpa districts, where slum dwellers live side by side with the rich and the affluent.

Yusuf Shuaib Abuja

L-R: Guest Minister, Rev. Andrew Omale; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochepe and Permanent Secretary, Mr Musa Istifanus, at the Ministry of Water Resources 2014 Christmas carol in Abuja …yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

Traditional rulers urged to sensitise electorate Anule Emmanuel

head of the 2015 general election, the Federal Government has appealed to traditional rulers across the country to enlighten the electorate, particularly their subjects on peaceful conduct during and after the polls. President Goodluck Jonathan stated this in his address at the seventh General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), with the theme; “Sustaining the natural mandate of traditional institutions in contemporary Nigeria.”

Represented by VicePresident Namadi Sambo at the event, President Jonathan acknowledged the unifying force and the tremendous contributions of the traditional institution in maintaining peace and stability in the country. He said: “As royal f athers and traditional rulers, such a time calls for your wise counsel and the enlightenment of your subjects as well as prayers to ensure hitch-free and successful elections across the federation. “The role of traditional institutions as the

custodian of our rich cultural heritage has contributed immensely to ensuring high moral standard among the citizenry and must be greatly appreciated.” The president used the opportunity to also call on the royal fathers to join hands with government at all levels to put an end to the security challenges facing the country. He informed the royal fathers that government was doing everything necessary to uplift the socio-economic status of Nigerians through job and wealth creation mechanisms. Chairman of the

Northern States Governors’ Forum and also the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, while lauding the traditional rulers for their dexterity, urged them to come up with holistic traditional mechanisms to address the security and socioeconomic challenges facing the country. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, earlier in his remark, reaffirmed the commitment of the royal fathers to the peace, unity and stability of the nation, while also urging government to positively look into their recommendations.

ational President of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Coalition of Civil Society for Public Engagement, Alhaji Ali Abacha, has said that Nigeria is rated as the fourth in the global trade and industry and above all other countries in Africa. Abacha’s statement, contained in a press release issued in Abuja yesterday, said the commission’s pragmatic measure in opening up business investment avenue for foreign direct investments for investors was a relief for local investors, especially as government is working towards supporting local manufacturers in the area of housing, oil and gas, power and financial services. According to him, the high return on investment is the idea of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Mrs. Saratu Umar, to engage stakeholders in critical sectors of the economy on the Honorary International Investment Council (HIIC).

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro

Soldier lures robbers to police station

Taiwo Jimoh

soldier has helped the police in Lagos to apprehend two suspected armed robbers. The soldier, who disguised as a cab driver, lured the suspects, Osas Solomon and Alexander Saleh, to a police station while they were going for a robbery operation. It was gathered that the soldier picked up 21-year-old Solomon and Saleh, 35, in his cab on NEPA Road, Ajah, but suspected they were robbers. According to a police source, Solomon and Saleh also belonged to a cult and were fond of operating in military uniform to disguise their identity. It was also gathered that after the soldier drove them to Ajah police division, the suspects were later transferred to the state Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation. It was learnt that three suspects were in the cab, but while Solomon and Saleh were

arrested, their accomplice, identified simply as Sunday, escaped through the window. Solomon, who hails from Benin, Edo State, told our correspondent that the soldier who exposed them had played along as if he did not know their mission. He said: “Alexander (Saleh) is my family friend. I knew he was also a cult member, although I did not like to join. He was the one who said we were going for an operation. While we prepared, another gang member named Sunday came to our place carrying a bag of guns to show the gang that all was set. “So, we set out. We saw the vehicle. The soldier played along as if he did not know our mission. But when he saw our guns, he headed straight for the Ajah police division. While driving into the station, he started shouting that he was carrying armed robbers.” Solomon added that he worked as an apprentice with his aunty before he joined the

gang. He said: “I was learning Fashion Designing from my Aunty, Vivian, who lives in Ogombo area of Ajah, before I met the gang. They threatened to kill me if I did not join them. My parents are in Edo State; they are both retired workers. “It was Sunday, a native of Ondo State, who worked as an electrician in the area that invited me to join the fraternity. He said I risked being killed if I refused to join them. Those cult members were also robbers. The gang usually puts on military uniform to scare people.” On his part, Saleh said he agreed to join the gang to be able to earn a living. He said: “I am a school dropout. I was attending an Army school in Zaria, Kaduna State, before I quit and came to Lagos. On the day of the incident, it was Osas (Solomon) who told me there was an operation to carry out. I decided to join the gang so that I would have a means of livelihood and to live comfortably.”

NSCDC nabs vandals, recovers stolen fuel Taiwo Jimoh

en of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State have arrested three suspected vandals. The NSCDC also recovered about 930 gallons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called fuel from the suspects identified as Dele Folorunso, 34, Ere Uronna, 28 and James Monday, 26, a welder. According to the state NSCDC Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Kareem Olanrewaju, the command has dis-

covered that the vandals in the area now operate at night to avoid detection by the security surveillance team. He said: “We have strengthened our surveillance patrol team across the local government areas of the state to curb the activities of the vandals.” Olanrewaju appreciated the efforts officials of a team the Nigerian Army codenamed: “Operation MESA,” for assisting them in the arrest of the vandals and called for more synergy among security agen-

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

The suspects

cies in the state. He added that the suspects denied involvement in the vandalism of pipelines. The PRO, however, promised that those on the run would soon be arrested. He said: “Items recovered from the suspects include 930 gallons of PMS stored in kegs, four big sacks all filled with PMS, with three motorcycles. One is marked Lagos: QY703KRD, while the two other motorcycles have no number plates.”

The suspects

Warn your children against hooliganism, CP tells parents Umar Ado Sokoto

olice in Sokoto State have warned parents and guardians not to allow their children and wards to be used as political thugs. The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Shuaibu Gambo, gave the warning yesterday while addressing officers and men of the command at a oneday workshop held at the police officers’ mess, Sokoto. Gambo also advised parents to always monitor the movements of their children and warned that anybody found wanting during the political party rallies and campaigns would be prosecuted. He appealed to the politicians against holding dangerous weapons especially during political gatherings. The commissioner noted that the command would no longer tolerate such act. He also urged politicians and their supporters to avoid using abusive and provocative utterances against their

opponents especially during campaigns. The commissioner added that effective security operational order had been drafted for implementation by officers and men of the command on how best to ensure hitchfree and peaceful conduct of the 2015 general election. He noted that the order would prevent the use of dangerous weapons by politicians as well as prevent any form of criminal activities during, before and after the general election. Gambo said that the command would continue to solicit the support of members of the general public by coming out with intelligence reports that would help the command sustain the existing peace in the state. The police chief said that the command would provide a level playing ground for all political parties in the state. He added that the command would not relent in its effort to confront any security threat for the peace, progress and political stability of the state.

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY DECEMBER 23, 2014

Two APC members killed in Lagos Taiwo Jimoh

gain, t wo people have been killed on Lagos Island over rivalry between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was gathered that one of the victims identified simply as Ridwan was hacked to death inside his tricycle, while the second, whose name was given as Qudus, was shot dead at a hotel in Oke-Popo area of Lagos Island. A witness told our correspondent that the late Ridwan was resting inside his tricycle after the day’s work when about 10 armed men suspected to be members of the PDP from Partey and Oshodi Street stormed the area and hacked him to death. He said while they were still mourning Ridwan’s death, the assailants struck again the following day and killed Qudus. The witness also said the late Qudus and his friends were inside the hotel on Friday celebrating his birthday when

information got to them that those who killed Ridwan had invaded the street again and started vandalising vehicles. He said: “Qudus and I decided to leave for Oke-Popo Street to check the extent of the damage done to the vehicles. We did not know that they had laid an ambush for us. Immediately we came out of the gate of the hotel, the deceased was shot at a close range.” The late Qudus was said to have been rushed to a private hospital in the area, but died before doctors could attend to him. Another resident, Mr Muritala Ajetunmobi, also confirmed the incident. He said: “Qudus was killed a few minutes after I left the hotel. “PDP members have been threatening to wipe out those of us from Oke-Popo for refusing to join their party. I have told them several times that we cannot be part of them, because we were once part of them. When we were in the PDP in Lagos State we did not benefit anything from them that was why we teamed up

Four arrested for OPC member, driver’s killing Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

our persons have been arrested in Edo State for allegedly participating in the killing of a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and a commercial bus driver. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, who disclosed this yesterday, said that the suspects were part of rival cult groups’ killings at two locations in Benin, the state capital. Adebanjo added that other suspects were being quizzed in connection with the Saturday incidents. The residents of popular Uwelu motor spare parts market and New Benin, were gripped by fear following the bloody clashes that led to the killing an OPC member identified simply as Victor. Similarly, a commercial bus driver was also shot in the head by armed men at New Benin commercial area of

the state capital. The residents of the motor spare parts market and adjoining streets had to scamper to safety as the gunmen were shooting sporadically. It was gathered that the late Victor was on his way home after attending an end of the year meeting at the resident of one of his group’s members when he was attacked alongside others by gunmen. The leaders of the OPC have vowed to ensure that justice was done. Meanwhile, the gunmen were said to have trailed the commercial bus driver to a motor park within the New Benin market area where they swooped on him as he was picking passengers. The victim was shot repeatedly at close range while bystanders watched helplessly. Passengers already seated inside the bus fled into the market. Thereafter, the gunmen left the area unchallenged.

IG, Suleiman Abba

The late Ridwan

with APC.” Ajetunmobi added that the matter was reported at Adeniji Adele Police Station, yet nothing tangible had been done to arrest the assailants. He said: “We are not safe at Oke-Popo area;

Flora Onwudiwe

he Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice-Admiral Usman Jibrin, has warned criminals operating within the ECOWAS maritime sub-region of Nigeria to flee or face military actions. The CNS gave the warning at a “cultural night” held at the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command, Calabar, Cross River State. It marked the end of a two-day meeting of the Chiefs of the Naval Staff/ Heads of Gendarmerie of ECOWAS maritime, Pilot Zone E countries held recently at Transcorp Hotel, Calabar. The countries which make up the ECOWAS sub-region are Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Togo, Niger and Benin Republic. Jibrin said trans-border criminals posed seri-

The late Qudus

the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti and the state gover nment should come to our aid on the Lagos Island. “After the incidents, we did not want to take laws into our hands, so we reported the matter

to Honourable Yakubu Balogun representing Lagos Island at House of Representatives. “Balogun told us not to take laws into our hands. But we can no longer sleep with our eyes closed.” When contacted on

the telephone, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, promised to contact the DPO in charge of Adeniji Adele police station and get back to our correspondent. But at press time, he was yet to contact us.

Leave ECOWAS sub-region, CNS warns criminals ous security challenges to the economic survival of member states. According to him, since the criminals neither recognise nor respect borders, there is need for collaborative action to flush them out. He commended the ECOWAS Commission for taking bold steps to tackle the regional maritime security challenges. The CNS reassured member states that they would benefit immensely from the security umbrella which the decisions reached at the meeting would foster in the near future. He also said that it was the synergy needed to assure the maritime stakeholders/operators of member states that

a concrete road map for the realisation of a common operational structure to deal with maritime problems had been evolved. The ECOWAS maritime Pilot Zone E countries that participated in the inaugural meeting were Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic and Niger Republic. Cameroon and Ghana participated as observers. Jibrin also inaugurated some major Nigerian Navy projects completed by the Flag Officers Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Obiora Charles Medani. The projects included a well-equipped e-library at Eastern Naval Command headquarters, Vice

Admiral Usman Jibrin Multi-purpose Hall at the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Akpabuyo, Calabar, water treatment plant and pump at 1006 officers’ quarters, Calabar and the refurbished and furnished block of six flats accommodation at 1006 officers’ quarters. The CNS also inspected the 30 studio flats accommodation under construction at the Eastern Naval Command headquarters. Jibrin commended Medani for his giant strides in initiating and completing many projects in his area of responsibility, especially the completion of the auditorium started many years ago by one of his predecessors.

Heaven Target Church holds two-day crusade T he Heaven Target International Bible Church is organising a two-day crusade tagged: “God of Great Favour, Favour Me.” It would hold at the

church new site on Hospital Road, Agba Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. The Chief Messenger, Pastor Favour Ezinna

James, said in a statement that the Holy Ghost-inspired crusade would on January 9 and 10, 2015 and would feature salvation, deliverance and healing.

According to the statement, the crusade, which starts at 10am daily, will also feature blessing and breakthrough.

News

TUESday, december 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

south - WEST

Ogundipe: We'll retire Tinubu from politics IMPOSITION

South-West PDP poised to end APC's dominance Edirin Etaghene and Wale Elegbede

he National ViceChairman (South West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief

Makanjuola Ogundipe, yesterday said that the growing coalition in the party for the 2015 general election is aimed at ending the perceived dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the zone, adding that the party is poised to give the opposition a good run for their money during the election. Speaking yesterday at the Goodluck Lagos Grassroots Project, or-

ganised by the Forum of Lagos PDP Local Government Chairmen, Ogundipe said record has shown that the SouthWest is better off under the present administration, adding also that the zone has better people in the PDP that can change the face of politics in the zone. He said: “2015 will be the end of Senator Bola Tinubu’s political career, because

our party is on course to ensure that he and his cohorts get retired from politics. As usual, PDP is deepening our democracy by promoting internal democracy but they (APC) are busy practicing politics of imposition. “It’s clear that President Goodluck Jonathan has raised the stake with his landmark performance in all sectors of the econ-

omy. The South-West is strongly behind him for a second-term of four years, because he has through his humane personality, stabilised the country despite the very many distractions around him.” In his welcome address, the Chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, Tunji Shelle, extolled the qualities of the president, noting that Lagosians will repeat the feat

UNIOSUN students to pay N30, 000 reparation fee Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (left), welcoming his former Bible Knowledge teacher at Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, Mrs. F.I.A Akinola (right), during her courtesy visit to the Governor in Lagos…yesterday

he Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Prof. Bashir Okesina, yesterday officially ordered the opening of Ikire campus of the institution, which was closed down as a result of students’ unrest leading to the destruction of property worth millions of naira with a directive that each student should pay N30, 000 reparation fee. The vice-chancellor, who made this known in a press conference in Osogbo, appealed to the students to be of good conduct and shun untoward acts that could lead to hooliganism, unrest and other nefarious activities that could retard the progress of the institution.

Okesina, who said the institution’s postgraduate programmes are due to commence in the 2014/2015 academic session, said eight postgraduate programmes have been approved for commencement by the National Universities Commission (NUC). He, however, gave the names of the courses approved as Master of Arts (M. A.) History and International Studies, Master in International Studies (MIS), Master in Intelligence and Strategic Studies (MISS) and Master of Science in Geography. Others are Professional Master Degree in Disaster Risk Management (MRM), Professional Degree Master in Environmental Management (MEM), PhD in Microbiology and M.Sc. Biochemistry.

Fayose bemoans outage

Defeated APC aspirants vow not to defect

Adesina Wahab

Babatope Okeowo

Ado-Ekiti

Akure

orried by poor power supply in Ekiti State, which is killing small and medium scale businesses, Governor Ayo Fayose has set up a technical committee to see how the problem could be addressed. The committee is also saddled with the responsibility of looking into lack of potable water in the state. The committee, which has as members the Chief Operating Officer, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Special Adviser, Utility to the Governor, the General Manager of Ekiti State Water Corporation and the Ekiti State Electricity Board, has since swung into action. According to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, the governor said apart from negatively affecting businesses, poor power supply was also affecting the provision of potable water to the people.

ll the defeated aspirants that contested the primaries of the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have promised to remain and work for the success of the party at next year’s general election. The aspirants include two senatorial aspirants, Messrs. Ganny Dauda and Sunday Ifedayo Abegunde, House of Representatives and House of

Assembly aspirants, who met with the party leadership yesterday, expressed their desire to remain in the party despite the perceived injustice meted out to them at the primaries. Although, they expressed concerns that some of the winners of the primaries have not reached out to them and some have been mocking them, they however said that the victory of the party at the polls would make all of them ultimate winners in the end. Chairman of the party, Isaacs Kekemeke, said

winning the party's primaries is nothing to celebrate as it can be likened to goals scored during a practice session by a football team. He advised the defeated aspirants to remain in the party to work for the candidates as the party would notice their contribution for adequate compensation when the time is ripe. According to him, the APC has become acceptable to the people as the presidential candidate of the party, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, is primed to win the election if all party

members work in unity. Kekemeke said the zeal with which they used to campaign for the primaries should also be used to mobilise for the party ahead of next year’s general election. He said: “I have always likened party primaries to members of a football team engaged in a practice session, which forms themselves into two teams and play against each other. Surely, the goals scored in those sessions don't count and do not earn trophies.

Oyo votes N5.3bn for road rehabilitation T

he Oyo State government in conjunction with local government councils in the state is embarking on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 62 roads across the 33 council areas in the state at the cost of N5.3 billion. A statement issued in Ibadan yesterday by the Special Adviser to the

Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the roads had become necessary in view of their bad state owing to long years of neglect. Adedayo also said that the roads were picked by the caretaker committee chairmen in their respective areas based on their

level of disrepair and the needs of the people. The governor’s spokesman, who said that some of the roads were in over 50 per cent state of completion, added that the funds for the projects were drawn from the excess crude account. He, however, said that the number of the roads to be rehabilitated per lo-

cal government and the length of the roads varied from one council to the other. Adedayo said the Ajimobi administration decided to embark on mass reconstruction of roads in order to improve on the road network in the state and bring government closer to the people at the grassroots.

of 2011 by returning 99 per cent votes for Jonathan in the state. Launching the initiative, the PDP Surulere LG Chairman, Bolaji Onibudo, said the forum has resolved to spread the Jonathan campaign to the grassroots, stating that the past four years have seen the PDP government lay a foundation for the future, especially at the grassroots level.

'APC's copying stomach infrastructure' Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday mocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) for adopting Governor Ayo Fayose's concept of ‘stomach infrastructure,’ saying it is hypocrisy to do what you condemn in other people. State PDP Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, said in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday that the Ayo Fayose-led government would never shy away from improving the welfare of the people. The party was reacting to the distribution of rice and money to some people in Lagos on Sunday by the National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu. Aluko said Fayose’s concept of stomach infrastructure had been further justified by its adoption by Tinubu, who personally distributed 2, 000 bags of rice, vegetable oil, sugar and a little cash gift to people from various parts of Lagos State. Aluko said: “They abused us for providing immediate succour to our people. They described stomach infrastructure as an insult to Ekiti people. They said it does not add value to the people; it diminishes their self-esteem, it diminishes their sense of self-worth and it denigrates what politics ought to be about. “However, their party leader in Lagos on Sunday adopted the same concept by personally sharing food items to people. “After condemning the concept, isn't it rather too late that the APC is just realising that poverty should be addressed by providing immediate succour because poverty is poverty? It knows no religion and it has no tribal mark and it affects everyone.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014

2015

Nasarawa

Seminar

Guber race

Udensi, Anyim battle Ikpeazu for Abia guber

Al-Makura contend with Agabi

Free, fair reportage of 2015 polls

Old foes for Agodi House

Politics

BATTLE FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Shettima tests might against mentor Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State will be facing forces of his political godfather, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to be re-elected in 2015. AHMED MIRINGA reports

he gubernatorial candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the two predominant political parties in Borno State, have emerged and have since commenced the struggle to take control of the Government House, Maiduguri. The incumbent, Governor Kashim Shettima of the APC and Alhaji Gambo Lawan of the PDP are the candidates to watch. Shettima has a great chance of being re-elected for the second time due to his performance and the incumbency factor. He also has the political structure and resources to ensure his success. If he wins, he will be the second governor to win a second term bid in the state, after his predecessor and godfather, former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. Efforts of Governor Shettima to provide succour to victims of the prolonged Boko Haram insurgency have attracted sympathy to him, as most residents of Maiduguri metropolis are impressed

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Shettima

with his performance in providing the dividends of democracy to the people of the state, despite the security challenges. This has also earned him the name Caterpillar Sarkin Aiki, Rihichi Baya Hana ka, meaning Bulldozer, the king of work, insurgency is not a barrier. Governor Shettima has also earned the support of Maiduguri residents and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) that are camped in more than seven camps within the metropolis. The emergence of former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, as APC presidential candidate is also an added advantage to Shettima and his party. However, some politicians and citizens in the state are accusing the governor of empty promises, and that he hardly fulfils his promises, even as they also accuse him of awarding contracts to his family members and friends. This may work against his move to return as governor come 2015. The defection of Senator Sheriff, his mentor and benefactor, from APC to the PDP could seriously affect his chances of getting re-elected. The former governor has vowed to unseat the governor. The fact that PDP has

Sheriff

Kashim Shettima is a small boy to me in politics; we made him a governor and we will remove him come 2015, as he has betrayed us and the entire people of Borno State

the machinery and government at the centre to give him a tough fight, will also count against Shettima. Shettima’s emergence as Borno State governor in 2011 was greatly influenced by Sheriff after the assassination of the flag bearer of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) that paved way for the former banker to emerge as the party’s gubernatorial candidate. Sheriff has now moved his political structure to the PDP, leaving Shettima, who many describe as a green horn politician. In his recent declaration for the PDP in Maiduguri, the state capital, Sheriff said “Kashim Shettima is a small boy to me in politics; we made him a governor and we will remove him come 2015, as he has betrayed us and the entire people of Borno State. He has not delivered the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.” Also speaking at a press conference in Maiduguri, a PDP stalwart and a close political associate of Sheriff, Alhaji Kashim Imam pleaded for forgiveness from the people of Borno State for making a wrong choice by installing Shettima as governor. He gave an assurance that they will correct their mistake by making sure the PDP removes the incumbent governor in 2015. He said the governor is just

interested in enriching himself by acquiring choice properties like hotels, mansions and filing stations in Maiduguri, Abuja and other parts of the country. He accused Shettima of using the insurgency as a conduit pipe for siphoning funds meant for the development of the state. “They have squandered N400 billion during his four years of bad governance without any meaningful development,” he declared. Imam said that throughout the eight years of Sheriff ’s administration, people never heard that he bought houses, hotels and filing stations, but according to him, “Shettima’s government is characterized by looting of public funds.” The PDP gubernatorial candidate, Lawan is a former national chairman of Grassroot Democratic Movement (GDM); former chairman, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and a seasoned politician is one many believe will give Shettima a tough fight due to his experience in politics. He is also a cousin to Alhaji Mohammed Goni, the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the 2011 general election. Feelers indicate that this time around, the PDP in the state is more than ever before united and ready to wrest power from the APC governor. The defection of Sheriff to the PDP who singlehandedly installed Shettima as governor of the state is also an added advantage to the party. It is expected that the machinery and support of the Federal Government will give the party an upper hand come 2015. Some political analysts are, however, of the opinion that the attitude of the PDP and President Goodluck Jonahtan towards fighting the Boko Haram insurgency and the plight of victims of terrorism may work against the chances of the party in the state, as many residents of Borno State, including the state’s deputy governor, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha, say that no northerner in his/her right thinking senses will vote PDP in the forthcoming general election. Although, Sheriff has been cleared of any link with Boko Haram, the allegation against him and his relationship with President Jonathan may also affect the chances of PDP in the governorship election.

Politics

TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

BATTLE FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Four political parties with less popular candidates are gunning for the Abia State governorship seat, writes IGBEAKU ORJI

he conduct of the governorship primaries that produced the candidates of the various political parties for the 2015 election appear to have resolved to some extent the dialectics of personality and partisanship in which the delegates were torn. Undoubtedly, the choice of candidates for political offices has far-reaching implications in a democratic dispensation and the choices whether based on banal or sublime considerations have come to stay. In Abia State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) have conducted their governorship primaries and produced their candidates. While eight aspirants contested the primary election on the platform of the ruling PDP which produced Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, APC’s Nyerere Anyim and PPA’s Chikwe Udensi were returned unopposed. The primary election of APGA is still mired in controversy as two candidates emerged from two different primaries. It is striking to observe that the dust of Dr. Alex Otti’s candidature had hardly settled than another primaries produced Chief Reagan Ufomba. The national primary election committee team led by Chief Chris Uche disowned Otti, saying he is not a member of the party having joined the party only a month ago. Okezie Ikpeazu: Governor’s anointed It is obvious that Ikpeazu is not a popular politician. His popularity arose from the fact that he is the governor’s candidate. The positions he held before now were obscure appointments and there was nothing exceptional about them during his tenure. Though it is on record that during his time as General Manager of the Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMSS), ambulances were acquired to rescue accident victims, it did not make him popular as a politician with the finesse and administrative ingenuity to govern the state nor did he attain that level of popularity as to make him the popular governorship candidate of any party. The story is not different in his last place of assignment before the new status at the Aba zone of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) as deputy general manager. Those who had served as general managers of ASEPA for the entire state, not a zone, worked as inconsequential political figures. It did not confer on them the credential to aspire to rule Abia. But whatever he lacks in popularity he has intellectually. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry and has lectured in a couple of higher institutions before he veered into politics. Though intellectual and emotional stability are desiderata for leadership, Ikpeazu would rely on the PDP extensive structure in the state to deliver him. The PDP, no doubt, is strong in the state. The party has intimidating antecedent having in the past won all elective offices at all levels. It has been at the helm of affairs in the state for nine out of the 12 years of the present dispensation. PPA’s three years made little difference in the political equation since the same Governor Theodore Orji is the dramatis personae. Over the years, the PDP has consolidated its hold which explains why it had the largest number

Udensi, Anyim battle Ikpeazu for Abia guber future for Ndigbo, whether that is true is a matter of conjecture. The APC in Abia State unwittingly squandered the great opportunity of stamping its feet firmly as the alternative to the ruling PDP and a credible opposition. It is left to be seen what the party and its candidate can achieve within the short time of the campaign and election.

Ikpeazu

Anyim

Udensi

Otti

of aspirants. The calculation is that once a candidate emerges on the party’s platform he/she is as good as being elected. The forces the PDP candidate would have to contend with but which may pose little resistance, are the discontent, arrears of salaries, especially among civil servants in some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the local government employees who have threatened to go on strike several times without getting the desired response from government, and pensioners who are owed arrears of pensions, communities groaning under the dearth of amenities are potent campaign issues against him. This is the greatest hurdle as people fear that the government of Ikpeazu will be an extension of that of Governor Orji. Obviously the odds favour Ikpeazu. The sentiment and sympathy of Ngwa people who have cried out of being marginalised regarding the highest office will play a prominent role in his election. Any of the defeated aspirants from Ngwa land who decides to pursue his ambition in another party platform instead of working for the success of the PDP candidate would be held in contempt as selfish and enemy of the collective cause and aspiration of Ngwa people. The truth is that no other political party in the state has the capacity to deliver its candidate given the financial and numerical strength required to successfully prosecute elections.

APC off its feet. Anyim is not known to have held any political office in the state or any other activity that has the potential to boost his political career and therefore rated low on the popularity scale. Anyim’s challenge is compounded by the leadership bickering that rocked the party to its very foundation. The crisis of interest took all the time the party should have used to make itself popular as a new party. Again, APC is generally perceived as a party that holds no

Nyerere Anyim: Party faces perception problem Anyim is the consensus candidate of the APC. He emerged in a congress after months of seemingly intractable leadership crisis that almost knocked the state

Chikwe Udensi: Will he revive PPA? Is it likely that the PPA will re-enact the feat of 2007, when just a few months after its formation it won the governorship, two senatorial seats and a couple of House of Representatives seats? That question would be answered in a few months’ time. Though a good chunk of the membership of the party jumped over to PDP with Governor Orji, the formidable diehards still remained. They surprisingly filed out at the just conducted convention and primaries of the party in Umuahia, the state capital, where Chikwe Udensi emerged as the flag bearer. However, the PPA has an uphill task to sell its candidate and manifesto. Udensi, a former secretary general of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) is not a popular political figure in the state. His political zeal is obviously fired by his exposure in the ALGON secretariat. Alex Otti: Ambition mired in controversy The ambition of the former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Dr Alex Otti, has been mired in controversy. He left PDP for APGA when it was clear that the governorship ticket was not for his take. A day after he was announced as the flag bearer of APGA, a parallel primary produced Chief Reagan Ufomba as the candidate. Abia State is not spared of the national leadership crisis that has torn the party apart. APGA has the potential of winning elections in the state if properly organised because of its acceptability as pro-Igbo.

PDP’s winning ways in C’River The race for Governor Liyel Imoke’s seat in Cross River may end up a one-way contest for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reports CLEMENT JAMES PDP’s Ayade favoured Prof. Ben Ayade, a serving Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District, is the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology. He is also member, Senate Committees on Education, Marine Transport, Petroleum Downstream, Drugs/Narcotics/Crime. He is a Pro-

fessor of Microbiology and also holds a degree in Law. Ayade is not only wealthy, but has assisted many of his kinsmen by way of scholarship, a factor that puts him far above any other candidate. Many people have described the PDP candidate as a giver and have commended his commitment to the party. Ayade’s choice as a consensus candidate was, to say the least, divine. Legor Idagbor and Fidelis Ugbo were actually pencilled down to clinch the diadem but with the entry of Goddy Jeddy-Agba, who came with so much money into the race, the game plan changed and someone who could match the former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) money for money was chosen and the lot fell on Ayade.

Politics 15

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014

BATTLE FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE

CHEKE EMMANUEL reports that the governorship contest in Nasarawa State is between Governor Umaru Tanko AlMakura of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Yusuf Agabi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

Al-Makura contend with Agabi

he political atmosphere in Nasarawa State is charged. Two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have produced flag bearers to contest the February 28, 2015 governorship position. The incumbent governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, won the governorship primaries of the APC on a clean slate, while Alhaji Yusuf Agabi secured the ticket of the PDP at the primaries held at Nasarawa town, headquarters of Nasarawa Local Government. Other governorship candidates are the immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Innocent Lagi of the Labour Party (LP) and Mathew Ombugaku of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Al-makura defeated the then incumbent governor of the state, Aliyu Akwe Doma in 2011 in a landslide victory. Al-makura’s strength Al-Makura’s achievement in infrastructural development especially education, road construction, health care provision, free education policy and youth empowerment has endeared him to the people of the state. His open-doorpolicy in the running of his administration has also attracted goodwill for him from the people of the state. Al-Makura is being backed by some political big wigs in the state like former governor, Senator Abduallhi Adamu, General Ahmed Abokie (rtd), Alhaji Musa Ilu and Tanko Wambai and a host of others who have given the governor the confidence in his second term bid. Al-Makura is in firm control of APC structures. The victory of the party at the local government election, where the party won nine chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 13 lo-

Al-Makura cal government councils attested to the fact that APC is getting rooted at the grassroots in the state. The governor is equally backed by many women in the state through Women and Child Enhancement Foundation, a pet project of his wife which she uses in mobilising a large number of women in the state by training them in different shades of skills acquisition and empowerment. This has added electoral value to the governor. Weakness: Al-Makura’s inability and lack of political will to end the persistent communal crisis and unite the various ethnic groups in the state is widely criticized within and outside the state. He has been accused of inability to tackle the security challenges in the state. The unfriendly labour posture of his administration is also a factor against him. Al-makura’s chance of winning reelection is high despite obstacles he is facing. The fact that he has huge financial muscles and backed by many big wigs who have influence is a plus for him. PDP: Will Agabi displace Almakura? Agabi became the PDP flag bearer after he polled 214 votes to defeat seven other contestants, including the former Minister of Information, Labaran

Ayade

Ochicha

Notwithstanding his qualities, those who know him say he is not a good administrator, apart from being his own man. But Cross River State has always remained a PDP state and it is difficult to think of another candidate creating an upset, moreso in a situation where the PDP governorship candidate is as

popular as the party itself. Ayade’s welfare programme dates several years back and unlike other candidates in other parties, he is a known name in Cross River politics. APC: Trying luck with Ochicha Odey Ochicha is a onetime Director

Agabi Maku, and Doma. Strength: His party, the PDP, which had ruled for 12 years in the state is on ground. The party’s victory in four out of the 13 local government areas in the last local government election attested to the fact of its strength. Moreso, majority of political big wigs in the state such as Senator Solomon Ewuga, Senator Suleiman Adokwe, Damishi Luka (deputy governor), Chief Michael Abdul and Alhaji Yusuf Ayitogo are in the PDP. The weight of the 20 PDP members at the state House of Assembly is also a plus to the party. Agabi has the financial muscles to tackle the incumbent governor at the poll. Weakness: Despite his huge financial muscle, it is generally believed that Agabi has a weak political structure and is not in control of party structures in the state. He is also not popular among the citizens. Agabi’s chance of winning the gubernatorial election in the state in 2015 is not certain. The zoning arrangement of the party which had zoned the slot to Nasarawa North, which is yet to produce governor since 1999 has limited his chances of winning the governorship election in 2015. He is unlikely to get needed support in the North Senatorial zone.

Lagi and Ombugaku Lagi is the immediate past AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice in Al-makura’s administration. He was onetime member representing Wamba constituency at the state House of Assembly. Lagi is contesting on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). Lagi’s weakness is that his party, LP, has no strong structures in the state to win election. Besides, he is believed to have lean financial resources to fund gubernatorial campaign effectively. His chances of winning the governorship position in 2015 in the state is lean. Ombugaku is the flag bearer of the APGA. He has a huge financial muscle to tackle any contestant in the governorship race in the state including the incumbent governor. He is from the Nasarawa North senatorial district which is yet to produce governor since the return of democratic rule in 1999. His chance of being elected as governor is remote. APGA has weak structures to secure the plum job for him at the poll 2015. More so, Ombugaku is not popular on the political scene in the state. Also, coming from Eggon tribal extraction, where the Ombatse group are from, is one of the factors that may work against him.

with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He contested against a former commissioner in the state, Dr. Mike Ogar and Lazarus Undie and polled 1,177 votes to emerge while Undie got 168 votes. Ochicha’s emergence as the party’s flag-bearer was known long before the primaries for the simple fact that he is believed to have a fairly deep pocket. But he is unknown and his political antecedent is obscure. Those who know him even say he is not a giver, and so far, not much is heard of him in the state. Since emerging as the party’s flag bearer, Ochicha has remained silent, an indication that his attitude towards public relation is grim.

Up till the period of filing this report, the rumour was still strong, with Wednesday, December 24 reportedly slated for their decampment. However, there has also been a strong indication that a former state commissioner of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) and onetime Deputy Speaker in the State House of Assembly, Mr. Dominic Edem Akwa, has defected to Labour Party (LP), although he has remained dodgy on the issue. In effect, LP has not formally made known its candidate even with the expiration of submission of candidates’ names to INEC. Mr. Austin Ibok, the state chairman of the party who spoke to our correspondent on phone acknowledged that the rumours were true but insisted that he would brief journalists on the matter after he returns from Abuja. While the people are waiting to see if the LP will be able to tidy loose-ends in its discussion with others before the deadline for the submission of candidates’ names, the reality on ground is that the PDP is still the party to beat in Cross River.

Labour Party: Harvesting from PDP As at weekend, there were rumours that Senator Bassey Otu has led Mr. Goddy Jeddy-Agba and others to Labour Party (LP) in protest against an alleged injustice done to them by the ruling PDP, especially during the last primaries. On Monday, Senator Otu defected to LP to contest the southern senatorial seat.

16 Politics

TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

BATTLE FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Free, fair reportage of 2015 polls Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

lections are very crucial in the political existence of any nation. Major among the modus operandi of the process is reportage of the exercise, before, during and after, in an objective and unbiased manner. Past experiences in the Nigerian political history had shown that the role of journalists cannot be under-estimated in the projection of the electoral processes from the angle of the politicians, the electoral body – Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the electorate, and the governments involved. However, many challenges hamper the operation of journalists, among them: professional carriage, political influence, self-esteem, violence and insecurity, employer/employee relationships, logistics, advertisers’ influence, among others. In recognition of these challenges and the need to surmount them ahead of the 2015 elections, a Non-Governmental Organisation: ‘Media Scholars Network’ (MSN) led by Prof. Ayo Olukotun, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lead City University, Ibadan in collaboration with INEC, last week organised a two-day training workshop for practising journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The workshop, designed to enhance the capacity of journalists to report the 2015 elections, also has the objectives of sensitizing journalists, political reporters in particular, to their roles and responsibilities in the electoral process and to broach the requirements for conflict-sensitive reporting in fragile democracies, divided by ethnic and religious differences, among others. Held at the Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan, the workshop entitled: “Reporting Elections: A non-partisan Approach,” had in attendance media gurus from the print and electronic media, among them Mallam Muhammed Haruna; Dean, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. Lai Oso; and President, Ghana Association of Writers, and member National Merit Commission, Ghana, Mr. Kwesi Gyan-Apenteng.

L-R: INEC Chief Publicity Officer, Mr. Chukwuemeka Ugboaja; Dean, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. Lai Oso; Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Dele Layiwola; Convener, Media Scholars Network and Dean, Social Sciences, Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Olukotun and renowned columnist and resource person, Mallam Muhammed Haruna at the workshop.

Others included Editor, Media Review and CEO, Diamond Publications, Lagos, Mr Lanre Idowu; Chief Executive, Premium Times Online Newspaper, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi; and Chief Operation Officer, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Mr Yomi Layinka among others. Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Dele Olayiwola moderated the seminar while Dr. Tunde Oseni, was the workshop rapporteur. In a communique issued at the end of the workshop, it was unanimously concluded that the media are crucial to the dissemination of credible information as well as providing a communication level playing field to the principal competitors and even to the electoral umpire, INEC. INEC was commended for the initiative for supporting the workshop which should not be a one-off programme but lead to a pattern of regular interaction between the commission and the media. It was generally observed that journalists face daily challenges of adhering to the ethics of being fair and objective in the course of their reporting. Some of the challenges include pressure from government, financial considerations, political affiliation of owners, advertisers’ preferences and corruption. Several experiences of intimidation and restrictions by security personnel meted out to journal-

ists were also part of issues raised by participants. The society expects journalists to be objective in reporting, to be truthful, comprehensive, balanced and detached, but such objectivity was difficult to attain because of the following reasons: Lack of consensus, diversity in the newsroom, choice of language and issue of ownership because if a journalist even wishes to be objective, the interest of the owner cannot be easily pushed away. The challenge of objectivity in a way makes journalism to be tilted towards the political elites. This takes interpretative power from journalism, and autonomy of the journalist is hardly secured. According to participants, journalism is seen to be a porous profession where anybody can be employed as a reporter, and worse still, the quality of leadership at the helms of the union in journalism, the Nigeria Union of Journalists in particular, has in a way affected the growth and development of the profession. The constitutional powers granted to the media, especially in sections 15, 22 and 39 of the 1999, are best realised in the ambits of investigative journalism. It was therefore recommended that such skill should be enhanced while providing adequate security mea-

Civic journalism should be practised whereby the common people set agenda for politicians and the media

sures for investigative journalists. It was observed that the overwhelming influence of proprietors of newspapers and electronic media remains a factor in the issue of partisan reporting and censoring of news items. To this end, the workshop recommended that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Nigerian Press Council should be constituted in a more open and impartial way. It was recommended that: “The NBC and the Press Council should operate in a more even-handed way in meting out sanctions to federal, state and private broadcasters. “Newspaper and broadcast media should create equitable spaces to political parties, while each media organisation should have built-in mechanism for quality control, as well as an Ombudsman who will monitor potential partisan reporting. “More attention should be paid to the welfare of journalists in particular by ensuring that they earn decent wages and are paid as and when due because objectivity is difficult to achieve. Therefore, attention should be given to all sides of the story by journalists. “Civic journalism should be practised whereby the common people set agenda for politicians and the media, and journalists are also enjoined to endeavour to maintain social distance from political class. “Journalists should be sensitive to the coverage of conflicts and avoid hate speech, practising the profession with high ethical standard and commitment. “Recognition should be given to reporters who distinguish themselves in investigative and non-partisan reporting of elections, just as the electorate and Nigerians in general need to be fully and accurately informed to enable them choose those who govern them or represent them in executive capacity and parliament wisely. “INEC should devise mechanism for monitoring and sanctioning those who violate campaign spending ceiling and rules as stipulated by the Electoral Act, and it should endeavour to give prompt responses to enquiries by journalists and members of the public at election times.”

Meet Onanuga, Amosun’s running mate Yusuph Olaniyonu

he All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ogun State last week Tuesday nominated a seasoned bureaucrat and princess from Aparaki in Ijebu North Local Government Area, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Abosede Onanuga as the running mate for Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who had earlier emerged as the unopposed gubernatorial candidate for the 2015 general election. Mrs. Onanuga (nee Fabanwo), 54, was presented to party leaders at the ultramodern MTR Hall inside Ibara GRA by the state party chairman, Chief Roqeeb Ad-

eniji. She was accompanied to the venue by her husband, Otunba Abiodun Onanuga. The running mate was a granddaughter of the late Oba of Akaka in Remo North Local Government Area, Oba Oye Sofodu. Her emergence on the APC gubernatorial ticket therefore provides a perfect balance in terms of geo-political consideration, gender and religion. With Governor Amosun coming from Ogun Central Senatorial District, the party had earlier zoned the Deputy Governor’s slot to Ogun East Senatorial District while the speakership is zoned to Ogun West Senatorial District. Ogun East Senatorial District has two

sections – Ijebu and Remo. The Remo wing has produced the party’s senatorial candidate, Chief Dapo Abiodun, Managing Director of Hayden Petroleum who is from Iperu Remo. The deputy governor is expected to come from Ijebuland. Co-incidentally, Onanuga is not only from the two largest local government areas in Ijebuland by origin and marriage, she also has a link to the Remo area. She is by origin from Ijebu North LGA and her husband is a ranking member of the royal court of the Awujale of Ijebuland in Ijebu Ode LGA. Her mother is also a princess of the Akaka town in Remo area. Therefore, she has a link with all

the sections of the Ogun East Senatorial District. A devout Christian and mother, Onanuga is expected to complement and provide support to Governor Amosun as the administration moves into the critical stage in the implementation of its mission to rebuild Ogun State. Onanuga was educated at the Lagos State College of Science and Technology (LACOSTEC), now Lagos State Polytechnic, and Ogun State University, now known as Olabisi Onabanjo University. She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. •Olaniyonu is Ogun Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014

BATTLE FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE The battle royale for who rules Oyo State from 2015 has commenced in full swing. The indices that will determine who wins the governorship election among the major parties in the state have manifested with the emergence of the flag bearers. SOLA ADEYEMO reports Ajimobi: Threatened incumbency Governor Abiola Ajimobi emerged the candidate of the APC having defeated Dr. Ayobami Adesina (son of late former governor, Lamidi Adesina) in the primaries shunned by Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, a lawyer and former governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011. Ajimobi, as an incumbent, would be ready to diploy all the arsenal within his reach to defeat other opposition parties. His control of the 33 local government areas will afford him the opportunity of currying the favour of the grassroots people. Weaknesses: Hurdles on the way of Ajimobi are multi-dimensional going by the recent political developments in the state. First is the Oyo State’s age-long tradition of its residents not ever voting any governor for a second term. Adebayo Alao-Akala who attempted it even failed in 2011. Whether Ajimobi will be able to break that jinx or not is left for the February 2014 guber election to decide. Second is the fact that Adebayo Shittu has gone to court to challenge the process adopted in conducting the primaries of the party which produced Ajimobi. It is still not known what the court would decide concerning the litigation, whether it would be in the plaintiff ’s favour or otherwise. Third, APC currently does not have a sitting senator as the two it had in 2011 have defected to Accord (Olufemi Lanlehin, Oyo South) and PDP (Ayoade Adeseun, Oyo Central). The third district, (Oyo North) was won by the PDP and is still being controlled by the party. Even, there are protests against the conduct of the Oyo South senatorial district primary in darkness at the Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan, by the APC. The outcome of the primaries is still brewing as four of the aspirants have petitioned the appeal panel and Ajimobi. Fourth, is the fact that many bigwigs of the APC, who paddled the ship of the party to safety in 2011, have one way or the other dumped the party. Many of them are now in the Labour and Accord parties. Investigations have even shown that many of the stakeholders and office holders who are overtly showing their loyalty to the governor, in the words of one of the chieftains, are pre-

Old foes for Agodi House to the defection of Alao-Akala to Labour Party, as well as a petition and court action by Engr. Seyi Makinde. Except through the use of federal might, the ‘weakened’ PDP in the state may not have the electoral strength to defeat other parties to win the 2015 election, particularly if the remaining aspirants and their supporters decide to vote for other parties apart from PDP. Folarin is not considered a strong candidate to win the governorship seat for the PDP. In 2011, he failed to even secure the ticket of his party to return to the Senate.

Ajimobi

Ladoja

Alao-Akala

Folarin

tenders. He had aphoristically said that “a sleeping person is better than one pretending to be sleeping, particularly when it comes to discussing where he is.” With former Governor Rasidi Ladoja determined to win the next election for his Accord Party, the initial assistance he offered the sitting government in consolidating its firm hold by allowing his party’s seven House of Assembly members to work in concert with the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is no longer likely. Ladoja will now be most happy to drive his cousin, Ajimobi, out of the Agodi Government House and increase the number of his lawmakers and local government council officials. According to some political analysts, Ajimobi had not requited Ladoja’s gesture of helping him to consolidate his government against threat of impeachment from the PDP because he did not allow the four local government councils in Ibadan, won by the Accord, to be controlled by it till date. Another major challenge that could ditch the chances of the APC in 2015 is the obvious retal-

Folarin is not considered a strong candidate to win the governorship seat for the PDP. In 2011, he failed to even secure the ticket of his party to return to the Senate

iatory stand of Alao-Akala who believed that Ajimobi and his government did everything possible to discredit his government in 2011 to the extent that he lost the second term election. Just like Alao-Akala did to his boss, Ladoja in 2007 through illegal impeachment, Ladoja also paid him back in 2011 by ensuring that Alao-Akala lost his second term bid. The cycle is likely to continue. Obviously, Alao-Akala commands very large followership among the electorate in the state. With his defection to the LP and joining forces with Ajimobi’s adversaries, among them Chief Sarafadeen Alli (former Chairman, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, now deputy governorship candidate), Mr Kazeem Adedeji (former Commissioner for Trade and Commerce), among others, the stake is very high for the incumbent government. Fractured PDP The party had been a formidable one until the recent primaries that divided the governorship aspirants into factions. The seeming or alleged imposition of former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, on other 12 aspirants led

Akala’s Labour With the way things are in the PDP presently, investigations have shown that some of the aggrieved governorship aspirants who have been shut out of the race with the emergence of Folarin as the party’s guber candidate, have been making surreptitious moves to pitch tent with Alao-Akala in LP to ensure PDP fails and that both the APC and the Accord parties are defeated. While Alao-Akala maintains a firm grip of Ogbomoso and partially, Oke Ogun zone, his running mate, Alli, an Ibadan man and grassroots politician, will boost the LP’s status in Ibadan. Weaknesses: Much as AlaoAkala has raised the status of LP by his joining the party, it is not clear if the party could have the ear of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamido Adeyemi, going by the fact that his son, Prince Akeem Adeyemi has won the House of Representatives ticket on the platform of the APC, and that the monarch has pledged his loyalty to Ajimobi. Also, many residents of Oyo State cannot forget in a hurry the type of violent reign that characterized his government between 2006 and 2011. Many are wary that though he is popular and friendly, the orgy of violence might return if Alao-Akala becomes governor again. Ladoja’s Accord Being a new bride among other parties, and the fact that Senator Ladoja, its national leader and governorship candidate, was in 2007 cheated by the powers that be through impeachment, many aspirants who have met a brick wall in other parties have continued to rush to Accord, thus swelling its population and popularity. Aside this, Ladoja still remains ever green in the hearts of many civil servants in Oyo, who believe he cared for them during his tenure between 2003 and 2007. The only weakness Accord may seem to have is its young age and spread across the state. To capture Ogbomoso zone, Ladoja had last week announced the party’s readiness to give Alao-Akala the Oyo North senatorial ticket if he should dump PDP and join the party. Alao-Akala however refused and instead joined Labour Party.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Three giant steps for SURE-P Ezekiel Greg Omafume

hree years ago, Nigeria was in the frenzied grip of another sort of campaign. There were intense arguments for, and against the planned removal of fuel subsidy. By January 2012, organised Labour paralysed the country with a nationwide strike that had echoes of similar work stoppages in the preceding decade when fuel prices were increased rather peremptorily. In the heat of the debate, anyone could have been forgiven for being cynically dismissive of the Federal Government’s insistent pledge of what it would do with its own share of the savings from the partial withdrawal of fuel subsidy. Now, three years later, it is fair to ask whether the cynics have seen their worst fears materialised. On the contrary, there is growing evidence that the Federal Government is keeping faith with its pledge of judicious use of its accruals from the fuel subsidy removal. The evidence is such that even the most implacable critics of the Federal Government cannot deny. Let’s take a sampler from infrastructural development. In 2006, the Federal Government awarded the dualisation of the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Highway. But the project languished in the doldrums owing to inadequate geological surveys occasioning poor design, and majorly the abject lack of funding, as the annual budget of the Federal Ministry of Works could hardly make any impact. Contractors abandoned their various sites on the Lots. Since 2012, following the launch of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, by the Federal Government, the story of the project has changed dramatically: the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Expressway is now a reality. Similarly, for more than two decades, the Benin-OreShagamu Expressway had collapsed, and the remedial patchwork that often was carried out on that critical arterial road was as laughable as it was dangerous. SURE-P funding is now making a huge difference that is clearly measurable in the reduced travel times on that route.

The Benin-Ore part of the Expressway has been totally reconstructed, while work is proceeding determinedly on the Ore-Shagamu axis. Indeed, the story is the same with the on-going total reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which has a basket of funding to which SURE-P is contributory. Move over to the Loko-Oweto bridge that connects Nasarawa and Benue states, and SURE-P funding is the reason why the project is already more than 65 per cent complete, not to reference the hundreds of direct and indirect jobs being created in the process. Furthermore, the SURE-P wallet is one of the assured sources for financing the much-delayed Second Niger Bridge, the authentic ground-breaking ceremony of which was performed this year by President Goodluck Jonathan. After many sorrowful years for commuters, the East-West Road in the South-South was at about 22 per cent completion in early 2012 when SURE-P was created. Within two years of injecting funds, the East-West Road has notched more than 70 per cent completion with a new lot added, not to mention overcoming the havoc wreaked by the floods of 2012. The Lagos-Kano rail line that represents the Western line of Nigerian Railways is active today with regular commuter and cargo traffic, because of massive supplementary funding by SURE-P. The Eastern corridor, which runs from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri has also witnessed tremendous rehabilitation, on account of SURE-P financing. But one must also add that the brand new standard gauge rail line from Kaduna-Abuja is a dream come true, because SURE-P weighed in with funds. It is also deploying resources of up to N10billion in support of the Abuja light rail project that is expected to ease intra-city transportation upon completion. The 21-member Committee that manages SURE-P as a unique interventionist agency was established on February 13, 2012, after the smoke cleared from the protests against the partial withdrawal of subsidy. The mandate is the judicious and transparent application of the Federal Government’s 41 per cent share of the subsidy savings.

The funds accruing to the Federal Government are domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). All the 36 states of the federation and the 774 local governments are entitled jointly to 54 per cent of the subsidy savings, while the remaining five per cent goes to Ecological Fund, as well as cost of collection. SURE-P started receiving funds in July 2012. From then until now, it has received a total of N441 billion, according to Dr Bright Okogu, Director-General of the Federal Budget Office. The Programme has an annual allocation of N180 billion, but its receipts so far have been N126 billion (2012), N180 billion (2013), and N135 billion (2014). SURE-P operates through specialised sub-committees and project implementation units that are embedded in, but insulated as much as practicable from the stifling bureaucracy in relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). SURE-P does not choose or award contracts on behalf of the MDAs. However, projects and programmes that are targeted for funding are evaluated by SURE-P in-house technical staff and outside consultants where necessary, to certify work done, before payment certificates are approved. The payment certificates are then forwarded to the Federal Budget Office, which scrutinizes the certificates, before advising the CBN, which credits the contractor’s account. So, you are not likely to find contractors milling around the SURE-P offices, begging for payment. This approach, no doubt, has boosted the confidence of contractors handling the infrastructure projects, hence the rapid milestones they have achieved in so short a time. SURE-P is focused primarily on critical infrastructure projects and social safety net programmes, which directly and positively impact on the people. The infrastructure projects include roads, bridges, and railway, the progress report of which is highlighted in the preceding paragraphs of this piece. • Omafume, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.

Akpobolokemi: No more a fringe player in NIMASA Felix Ugbechie

hen Ziakede P. Akpobolokemi was appointed the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of, Nigerian Maritime Administration And Safety Agency (NIMASA), many operators in the sector welcomed him with clenched hands. This was understandable. Coming from the academia, it was expected that many would see him as a fringe player in the industry. But hardly had he settled down, than he proved the pessimists wrong. And today he has not only sustained the momentum in the agency, but has also transformed it in such a novel and uncommon manner akin only to a creative thinker, an uncommon business mogul, a diligent entrepreneur; a courageous industrialist, an incurable optimist and an ambitious impresario all rolled into one. Akpobolokemi has defied the odds and is gradually edging his name in golden marble as a turn-around expert and a visionary of astounding proportions. It is often said that if you play an old lady a music she is used to in her dancing days, no matter how frail and weak her waist and legs are, she would always wriggle to the tunes. Such could be said of Akpobolokemi. Coming from a knowledge-based sector, he knew that in future, the dearth of professionals could hamper the operations of the agency. Pragmatic and forward looking, he conceived the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU)

which is to provide a solution to the dearth of qualified professionals in the Nigerian Maritime sector. This laudable initiative will of course, produce high level manpower for Nigeria’s maritime/shipping sector on sustainable basis. It will also provide training for seafarers, master mariners, marine engineers, naval architects, nautical scientists and other specialised maritime/shipping trade skills. Interestingly, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has performed the Groundbreaking ceremony of the University at Okerenkoko and also flagged-off activities at the university’s temporary site in Kurutie, both in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. There is an on-going effort to source for technical collaboration with foreign maritime institutions. When this finally takes of, the university is envisaged to become a Centre for Excellence in innovative research for the maritime sector in the West and Central Africa sub-region when it fully evolves. Today, the noble virtues of Akpobolokemi- dynamism, innovativeness and creativity have positively rubbed off on the agency, turning it into Africa's strongest and most innovative maritime agency. His commitment to excellence is unequaled. His insistence that second best does not lead to success has led the agency maintaining high standards as well as being proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas. Imbued with the extraordinary gift of a leader, he plans ahead and is supremely organized. He thinks through multiple

scenarios and the possible impacts of his decisions, while considering viable alternatives and making plans and strategies--all targeted toward success. Once prepared, he establishes strategies, processes, and routines so that high performance is tangible, easily defined. These attributes have led the agency into achieving tangible results. One of such noticeable landmarks is the NIMASA Shipyard and Dockyard, also located in Okerenkoko. He notes that the vision behind this project is to transform the maritime sector into an industry that will generate capable local manpower, which will contribute significantly to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. “The vision behind the shipyard and dockyard project is to have a world-class building and repair facility that will be commercially viable to transform the nation’s economy. The project is being developed in two phases. Phase one is the ship building facility to handle smaller vessels and maintain ships plying the nation’s inland waterways while the second phase is planned for a facility that will handle ocean-going vessels and offshore installations which will serve the oil and gas industry”. This facility would of course, fill the major infrastructural capacity gap that has negatively affected the sector’s performance. “Another important reason for undertaking the project is that the ship and dockyard facility will support the university by providing opportunity for the practical training of naval architects,

marine, communication and control engineers. The physical proximity of the ship and dockyard facility to the university is deliberately conceived to facilitate adequate practical training of students in requisite areas”. Sensitivity is another attribute he brings on board. He is a good communicator who genuinely likes all kinds of people and is comfortable talking to perfect strangers in all kinds of environments. He is also accessible. With all the air of opulence around him, he is always accessible to everybody. Akpoblokemi places a premium on resourcefulness and intelligence. This is true when one considers the sustenance and continuous investment in Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).The emphasis here is on human capacity development for the present and the future mindful of its critical role in exploiting the potential of the sector. He notes: “I am glad to inform you that under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), which started five years ago, over 2,500 young Nigerians have benefitted or are currently enjoying various levels of sponsorship in schools in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Romania, India and Philippines. “The first set of Twenty-three (23) qualified seafarers under the scheme has already emerged from the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt having completed their sea time training. • Ugbechie is a media consultant and a creative writer

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

EDITORIAL

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Cheerless dance from DISCOs

hose familiar with conflict resolution and management know that fresh, friction-inducing situations are easiest to resolve. Older instances risk cultivating profiteers who may resist such attempts to resolve the knotty situation and do so vehemently. It is fear of threat to this profit revved that provides incentive to contrive justification for seeking to manipulate in the first instance. During military rule, for instance, power generation and distribution presented a screwdriver of aggravated corruption and free-wheeling failure of capacity. Not only was the unbundled National Electric Power Authority, NEPA, incapable of meeting its constitutional mandate of providing uninterrupted power supply, its bureaucratic preponderance required being shielded from responsibility for the pains and frustration imposed on consumers by sheer lack of capacity. It was bad enough that this anomaly persisted in spite of the sensational lack of capacity but worse that existing law shielded the errant institution from any form of culpability for the consequences of its scandalous lack of capacity. Remember that no damage or loss incurred could be attributable to this failure of

According to the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees, NUEES, DISCOs are performing abysmally because they never negotiated for privatization with any real money of theirs but only after collecting heavily collateralized loans from banks capacity, as any legal action for redress was foreclosed. As dissatisfaction with this undeserved legal protection of a consistently-delinquent institution by most Nigerians persisted, public agitation for private participation for greater efficiency in the machinery of power generation and supply also grew. The demand paid off in 2009 when the Federal Government unbundled NEPA, permitting private participation in the jealously-monopolized power sector. Unrelenting clamour for value and efficiency prompted the lifting of restriction on private participation in the hitherto exclusive sector. Persistent agita-

tion for value and efficiency in services coupled with the global trend which supported public divestment from business invariably fast-tracked the commencement of private participation in power generation and distribution as represented by privatelyowned electricity Distribution Companies or DISCOs. Since private initiative has always been touted as recipe for efficiency and profit in any business enterprise, the entry of DISCOs ushered hope of infusion of a regime of efficiency and purposefulness into in the country’s chaotic and inefficient power sector. Sadly however, available evidence indicates that this was a baseless optimism; unabating complaints by consumers against the activities of DISCOs, including unmitigated inefficiency and overly-crazy billing system, signpost worsening inefficiency than during NEPA. The resurgence of damning criticisms betrays optimism in the comparative value and advantage of private participation and initiative in the sector. All over the country, shocking accounts of dashed hopes and expectations remind incredulous consumers of the grim reality that private participation in electricity distribution might not have translated into any marked improvement in services

as originally envisaged. The reason is not far-fetched. According to the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees, NUEES, DISCOs are performing abysmally because they never negotiated for privatization with any real money of theirs but only after collecting heavily collateralized loans from banks which they, as a matter of course, must repay. Mr Joe Ajaero, General-Secretary of the union said. And because there was no money to undertake the huge investments required in the specialized sector to make seamless power supply available, DISCOs, Mr. Joe Ajaero alleged, have resorted to a panorama of sharp practices, including billing consumers crazily in the hope of cranking up sufficient funds to justify hope in the efficiency envisaged from private participation. If this grievous allegation by the union is true, we have no alternative than to urge the Federal Government to review the power sector reform urgently so that only capable private operators remain. This is imperative because in addition to being crucial to national development, the power sector is critical enough to compel the governments of United States of America and South Africa to express serious doubt about total disengagement from the sector.

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

Felix Oguejiofor Abugu

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Deputy Editors, Daily n Emeka Obasi, Ayodele Ojo

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

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Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

Politics

Femi Ayelabowo

fter almost seven days of keeping interested party members and expectant Nigerians waiting, the All Progressives Congress (APC) finally named a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor and crony of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the running mate to General Muhammadu Buhari. The national leader of the APC, Tinubu, was himself cut to size in his ambition, by a pack led by the power-

TUESDAY, DECember 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

2015 presidency: Whither APC? ful bloc of governors, especially those who left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC. As a fall-back position to his demystification, the leader put forward the name of his own man. It is obvious that Tinubu is not a happy man with the crash of his ambition after those he did in at the party presidential primaries brought their daggers out and tore at him for wanting the big pie next to Buhari. Many shot down his ambition because they had all

agreed there was not going to be a Muslim/Muslim ticket. The former Lagos Governor is now claiming that Buhari offered him the number two seat, but he turned it down. Hogwash never smelled as foul as this claim. After causing to be issued a statement in which the latest entrants to the APC from the PDP were soundly and roundly lampooned for fighting against him, the party leader now wants everyone to believe he

was offered what he was deliberately denied. He may have had his way in Lagos, even sending Babatunde Fashola to early political retirement; he may have had his way at the party primaries where Buhari emerged; but the other power blocs have proved to him that he is not as invincible as he makes out. Many are beginning to be afraid that with the latest developments in the APC, another sellout may happen to the opposition in the South-

West in February 2015; but it is clear now that many persons aggrieved that they were not considered good enough for number two ticket will also sell out because they have nothing to lose. It appears now that former Kano Governor, the runaway APC chieftain, Ibrahim Shekarau, was wise when he took off from the party. The former governor, according to New Telegraph, last February, said the APC should forget the presidency in

2015 because the party remains in the hands of a clique. An indication of the forgery and cloning for which the Department of State Service (DSS) is now investigating the APC reared its head early in the day but no one paid attention. Shekarau, New Telegraph said further, disclosed that the constitution drafted by the 89-member committee of the parties that gave birth to the APC had been fraudulently tampered with before being taken to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He stated that the provision in the original draft of the constitution, which recommended that the interim committee of the party has only a lifespan of six months, during which it should superintend congresses and convention and handover, has been removed. The second violation, according Shekarau, is the removal of the provision that recommended for elections at the unit level. These two violations, Shekarau said, were clear indications that some persons in the party were out to rubbish the vision of those who mooted the idea of floating a mega opposition party that will give power to the people. “Eighty-nine of us were part and parcel of this constitution. But when some people wrote to INEC to obtain the certified true copy of the constitution, to our dismay, we discovered that the constitution with which INEC registered APC does not contain Schedule 3, which specifies six months interim leadership. Incidentally, it is the last schedule and the last page, but it has been removed,” he said. With the bad blood generated by Tinubu’s inability to get the number two ticket to Buhari threatening to rock the party in the next few weeks preceding the elections, Nigerians may show their disappointment, just like other aggrieved party big shots on voting day come next Valentine’s Day. By commission and omission, the ambition of one man is bound to tear the APC apart in the next few days. Already, Prof. Wole Soyinka has made his position known on the matter, preferring a Goodluck Jonathan, whom he clearly does not like to a Buhari whom he loathes. l Ayelabowo sent in this piece from Ibadan

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Theatre

Footprints of David set for annual festival

Arts

CULTURE

Saro returns with The Musical for Yuletide season

A scene in Saro: The Musical

Tony Okuyeme

fter 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 AustenPeters Productions gave teeming theatre community in Lagos something to cheer, chew, chat about and think, beyond its rich entertainment value, with calls for ‘more’. Saro: The Musical took the theatre stage by storm, setting the city of Lagos, the entertainment hub of the country, abuzz with excitement, days before its premiere. This year’s showing tagged Saro: The Musical 2, opens today Tuesday December 23, 2014,

at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 6pm, and will run till Sunday December 28, 2014. According to the schedule of performances, Saro: The Musical 2 will mount the stage on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, December 24, 26, and 27, respectively, two shows (3pm. and 6pm.) each day; on Christmas day Thursday

Gideon Okeke etc, to boost the production in a better way. And with the able support by Access Bank, African Magic, Etisalat, it is going to be a total drama and total theatre. The story is one that everyone can identify with; it speaks to the youths of this country, in all it has been a success story.” The project Austen –Peters stated, “aims to encourage theatre growing culture in Nigeria, to attract more movie stars, TV people, create that platform that will enable us discover talents.” She also explained that the need for a more suitable acoustic and to achieve a more intimate setting (in terms of a smaller hall) informed the MUSON choice. The performance is indeed a musical exploration rich with drama, costumes, and other elements of theatrical presentation. “From its origin in the streets of Lagos, popular music in Nigeria took its root from African pop, bringing in influences and instruments from many ethnic groups and traditional music. Despite the destructive attempts of the Atlantic Slave Trade coupled with foreign religion and culture of the ‘Potokis’ (Portuguese), Nigerian music established itself and became prevalent in the life of its people.”

In Lagos, Tayo gets inspiring reception from Big Brother fans Tony Okuyeme

lthough Tayo Faniran emerged first runner-up in this year’s edition of Big Brother Africa (HotShots), which ended recently, it was obvious that he was as good as the winner, going by the rousing reception and show of love he got from fans and admirers, most of who felt that he ought to have

TONY OKUYEME tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

December 25, at 6pm.; and on Sunday December 28, three shows (1pm, 4pm, and 7pm) respectively. The show feature arrays of stage and screen stars such as veteran actor, Bimbo Manuel, Gideon Okeke are among others. Founder of Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, and Chief Executive Officer of the troupe, Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters, disclosed that Saro the Musical 2, will offer more sensation when the show begins today at the MUSON Centre. She however added that the script has slightly been modified, while the cast too has considerably changed. Austen-Peters further stated that “this year’s show will be delivering an even bigger showcase of dazzling performances in lovely and colorful costumes, enigmatic and well-choreographed dance steps, and an exquisite fusion of jazz, afro-beat, hip-hop, highlife, juju, apala, and such other contemporary Nigerian music genres. “In 12 months, we have grown as a group. The story line has not changed; the story is still that of the four young boys migrating to Lagos in search of fortune. But the experience they have in the city has also been altered, so we are infusing new young and experienced cast like Bimbo Emmanuel,

L-R: Tayo and Aiyevbomwan at the press conference

been declared the winner. The Nigerian housemate, who put up a good show at the Big Brother house for 63 days, recently returned home and was welcomed with all the pomp befitting a hotshot. As is customary, MultiChoice Nigeria, M-Net and proud sponsor Jameson threw him a homecoming party which took place at the popular Cova Lounge, in Victoria Island, Lagos. About an hour before the press conference preceding the home coming party was to have commenced, many of his admirers, some of who came from out Lagos, thronged the venue to see him and take photographs with. The handsome, unassuming, and amiable Tayo spent some time taking photographs with them one after another, thanking them for their support. Speaking with the media at the press conference, Tayo said he was shocked when Idris Sultan of Tanzania was declared the winner of the reality show. However, the 28 year old model and new dad explained that the interaction with other Africans in the Big Brother house and the exposure to the rich and diverse cultures in Africa have adequately prepared him to further

pursue a career in acting, singing, or as a TV presenter. He said: “I was really shocked when IK declared Idris the winner of the show. I genuinely thought I would win, or at least be declared a co-winner! Nonetheless I’m incredibly grateful for the unique opportunity and exposure Big Brother has given me. All I can tell Nigerians, Africa and the rest of the world now is ‘watch this space!’”. MultiChoice General Manager, Marketing, Martin Mabutho expressed the MultiChoice’s pride in the reality show’s ability to bring Africans together. “MultiChoice, M-Net, and the show’s partners, worked hard to make this season of Big Brother Africa bigger than the last and we thank all stakeholders for their support,” he said. Publicity and Talent Lead for M-Net (West), Efosa Aiyevbomwan, said: “We work hard to make each edition of Big Brother Africa bigger than the last and this year provided yet another mix of excitement, intrigue and incredible entertainment for our viewers.” The reality show which began with 26 housemates successfully came to an end on Sunday, December 7, 2014.

Arts

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Footprints of David set for annual festival Ebere Ameh

ll is set for the three-day non-stop Art festivities by the multi award winning dance troupe, the Footprints of David. An annual event, now in its ninth year, the group is poised to raise the bar this year with tens of other dance groups and choirs in attendance. “It is a three-day loaded festival that will start on the 27th of December. Some of the activities we shall carryout in our art festival include; Indoor Traditional Games, Children Funfair, Cooking Competition, Praise Concert, Award Night, Dance and Drama, Drums ensemble and folk Songs, Comedy, Charity walk, Community Clean-up and many more. We shall take over the street for the three days with and we can assure, it promises to be the best ever,” Seun Awobaji, the founder of the group said in an interview with New Telegraph. “On the first day is a musical praise concert, which will start by 4 pm. We have twelve praise bands that will perform. Everybody is going to minister for 20 minutes interval. After the first praise band we’ll have some set of alleluia that will run for the first day,”Awobaji said. Activities lined up for the second day starts by 10am. The children will do a community cleanup. There will be an animated story telling for the children in the community before a film show by 7.30pm. The film, which is produced by ace film maker, Tunde Kelani of Mainframe productions, will run till 8.30pm. “From 9.00am to 11.00am on day three, we are going to do ‘a walk against child abuse’ with our friends and the community. We shall walk from Ilaje, Bariga to University of Lagos gate. From there, we shall go to Modupe Cole Memorial Home, which is a home for children with disabilities. We shall play with them and do some performances there, while the workers will take a break there.” There will also be a cooking competition by 12pm on the third day. “10 selected women from each compound will prepare a sauce for ofada rice each, and 10 landlords will act as the judges. It’s not a competition per se, as there will be no winners but they will be scored. While the cooking is going on, the elders of the community will be competing in the okpo ayo game, a traditional in door game. Actually, the finals will take place that day, the preliminaries having been held on the 16th of December. The children will also be having a fun fair down the street while some youths would be involved in a Ram championship. All these would go on simultaneously till 5 5:30 when there will be a grand live performance by footprints and some other dance and theatre companies, friends and family,” Awobaji explained. The festival will also witness a series of awards given to deserving members of the art community. “Awards will be given to ‘Man of drum’, ‘Man of dance’, ‘Green queen’ and ‘Best thespian man in Bariga’. The idea is to appreciate the people who the community

Footprints of David in performance

have noticed to have made various contributions to the society through their works.” According to Awobaja, “some of the awardees include Isioma Williams as the man of drum of Nigeria. I call him professor. He was the past president of the Dance Guild of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter. He has represented Nigeria in global competitions. When it comes to traditional music, not just drum, he is a force to be reckoned with. Another Awardee is Mr Steve James. He is a Lecturer of Dance in the University of Lagos and was one of the founding member of the National Troupe of Nigeria. He was trained by Herbert Ogunde, the founding father of theatre in Nigeria. The Green Queen Award will go to the founder of Children and the Environment, Mrs Akinsola Lamotu. She is the inspiration behind the cleanup programme. Oladiti Ilesanmi, the founder of Starlight Hope of Entertainment will also be honoured. He is like the founding father of theatre in Bariga. He trained me when I was gathering my informal education about dance.” Talking on why he started this amazing dance group that has grown to be among the best in the country, Awobaji said he has a call to minister and mentor children through arts. “I have a very interesting background. I think I have a call to the children ministry. I met Christ and it became a calling. So much so that when I see children in need I am always touched. I felt I should use what I have, arts, to answer the call. I grew up struggling and I wish to put smiles on people’s faces and let them know the reality of life.” The group is structured in a way that members have to be between the ages of six and sixteen. “Once one is sixteen, it is expected that one should have graduated from secondary school. It is assumed that at that age, one should know the nature of art to pursue. Some have graduated to Crown Troup of Nigeria, others to Dance Guild of Nigeria, as the case may be. One can also decide to remain in the performing arts and start something like Footprints of David elsewhere. As I speak to you,

we have FOD in Sango, Ibadan and even another part of Bariga. These are founded by people who have graduated and decided to have their own version of FOD.” Awobaji, who started FOD from under a tree in Bariga when he was 19 years, has nurtured it assume a national recognition. A performance artiste by default, Awobaji said that art for him is a tool to really convey his message. “If at the time I caught the revelation, it only dance that was in my hand to convey my message, tomorrow things might change and I might use another genre of the art. The vision is still very big,

The big picture is that when you think of a cultural academy for children in Africa, you think Footprint of David

what you see is just a tip of the iceberg, about 6% of the larger picture. After three to four years in FOD, I got a clearer picture of what God is laying in my heart.” On his plans, going forward, the young artist said that “FOD is going to grow to a very big art complex, presumably it is going to be on six acres of land. Two for the academy and two as a relaxation centre and then the theatre itself, where people all over the world, especially children, can probably come and learn performance art the real performance art of Nigeria. The big picture is that when you think of a cultural academy for children in Africa, you think Footprint of David,” Awobaji is such a focused young man that actualizing that huge dream is just a matter if time said. FOD started a group for the less privileged children. Toda however, even children from rich home clamour for an opportunity to join the group, a feat Awobaji is happy to have achieved. “70% of FOD children are disadvantaged - some of them have no house, some no parents, etcetera. The interesting thing is that when we started it was difficult for people in the other side (the middle and upper class) to be part of it. But now, we have children

from the other class coming. So for me I see it as another way of breaking social strata. The combination of these classes may not really make any pronounced impact now, but I know that one day, it will. It gives joy and that’s part of the bigger picture.” So far, FOD do a good number of Nigerian dance from the six geo-political zones of the country. The group also features in aloyaga, A Yoruba series on Africa Magic, DSTV, produced and directed by Tunde Kelani of Mainframe production. So far, FOD has won several awards of which space may not allow us to mention. Among their numerous awards are was the best children theatre company in Nigeria by the National Troupe, the best children theatre group in Nigeria by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the best dance group by Sights and Sound Theatre, we won the children category at thespian family award among others. Despite the huge success being recorded by FOD, Awobaji said that finance and publicity has remained their major challenge. “We have so much to express but no finance. For this festival we had plan A to E we are currently running plan B. As for FOD, the challenges are countless.”

The Gods are Not to Blame goes on stage

s part of the Yuletide celebrations, the Thespian Family Theatre and Production Company is set to present The Gods are Not to Blame, a play written by Prof. Ola Rotimi. The Gods are Not to Blame is about a man born with a destiny that he tries to run away from. At birth his parents’ joy was cut short when they found out from the oracle that their first son was destined to bring them calamity! This handsome little boy was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The only way deemed best to avert this was to kill him… What happens to this child? Are his parents able to thwart the heavy sentence pronounced on them from the world beyond? Who is to blame in the turn of events? Find out at the MUSON Cen-

tre on Sunday, December 27, 2014. This exciting and thought provoking play runs for 100 minutes and is brought to the stage by the Thespian Family Theatre & Productions and their worthy sponsors who share in our dreams. With the slogan -‘Building the community one stage at a time,’ the company, which has been in existence for over a decade has produced plays at major centres in Lagos. A star member of the International Society for Performance Arts and the Nigerian chapter of the International Theatre Institute, Thespian Family Theatre & Productions aims to inspire a positive change in society and create a deeper engagement around core values that define the spectrum of humanity.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Paradigm

Research

UK don advocates paradigm shift from oil to agric

NUC, ministry endorse MoU on research regulation

Education

Stakeholders vote for TETFund REVIEW

Key stakeholders in the tertiary institutions, last week gathered at a oneday forum to review the activities of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and how to improve management and distribution of funds to revitalise the nation’s tertiary education system. Mojeed Alabi

or one-day, last week, key stakeholders in the nation, higher education sub-sector, including top government officials, policy makers and captains of industry, led by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), converged on Lagos Island to review the activities and funding profile of tertiary institutions in the country. The annual TETFund Tax Payers’ Forum, among others, created an avenue for formal interaction between TETFund and the organised private sector with a view to strengthening partnerships with the Education Tax-Payers in the country. The one-day parley, which took place at the External Ball Room, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, offered a platform for which tax-payers were enlightened on the trend of Education Tax (ET) collections and its impact on the tertiary institution’s development. This year’s Forum, which originally was to reward 100 committed and loyal registered companies in the country, whose two per cent of assessable profits have been committed to revitalise ter-

KAYODE OLANREWAJU EDITOR, EDUCATION

kayode olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com

L-R: Mrs. Lulabuka, Prof Bogoro and Mr. Kalu at the TETFund Taxpayers’ forum.

tiary education system, however, turned out to be an open endorsement of TETFund, described by stakeholders as the best thing that has ever happened to the nation’s education sector. This year’s event, which was the second in the series, was a huge improvement over the 2013 edition, with large turnout of stakeholders including representatives of various companies, managers of higher institutions, governmental and non-governmental agencies and representatives from other countries such as Tanzania. Established as an intervention agency under the TETFund Act Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment, etc) Act of 2011, Tertiary Education Trust Fund was charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in the country. The mandate of the Fund specifically is for the provision and maintenance of essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning; instructional materials and equipment; research and publication. Others are academic staff training and development; as well as any other need which, in the

If there is anything we are getting right in the education sector, it is the establishment of TETFund

opinion of the Board of Trustees, is critical and essential for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the higher educational institutions. While setting the tone of the parley, TETFund Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, recounted the achievements of the agency over the years, noting that the allocation to benefiting institutions has increased considerably. Bogoro, who hinted that the forum would avail the Fund to present the utilisation of the Education Tax on intervention projects and programmes across tertiary institutions in the country, also told stakeholders that the number of higher institutions of learning benefitting from the TETFund intervention had increased tremendously in the past few years. According to the Executive Secretary, over 180 public tertiary institutions are currently benefitting from the TETFund intervention, as against 157 beneficiaries in 2010. In his analysis, Bogoro pointed out that allocation to each public university in the country grew from N303 million in 2010 to about N912 million in 2014. With the mission to provide focused and transformative in-

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSSIANI

tervention in public tertiary institutions in the country through funding and effective project management, Bogoro, who spoke on the plan to consolidate on the agency’s achievements, said the Fund’s five-year vision was aimed at improving academic content and quality to achieve excellence. Towards this end, he noted that the Departments of Research and Development and Centres of Excellence had been created in TETFund as part of the vision. “The main objective is to institutionalise research and development in tertiary institutions by supporting establishment and operations of research outputs in these institutions,” the TETFund boss added. Bogoro, who credited the success of the agency to its non-contract-awarding status, explained that part of its mandates is to ensure prudence and accountability of the benefitting institutions. TETFund, he stressed would not dictate what project beneficiaries of its intervention funds should do with their funds, but noted that the Fund always insists that projects proposed for the utilisation of the intervention should relate directly to the core CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

24 Education

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Musa Pam JOS

he President of Educational Development Foundation for Excellence (EDFE) and wife of former Chief of General Staff, Mrs. Esther Domkat Bali, has called on educational organisations, institutions, NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and other stakeholders to expand their strategies and capacities towards promoting quality education in the country. Besides, she spoke of the need for financial institutions to provide financial and material support towards efforts at increasing literacy, as well as attainment of the goal of education for all. Mrs. Bali disclosed this during the launch of EDFE School Library Project and donation of books and other learning materials to Pilot Science Primary School, Zamko Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State

Stakeholders urged to expand strategies for education quality Represented by the Chairman of the foundation, Dr. Bata Musa, the President expressed strong belief that for any meaningful development to occur, there was the need for quality basic education which is crucial to nation building. While stressing that literacy for all is at the heart of basic education, Mrs. Bali appealed to the government at all levels (federal, states and local government) to reinforce enough political will towards mobilising adequate resources and developing more inclusive policy-making environment for educational development. She, however, urged that government to device innovative strategies for reaching the poor and most marginalised groups, by seeking alternative to formal and non-formal approaches to

Gov. Jang

learning. The Director of programme and Operations of the Foundation, Dr. Nanna Emmanuel noted that creating a literate environment and society was essential for achieving the goal of

eradicating poverty, reducing maternal and child mortality, controlling population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development as well as peace, security and sustainable democratic processes in the country. Nanna further noted that literacy for all was the foundation for lifelong learning and a tool for empowering individuals and communities in the rapidly changing world of knowledge, innovations and technology to develop the ability to evaluate and effectively use information in diverse manner. He said the acquisition of stable and sustainable literacy skills by all would ensure that people could actively participate in a range of learning opportunities throughout life. This, according to him, will undoubtedly increase access to

My parents honed my writing skills – Winner of UBAF essay Mojeed Alabi

Provost raises the alarm over erosion threat Ben Ngwakwe

he importance of parental care in the upbringing of children was brought to the fore last week. The overall winner of this year’s edition of the United Bank for Africa Foundation (UBAF) annual essay competition, Fabelurin Fehintoluwa attributed her outstanding performance to the pivotal roles played by her parents in discovering her innate talent and their efforts to develop it. The 15-year-old pupil of Maverick College, Ibadan, Oyo State, said her parents had always encouraged her to put her thoughts down in writing, and that immediately her school informed them of the theme for this year’s edition of the competition, she sought their parents input. She said of her parents’ contributions to her success: “My father is a businessman, while my mother is a nurse with The Polytechnic Ibadan Staff Clinic. Right from when I was young, they had always encouraged me to develop my writing skills and when this competition was kicked off and I needed points for my argument, they readily came to my aid. “I developed my essay within two days and submitted through my school. Even though I never believed I could win, I gave in my very best.” Fehintoluwa, who went home with a cash prize of N1 million, led the pack by defeating her closest rivals; Obi Daniel Chukwudu of St. Thomas Secondary School, Kano, Kano State and Sunday Kenneth Ikemsinachi of Dority International Secondary School, Aba, Abia

quality and sustainable literacy programmes, and also reduce the rising number of non-literate adult in the society. The Education Secretary of Langtnag North Local Government Council, Mr. Geofrey Butrim lauded the Foundation for its humanitarian gesture, noting that the library project will not only benefit the school, but will also go a long way in assisting the entire community and other schools towards enhanced reading culture and improved performance of the pupils. He urged the school management to ensure judicious use of the library facility and adequately maintain it. Similarly, the PTA Chairman of the school, Mr. Dorven Geofrey, and a representative of the community, Mr. Benjamin Binzhi expressed gratitude to Mrs. Bali and the foundation for selecting the school and community for the laudable project, saying the project would go a long way in uplifting the standard of education in a rural community such as Zamko.

GOMBE

Fehintoluwa (middle) flanked by Chukwudum and Ikemsinachi at the grand finale of UBA Foundation essay competition at UBA House, Lagos.

State to clinch the trophy. The duo of Chukwudi and Ikemsinachy received N750,000 and N500,000 cash prize respectively. Basking in the euphoria of her daughter’s success and while narrating her experience the mother, Mrs. Esther Fabelurin, said being her first child, she had dedicated more time to be close to her to identify her likes and dislikes, even as she noted that since Fehintoluwa’s primary school days, she had always come first in her class. She said: “Except when she was in Senior School II, Fehintoluwa had always come first in class and through my close interactions with her I noticed her strengths and her passion for writing. I never employed maid and I made sure that I was her closest partner. “When she told me of this competition and I knew

how busy his father was, I appealed to him to share ideas with her, and we are glad that the efforts are not in vain. But we give glory to God Almighty because it is not our own making.” Speaking on behalf of the five-member panel of judges, Prof. Asabe Kabir Usman of the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, said 1,600 entries were received across the federation including Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. In the panel’s observations, he noted that the entries revealed improved language use by the candidates, but insisted that following the standard marking guide, many of the candidates’ essays shown evidence of plagiarism, exchange of materials through social media, among several others shortcomings identified by the panel. She explained: “We con-

sidered content, expression, organisation and mechanical accuracy where we tested their language use; whether the stories did not deviate from the theme, paragraph use, cohesion and coherence, among others. “However, it is unfortunate that some of the candidates did not even put their details and one of them who scored 82 per cent and who would have qualified for the final round was not traceable, and that was part of the examination.” Meanwhile, the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, said the main objective of the competition was to groom the future leaders through the acts of reading and writing, saying the poor writing skills of today’s youths requires attention of stakeholders including parents, teachers and corporate societies.

he Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe, Dr. Abbas Gimba has raised the alarm that college is being threatened by gully erosion and other ecological problems affecting its facilities. Worried by the ravaging effects of the erosion menace on the college’s facilities, he appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to assist the college through its intervention funds to tackle the problem through maintenance and preservation of the facilities. The Provost, who spoke during a one-day working visit of the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau to the college, also listed security problem, especially in the North-East part of the country, as another challenge confronting the college. To address this, he said this would require special assistance from the government to protect the members of staff and students of the college in order to ensure effective teaching and learning. He pleaded with the Federal Government to assist the college to secure a high impact support project from TETFund to address these challenges. The Provost, who lauded the Federal Government, the Minister and TETFund for their support to the college, recalled that the college benefitted significantly from TETFund Special Intervention Projects (SIP) in 2009 and some BOT Projects in 2012 and 2013. “These interventions have greatly enhanced the growth and development of the college through improved teaching and learning activities,” he said. The college, Gimba noted has been designated as a Centre of Excellence in the North East geo-political zone, under which over the years it has benefitted from the federal intervention projects, particularly from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), TETFund, PTDF, National Automotive Council and National Communications Commission.

Education 25

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

NUC, ministry endorse MoU on research regulation Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

fresh move aimed at regulating and harmonising the various research activities in the country has been taken by the Federal Government in the quest to boost the nation’s transformation and development. To realise this objective, a committee had been raised by the Federal Government while a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, the agencies from which the committee’s members were drawn. The committee is expected to ensure that the products of research from public and private institutions are integrated for nation’s benefit. The Executive Secretary of the National Universities

Kayode Olanrewaju

hese are best times for brilliant but indigent students of the Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, as the university authorities have instituted a financial reward scheme for them. The initiative, according to the university Registrar, Mr. Omololu Adegbenro, is to fulfill the management’s promise that no student would be thrown out of the university on account of financial incapability. No fewer than eight students found to be hardworking and dedicated to the vision of the university, have been offered financial assistance under the initiative, tagged Students’ Support Scheme. Some of the beneficiaries in their 300-Level include Oluyale Iyanu (Accounting), Ezeji Daniel (History and Diplomatic Studies), Ogunmoriyele Oladapo (Microbiology), Fakinlede Joshua (Business Administration) and Fakinlede Helen (Administration). Others in their 200-Level are Alli Blessing (Accounting), Jaiyeoba Abidemi (Biochemistry) and Hyacinth Jessica (Human Resource Management). While presenting the cash and meal tickets to the beneficiaries, the Chairman of the Scheme and Dean, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, Prof. Adetunji Oyelana, said that they were selected after a careful consider-

Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, described the effort as worthwhile given the roles of universities in research development. He said: “We are very serious about regulation. I know that as a regulator, NUC will be able to put the universities in very good stead in the implementation of the agreement. For the first time, Education Ministry and Ministry of Science and Technology are having a very good rapport because of the leadership of the ministries.” In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, recalled that several Memorandum of Understandings on research had been signed without the knowledge of either of the ministry or the Commission for the purpose of controlling such research activities. She, however noted that it has become necessary for NUC and the ministry to synergize efforts on regulat-

Okojie, NUC scribe

ing research activities in the country. She also expressed hope that the committee would assist in drafting research agenda for the country, saying “there is the urgent need to develop research agenda for the nation.” Her words: “Already, there

is a National Science and Innovation Policy on ground, but we also need to develop research agenda for the country in order to enhance the performance of our institutional development. At the end of the day, all this will pay off and we will realise there is a need to formalise this association into force of reckoning in the area of research development. “We want to let people know what is happening between the NUC and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. It should not be something that we are just doing underground because misconceptions are out there that various government agencies are not collaborating.” The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Abdu Bulama, while inaugurating the committee, said though science and technology drive every sector of the nation’s economy, lack of coordination had been a major setback in that direction.

Elizade varsity offers financial assistance to students l As D-G NOA seeks positive attitude among youth

Lecturers, students challenged on writing for grant

rospective grant writers and students have been challenged on the need to upgrade their ICT knowledge, especially in the use of Microsoft Word, since that would go a long way in enhancing their writing skills and portray their personality better. The advice was given by a Professor in Industrial Technical and Workforce Education and former Grants and International Development Officer of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Ben Ogwo, at the third UNN Dialogue on Media and Communication (UNNDMC). The don, who pointed out that it, would however be difficult for academic to conduct meaningful research which sponsorship is tied to the researcher’s salary, advised researchers to keep abreast with the latest trend of the social media and also seek research funds from local and international organisations, government agencies as well as private individuals. Towards this end, Ogwo listed some of the skills required of a prospective grant writer to include cognitive skill, writing skill and ability to use the internet and word processing skill. According to him, “the way and manner grant seekers comport and carry themselves and the people they know is key to securing research grants, since the funders will have to run a background check on them before releasing funds for the execution of their research projects.” Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Sun Newspapers, Mr. Steve Nwosu, advised Mass Communication students to develop passion for their profession, saying that would enable them overcome whatever challenges they might encounter in their line of duty.

20 KWASU students win scholarships

S The VC, Prof. Valentine Aletor (right) addressing the students.

ation of their applications. According to him, some applicants were screened out when it was discovered that they were not qualified to benefit from the scheme due to their good financial standing. The Chairman, who reaffirmed that the essence of the scheme was to ensure that brilliant and well-behaved, but lessprivileged students were not exposed to suffering, added that the beneficiaries would continue to enjoy the scheme as long as they sustain their work hard, respect constituted authority, display excellent leadership qualities and exhibit good charac-

ter. Oyelena noted that the Founder of the university, Chief Michael Ade.Ojo and his wife, Mrs. Taiwo Ade.Ojo, as well as some members of the university Governing Council have made significant contributions towards the scheme. In another development, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, has admonished Nigerian youths in tertiary institutions to imbibe positive attitude that would assist them in realising their dream and potential. Omeri, who also en-

joined them to demonstrate patriotic values needed for national development, gave the advice while speaking at an orientation programme, organised for students of higher institutions of learning, which took place at the university. According to him, the programme was organised to build the students’ capacity and positively reinforce the character of the country in the youth. Towards this end, he sought a productive dialogue between youth, policy-makers and the people in order to promote meaningful engagement at different levels.

ome 20 students of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, have been selected for the 2014/2015 Tunde Yusuf Scholarship Awards. The approval of their selection by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, was based on a recommendation by the University Scholarship Committee, chaired by Professor Sakah Mahmud. A statement jointly signed by Mahmud, and the Secretary of the committee, Mr. Lateef Lawal, said that no fewer than 24 applications, including transcripts authenticated by the departments and proof of citizenship, were received and considered by the committee. The statement added that the committee, taking cognisance of each applicant’s average essay score, Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and Local Government origin finally shortlisted the 20 successful students for the scholarship awards.

26 Education

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

FG spends N139bn on basic education in four years — UBEC boss Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

he Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Suleiman Dikko has revealed that the Federal Government has between 2010 and 2014 allocated over N139 billion to states for the development and rehabili-

tation of infrastructure, learning resources and capacity development in basic education. This was as he reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government towards ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to basic education. The UBEC boss, who spoke in Abuja during the 2014 end of year service awards organised by the UBEC Staff Association,

where merit awards were conferred on him and some other members of staff of the Commission, tasked the workers to work towards the actualisation of the global objective of Education For All (EFA) in the country, He disclosed that even though basic education was under the purview of the states and local governments, the Federal Government is progres-

sively supporting states in the increase of enrolment. Dikko said the federal government would continue to sustain girl-child and boy-child education initiatives in 2015, with the aim of addressing the challenges of boys and girls out of school. “It is estimated that over 10.5 million schoolaged children are out of school in Nigeria, with

larger proportion of the children being engaged in menial and exploitative labour,” he added. The Executive Secretary, commended the staff of the Commission for their hard work and support for his administration, saying this would go a long way transforming basic education in the country. The Chairman UBEC Staff Association, Mr.

Donald Anagende, in his remarks, noted that the event was to recognise some past and present Chief Executives of the Commission as well as other staff members who have made immense contributions to the development of basic education in the country. He pledged the loyalty of the staff members not only to UBEC management, but also to ensure that goal of Universal Basic Education programme is achieved.

Oyo students appeal to govt to pay bursary, scholarship

clarion call has gone to the Oyo State Government to come up with measures that would enhance the welfare of students of the state origin in various higher institutions of learning in the country. The National President of the Federation of Oyo State Students’ Union (FOSSU), Olalere Damola, made the plea in Ibadan, the state capital, in a statement made available to journalists that the delay in payment of bursary and scholarship is causing untold hardship for students, especially the indigent students. Saying that the union appreciates what the state government has done in every segment of the state, Damola said that “Governor Abiola Ajimobi should ensure prompt payment of the students’ bursary and scholarship allowance, saying that the students see these as the only benefit they get directly from government.t” While adding that “over 4,000 students who have paid the N1,000 demanded by the state Scholarship Board are yet to receive their bursary and scholarship grants,” Damola pointed out that the bursary and scholarship grants will help to augment what we (students) get from their parents or guardians. He, however, said that education remains the only tool that can liberate the society and as such, the government should leave no stone unturned to provide unfettered access to quality education to its teeming youth at little or no cost.

Education 27

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Experts move to save Nigerian languages from extinction

UK don advocates paradigm shift from oil to agric l As Rector identifies entrepreneurship as panacea to nation’s woes

Ademola and Oyeleye at the launch

Olushola Ricketts

he need to save Nigerian languages from extinction and address the inability of many Nigerian children to communicate effectively in their native or mother tongue has been stressed by experts. Towards this end, a new initiative, tagged ‘Animated Language Learning (ANILINGO) Series,’ which will serve as a major boost for the children to effectively communicate in their mother tongue has been introduced. Anilingo Series, according to the initiators, is animated multimedia products creatively designed, which comes in a DVD format, to make the teaching and learning of Nigerian languages more appealing to the younger generation. Speaking while unveiling the Anilingo Series at the Terra Kulure, Victoria Island, Lagos, the Creative Director and Chief Executive Officer of Iyin Creative, Kofoworola Oyeleye, explained that speaking in a mother tongue in recent times has been regarded as uncivilised due to the level of importance placed on the English Language at the expense of our native languages. She said: “We seek to change

this trend through our Animated Language Learning (ANILINGO) series. The series is made up of innovative, animated multimedia products creatively designed to make Nigerian languages more appealing to the younger generation, the future of the nation, using a platform of animation which all kids love. “Our aim is to promote and preserve the Nigerian cultural identity and diversity through the utilisation of indigenous content to entertain, while at the same time serving as learning tools for children at home or in classrooms.” Oyeleye stressed that language was a central feature of culture, adding that it is through language that culture is transmitted, interpreted and configured. Her words: “Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance to the people. Yet, due to globalisation processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity also fades. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression – valuable resources for ensuring a bet-

ter future are also lost.” The Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Language Project Division in the ministry, Mr. Anota Ademola, noted that the Federal Government strongly believe that it is in the best of interest for national unity to encourage every child to learn one of the three major languages – Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo - other than his or her mother tongue. According to him, this would create in itself the much desired peaceful atmosphere required for meaningful development of the country. The minister said: “Due to insufficient attention, the country’s estimated 400 indigenous languages have become greatly endangered. Some are already extinct and about 152 are on the verge of extinction. The greater concern, however, is that these languages are not being handed over to the children in their homes. Numerous researches have shown that on the average, 25 per cent of children below 11 years are unable to speak their indigenous languages. If this trend is not checked and reversed, many Nigerian languages would have extinct in the next two to three generations.

Why leaders need training on public administration to excel, by don Mojeed Alabi

he Dean of the School of Management Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Chuks Paul Maduabum has insisted that the solution to the challenges of maladministration and poor governance confronting Nigeria is for the political leaders and aspiring leaders of any organisation to take up a lesson in Public Administration. This was part of his recommendation during the university’s sixth inaugural lecture, entitled: “What has Public Administration got to do with it?” The lecturer, who noted that the challenge of corruption, which is one of the banes of national development, could be properly tackled, if only public office-holders understand the

Prof. Tennebe, NOUN VC

basic rudiments of public administration and implement its recommendations to the letter. He said: “A student of any of the management science disciplines will easily address his mind to a comparison between

adequate utilisation, inadequate utilisation or mal-utilisation of resources, albeit, managing or damaging resources.” While receiving the lecture from the lecturer, the ViceChancellor, Prof. Vincent Ado Tennebe, said the recommendations would be made available to the government for implementation. He described the lecturer as a renowned scholar, saying his wealth of experience as a wellread and well-travelled scholar reflected in the paper and urged Nigerians to pick up copies for proper digestion. The lecture was attended by the former Vice-Chancellors of several universities including those of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede and his Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, counterpart, Prof. Sidi Osho.

lecturer at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, Wales, United Kingdom, has stressed the need for Nigeria to have a paradigm shift from oil to agricultural-based economy. Prof. Mur Luis, who gave the advice at the Federal Polytechnic, AdoEkiti Distinguished Public Lecture Series, urged Nigeria to look further away from crude oil and place high emphasis on agriculture, if the country and Africa continent are to attain food security. Luis, whose lecture was entitled: “Working Towards Increasing Food Security and Health in Africa,” pointed out that the earlier African countries realised the economic importance of agriculture over the dwindling oil fortune, the better for the continent. The UK don further stressed that although Africa is richly blessed with fertile soil, there are several diseases confronting the crops that are peculiar only to tropical Africa, saying researchers across the field of science need to synergise efforts to tackle them headlong. According to him, Aberystwyth University is willing to collaborate with other researchers in Africa towards strengthening and developing skills needed to maximize the structures that could improve food security in Africa. The public lecture was part of the existing collaboration between the UK institution and the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) endorsed by the two institutions in August, this year. The Rector, Dr. Taiwo Akande, in her remarks, recalled that she was delighted with the level of commitment with which researchers work round the clock when she visited the university, even as she stressed the need for researchers in Africa to imbibe such zeal for the success of their work. Under the agreement, Akande pointed out that members of staff and students of the polytechnic would have the opportunity to further their studies at the university for their graduate and doctoral studies. As part of the collaboration, the Rector spoke of an arrangement tagged: Split Site Ph.D Studies, which Mur has pursued

Dr. Akande, Rector

before the University’s Senate, under which doctoral students will spend half of their study period in Nigeria and other half in UK at Aberystwyth University. In another development Akande has described entrepreneurship training as key to the solution to the nation’s socio-economy woes, calling on the government at all levels to show more commitment to entrepreneurship programme in order to secure the future of the Nigerian youths. The Rector, who also stressed the need for entrepreneurship training of students in the tertiary institutions in the country, declared this at a one-day Entrepreneurship Study Visit to the polytechnic’s Entrepreneurship Development centre by Rectors of Nigerian polytechnics. The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Masaud Kazaure, who spoke through the Assistant Director of Entrepreneurial programme, Mallam Abdu Isa Kofar Mata said polytechnics and monotechnics should be given more attention by the government considering their importance in the technological and economic development of the nation. He, therefore, challenged Rectors of polytechnics to come up with programmes and proposals that could fetch them the required funds and to access various grants which are available to be tapped. Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Director of CEDVS of the polytechnic, Mr. A. Jimoh, an engineer described entrepreneurship as the hope of the world. The visiting Rectors were conducted round the various units of the centre, which include the aquaculture, snailery, fashion design and the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Engineering Innovation, where they were shown fabricated engineering tools.

Education

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Don on rescue mission for Mass Communication institutions Biodun Oyeleye ILORIN

L-R: Dr. Williams, his wife Mrs. Funmi; Mrs. Okeke; Mrs. Adedoja and some of the pupils during the presentation of textbooks by the Headstone Life Development consult to pupils of Ilupeju schools.

National development, a collective responsibility, says VC

dekunle Ajasin University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Femi Mimiko has stressed the need for a robust partnership between academics and the military, saying it is a sure way of achieving reasonable development in the country. Mimiko said this while receiving Course 12 participants of the Nigerian Army College of Logistics, who visited the university. The participants, who were on a study tour of Ondo State, were at the university as part of their activities. The Vice-Chancellor, who expressed delight over the visit, said: “We have come to recognize that the duty of developing this country which is so important and pivotal to the future of Africa continent is not just that of leaders defined as those in positions of authorities, it is also about each and every one of us doing our own bit to ensure that this continental, national and racial slur that is on us is shaken off. I believe

indeed that as military officers, and the university community have every reasons to partner.” Mimiko further noted that “between the military and academics, there is an unbreakable linkage, as they must continue to complement each other in the task of national development. He said: “If we look at it very closely we will discover that, essentially, we are in the same business. While the military carry out the business of the security of the physical space, we as intellectuals and academics defend, support and deepen the cultural heritage of the nation”. While saying the future of the country would be jeopardised if the Nigerian child is not intellectually sound, the Vice-Chancellor, however added: “If we do not train the future of the nation, then we are, fundamentally weakening not just the present but the future.” His words: “If we do not make our children to be competitive intellec-

tually, we are then saying that in the event of conflict, of course, a people that are not able to compete intellectually would hardly be able to fight a war. While academics train our children to ensure that the future is guaranteed, the military also carry the weapons to ensure that it guarantees the continuous existence of the physical space.” In his remarks, the Commandant of Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Major General A.B.M. Gana, praised the university management for the warm reception accorded them, even as he drew a link between a university and the army, saying the university provides the knowledge, while the military uses the knowledge for its operations. Two papers were delivered by Professor Tomola Obamuyi and Dr. Odunyemi Anthony Ademeso on the theme of the participants’ visit to the state - “Harnessing the Industrial and Natural Potentials of Ondo State for National Development.”

FUTA wins education innovation exhibition challenge Mojeed Alabi

he Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State has won this year’s edition of the annual National Education Innovations Exhibition Competition, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education. The institution emerged the winner with its arrays of innovative items and equipment such as cassava peeler and other machines conceptualised, developed and fabricated by its engineers and researchers. FUTA led other universities and became the overall winner of the exhibition, which took place at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja and which was chaired by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, with other top officials and stakeholders in the education sector in attendance. Presenting the trophy to the ViceChancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola the leader of the FUTA team, Prof. Oluwole Olukunle said the university’s yellow Garri which was pre-

L-R: Olukunle, Daramola and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Adedayo Fasakin with the trophy

ferred to the white type, because of its fortified Vitamin A and its originality, qualified the institution for the award. “The Minister and the panel of assessors were pleased with FUTA’s exhibitions,” he said. Daramola, while responding, said the positive feat would further boost the image of the university

locally and internationally, attract quality students and spur the university engineers and researchers to achieve more success in the areas of the university’s core competences. He said: “This is positive and we thank God for it. We have a good name that we must always protect and sustain.”

f the Provost of College of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Prof. Innocent Okoye, has his way, Mass Communication as a discipline, should not be an all-comers’ affair. Piqued by the low quality of some practicing mass communicators, he called on the school authorities, the public and private sector to come to the assistance of mass communication training institutions to salvage the situation. Okoye, in a paper entitled: “Nature, Challenges and the Way Forward for Mass Communication in Nigeria,” which he delivered at a seminar organised by the Mass Communication Students Association (MACOSA) of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ilorin Study Centre and graduates of Mass Communication, stressed that the discipline should have an edge over others. Okoye, a Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, lamented the increasing inability of the Mass Communication schools to meet societal demands, even as the don identified poor funding, lack of quality control and poor attitude of mass communication students, as some of the problems facing the discipline. He stressed the need to go back to the basics by ensuring adequate quality control mechanism for new entrants into the discipline, adding that “those without a flair for writing should go to other fields.”

Church donates notebooks, materials to schools

eadstone Life Development Consult (HLDC) a Non-profit arm of Headstone Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, has donated notebooks to Ilupeju Primary School and Community Primary School, Ilupeju in Odi-Olowo Local Development Area of Lagos State. The donation is part of the consult’s self-help project aimed at ameliorating the burden of parents and guardians in educating their children and wards. The President of Consult, Pastor Chris Williams, while presenting the items, advised the pupils to be of good behaviuor, as well as take their studies seriously, saying it was through this that they could become better citizens in the future. Williams noted that the objective of the donation is to help in its own small way in alleviating the plight of the people, even as the consult strives to draw the government’s attention to the plight of public schools in the state. He lamented the poor state of facilities in one of the schools he visited, saying virtually all the roofs of the school buildings are in tatters, while some classes existed without furniture as there was no sign that learning is taken place in the school. The cleric, who assured the beneficiaries that the notebooks project will be a continuous exercise, added that more books and other learning materials would be donated to the schools. While distributing the books to the pupils, the wife of the President of the Consult, Mrs. Funmi Williams, stressed the need for the beneficiaries to make their studies their best companion, if they aspire to be great men and women in the society.

Education 29

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

President tasks varsities on discipline, rates OAU high Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

resident Goodluck Jonathan has described the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IleIfe as one of the leading and frontline institutions where effective learning is taking place, just as he challenged university authorities on the need to play more active role in making the standard of the university education second to none. The President and Visitor to the university, who spoke through the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Owuliri, during the 40th convocation ceremony of the university, appealed to Nigerian

universities to review their academic curricular and programmes by giving priority to disciplines and all round development of the students. According to him, “if unrelenting efforts are made towards uplifting the education sector, there would be remarkable outcome and better results in the system. He further challenged the first generation universities to be at the forefront and be deeply involved in proffering solutions to problems facing the nation’s education sector. The president wondered that the “limited admission space in Nigerian universities across the country has paved the way for less than 20 per cent of prospective candidates securing admission into the in-

President Jonathan

stitutions on yearly basis.” While insisting that the lim-

African students confer leadership award on Red Star chair

Alhaji Mohammed Hassan Koguna (right) being presented the award.

Kayode Olanrewaju

or his exceptional leadership and commitment towards the development of Africa and education, the Chairman of Red Star Express Plc, Dr. Mohammed Hassan Koguna, has been conferred with the Pan-African Leadership Award. The award was bestowed on him by the African Students Union Parliament (ASUP), in recognition of his innovative and corporate social responsibility index, and sustainability of their organisations. The coveted award, according to a statement made available to New Telegraph, is being bestowed yearly on outstanding leaders, who have distinguished themselves and impacted meaningfully on humanity, as well as individuals that have been influential and inspirational; and for overseen strong financial performance for his organisation through leadership and vision, and for taking his institution to the next heights in the industry. Speaking on the award, the Speaker of the Union, Culibaly Ahmed, from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, Rwanda, stated that, the Parliament is the umbrella body of all students across the 54 member states of the African Union. The students’ body is established to foster corporation and harmonious co-existence

among member states’ students for the purpose of academic exchange programme, development and economic stability in the continent. “The parliament has taken its time to scrutinise the leaders, public office holders, business moguls and individuals who have committed their time and money to serve the common good in the Pan-African ideology. At this point that youths need to have exemplary leaders and role models, we are carefully selecting such leaders like your highly respected person and honouring them with the PAN-African Leadership Award.” He declared: “Our recipient for today is a detribalized Nigerian, lover of students/youths and charismatic personality whose credible credentials of efficient service delivery, high administrative acumen and community service yet unsung marks him an iconic patriot in Nigerian society is worthy of emulation.” Koguna, while receiving the award expressed gratitude to the students and pledged to work hard for the betterment of the African continent. “I am honoured and humbled by this award. I must say that I am particularly blessed to be working with a strong team of passionate and dedicated people at Red Star Express Plc, all of whom have played a vital role in today’s success story,” the Chairman said.

ited access to higher education is one of the numerous challenges confronting the country, the President said: “It is unfortunate that every years, several thousands of youth that have possessed basic requisite qualifications for admission into the university system, do not get placement in our universities because of limited space. I am appealing to Nigerian universities to brace up and ensure that they are counted among the Ivy League universities in the world. “Our universities should try and be deeply involved in finding lasting solutions to the myriad of challenges bedeviling the university system in the country.” He appealed to the university management to accord pri-

ority to disciplines that would develop totality of humanity, stressing that if this is done, it would go a long way in making individuals self-reliant. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole said the university has been repositioned as a centre of academic excellence, even as he gave kudos to the graduating students for their perseverance, doggedness and dedication to hard work. Omole, who noted that the institution has made remarkable breakthrough in research and staff development and training programmes, however added that the quality of education imparted by the university would remain unchallenged among its contemporaries within and outside the country.

Stakeholders’ vote for TETFund CO N TI N U ED F RO M PAGE 25

mandate of the institutions. But to Bogoro, the failure and inability of some institutions to adopt sound project management principles has been a great challenge facing the agency over the years, just as he described TETFund as the face of transformation agenda of the education sector. He, however, assured stakeholders that TETFund would not derail in carrying out its mandate as an intervention agency to all the public tertiary institutions in the country. In his lecture, entitled: “Nigeria’s Transition to a Knowledge-based Economy,” the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, attributed the development stride of some developed countries to their huge investment in education. Therefore, the don urged wellmeaning individuals and organisations to key into the vision of TETFund, saying such vision could address the challenges attached to Nigeria’s dependence on oil. In his remarks, the Chairman, TETFund Board of Trustees, Dr. Musa Babayo, said that the collaborative partnership between TETFund and FIRS had strategically improved the quality of education in the country. Babayo, while commending the taxpayers for being dutiful and responsible to the developmental needs of the nation’s higher institutions, however, attributed the achievements of the agency to the dedication of its leadership to the credos of accountability and quality services. Responding, the Acting Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Alhaji Kabiru Mashi, noted that within the last five months, FIRS has generated N830 billion from tax as parts of efforts towards rebuilding the education sector. Meanwhile, in his goodwill message on behalf of Provosts of Colleges of Education, the Provost of the Federal College of Education, KatsinaAla, Benue State, Dr. Hans Senwua, recalled that without the contributions of TETFund, many higher institutions in the country would have collapsed, stressing that TETFund is one of the best things that has ever happened to the education sector in the country. Similarly, the Chairman of the Edu-

cation Committee of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Suleiman said as a critic and having visited almost all the higher institutions across 35 states of the federation, it was difficult for him to criticise TETFund as the evidence of its proper intervention and prudent resources management is over all the campuses. He added: “If there is anything we are getting right in the education sector, it is the establishment of TETFund. It is therefore important that similar institution is established for both the primary and secondary schools because the basic schools are too important to suffer the neglect they currently suffer.” The Rector of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr. Margaret Ladipo, who responded on behalf of Rectors of polytechnics in the South-West geo-political zone of the federation, noted that without TETFund, there might no longer be effective teaching and learning process in the higher institutions. She insisted that the TETFund intervention has gone a long way to adequately addressing the infrastructural deficits on the campuses. However, the Chief Executive Officer and Accounting Officer of Tanzania Education Authority, Mrs. Rosemary Lulabuka noted that whatever achievement her agency achieves today should be linked to the mentorship received from TETFund. She appealed to other African countries to emulate Nigeria by addressing the educational crisis facing the continent. The high point of the one-day forum, was the presentation of certificate of recognition to 100 leading taxpaying companies, including Shell Petroleum Nigeria Limited; Mobil Oil Nigeria; Dangote Sugar Refinery; MTN; and Airtel, among others. Represented by the Director of Information Technology (ICT) in the ministry, Mr. Orji Kalu, the Education Minister, Mallam Ibrahim Sekarau lauded the companies and the leadership of TETFund for giving a renewed hope to the education sector, while pledging the continued support of the ministry to the agency in all its activities. The representative of Allied Dominion Oil Field, one of the companies honoured at the event, Pastor Gray Ibe, also praised TETFund’s initiatives and expressed the company’s support for the Fund.

30 Education

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

WAEC defends poor results Mojeed Alabi

he poor performance of candidates in the just released November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), has been blamed on poor quality of teaching, lack of instructional materials, and poor school environment, among others factors. In the results released last week by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), only 72,522 of the 246,853 candidates representing 29.37 per cent obtained credit in five subjects including English Language and Mathematics. The results recorded a slight improvement over the 2013 performance, where only 26.97 per cent obtained credit in English Language and Mathematics. Announcing the results at the Yaba, Lagos Headquarters of the examination body, the Head of Nigerian Office of WAEC, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said that in 2012, the candidates recorded 34.84 per cent with credit in English Language and Mathematics. While absorbing itself from any blame or complicity in the candidates’ poor results, the examination body condemned the trend in which results without credit in English and Mathematics are regarded as poor. WAEC, which flayed such public outcry, however pointed out that there are candidates who only registered for one or two subjects, and so should not be judged

as part of the overall performance. The Head of Nigerian Office, while reeling out the statistics for this year’s examination, also traced the drop in candidates’ enrolment for the November/ December Diet to the poor economic situation in the country, saying many prospective candidates could not afford the registration fees. Giving further details, Eguridu said: “A total of 246,853 candidates (excluding absentees), consisting of 132,521 male and 114,332 female candidates sat for the examination. Out of the total number of candidates, 241,161 candidates, representing 97.69 per cent have their results fully released, while 5,691 candidates, representing 2.31 per cent have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors mainly traceable to the candidates and cyber cafes in the course of registration or writing the examination. Such errors are being corrected by the Council to enable the affected candidates get their results. “Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, 75,313 candidates (30.50 per cent) obtained six credits and above; while 110,346 candidates, representing 44.70 per cent obtained five credits and above. In addition, 145,036 candidates, representing 58.75 per cent obtained credits and above in four subjects, while 177,177 candidates, representing 71.77 per cent obtained credits and above in three subjects. A total of 205,090 candidates (83.08 per cent) obtained credits and above in two subjects.”

R-L: Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Registrar, Dr. Modupe Ajayi; Chancellor of the university, Alhaji Isa Mustapha ; Alhaji Bashari Aminu; Aare Afe Babalola; Governor Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State ; Dr. Mohammed Shata; Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola shortly after the conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees on Aare Babalola and Alhaji Bashari during the 25th and 26th convocation ceremony of the university on Saturday.

Govt College alumni association honours old boy, others

he Managing Director of Cosmos Trade Nigeria Limited and Founder of Safety and Protection Management Solutions (SPMS) Limited, Mr. Tunji Olaniyi was among the dignitaries honoured by the Old Students Association of Federal Government College, Port Harcourt during their reunion. The event, which took place at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos offered a moment of camaraderie and nostalgia for the old students to relive old memories and share ideas on how to develop the school that not only moulded them, but also shaped their destiny. According to the President of the Lagos chapter of the association, Chike Onuorah, the awardees especially Olaniyi has not only excelled in his profession, but he has also made immense contributions towards the development of the old students association. While extolling the virtues of Olaniyi for being a good ambassador of the college, Onuorah urged him as well as the

other awardees to sustain their stride as old students of the great school because the younger ones look up to them as role models. Responding, Olaniyi expressed gratitude to the organisers of the award, even as he pledged his commitment to the task of improving his alma mater as one of the foremost schools in the country. He said: “I feel honoured by this award. I want to say that I stand committed to the development of the college and to the task of making our college, the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt, retain its position as one of the foremost institutions in the country.” Also honoured were Biriyai Dambo (SAN); and Special Adviser on Strategic Communication to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Paul Nwabuikwu, among others The high point of the award ceremony was the fundraising for the construction of perimeter fence of the college.

EDUPEACE

with Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (08066372516, sms only)  Dr Adedimeji is a Senior Lecturer and Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin

Yes, peaceful elections are possible

iolence has often trailed the conduct of elections in Nigeria since Independence. For instance, the elections of the years 1964, 1965, 1979, 1983, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 were marred by irregularities that resulted in violence, which claimed several lives and property. As Nigeria prepares for another round of elections in 2015 and the atmosphere is charged already, it is gratifying that efforts are being made to make the elections peaceful and successful. For example, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in concert with the Democratic Governance for Development Project (PGD), the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (ICPR) and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) organised a “Strategic Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Peaceful Elections in 2015” last Tuesday and Wednesday (December 3 and 4) at the NICON Luxury, Abuja, towards that end. The forum provided an opportunity for political parties, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), traditional rulers, religious leaders, academics, journalists, civil societies and other stakeholders to brainstorm on how to make the 2015 elections, despite the ominous signs, a remarkable difference. Two fundamental issues were identified. Many Nigerians lack political education, which partly accounts for their lackadaisical attitude to elections on the one hand and the trading off of their future and lives for pittances thrown at them by their manipulators on the other. Then, our political gladiators are not interested in peaceful elections, they are only interested in winning at all costs and they can go to any length to manipulate the mosque, the church and the shrine, as well as the media, to achieve their selfish objectives. Notwithstanding, at the end of the dialogue, or a “multilogue”, as a traditional ruler humorously suggested, it was acknowledged that peaceful elections are possible in 2015 especially if the following recommendations, among others arrived at, are implemented NOW: • Political leaders and opinion leaders MUST guard their utterances responsibly and avoid making statements that are capable of causing disharmony, rancour and chaos. Politicians must uphold the Political Parties Code of Conduct 2013. • Nigerians should rise above negative ethnic and religious politics by embracing unity of purpose, mutual trust and shared vision of a fair and just Nigeria. • The Federal Government should intensify efforts to

Many Nigerians lack political education, which partly accounts for their lackadaisical attitude to elections

tackle Boko Haram insurgency and other violent crimes so as to give all citizens the opportunity to vote without threat or hindrance. • While acknowledging the sacrifices made by our security forces, there is an urgent need for them to double their efforts in combating crimes with renewed vigour with the full support of government at all levels. • Religious leaders must discharge their spiritual responsibilities dutifully and honestly as guides, counsellors and prayer icons. • Parents as matter of urgency should take responsibility in the good upbringing of their children and their nature of political participation. • INEC and relevant government agencies should design and perfect logistic plans ahead of the 2015 elections especially as they relate to the movement of sensitive materials and adhoc personnel. • The judiciary is hereby challenged to reform itself and be the unbiased and impartial dispenser of justice in full appreciation of the fact that justice delayed can in fact mean justice denied. • The mass media should refrain from sensational reportage and rather use their media to sustain our democracy. • Civil Society Organisations and community-based groups should continue in their role of sensitizing the electorates on the importance of peaceful elections to the survival of democracy and the nation. • Political parties must as a matter of regulation and policy, mainstream gender in all spheres of the electoral engagement. This should begin in practice with their party functionary structures. • Conscious efforts must be made to reduce tensions between and within political parties and also encourage intra-party democracy that will reduce the tendency for aggrieved contestants resorting to violence. Undoubtedly, with God, all things are possible, including violence-free 2015 elections.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Property

Energy

Aviation

DPR to issue modular refinery licences in 2015

Eko Atlantic City developers hasten project

Building airport of the future

Business President Jonathan’s hope What's news

FG, UAE firm in N3.06bn housing deal

The Federal Government and a firm of property developers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are collaborating to build 300 housing units with a six month construction period in 2015 at a cost of $80 million (N3.06billion).

of signing PIB dashed SPECIAL PASSAGE FG settles for sectional passage of bill

do not know.” President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier hinted on the possibility of the out-going National Assembly not passing the bill, describing the

move as unpopular. “The NASS will, as soon as they complete work on the 2014 budget, continue with the PIB as their inability to ensure its passage into law at this time

will amount to its transfer to the eight Assembly, a situation that will not be seen as popular since the bill was brought CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Adeola Yusuf

p.32

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

ndications emerged at the weekend that President Goodluck Jonathan’s hope and aspiration of signing the completed version of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law during this tenure have been dashed. The bill will not be passed by the seventh National Assembly as members are now preoccupied with scheming for the 2015 election in February, 2015. A source at the Presidency told New Telegraph that the president, who made the last minute efforts to the lawmakers on the bill, met a brick wall from the lawmakers, who are now divided along political lines. “His Excellency, Mr. President, got the message clearer that no PIB will be ready for him to sign during the lifetime of this seventh National Assembly,” the source said. He added: “The Senator David Mark-led Senate and Honourable Aminu Tambuwal-led House of Representatives have less than two months and the president is not excited that the National Assembly will pass this bill to the next National Assembly.” Said the source: “The only way the bill could be passed is if it is done in phases and section–by-section. Consideration is being given to this, but whether it will yield the needed result or not is what I

L-R: Director, Purple Capital Partners Limited, Seni Kusamotu; Managing Partner, Laide Agboola; General Manager, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas and Lagos Operations, Ope Ajayi and Managing Partner, Purple Capital Partners Limited, Obinna Onunkwo, at the unveiling of Maryland Mall in Lagos.

Why local telecoms firms are dying, by experts Kunle Azeez

mixture of factors ranging from poor funding, poor management and certain policy actions taken by the telecoms regulator, among others, have been identified as factors that have contributed

to the collapse of most local telecoms players in recent years, according to New Telegraph findings. About 60 per cent of telecoms companies belonging to the membership of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria

(ATCON) were said to have closed shops as at last year. It was, however, learnt that most of the affected telecoms firms were either Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or players in the Code Division MulCONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

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. 19)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N193 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N295 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N23 4

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

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Official As at Dec. 19)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N263.78 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N207.20

Business | News

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

FG, UAE firm in N3.06bn housing deal Synergy

The initiative would enhance home ownership Dayo Ayeyemi

he Federal Government and a firm of property developers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are collaborating to build 300 housing units with a six-month construction period in 2015 at a cost of $80 million (N3.06 billion). The estate, a mixeduse development, will be built on a 20 hectares (ha) free and unencum-

bered land situated at Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It will feature one - two- and three-bedroom apartments on four floors comprising approximately 1,672 dwellings. Already, an agreement to this effect has been signed in Abuja by the Minister of Lands, Housing & Urban Development, Akon Eyakenyi, and Anand Ramani of the Dubai-based Signature Value Homes Limited. Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, according to a statement, witnessed the ceremony in Abuja. The project will be implemented under the Public Private Partner-

ship (PPP) arrangement with government providing land and the developers financing the development. Akinjide said that the FCT Ministry has confidence in the quality of houses being provided by the housing ministry in the light of good work done in other projects. Eyakenyi remarked that the housing ministry is effectively utilising

the lands allocated to it by FCT. Signature Value Homes Limited is a mass housing project developer entity that specialises in providing holistic solutions for integrated community development, according to the firm. The company had presented a profile of successfully executed projects in India and sub-Sahara African countries.

The firm, which is also engaged in mass housing development with the Niger State government, has technical and engineering partnership with Mahindra Consulting Engineers and construction partnership with Klassic International. In November, the firm made a technical presentation to the housing ministry, which eventu-

ally gave the go-ahead for the project, in the belief that Signature Value Homes is technically capable and has the financial capacity to undertake the scheme. Under the housing ministry’s PPP Unit – the vehicle through, which it builds mass housing – government provides land and developers build according to agreed specifications.

Hopes of signing PIB dashed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

forward from the sixth assembly,’’ the President told Nigerians in The Netherlands, according to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati. Meanwhile, the legislators, with less than two months to the expiration of their tenure, are now neck deep into their reelection bids culminating in more political activities. Curtain has finally been drawn on the 14-year old bill, a source at the federal legislative chambers told this newspaper, even though it has gone through advanced stages at the National Assembly. “The PIB has reached an advanced stage at the National Assembly, but the tempo on deliberation on the bill has been doused. Except a miracle happens at this time, it will not see the light of the day until after the 2015 elections. “The legislators are politicians and what preoccupy their minds now is the re-election bids and the security situation in the country,” he said. The imminent delay in passage of the bill now means that the loss to the bill will exceed $125 billion by 2016 when serious deliberations are likely to be re-opened on the bill. Federal Government’s loss to the nonpassage of the PIB from February 2009 to February 2014 had already hit $125 billion. The estimated $125 billion loss was occasioned by the inability of Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, to attain her annual crude

production capacity of about 3.6 million barrels per day due to investment draught in her multi-billion dollars oil and gas industry since five years ago. Experts have, after assessing the growth prospects of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, raised the alarm over the declining investment in exploration and production since 2009, when PIB became controversial. Former President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), George Osahon, said that Nigeria’s target of 40 billion barrels oil reserves would remain ‘a tall dream’ if the foot-dragging on the PIB passage continues. “That we are yet to have the bill has implications on exploration activities in the country and, like I said earlier, it is in the interest of all of us that the bill is passed,” he told newsmen in a recent interview. At the Chatham House forum on the controversial PIB, experts from the private sector, operators in the oil and gas industry, management and financial consultants had also warned that government’s business was facing a turbulence, which may wreck havoc on the economy of the country that depends largely on oil proceeds to service over 85 per cent of its budget. The upstream sector was responsible for the loss of the $125 billion from 2008 to date, as it failed to attain her annual crude oil production quota even when resources and investment to achieve it are available.

President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr Chidi Ajaegbu (left) and Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Obinnia Abajue, at the launch/unveiling of the ICAN-Stanbic IBTC Bank credit card in Lagos CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

tiple Access (CDMA) segment of the telecoms industry. ATCON President, Mr Lanre Ajayi, in an interview, attributed the collapse of some of the telecoms companies, especially the ISPs, to the decision of telecoms regulator to withdraw certain spectrum from the operators. He said: “One of the factors is the decision by NCC to withdraw the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio frequency bands from use by ISPs, despite strident protest by that service sector, a development that led to the gradual folding up of players in that business.” Ajayi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Informatics Limited, one of the early traditional ISPs in the country, said that the decision by NCC was what killed most traditional ISPs, stressing that it was a very wrong decision. He said that the withdrawal of that licence was the genesis of “why today our telecoms and communication technology landscape is dominated by foreigners. “If NCC had not taken that decision that led to the death of traditional ISPs, maybe, today, some of us would have grown to be strong investors in the ICT ecosystem and also grown to have sufficient fund to buy

Why local telecoms firms are dying, by experts the licence.” Ajayi particularly noted that the too much emphasis on foreign investors at the detriment of local ones by government is killing small Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies in the country. Suggesting a way out of the problem, Ajayi said there was the need to balance the difference between the local and foreign investors as a solution to the problem of the dying companies. He said: “Certainly, there is need for foreign investors. We need them in the country but we should not do this at the detriment of local investors. We have done that mistake at the early stage by killing the local ISPs, we should not repeat that at this era of telecoms boom. “The CDMA companies that are having challenges now, if you check most of them, they are owned by local investors. If you look at their statistics, they are local investors.” He tasked government to come up with specific policies that will encourage local investors. He noted: “When local investors make profit it stays here. This is where they live

and where they want to enjoy that profit. But when foreign investors make profit, of course, the profit is taken out of the country.” A telecoms industry analyst, Mr Akin Akinbo, also said that CDMA operators ought to have engaged in “some sort of mergers early enough” to be able to compete favourably with their counterparts in the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) segment. “I think inability of the CDMA operators to realise this early has resulted in the death of most of them and by the time they later mooted the idea with the planned merger of Starcomms, Multi-Links and MTS, it was too late and that was why the deal has not taken shape,” he said. Meanwhile, the telecoms regulator has said that its regulatory activities in terms of licensing more operators to boost competition and ensuring effective allocation of spectrum, is in line with the Nigerian Communication Act 2003. Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, stated this while reacting to why some telecoms companies were not doing well in the sector.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Energy

APPROVAL

President gives nod for modular refineries’ launch Adeola Yusuf

resident Goodluck Jonathan has approved the establishment of a modular refinery initiative to ease local supply of petroleum products, especially household kerosene, which does not require sophisticated technology to produce. Speaking on the sideline of a conference in Lagos, Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. George Osahon, said that aspiring modular refinery operators would be scrutinised and granted license to install and operate such facilities. The federal government believed, according to him, that the short project cycle, low cost and flexibility for establishing modular refineries would encourage proper investment in refinery operation and minimise crude oil theft and operation of artisanal refineries. The DPR boss said that to ensure the success of the modular refinery initiative, several financial institutions had been approached to assist operators with funding, adding that his agency would soon roll out the details of the programme. “Perhaps, one of the main indicators of the success of the initiatives of government in the sector is the continued availability of petroleum products to the populace, compared to the experience of the past, when Nigerians queue endlessly at filling stations for poor quality gasoline and adulterated kerosene that killed innocent people. “In furtherance of efforts of government at deepening the participation of indigenous investors in the sector, the President and Commander-in-Chief has graciously approved the establishment of Modular Refinery initiative to soften local supply of petroleum products, especially kerosene, which does not require elaborate technology to produce,” Osahon said. Although he was silent on the date that the DPR will begin the issuance of approval for prospective operators of the modular refineries, a source at the agency told New Telegraph that these activities have been slated for 2015. Meanwhile, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke had earlier said that the position of Nigeria as a major player in the oil and gas industry had been threatened by security challenges, which made oil

Re-opening pre-privatisation electrocution cases p.34-35

DPR to issue modular refinery licences in 2015

L-R: Member, University of Benin Shell Eco-marathon Team (Team UNIBEN), Mr Osas Emmanuel; General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations of Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mr Nedo Osayande; SPDC Managing Director, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu; Team UNIBEN Project Coordinator, Prof. Akii Ibhadode; SPDC General Manager, Communications, Dr. Philip Mshelbila; and another Team UNIBEN member, Mr Iyamu Eloghosa, during a ‘Thank You’ visit to Shell, the team’s sponsor, in Lagos... recently.

theft and pipeline vandalism a common topic of discussion among industry players. “The federal government

views with grave concern the debilitating consequence of the activities of pipeline vandals, oil thieves and op-

erators of illegal refineries, otherwise known as ‘artisanal refiners. “The effects of these activi-

Deserted oil wells source of greenhouse emission –Study DATA

There are about three million abandoned wells in the United States

rinceton University researchers have uncovered a previously unknown, and possibly substantial source of the greenhouse gas methane to Earth’s atmosphere. After testing a sample of abandoned oil and natural gas wells in northwestern Pennsylvania, the researchers found that many of the old wells leaked substantial quantities of methane. Because there are so many abandoned wells nationwide, (a recent study from Stanford University concluded, there were roughly three million abandoned wells in the United States) the researchers believe the overall contribution of leaking wells could be significant. The scholars said their findings identify a need to make measurements across a wide variety of regions in Pennsylvania but also in other states with a long history of oil and gas development such as California and Texas. “The research indicates that this is a source of methane that should not be ignored,” said Michael Celia, the Theodore Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies and professor of

civil and environmental engineering at Princeton. “We need to determine how significant it is on a wider basis.” Methane is the unprocessed form of natural gas. Scientists say that after carbon dioxide, methane is the most important contributor to the greenhouse effect, in which gases in the atmosphere trap heat that would otherwise radiate from Earth. Pound for pound, methane has about 20 times the heat-trapping effect as carbon dioxide. Methane is produced naturally, by processes including decomposition, and by human activity such as landfills and oil and gas production. While oil and gas companies work to minimise the amount of methane emitted by their operations, almost no attention has been paid to wells that were drilled decades ago. These wells, some of which date back to the 19th century, are typically abandoned and not recorded on official records. Mary Kang, then a doctoral candidate at Princeton, originally began looking into methane emissions from old wells after researching techniques to store carbon dioxide by injecting it deep underground. While examining ways that carbon dioxide could escape underground storage, Kang wondered about the effect of old wells on methane emissions. “I was looking for data, but it didn’t exist,” said Kang, now a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford.

ties have not only resulted in great loss of revenue accruable to government, but also led to loss of several lives and property, damage to the environment and socio-economic disconnect,” she said. Despite its position as the highest producer and exporter of crude oil in Africa, Nigeria is the biggest importer of refined petroleum products on the continent, creating a lucrative market for refineries in Europe and the United States. To shore up the nation’s refining capacity, Dangote Industries Limited is building a $9 billion refinery and petrochemical/fertiliser complex in Lagos, which is expected to be completed by 2016, with initial capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. Nigeria’s four refineries, with combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day have long been operating well below optimum capacity as they are in different states of disrepair.

Shell underscores CSR’s investment upgrade

hell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPco) has said that it would invest more funds for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in 2015. The Managing Director of the company, Mr Tony Attah, said this during the handover of a clinic and the donation of two buses to orphanage at SOS Children’s Village in Isolo, Lagos. Attah, who was represented by Dr Femi Oduneye, Regional Health Manager Sub-Saharan African of the company, said that the aim was to provide support to those who need it most. The managing director said that the future of Nigeria lies with these children. “I am particularly honoured to be here because as a father, I know the future of the great nation lies with our children. “I commend the management and staff of the village for their dedication in ensuring that the children get the best healthcare and education possible.” “Charitable organisations like yours are performing a valuable service to the children who may one day lead this nation.”

Business | Energy

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Re-opening pre-privatisation electrocution cases The transfer of power assets’ ownership to new investors is a major clog in the wheel of justice for over 200 pre-privatisation victims of electrocution, writes ENERGY EDITOR, Adeola Yusuf

Electricity pole and cables falls on a car directly in front of Sabo Police station, Ebute -Metta, Lagos. Inset: Uchechukwu

The casualties or residents of Onabanjo Street in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos State, the rain of Thursday, April 10, 2013, was a shower of sorrow. Five people, including a pregnant woman, Mrs Ameh, her three-year old daughter, favour, another female resident simply identified as Iya Fatimah, her daughter and a boy, Basit, were electrocuted by a live wire that fell during the rainstorm. Mrs Ameh left behind a fiveyear-old boy, Jonathan, who only escaped death by a whisker. Surviving residents claimed, when New Telegraph visited the street last Tuesday, that it took about an hour before the electricity supply on the affected lines were disconnected. “The pregnant woman (Mrs Ameh) and her daughter were electrocuted by the wire when we were running for our lives away from a fire incident cause by this same electric cable. However, I quickly pulled away Jonathan, their son, and he survived. Three other residents, Basit, Iya Fatimah and her daughter were also electrocuted,” a resident who simply identified himself as Taju said in a voice laced with grief. About two weeks after the Oworonshoki incident, tragedy again struck in Agege, a Lagos suburb. A high tension cable snapped and electrocuted four persons.

Lagos is not the only state that witnessed electrocution of helpless citizens. A sagged cable from a broken high tension electric pole on Ojoto Street, Mile Two Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, turned the joy of Ewurum’s family into sorrow. Their son, Uchechukwu, a 14-year-old pupil of Government State School, Oroworuko, touched a dangling cable on April 9, 2013, and the only choice left for doctors at Rehoboth Private Hospital, D/Line, Port Harcourt, was to amputate the severely burnt right arm to save his life. Also, on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at least 20 people were electrocuted when a cable fell on a passenger bus. The death toll could be more than 20, Associated Press, which quoted a Police spokeswoman, Rita Abbey, to have said this, reported that its cameraman saw over 10 bodies at a local hospital. The electrical cable fell during heavy rains in Port Harcourt. The dead were mostly passengers, but also included passersby who were near the bus when the cable fell. On March 11, 2013, a police officer, Sunday Joseph, was electrocuted at a police barracks close to the Ogun State Government House while attempting to rescue a 17-year-old boy who was trapped by a Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)’s high-tension cable. The teenager was said to

The position of law is that new owners must inherit both assets and liability of the defunct company

have been scavenging for some materials from the rubble being used by a construction company to fill a ditch when he stepped on the live cable. The sad news also broke in Osun State. One of the most disheartening of such occurrences was the one of January 2014 in the Ibala area of Ilesa town of the state. A two-year-old boy died of electrocution. Prior to the incident, a woman who lived in the area was said to have reported to PHCN officials that a live wire was on the ground inside her compound. Rather than take action, the officials reportedly advised the woman to “look for someone to fold the live wire pending a time the company would come to fix the fault.” Afterwards, the innocent boy fell victim. A middle-aged woman and her son were, a few months after the Ilesa incident, electrocuted in Osogbo, also in Osun State, by a cable which snapped during a rainfall. Mother and son reportedly stepped on live electric cable as they attempted to escape from the electric shocks that reportedly affected their homes when the cable fell. Earlier, in the Ikosi area of Lagos, a high tension wire snapped off a pole, electrocuting a staff of the PHCN, and a security guard who had lived and worked in the area for about 30 years.

Statistics of electrocution About 200 Nigerians have died of electrocution between 2012 and 2013. The Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) revealed that out of these, 161 persons lost their lives between January 2012 and July 2013, with most of the fatalities due to negligence. The incidents of death by electrocution appear endless. Yet available reports indicate that most electrocutions resulted from a lackadaisical attitude of the electricity company workers, who ignore early warnings and appeals from residents about faulty wires in their neighbourhoods. NERC as a ‘toothless bulldog’ The NERC was set up to regulate the electricity industry by sanctioning erring firms. NERC’s chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, revealed that the commission is aware of pre-privatisation electrocution cases. He said: “From statistics available to the commission, last year alone, the industry witnessed 102 deaths from electrocution across the country and 72 injuries. In 2013, between January and July, the country witnessed 59 deaths and 60 injuries. These figures are, to say the least, extremely high and unacceptable.” The commission has, however, since inception, not sanctioned any electricity firm for negli-

Business | Energy

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Alabi

gence that has resulted in electrocution. It appears not ready to do that and words of its chairman showed that NERC is not in the mood to revisit the past cases. He only said: “We have decided to punish financially, and in many cases, remove the CEOs (of power firms) who show flagrant negligence to issues of health and safety.” While the proactive stance of NERC to bring to book the officials of any electricity firm whose company’s negligence leads to death by electrocution will reduce future occurrence of electrocution, the commission’s silence on sanctions for past cases is suspicious. Many believed that this stance of NERC gives credence to the belief that justice will not be gotten from pre-privatisation electrocution cases. A cry for the dead Legal cases have sprang up over the reckless action of Power Holding company of Nigeria (PHCN), but the rather saddening issue is that the company, which has cases hanging on its head, is defunct and this transfer of ownership has dampened the spirit to pursue court cases against the new owners by many ‘uninformed’ families of victims who died from electrocution. Consumer Rights Advancement Organisation (CRADO), an organisation that declared readiness to take new power assets’ owners to court over infringements on the rights of electricity consumers, expressed sadness that many victims of electrocution, whose deaths were caused by negligence of PHCN staff, may have died in vain. CRADO President, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told New Telegraph that part of the disadvantages of the privatisation of the power assets is that it gave room for exploitation of Nigerians in many ways. “One of this is the one (electrocution) you mentioned,” he said. “With the change of name and the unbundling of PHCN, many people believe that little or nothing can be done to get justice for the victims. “You can imagine that we are all even the potential victims and an injustice meted to one will be meted to others if not addressed in time. And to do this, we must all engage in the sensitisation for everybody to know that a case of negligence in an instance of electrocution even during NEPA (National Electric Power Authority) can still be pursued.

The late Chioma, Nwaonumah electrocuted by a fallen pole in Iju Ishaga, a Lagos surburb.

“We cannot wait on the NERC for this. Take for instance, we at CRADO have been protesting the deliberate exploitation of customers through the estimated billing by these distribution companies and we have called on Nigerians who have paid for pre-paid meters but who are yet to be connected on the meter to boycott payment of November electricity bill. There are over two million prepaid meters lying fallow in the warehouses of Nigerian meter manufacturers, so, the excuse of no meter is not tenable. We are ready to drag PHCN (distribution companies) to court on their behalf if the company disconnects them for this,” he said. A legal practitioner, Mr. Olalekan Alabi told New Telegraph that a larger percentage of victims of electrocution in Nigeria do not get justice. This, he said, was because even when cases on good grounds are established against the power distribution companies, many do not pursue the cases due to low culture of seeking redress through the judiciary among Nigerians. Alabi, whose legal team at A. O Fatoki Chamber got a judgment against PHCN in 2008, said that those whose rights have been infringed upon by the defunct PHCN could take the new owners of power assets to court. “The position of law is that new owners must inherit both assets and liability of the defunct company. The judicial process to follow is that the appellant should file an application asking the court to note the change of name and because the court knows that a new owner inherits liability, including legal suits from the old owner, it will go ahead to prosecute the company regardless of the name it is called,” he said. Making reference to the judgment of Justice Olomojobi (now retired) in the case of Mrs Abosede Elegbaju versus NEPA at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Alabi said that the judgment gave hope to the hopeless, “and it is still a reference point” for those whose right has been violated. An electric cable, he said, fell on the roof of Mrs Elegbaju’s shop in Ketu area of Lagos and electrocuted her. “We got the briefing by our client and I was part of the team at the A.O Fatoki Chamber that pursued the case in court. At the end of the day, we got judgment against NEPA or PHCN. The name did not matter to court, what matters is the case,” he said. Mr Emmanuel N. Okpala, a Port Harcourt-based legal prac-

A victim of bus electrocution being treated in Port harcourt

About 200 Nigerians died of electrocution between 2012 and 2013. The Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) revealed that out of these, 161 persons lost their lives between January 2012 and July 2013, with most of the fatalities due to negligence

titioner, on behalf of Mr Peter Ewurum, father of Uchechukwu, a victim of electrocution, had, prior to the November 1, 2013, physical handover of PHCN, served a one-month notice, threatening to institute legal action against PHCN for its negligence. Acting on the instruction of Uchechukwu’s father, Okpala said that the boy had suffered incalculable damage as a result. After what happened to Uchechukwu, the distribution company dispatched some technicians to the affected high tension pole and what they did, according to the legal practitioner, was to argue over inadequate materials to replace the broken pole. In the light of the above, father of the victim, through his counsel, demanded N800 million as specific and general damages for loss of body parts. The above amount does not, according to Okpala, include the medical bills paid to save the life of the victim, “because doctors have not, as at the time of filling in the suit, given the final bill for the boy’s treatment.” PHCN’s defense The Business Manager, Diobu Business Unit under PHCN, Mr Benedict Nwaorehu, did not agree with Okpala. The defunct company, he said, was not aware of any “broken cross arm” of the high tension cables in area. The PHCN, he claimed, had a process of gathering information about faults. Residents of an area where there are faults or the company staff could report to the fault unit of PHCN. He explained that not until Okpala submitted the pre-action notice, PHCN did not know of any fault. He wondered why it took a whole month for the matter to be reported through the lawyer. Nwaorehu who invited the counsel to his office in company of the victim’s father for a meeting, said: “I pointedly told them that the so-called accident didn’t happen in the area claimed in the letter because Ojoto is just a stone-throw to our office. A case as serious as electrocution and the associated burns that have led to the amputation of the boy’s right hand as claimed could have happened elsewhere. I suspect a cooked-up story.” According to him, if there was

an incident of electrocution, even if the parents of the boy didn’t alert his office, concerned residents of area would have rushed to the office to alert immediately it happened. The PHCN boss also said that on an inspection of the area where the incident allegedly occurred, he discovered that about four buildings were dangerously close to the high tension. According to him, they were among those marked for demolition by the state government after scores of persons were electrocuted in 2009, in an area called ‘Slaughter’ in Trans-Amadi when a high tension cable snapped and fell on residents and passers-by during rainfall. He said that he was going to write a memo to Governor Chibuike Amaechi that all buildings built on the PHCN Right-Of-Way should be removed. He explained that property developers and members of the public must give 5.5 meters or 20 feet on both sides for 11/33KV lines. For 132 KV line, a clearance of 12.5 meters or 30 feet must be left on both sides. Similarly, for 330 KV, a clearance of 50 meters must be observed. Ewerun explained that the incident happened when his son leaned on the handrail on the balcony of their house to beckon on his mother downstairs. Unknown to him, the iron rails were in contact with the dangling high tension cable. Some residents of the area, however, feigned ignorance of the incident, explaining that most buildings in the area were business premises. Last line The NERC’s decision to sanction lousy power firms is welcome. It is commendable that the commission is rising to the challenge of what is fast becoming an epidemic of some sort in Nigeria. The authorities should, beyond this, develop a habit of quick response to complaints about fallen electricity poles and live wires. However, the cases of electrocution before the Friday, November 1, 2013 privatisation of power distribution must be revisited as only this can give justice to the victims and reassure the living, who are potential victims of electrocution, that such deaths would not be in vein.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Property&Environment Eko Atlantic City developers hasten project

UPDATE City illuminated as first skyscraper ready by Feb. 2016 Stories by Dayo Ayeyemi

he potential and wouldbe investors of the multi-billion naira Eko Atlantic City project are in for good times, as a section of Eko Boulevard, the first paved road in the emerging city is now being adorned with streetlights. Even as the developers forge ahead with infrastructure development of the emerging city, its residential and commercial tower blocks under construction can now clearly be seen from Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island and the Marina on Lagos Island. The Eko Atlantic’s road system including other utilities is rolling out, but this is the first time any of the internal city route is being lit. Speaking with selected journalists in Lagos, the Managing Director of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, the city’s developers and city planners, David Frame, said that the company is giving priority to infrastructure development such as road, drainage, power supply and transportation so that there would be connection when all the buildings under construction in the city are completed.

he retail segment of Lagos’ real estate was further widened at the weekend as N500 million Trinity Mall was opened to the public in Ikeja, Lagos to the delight of tenants and shoppers. No sooner the mall was launched than tenants began to jostle for space in the new retail edifice. Already, more than 16 retail dealers have secured space while others are still negotiating plan for space. The retail dealers comprise Dotcom Pharmacy, Crosnenor London, Qualitex, Ferm, Shoe Excetera, Funtook Fabrics, Colift, Ras Hospital, Awillo, Dees Travel and Tours among others The four-storey mall, which its construction started in December 2011, has been completed, well finished and is strategically located on Obafemi Awolowo Way in Ikeja. The design of the mall is a mix of rugged Nigerian and fine-honed international structural details. The shop types are in various shapes and sizes, with provisions for lock-up, open plan and see-through models. Per square metre space in

He stated that the city when completed would be self-sufficient in terms of power and energy supply, adding that it would be powered by Independent Power Project (IPP). According to him, all electric cables oin the city would be buried. He expressed satisfaction with the street lighting, which he said has come on to represent another important step in the successful development of Eko Atlantic city. Frame assured that the first row of lights along Eko Boulevard, a paved 8-lane thoroughfare that is over a mile long, being the spine of the Business District, would be extended in the new year as they (developers ) forge ahead with infrastructure development. Concrete block paved roads, spacious sidewalks and kerbs are being built in the first and second phases of the emerging city. “The project development area is now so large and progressing so quickly that it won’t be long before we need internal road signs to drive around,” said Frame. To date, frame explained that 10 per cent of Eko Atlantic’s roads in Phase 1 and 2 have been

paved while 32 per cent have stone-base in place, providing access to motor vehicles. Furthermore, he stated that 25 per cent of the roads were defined with kerb lines; 56 per cent of storm water drainage installed along with 34 per cent of state-of-the-art communications. Others are 50 per cent of the sewage distribution network established and 36 per cent of

engineering company was responsible for the development of all infrastructure in the new city Eko Atlantic, an emerging city in Lagos, is rising on reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean and, according to its developers, it is a 21st Century city that will compare with United Arab Emirates city of Dubai.

Eko Atlantics City‘s lighting project

Tenants scramble for space as Trinity Mall opens the mall costs N15, 000, but the price according to the developer could be less if would-be tenant is ready for 10 years lease. It will be recalled that over the past three years, retail sales in the country have risen by 50 per cent from $106 billion in 2011 to $160 billion in 2014, no thanks to the advent of The Palm, Ikeja Mall in Lagos, Cocoa Mall in Ibadan and several others in the country. Speaking during the opening of the mall, the developer, who is the Chairman and / Chief Executive Officer, OMAIS Investment Limited, Chief Omochiere Aisagbonhi, said the company has also secured another location in Maryland area of Lagos to duplicate the development of Trinity Mall. OMAIS is the developer of Trinity Court 1 in Idiroko, Maryland; Trinity Court 2 at Mende -Maryland; and Opebi, Ikeja. Aisagbonhi stated that his board was proud of the achievement of being able

the water supply network, which have been completed to date. He told journalists that first 15-storey tower in the city woul be ready for occupation in first quarter of 2016 as the project is in advance stage of completion, adding that one of the Eko Pearl Towers would also be ready He disclosed that Messrs Dar Al-Handasah, an international

to complete Ikeja mall with space/shops practically occupied and running at full steam. “Some of the spaces have been taken up by telecoms companies, clothes and accessories, eatery and so on. We have spaces for banking hall, department store, bar or coffee shop, dry cleaners, sports and goods,’’ Aisagbonhi noted. The mall comes with ample parking space, an elevator, 24-hour power and water supply, security, and CCTV surveillance Though, this achievement was not without challenges, Aisagbonhi decried the administration of multiple regimes of taxation of the Lagos State government. He alleged the exorbitant rates of getting Governor’s Consent, Certificate of Occupancy and other charges coupled with associated delay in getting necessary documents, were discouraging sincere indigenous entrepreneurs from establishing business in Lagos State.

Expert lists construction mistakes to avoid P oor budget planning, choosing the wrong building contractors and deciding to do it by oneself have been listed among the mistakes being made in building construction. Chief Executive Officer of Sapeint Vendors, Mr Walter Emediafe, stated that these tips became necessary based on his eight years’ experience in the construction industry. Emediafe also listed poor space planning, ignoring necessary residential building construction laws and not using quality building materials as part of the building construction mistakes homebuilders need to avoid to curb wastages and building collapse. According to Emediafe, poor budget planning has been the most recurring residential building construction mistake in Nigeria, pointing out that people would begin their dream house construction from a design perspective, rather than from a financial (bud-

get) perspective. He explained that statistics have shown that as the major reason for most abandoned or uncompleted residential buildings and construction projects in Nigeria. Emediafe said: “The erroneous assumption is to design the best dream house for yourself and then look for the money to build it. While this may sound nice in theory, experience has shown that this approach to building your own dream house doesn’t work. “Instead of looking for money to implement a dream house design, he advised clients to design their dream house based on their budget. “In other words, we take a budget-to-design approach to construction rather than the popular design-to-budget approach that increasingly leads to project abandonment. For us, our goal is to see that your dream house project is completed with the available budget within the agreed timeline,” he said.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Entitlement: Ex-Airways workers seek Jonathan’s help p.38

Aviation

Air France-KLM rewards customers p.38

Building airport of the future Airports of the future need to have better “flow” to cope with a large number of passengers. That means immigration officials and people are needed to reinforce security. Aviation Editor, WOLE SHADARE, writes that more funds need to be invested as airports ramp up their capacity

t has been 110 years since the Wright brothers made the first motorised, controlled and sustained human flight. It lasted 12 seconds and took Orville Wright a distance of about 120 feet — less than half the length of the most current Boeing 747s. In mere decades, the airport as a building type has progressed from repurposed barns to enormous megacomplexes. But what of the future of airports? What changes are in store for them in the coming decades? Still, predicting the future of the airport is an exercise in which airport architects must engage. The buildings we design, after all, should outlive us — if we do our jobs well. Nigeria is not left out of the plans to build some of the best airports to meet world’s standard. It was an exercise in futility as the ambitious airports remodeling fell short of international standards. They are not world class and experts including airports users are at a loss as to why Nigerian aerodromes cannot compete with the likes of London Heathrow, Chicago O’Hare, Changi airports and others that are reference. Nigerian airports: Long way to go Despite the over N40 billion spent to remodel most of the nation’s airports, airlines have taken a swipe at the infrastructure decay at most of the aerodromes, saying most of them, especially the Lagos international airport is in a sorry, unfinished state. Although no official figure has been given as amount spent on the remodeling, experts are of the view that the project could have grossed over N40 billion. Executive chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Noggie Meggison, in his paper presented at a seminar at the weekend, lamented that the passenger processing and baggage collection wings have been

India’s upcoming airports focus on greener buildings.

modernised, but regretted that the finger bridges are falling apart and decaying rapidly with temperatures over 40C in the afternoons. Noggie who spoke on behalf of the operator regretted that it is “becoming a disgrace to the face of our beloved country as this is the first point of contact on arrival into Nigeria.” A millennium of evolution Before we talk about the Airport of the tuture we must talk about what we know today. What began as nothing more than repurposed barns have evolved into the architectural behemoths of today: complexes of buildings equipped with staggering amounts of technology and a building program among the most complicated yet imagined. The airport evolved so rapidly due in large part to the accelerated evolution in aircraft technology itself. The first airports gave way to purpose-built facilities with the advent of enclosed, multi-passenger aircraft which turned flying from a daredevil’s hobby into a form of transportation for the wealthy. Globalisation — airport as economic engine In the past several decades, carrying cargo has become more lucrative for airlines than carrying passengers. Indeed, anything that is low in weight but high in value — electronics, flowers, medicine — travels by air, usually in the cargo holds of commercial aircraft, mere inches below our feet. Boeing predicts the global air

Nigeria is not left out of the plans to build some of the best airports to meet world’s standard. It was an exercise in futility

cargo market will expand 5.2 percent annually, doubling demand in 14 years — even faster than the world’s domestic product growth. This growth is expected to be driven by a world GDP that is predicted to double during this same time period. More liberalized trade markets and increased efficiencies in aviation will continue to reduce the overall cost of cargo transport. As any airport executive will tell you, the share of nonaeronautical revenue is also on an uptick. That is, revenue not directly related to the operation of flights is ebbing closer to 50 percent year by year. Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam experienced a 13.6 percent revenue increase from 2010 to 2011 in retail sales, concessions, parking fees and other management valuations. Within a few years, it is expected that the majority of airport revenue industry-wide will be nonaeronautical, providing millions of dollars in tax revenue to local and state municipalities. Airport as path of change More than 50 percent of the world’s population already lives in cities. As we study the evolution of cities as they relate to air transportation, we see a consistent pattern: every time an airport is built outside the city, another city grows around it. The airport of today is a vector of change; they are beginning to resemble cities unto themselves. The airport, both as a typology and as a concept, is evolving. The cities outside the airport’s boundaries are changing, too. The air-

port is not only becoming the central transportation node of our economy in a figurative sense, but also in a literal sense. Already throughout Europe and Asia the building once reserved solely for planes is becoming a multimodal transportation hub where trains carrying goods intersect with light rail, private cars, buses, helicopters and even water taxis. The goal of every airport project Fentress Architects undertakes is to connect transportation arteries to central commercial and industrial districts. Security – seamless and unobtrusive Among the flying public’s biggest concerns is security. We will never return to 20th century levels of openness and passivity, but we project security to become more seamless. While the business of removing shoes, jackets, jewelry and electronics causes much consternation in passengers, it is equally difficult for airports. Security is a bottleneck in operations that often leaves passengers in a rush, disinclining them to visit post-security shops or restaurants. Sociological changes will also necessitate a rethinking of today’s airport security. The best estimates available have the number of air passengers increasing from the present level of around 5 billion annual trips to 9 billion by 2016. In the AsiaPacific region alone, there will be demand enough in the next decade for 350 more airports. This type of passenger volume will require a more seamless and unobtrusive security experience.

Business | Aviation

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Entitlement: Ex-Airways workers seek Jonathan’s help PENSION The defunct airline did not provide pension Stories by Wole Shadare

leven years after Nigeria Airways was liquidated, ex-workers based in West coast have appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, David Mark and the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, to intervene on the final payment of their entitlements with the liquidated national carrier. The letter of appeal signed by the following ex-workers; Mensah Tetey Lome (Republic of Togo), Afandomi Raymond, Cotonou, (Republic of Benin); Ndoke Hannah, Douala (Republic of Cameroon) and Emejule Phina Libreville (Republic of Gabon), stated: “We the west coast staff from Lome(Togo), Cotonou (Benin), Douala(Cameroon) and Librevile (Gabon) of the Liquidated Nigeria Airways have the honour most respectful to table before you our cry appealing for your immediate intervention for the payments our final entitlements with the Liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited”.

They noted that Nigeria Airways was liquidated in 2003, explaining that their Nigerian counterparts were paid the totality of their entitlements in 2008 leaving out the west coast staff. The ex-worker said: “Our eyes were everyday on Nigerian televisions hoping to get a response to our cries to no avail. Distance has been a barrier for us to assemble our families in your offices because none of your diplomatic missions in our countries listened to our cries. “We are losing our colleagues on monthly and yearly basis. Most of our children have droped out from schools. We are not receiving any pension because the administrators of the defunct airline could not contribute to the pension fund.” They noted that the total amount to pay their entitlements, which has much to do with human lives is just a “groundnut change compared to the large sums approved for some projects in Nigeria and compared to what our Nigerian colleagues are asking from the Federal Government of Nigeria after being paid in March 2008”. The group disclosed that the feedbacks they have always had was that the President has sent the supplementary list carrying their payments to the Min-

ster of Aviation to authenticate the payments, adding that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had considered the story of Nigeria Airways closed after the payments of 2008. They reiterated that the payments of 2008 were purely for Nigerian staff, stressing that the West coast staff were neglected. “The Federal Government is expected to add funds to the balance from the liquidator to pay us. How much is to be paid to the West coast staff. The Ministers of Aviation, Labour and Finance were to meet to decide on the payments. All these we do not want to believe are a clear indication of foul play to get us frustrated abandon our rights,” they stressed. They stated that they do not know which of these statements to rely on and whether they will ever be paid their entitlements considering the fact that they are non-Nigerians who have no Godfathers and mothers in Nigeria. “We believe this is the government after the government of late President Musa Yar’dua that can wipe the tears from our eyes. It is against this back drop your excellencies that we appealing for your intervention for our entitlements to be paid,” they added.

SAHCOL’s new lounge at it’s Corporate Headquarters, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Air France-KLM rewards customers

urope’s biggest airline group, Air France-KLM has expressed its appreciation to its customers for their support and patronage in the year 2014. The carrier’s gratitude came at an Air FranceKLM organised customer focus dinner in honour of its clients at the Radisson Blu hotel in Victoria Island. The dinner was an opportunity for Air FranceKLM to bond and interact with its esteemed clients and foster networking opportunities among the participants. At the event there was music, dancing and interactive games. Participants’ flying blue accounts were credited with bonus miles as a show of appreciation. Winners of the interactive game went home with business class tick-

ets on Air France and KLM. M o r e o ve r, AIR FRANCE KLM is celebrating this season with its clients by introducing a campaign tagged “AFKL Blow-Out”. The aim of the campaign is to reward all passengers who purchase an Air France or KLM ticket from their websites (www.airfrance. com.ng andwww.klm. com.ng) or any of its City or Airport ticket offices in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Some of the gifts include, cinema tickets, shopping vouchers and completely free round trip tickets to Europe or the United States of America. The campaign started on December 1, 2014 and ended on December 14, 2014, while the final Raffle draw was held on December 15, 2014.

Ethiopian is ‘best airline to Africa’

thiopian Airlines, the largest and most profitable airline in Africa has been awarded announced “Best Airline to Africa” by one of the most prominent travel magazines in the United States, Premier Traveler, at a ceremony held recently in Los Angeles, California. Commenting on the award, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Tewolde Gebremariam, said, “We are honored that Premier Traveler Magazine’s readers in the U.S. have selected us as the best airline for travel to Africa. I wish to thank them for this vote of confidence, which once again reaffirms the quality of the service and product we offer. We currently offer the best connectivity options for the travelling public between Africa and the US, thanks to our daily flights from Washington D.C. using the ultra-modern B777s and B787s, and our extensive

African network covering 49 destinations with daily and more flights. He stated that in June 2015, the carrier would further cement its position as the airline of choice for travel between Africa and the U.S. by adding Los Angeles as its second point in the U.S. He explained that Ethiopian’s flights connecting Addis Ababa, Dublin and Los Angeles would be operated with the B787s, which offers unmatched on-board comfort, and will be the only direct service connecting Africa with Ireland and the West Coast of the United States. In August 2014, Ethiopian received the Best Airline in Africa award by Passenger Choice Awards, the most extensive survey of passengers in the industry. The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) also named Ethiopian African Airline of the Year at its 46th Annual General Assembly held in Algiers in November 2014.

Arik Air launches product, partners 500 hotels

n a bid to expand its horizon in the travel business, Nigeria’s biggest carrier, Arik Air at the weekend unveiled a new product, Arik Explorer; a ‘travel package’ product, which incorporates airline seats with hotel and other ancillary options like car hire and travel insurance. Arik Explorer, which was launched in Lagos as a subsidiary of Arik Air, offers travel package at two levels: ‘Premium’ and ‘Affordable’. The offering will be for both outbound and inbound travel

from Lagos and other destinations serviced by Arik Air. Varieties of Packages can be tailored to suit the needs of the airline’s guests. According to the Managing Director of Arik Explorer, Mr. Kencho Omojafor, the business strategy of the company will revolve around the need to provide quality service to the various target customers with the view to fully satisfy their needs. The airline is equally in partnership with 500 hotels across West Africa to drive the product.

This will be undertaken through the recruitment of a professional team and the provision of good quality custom-designed travel packages, catering to the guest’s particular needs. “We will continuously provide enjoyable quality excursions/trips/hotels on time and on budget, develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time, and establish a market presence that assures shortterm and long-term profitability, growth and success”. Arik Explorer’s product will

be segmented into; premium market searching for luxury and convenience, affordable weekend packages and short breaks during the week, special interest packages including group bookings, company retreats as well as business and leisure travellers to Arik Air destinations. “Arik Explorer will establish a reputation as a differentiated, specialty provider of city/adventure travel and excursions. We will also provide unparalleled service to our local and in-

ternational tourists, to Nigeria, The West Coast and beyond,” Omojafor stressed. Arik Explorer’s internet booking functionality will enable its hotel partners to upload rooms and vehicles on the company’s website in real time. Customers will also have the option of using the company’s mobile application software to book rooms with their mobile phones and tablets. “We are fully committed to supporting growth and development in the tourism industry.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

L-R: Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi; his deputy, Tele Ikuru; APC Governorship candidate, Mr Dakuku Peterside and his wife, Elima, during the dedication of the mandate of the APC governorship candidate in Port Harcourt.

L-R: Vice Chairman, Cosmos Technologies Limited, Mr. Sola Bickersteth; Citizenship Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Olusola Amusan; youngest Mobile Application Developer in Nigeria, Miss. Tamilore Dada; founder, Wifi Combat Academy, Mrs. Dele Tejuoso and Public Relations Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Oluwamuyemi Orimolade, at the Microsoft Citizenship Hour of Code in Lagos.

L-R: Minister Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke; former Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode and Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mrs Dayo Keshi, at the 11th NCAC honours lecture and awards in Abuja.

L-R: Member, The Compassionates for Senior Citizens, Mrs. Beatrice Ige; Managing Director, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group Plc, Mr. Peter Obaseki; Patron, Hon. Justice Samuel Adebiyi; member, Mrs. Abigail Sofowote and Vice- President/Group Head, Marketing and Communications, FCMB, Mr. Ikechukwu Kalu, at the Compassionates for Senior Citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual end-of-the year get-together/ awards in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Photo | News

L-R: Kaduna State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Sumaila Aliyu; Rector, Kaduna Business School, Dr Dahiru Sani and Director, Finance and Administration, National Board for Technical Education, Mr. Sayyid Haruna, at the 3rd matriculation of the school in Kaduna.

L-R: Group Chairman, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Mr. Akin Opeodu; Group Managing Director, Mutual Group, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi; Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Housing, Hon. Michael Akindele and Representative of the National insurance Commissioner, Mr. Monday Adaji, at the inauguration of Mutual Alpha Courts in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

L-R: Delta State Deputy Speaker, Hon. Basil Ganagana; Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Speaker Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya, during the presentation of 2015 budget by the Governor in Asaba.

Rivers Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Owene Wonodi; representative of the Governor, Mr George Feyi and Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mr. Joe Poroma, at the 2014 International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Port Harcourt.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Leisure Arcade NUTS

By Kaycee

NTPuzzle

Word Search F L U C U A E D E T E R M I N A T I 0 N

MAMA LASISI

By Aliu Eroje

MOYIN & FRIENDS

By Ayo Oyerinde

SUDOKU - Answer to No 18 1

ADMINISTRATION APPRENTICESHIP CALENDAR CARDIOVASCULAR COMPASSIONATELY DEBT DEMOCRACY DETERMINATION EMBARRASSMENT FACT FAT HIEROGLYPHICS ILLITERATE INCONSIDERATE INDIVIDUALITY INVESTIGATION IRREPLACEABLE IRRESPONSIBLE LEVEL LORD OBSERVATORIES OVEREMPHASIZE OVERPOPULATED PRESERVATIVES RECOMMENDATION SENATE SINCE SITE SKIING SLOGAN TELECOMMUNICATION TEMPERAMENTAL TRACTOR TUNNEL UNDERACHIEVER UNDERNOURISHED UNITY UNNECESSARILY

SUDOKU - No 19 6

5 4

9 6

3 6

His dad replies, “Playing poker. Now get out of here.”

8 1

How to play

SUDOKU

ALIU EROJE

CHIEF CARTOONIST aliu.eroje@newtelegraphonline.com

A 12-year-old boy comes home from school and walks into his parents’ room. Mom and dad are in bed making love. The boy asks, “What are you doing?”

1 3

NTJokes THE GAME OF POKER

8 2

A E R A E 0 V E R E M P H A S I Z E N T C V 0 L D E H S I R U 0 N R E D N U U U T E T E M P E R A M E N T A L T B E D N E L C N Y W I R R E P L A C E A B L E N L R A D E M I N D I V I D U A L I T Y E E E R A T A P P R E N T I C E S H I P L C C T R I C 0 M P A S S I 0 N A T E L Y 0 0 0 B S E R V A T 0 R I E S S I N C E M M D I R R E S P 0 N S I B L E L U P T M M E R I N C 0 N S I D E R A T E V 0 A U E M E 0 L U N N E C E S S A R I L Y R N N 0 T K L H I E R 0 G L Y P H I C S E I D C A R D I 0 V A S C U L A R B F K T C A R N 0 I T A R T S I N I M D A A I I A T A E S E V I T A V R E S E R P T I L T I C S A 0 V E R P 0 P U L A T E D N L I 0 Y K T N E M S S A R R A B M E R G I 0 N U N 1 T Y U N D E R A C H I E V E R N S L 0 G A N 0 I T A G I T S E V N I K

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.

He goes to his older sister’s room to find his sister and her boyfriend in bed making love. The boy asks, “What are you doing?” His sister replies, “Playing poker. Now get out of here.” He goes to his older brother’s room and finds his brother masturbating. He asks his brother, “What are you doing?” His brother replies, “Playing poker.” The boy asks, “I thought that it takes two to play poker.” His brother replies, “Not if you have a good hand.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Business | Money Line

STABLE OUTLOOK

Moody’s rates Nigeria’s debt at Ba3, three levels below investment grade, with a stable outlook

oody’s Investors Service said Nigeria’s economy remains resilient in the face of falling oil prices even as the currency slumped to a record low and growth in Africa’s largest crude producer is set to slow. Nigeria economy, the continent’s biggest, will probably expand 5 percent next year, Aurelien Mali, Moody’s senior analytical adviser, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. That’s in line with forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government’s revised estimate of 5.35 percent. The West African nation’s government relies on crude exports for about 70 percent of its income and 95 percent of foreign exchange earnings, leaving it vulnerable to price and quantity shocks. Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is seeking to cut spending in

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Moody’s: Nigeria’s economy resilient in face of oil plunge

next year’s budget by 8 percent to N4.36 trillion ($23.9 billion) as revenue plunges. “Nigeria benefits from a resilient economy and robust fiscal position, although the recent drop in oil prices will likely put pressure on public finances and could lead to the widening of fiscal deficits,” Moody’s said. Spending cuts and taxes on nonoil industries may help to close the gap, it said. Moody’s rates Nigeria’s debt at Ba3, three levels below investment grade, with a stable outlook. Oil prices have slumped 45 percent in the past six months, eroding foreign-currency reserves and forcing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)to devalue the currency for the first time in three years. The naira fell 1.3 percent to N182.35 per dollar on the interbank market as of 4:10 p.m. in Lagos, the commercial capital. The Federal Government debt, which is “very low” at 13.2 per-

cent of gross domestic product, will probably increase to 14.6 percent

in 2015, Moody’s said. As a proportion of government revenue, debt

itch, the foremost rating agency has said that oil prices are likely to recover towards the marginal cost of supply, around $80, during 2015. A statement from the agency said that even at USD80 key metrics will be weaker than previously expected, but the impact on credit ratings will depend on companies’ ability and willingness to respond by cutting capital expenditure (capex), operating expenditure (opex) and dividends, or increasing production. Going by the statement, its approach with oil and gas companies is to rate through the cycle and it is therefore unlikely to take negative rating action based solely on weaker credit metrics if it assumes they are temporary. But this does not mean the current price fall to around USD60, will not result in downgrades. According Fitch, companies already on negative outlook, in-

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

Offer 163.38

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

CBN’s sale of dollars fails to save naira Godson Ikoro

Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold a small amount of dollars to some lenders yesterday to calm the market and prop up the local currency value, but the naira weakened 0.21 percent on the day owing to strong demand from some end-users. Unit of Royal Dutch Shell according to Reuters News, sold an undisclosed amount of dollars to some lenders, while Eni sold $300,000. Traders said transactions remained sluggish since the apex bank decreed that banks should not hold part of their assets in dollars, and that greenbacks purchased on the interbank market can only be held for up to 48 hours.

Dayo Ayeyemi

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX

reductions in supply and increases in price. Fitch cited its report on “EMEA Oil and Gas - Forecasts at New Price Deck” its first assessment of what the EMEA oil and gas sector would look like using the new price deck. “What our forecasting cannot yet fully reflect is companies’ plans for capex, opex and shareholder remuneration because these have typically not yet been announced to the markets or even agreed internally. Using assumptions based on cuts to capex and opex made in the past, we believe most companies would be able to contain the damage to their credit metrics if they are determined to do so.”

“The market is quiet, banks only buy dollars for the immediate needs of their customers ...but available dollars are not sufficient to meet customer purchases,” another dealer said. The CBN had in a circular with reference TED/ FEM/FPC/GEN/01/026 on foreign exchange trading positions of banks, said the review of the foreign exchange rules was in order to preserve the stability of the market. The circular, which was signed by Olakanmi Gbadamosi and sent to all authorised dealers, noted that the apex bank had observed the recent development in the foreign exchange market and its consequences on the stability of the exchange rates.

Regional integration key to sustained growth –AfDB

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

cluding Total (AA), ENI (A+) and BG Energy Holdings (A-), have less headroom for further underperformance at current prices. It said it will be closely watching Total and BG’s ability to increase production; for ENI its ability to turn around its downstream and gas and power segments is key. Fitch recently lowered Nigeria’s 2015 price deck to USD80 from USD97. This may seem optimistic given today’s Brent price of around USD60, but it believes USD80 is the marginal cost and that the market will revert to this price over next year. Companies are already slashing development budgets - the key question is how long this takes to feed through to

As at 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

low compared to market peers rated Ba3, according to Moody’s.

Fitch predicts $80 oil price in 2015

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

is set to rise to 130 percent from 121.8 percent, it said. Both ratios are

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

egional integration remains an important tool to stimulate sustained and inclusive growth in Africa, African Development Bank (AfDB) has said. The bank, in its in latest report, noted that the world might be radically changing, but emphasized that African integration remained topical. Titled: “Regional Integra-

tion for Inclusive Growth,” the report said regional integration is relevant pillar for Africa’s development, urging the implementation of formulated policies. In order to implement these policies, the AfDB report said it would requir political will and a higher level of institutional capacity. It maintained that only the political would help to boosts regional integration in Africa.

Business | Financial Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

22-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

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,783.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,361.98

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

0.33 1.65 2.35 2.60 2.69 3.44 4.52 4.84 7.10 9.23 13.94 14.41 14.91 15.58 19.57

13.40 15.53 15.38 15.30 15.31 15.36 15.46 15.41 15.40 15.11 14.43 14.38 14.32 14.81 15.02

12.92 15.42 15.30 15.22 15.23 15.23 15.37 15.30 15.33 15.04 14.38 14.32 14.25 14.74 14.96

96.96 96.45 99.40 88.64 87.22 87.88 101.70 72.01 104.15 95.50 103.36 88.62 64.50 71.00 82.00

97.11 96.60 99.55 88.79 87.37 88.18 102.00 72.31 104.45 95.80 103.66 88.92 64.80 71.30 82.30

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

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

0.42 1.16 1.97 2.33 2.54

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

16.19 19.77 17.40 16.31 16.30

93.60 97.39 97.76 95.30 92.19

31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 10-Oct-20 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 06-Jan-21

0.69 0.53 0.82 0.82 2.32 1.37 3.03 2.20 3.78 2.40 2.40 2.58 2.83 4.92 2.90 3.36 5.93 6.03 3.51 3.54

4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

19.84 17.19 20.97 20.03 20.90 17.63 17.12 17.13 16.38 16.30 20.08 16.30 16.32 16.41 18.06 16.35 16.38 17.32 16.80 17.32

95.42 98.73 94.02 96.12 80.64 95.04 92.85 94.72 93.41 96.70 89.31 96.51 98.44 93.67 93.01 96.09 89.29 91.51 94.19 94.21

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

308.13

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto A/Agusto A-/Agusto A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto A-/GCR

KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI *NASARAWA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 14-Feb-12 02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 10-Oct-13 27-Nov-13 31-Dec-13 31-Dec-13 06-Jan-14

12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50 15.00 14.50 15.00

8.50 4.18 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 34.14 9.00 13.73 10.20 27.00 16.23 80.00 26.62 11.40 87.50 5.00 4.78 4.79

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds

468.62 430.36

Nil

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.02

8.71

23.41

99.80

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.41

4.88

18.42

96.68

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.34

09-Dec-15

0.72

1.00

16.67

97.13

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.56

2.63

16.89

98.25

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.77

1.00

16.70

94.47

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.84

1.34

16.93

95.85

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.77

1.00

16.31

92.78 101.59

NGC

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

A-/Agusto

FSDH

A/GCR

UBA

BBB-/GCR

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.79

1.88

17.54

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.80

3.48

19.14

*TOWER

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

1.96

5.20

20.61

96.31

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

1.96

5.06

20.47

101.84

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.75

1.35

16.73

92.55

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.07

2.29

17.63

97.17

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.15

6.11

21.44

92.89

Nil A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR

*TOWER

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR

95.75

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.02

2.16

17.49

96.74

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.90

2.76

18.14

89.72

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.80

80.99

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.80

87.47

A/GCR

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

126.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

118.36

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.14

1.00

16.34

85.34

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.36

1.00

16.41

84.78

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

24.95 21.22 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

6.53

6.20

101.10

102.73

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.51

4.91

98.77

100.71

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.70

6.45

97.91

99.49

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,488.89

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

8.27

103.30

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.69

103.75

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

10.99

10.46

88.65

90.02

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

7.89

7.39

93.79

95.37

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

9.66

102.00

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.48

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

13.28

12.55

85.22

87.42

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

8.55

98.00

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

10.74

82.25

9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021

24-Jun-14

9.25

400.00

24-Jun-21

10.97

10.66

92.38

93.75

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

10.65

87.00

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

9.94

8.98

93.55

98.04

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC II

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,760.00 4,511.78

**Treasury Bills DTM 10 17 24 31 38 45 52 59

FIXINGS Maturity 1-Jan-15 8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15

Bid Discount (%) 14.60 13.00 13.50 13.75 13.45 17.00 13.88 13.78

Offer Discount (%) 14.35 12.75 13.25 13.50 13.20 16.75 13.63 13.53

Bid Yield (%) 14.66 13.08 13.62 13.91 13.64 17.36 14.16 14.09

Money Market Tenor

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 12.0017 14.6180 15.5224 16.3741

Rate (%)

OBB

11.46

O/N

11.71

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 11.67 15.34

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

182.50 185.29 185.58 186.26 187.51 188.77

182.60 185.39 185.72 186.71 188.50 190.25

KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI tent *NASARAWA

Business | Financial Market News

31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 14-Feb-12 02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 10-Oct-13 27-Nov-13 31-Dec-13 31-Dec-13 capitalisation of 06-Jan-14

12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50 15.00 14.50 active 15.00

8.50 4.18 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 34.14 9.00 13.73 10.20 27.00 16.23 80.00 26.62 11.40 87.50 5.00 4.78 (measured 4.79

31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 10-Oct-20 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 million 06-Jan-21

0.69 4.44 19.84 95.42 0.53 3.23 17.19 98.73 0.82 4.46 20.97 94.02 0.82 3.48 20.03 96.12 2.32 5.59 20.90 80.64 1.37 1.00 17.63 95.04 3.03 1.79 17.12 92.85 2.20 1.80 17.13 94.72 3.78 1.00 16.38 93.41 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 2.40 1.00 16.30 NEW TELEGRAPH 96.70 2.40 4.78 20.08 89.31 2.58 1.00 16.30 96.51 2.83 1.00 16.32 98.44 4.92 1.00 16.41 93.67 2.90 2.74 18.06 93.01 3.36 1.00 16.35 96.09 5.93 1.00 16.38 89.29 6.03 1.94 17.32 91.51 3.51 1.44 per 16.80 cent to 94.19 close at shares valued 3.54 1.95 17.32 94.21

Stocks gain N352bn as bulls sustain stronghold CONFIDENCE

weeks. equities appreciated by TOTAL OUTSTANDING The bulls see value VALUE The NSE ASI rose N352 billion or 3.39 per MARKET CAPITALISATION by 3.39 per cent on the cent, as market sentiinTOTAL banking, oil/gas back of positions taken ments remained on the Corporate Bonds stocks µ 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 by bargain hunters on green territory. 01-Apr-10 NGC Nil UPDC 17-AUG-2015 Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC the highly10.00capitalised Meanwhile, a17-Aug-10 turnFLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS stocks.The12.00 northwards over of 837.109-Dec-10 mil06-JAN-2016 BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS movement 14.00 wasCHELLARAMS driven by lion shares 06-Jan-11 worth Chris Ugwu 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 A+/Agusto; A-/GCR 29-Sep-11 NAHCO 5,057 the activities of banking N5.4billion in 25-Oct-13 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 A-/Agusto FSDH deals was recorded in he Nigerian and oil marketing com13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR 30-Sep-10 UBA the day’s trading.The stock market panies.Consequently, the 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 *C & I LEASING 9-APR-2018banking sub-sector 09-Apr-11 Nil of advanced, *DANA as#{r} All-Share MPR+7.00 Index DANA gained MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 09-Sep-11 A-/DataPro†; *TOWER # 1065.42 basis points to the financial services theBB-/GCR bulls further TOWER 9-SEP-2018 AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER # close most at MPR+5.25 31,371.93 as sector was the09-Sep-11 overwhelmed the bears 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 A/GCR 22-Sep-11 UBA forA/Agusto; the third day after the against 30,306.51 record15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA 18-Oct-13 market witnessed consis- ed last Friday, while the MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 17-Feb-12 BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS#

#{r}

Nil

*DANA

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Supranational Bond

Chris Ugwu AAA/S&P

it would not pay over the 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 odds. Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDB 11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021 il producer, Afren Afren shares have fallTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Plc, said it had en 72 per cent this year TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION received a pre- until Friday, plagued in liminary approach from part by a scandal that saw Description Rating/Agency Nigerian oil and gas ex- Issuer the departure of several plorer, Seplat Petroleum top executives including FGN Eurobonds Development Co Plc. founder and CEO, Osman 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P to Reuters According Shahenshah. News, Seplat has until Seplat had recently BB-/Fitch; FGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P 19 to make a January affirmed that the comBB-/Fitch; firm intention to make pany would sustain6.38 its JUL 12, 2023 BB-/S&P an offer, Afren said in a drive to ensure increased TOTAL OUTSTANDING statement yesterday. VALUE earnings and return on TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Shares in the company investment to its sharesurged as much as 22 per holders.The company Corporate Eurobonds cent to 58 pence on Mon- noted that with a consis11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I day on the London Stock tent growth in produc7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I Exchange. Seplat’s Lontion, reserves and profit 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC don-listed shares rose 10 and its recent dual listing 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC per cent to 112.43 pence. in London and Lagos,6.00 the NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC Seplat, which lost out company is fully set for 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC II on B+/Fitch; the assets that Royal the next phase of build6.25 APR 22, 2019 BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC Dutch in BANK ingPLCa sustainable long 8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch;Shell B/S&P divested DIAMOND October, has been onFIRST theBANKterm business with sub8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P PLC contributions hunt forB/S&P acquisitions inPLC stantial 6.63to DEC 09, 2020 B-/Fitch; AFREN III Nigeria, encouraged by BANK Nigeria’s energy secu9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS PLC II 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 B-/Fitch; LTD . falling oilB/S&P prices, butFIRST saidBANKrity

B-/S&P

IFC

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

atN828.2 billion in 1,211 deals.The number of gainers at the close of trading session was 46 31-Dec-14 decliners 0.02 closed 8.71 while 17-Aug-15at 20. Zenith 0.41 4.88 lower Bank 09-Dec-15 0.72gainers’ 1.00 Plc led on the 06-Jan-16 2.63 table with 0.56 10.17 per 29-Sep-16 1.77 1.00 cent to close1.84 at N17.98 25-Oct-16 1.34 per share while 30-Sep-17 2.77 Oando 1.00 Plc followed with a gain 30-Nov-17 1.79 1.88 09-Apr-18 1.80 to close 3.48 of 10.16per cent 09-Sep-18 5.20 at N17.35 per1.96 share. Ac09-Sep-18 1.96 5.06 cess Bank added 10.08

N6.66 per share. On the other hand, Ashaka Cement Nigeria Plc led on the price losers’ table, 23.41 dropping at 99.80 9.72 per 96.68 cent 18.42 to close at N22.21 16.67 97.13 Interper share while 16.89 98.25 national Breweries Plc 16.70 94.47 followed with a loss of 16.93 95.85 five per close at 16.31 cent to 92.78 N24.70 per share. 17.54 101.59 Phar19.14 95.75 ma Deko Nigeria Plc 20.614.89 per 96.31 gained cent to 101.84share. close 20.47 at N2.14 per

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.75

1.35

16.73

92.55

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.07

2.29

17.63

97.17

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.15

6.11

21.44

92.89

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.02

2.16

17.49

96.74

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.90

2.76

18.14

89.72

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.80

80.99

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

9.94

8.98

93.55

98.04

Unity Bank targets 5% NPL in 2016

Afren gets preliminary approach from Seplat A/GCR

by turnover volume); with 162.3million 468.62 shares 430.36 exworth N1.13 billion changed by investors in 17.00 2.00 1,742 deals. Volume in 3.61 the 10.00 banking sub-sector 9.34 was12.00 largely driven by 14.00 activity in the 0.60 shares 13.00 15.00 of UBA Plc and UBN 14.25 5.53 Plc.Also, other finan13.00 20.00 cial18.00 services boosted 0.64 16.00 by activity in the6.30 shares 18.00 2.90 of FBNH Plc, followed with16.00 a turnover0.80 of 127

30-Sep-14Ikoro and 13.25 Godson Chris Ugwu

15.44 billion

15.80money 87.47 as30-Sep-24 at December 9.77 2013 to 1.00 Some raise to spend, 126.63 a profit position of N12.02 bil- but I am sorry, we are not golion before tax as at last quar- ing that route. If this nation 118.36 n a bid to actualise its vi- ter, September 2014. was saving, we won’t be where sion of being the ‘retail Semenitari added that the we are today. So for us, the 11-Feb-13 10.20 3.14 1.00 16.34 85.34 bank of choice by 2020’, 12.00 bank also11-Feb-18 recorded improvefund remains a balance sheet 10-Jul-14 11.25 12.95 01-Feb-21 4.36 1.00 16.41 84.78 Unity Bank Plc intend to ment of 37.2 per cent in opera- savings because we want to see reduce its Non-Performing 24.95 tional efficiency with cost-to- how much we have to support Loan (NPL) ratio by five per 21.22 income ratio reduced from 95.7 our business before we supcent in 2016 to meet the regulaper cent as at December 2013 to port other people’s business. Outstanding Value Issue Date Bid Yield (%) Offer Yield (%) Bid Price Price tory standards. Coupon (%) 60.03 perMaturity cent Date currently . “We would go forOffer additional ($mm) The bank’s Managing “The bank was recently capital by 2015, certainly tier-2 Prices & Yields Director/Chief Executive recognised as one of the top capital. So, liquidity will come 07-Oct-11 28-Jan-21 in Nigeria 6.53 by 6.20 101.10 capital, 102.73 Officer, Mr.Henry6.75 James Se- 500.00 100 businesses as additional so that menitari, who disclosed this the Federal Government. We we would have something to 12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 5.51 4.91 98.77 100.71 during an interactive session have successfully completed protect the institution furwith journalists in our Rights Issue and Special ther,” Semenitari noted. He 12-Jul-13 6.38 Lagos at 500.00 12-Jul-23 6.70 6.45 97.91 99.49 the weekend. He noted that the Placement of about N40bil- said the bank’s revenue was bank embarked on aggressive1,500.00 lion. The offer was oversub- 70 per cent skewed towards recovery drive, which has sig-1,488.89 scribed.The bank has joined demand deposits. According to him, the curnificantly improved its NPL the Nigerian Stock Exchange ratio from over 50 per cent to 30 index (NSE30),” he said. rent monetary policy regime 01-Feb-11 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 8.27 8.27 103.30 103.30 20.43 per cent during the curSemenitari noted that the would continue to propel 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 4.69 4.69 103.75 rent year. lender also plans to strengthen banks to 103.75 grow private sector 25-Jul-12 7.47 99.48 Semenitari said7.25 the impact 350.00 its capital25-Jul-17 base by raising tier- 7.47 businesses, instead99.48 of focus09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 10.99 10.46 88.65 90.02 of the recovery drive would be- 2 capital next year. ing heavily on government 08-Nov-13 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 7.89 7.39 93.79 95.37 felt08-Apr-12 more in the coming years 300.00 “Today,08-Apr-19 we are clearly9.66 above 9.66 businesses. 10.25 102.00 102.00 which, according to him, will 500.00 board and we would be in a 7.48 “That 95.50 in itself 95.50 did help 22-Apr-14 6.25 22-Apr-19 7.48 also21-May-14 improve the NPL ratio to in redefining our business. surplus.Our rights issue was 8.75 200.00 21-May-19 13.28 12.55 85.22 87.42 10 per cent in 2015.8.25 a balance07-Aug-20 sheet fabric 8.55 to pro- 8.55 There is nowhere in 98.00 the world 07-Aug-13 300.00 98.00 He explained that tect the institution. The where you use government’s 09-Dec-13 6.63 the bank 360.00 09-Dec-20 10.74fund 10.74 82.25 82.25 recorded will remain there as a10.97 pillar 10.66 deposit to92.38 support 93.75 your bal24-Jun-14a tremendous 9.25 growth 400.00 24-Jun-21 23-Jul-14 8.00of N33.64 450.00 87.00 he explained. 87.00 from a loss position to support23-Jul-21 the balance10.65 sheet. 10.65 ance sheet.”

4,760.00 4,511.78

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

22-Dec-14

The DQL contains income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The **Treasury Bills data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Information DTM does not constitute professional, financialBid or Discount investment We attempt the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided Rate “AS Maturity (%) advice. Offer Discount (%) to ensure Bid Yield (%) Tenor (%)IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may NIBOR 10 1-Jan-15 14.60 14.35 14.66 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 OBB the Information,11.46 neither do we accept liability for the results of Tenor Bid ($/N) Offer ($/N) 17 24 31 FGN Bonds38 45 52 Rating/Agency 59 66 73 80 87 94 101 108 115 NA122 129 136 143 227 255 346 360

8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 Issuer 19-Feb-15 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 NA 30-Apr-15 7-May-15 14-May-15 6-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15

13.00 13.50 13.75 13.45 17.00 13.88 Description 13.78 13.00 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.06 13.05 16-AUG-2016 13.90 15.10 27-APR-2017 12.21 9.85 27-JUL-2017 12.55 9.35 31-AUG-2017 13.64 10.70 30-MAY-2018 15.50 14.25 16.00 29-JUN-2019 13.85 7.00 23-OCT-2019 14.45 16.39 27-JAN-2022 11.24 14.20 14-MAR-2024 12.04 15.00 28-NOV-2028 11.50 12.49 22-MAY-2029 16.00 8.50 20-NOV-2029 15.50 10.00 23-JUL-2030 16.00

12.1493 18-JUL-2034

12.75 13.25 13.50 13.20 16.75 13.63 Issue Date 13.53 12.75 23-Apr-10 12.81 16-Aug-13 13.65 27-Apr-12 11.96 27-Jul-07 12.30 31-Aug-07 13.39 30-May-08 15.25 14.00 29-Jun-12 13.60 23-Oct-09 14.20 27-Jan-12 10.99 14-Mar-14 11.79 28-Nov-08 11.25 22-May-09 15.75 20-Nov-09 15.25 23-Jul-10 15.75

18-Jul-14

13.08 13.62 13.91 13.64 17.36 14.16 (%) Coupon 14.09 13.31 4.00 13.41 13.05 14.34 15.10 12.58 9.85 12.97 9.35 14.18 10.70 16.25 14.92 16.00 14.52 7.00 15.23 16.39 11.73 14.20 12.64 15.00 12.39 12.49 18.01 8.50 18.17 10.00 19.00

Bonds

12.1493

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Outstanding Value (N'bn) 535.00 581.39

O/N

4,783.63

# TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums

4,361.98

11.71

REPO

Maturity Date 23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16

Rate (%) 27-Apr-17 13.6799 27-Jul-17 13.9631 31-Aug-17 13.9754 30-May-18 14.4503 14.4595 29-Jun-19 14.6740 23-Oct-19

600.00 27-Jan-22 414.68 14-Mar-24 75.00 NIFEX 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 Current Price ($/N) 200.00 20-Nov-29 BID($/N) 185.7000 591.57 23-Jul-30 OFFER ($/N) 185.8000 178.00 18-Jul-34

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

*for the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration

NITTY

Tenor 452.80 1M 20.00 2M 100.00 3M 300.00 6M 9M 351.30 12M 233.90

Rate (%) 12.0017 14.6180 15.5224 16.3741

Tenor Call (Yrs) TTM 1M 3M 0.33 6M

Rate (%) 11.67 Bid Yield 15.34 15.66 13.40 16.51

(%)

1.65 15.53 15.42 2.35 15.38 15.30 NOTE: 2.60 15.30 15.22 2.69 15.31 15.23 :Benchmarks 3.44Bond 15.36 15.23 * :Amortising µ :Convertible 4.52Bond 15.46 15.37 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 4.84 Management Corporation 15.41 15.30 FGN: Federal Government of 15.40 Nigeria 7.10 15.33 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 9.23 Mortgage Bank 15.11 15.04 IFC: International Finance Corporation 13.94 14.43 14.38 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.41 14.38 14.32 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 14.91 14.32 14.25 O/N: Overnight 15.58 14.81 Company 14.74 UPDC: UAC Property Development 19.57 14.96 WAPCO:West Africa Portland15.02 Cement Company

**Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Agency Bonds 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 Porfolio Market Total Outstanding Modified Duration Buckets 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) ***LCRM 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 <3 1,368.10 1,385.48 FMBN

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 3<5 >5 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Market

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto A/Agusto A-/Agusto A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto

KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO

1,020.92 565.97 2,954.99 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

1,014.68 769.57 3,169.73

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

24-May-12 03-Apr-12 Weighting by 09-Dec-11Vol Outstanding 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12 43.71

32.01 24.28 100.00 31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10

0.00 17.25

24.56 3.00 Bucket 112.22 Weighting 0.00/16.50 116.70 0.00/16.50 66.490.44 46.30

Weighting by Mkt 0.00/16.00 Value

34.55 19.15 100.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00

322.97 0.32 0.24 308.13 1.00

8.50 4.18 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00

Spot 7D 14D 1M Offer 2M Yield 3M (%) 6M 12.92 1Y

Maturity Date

24-May-15 03-Apr-17

% Exposure_ 09-Dec-16 Mod_Duration

20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17 23.01

36.95 40.04 100.00 31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

15.27 14.86 15.15 0.69 0.53 0.82 0.82 2.32 1.37 3.03

96.45 96.60 99.40 99.55 88.64 88.79 87.22 87.37 NA :Not Applicable 87.88 88.18 # :Floating Rate Bond ***: Deferred coupon bonds 101.70 102.00 72.01 72.31 †: Bond rating 104.15expired 104.45 N/A :Not Available 95.50 95.80 {r} :Issuer in receivership 103.36 103.66 88.62 88.92 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 64.50 64.80 UBA: United Bank for Africa 71.00 71.30 82.00 82.30

# Risk Premium (%)

0.42 2.63 1.16 2.27 Implied Implied1.97 Yield Portfolio2.00 Price 2.33 1.00 2.54 1.00 15.46 116.4224

119.3889 86.0917 110.0082 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79

182.50 182.60 185.29 185.39 Price 185.58 185.72 186.26 186.71 187.51 Bid Price 188.50 Offer Price 188.77 190.25 193.07 195.99 96.96 97.11 202.25 207.74

Valuation Yield (%) 16.19 19.77 INDEX 17.40 16.31 16.30 1,105.78

1,010.94 1,006.56 1,050.48 19.84 17.19 20.97 20.03 20.90 17.63 17.12

Indicative Price 93.60 97.39

YTD Return (%)97.76

95.30

92.19 10.5776 1.0940 0.6563 5.0482 95.42 98.73 94.02 96.12 80.64 95.04 92.85

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Features

Victor Iyaji: End of a childhood dream A young Nigerian’s dream of serving his fatherland is cut short during an encounter with terrorists, writes FLORA ONWUDIWE

rom a very tender age, Victor Iyaji had always wanted to be in the military to defend the territorial integrity of his fatherland. Maybe the young Iyaji was attracted by the well-ironed khaki uniform and shining boots of the Nigerian soldiers, no one can really say. But his love for the military was never in doubt. So when the opportunity to serve his country on the battle field came in 2013, he grabbed it with both hands. Finally, his childhood dream was about to come true. Iyaji, who hailed from Olomaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, lived with his parents at Somolu in Lagos. Iyaji attended a military primary school at Yaba in Lagos. He sat for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in May/June 2012 at Jibowu High School, Yaba. That was before he was enlisted for a six-month training at the Nigerian Military School in Zaria, Kaduna State in 2013. But sadly, that also signalled the end of his dream. He graduated as a young lance corporal in the Army. He was among other soldiers deployed in Borno State to confront the terror sect, Boko Haram. Iyaji was shot and killed during an encounter with terrorists. When our correspondent visited his parents, his father, Mr Nathaniel Iyaji, had left for work. But his mother, Rabi, and her 10-year-old daughter were seated in front of a bungalow selling ‘puff-puff ’ (locally-made pastry) and akara (bean cake). The mother, who spoke as tears rolled down her cheeks, said she was devastated by her son’s

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

The late Iyaji

death. She said: “When he was still in secondary school, he told us that as soon as he left school, he would join the Army. “He obtained the form to enlist in the Army. The form and registration cost N100,000. We had to borrow the money from a neighbour with the hope of refunding it later. “In August 2013, he graduated from the training school in Zaria. Victor came to Lagos and was wearing the Ar my unifor m. He was happy. He spent only two weeks with us. He packed all his personal effects and left for Enugu State. That

Iyaji was shot and killed during an encounter with terrorists was his first posting. But less than three months later, he was sent to Chibok community in Bor no State where the terrorists abducted over 200 schoolgirls.” Describing how Iyaji died,

Rabi said he called her on the telephone and expressed fear. She said: “He called me on the phone on a Monday and described the area they were camped as fearful and dangerous. I prayed with him that God would protect him and that he would escape the danger zone in Jesus name. He said amen. “But on Wednesday, the same week, one of his friends called me on the phone, saying that my son was attacked by Boko Haram. He said they were all in a room, but some of them were famished and decided to take a walk to find a place to eat. Sooner, their superior officer sent for them. “My son went along with others to see the superior officer. But on their way back to the camp, the terrorists attacked them. That was how Victor died. Those who went to eat reported that he was among the soldiers that were killed.” The woman, who intermittently used her wrapper to wipe off tears, said the deceased was her only son. She added: “We obtained a loan of N100,000 for the six months’ training in Zaria. Our creditor has been pestering me for a refund of the money. “Since the death of my son, I have been indoors, I refused to come out. In fact, it was hunger that drove me out of the house. I started coming out in October. “My husband was sacked where he worked as a security officer with ‘NEPA’ at Oshodi. “He was given one week to mourn his son but my husband stayed at home for more than two months. His appointment was therefore terminated, but recently a friend got him a security job elsewhere.” When asked why she allowed Victor as the only son to enlist in the Army, she said, “he was the one that chose the Army, but we did not discourage him. “Immediately after his secondary school education, he obtained the form and we assisted him with the money we took as loan. “Now, we need money to travel to Enugu. The Army asked for his birth certificate and next of kin before his personal effects could be released to us.” Iyaji, a budding Nigerian, died living his dream; a dream for a better Nigeria. Although it was not his dream to die young, he was cut down in his prime by those whose desire is to waste the lives of innocent souls. However, his poor, helpless and hapless parents are left not only to mourn but to also repay a debt of N100,000 spent on his dream to safe the country he so much loved from hawks. Iyaji’s story, though sad, unfortunately represents the untold stories of many Nigerians, young and old, who have been made martyrs by terrorists.

FEATURES

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Reducing auto crashes, gridlock at Christmas Many travel across the country during Christmas with trepidation because of dangers on the roads. CAMILLUS NNAJI reviews stakeholders’ efforts to ease movements during this festive period

hristmas is a season that is usually associated with increased social and economic activities. Many people, most often, schedule their events such as wedding, house-warming, etc, at the end of the year. Hence, many people embark on travelling across the borders, states and regions. It is a period of high vehicular movement and usually associated with road transport crashes (RTC) and gridlocks. However, this year all road stakeholders such as the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RETAN), Motor Vehicle Towing Association, among others are taking steps to reduce calamities, especially automobile crashes during the Yuletide. The stakeholders have organised a series of meetings to strategize on how to make the Christmas period accident-free and rid the roads of all forms of gridlocks. The Zonal Commander, FRSC, Lagos /Ogun Command, Assistant Corps Marshal Godwin Ogagaoghene, said his men were ready to combat crashes and gridlock. He said: “We are ready for the ‘Ember’ months and preparing for the Christmas season. As a command, we have started mobilising all stakeholders, the drivers through their union (NURTW and RETAN) towards achieving uninterrupted free flow of traffic and maintain zero-tolerance to RTC. “We are aware of the increase of crashes during festive periods and ‘Ember’ months, but we have also perfected strategies to reduce crashes to the barest minimum. We are also aware of the traffic volume; we have a programme to put personnel on ground.” According to Ogagaoghene, if an unexpected crash occurs, the commission has plans to intensify its emergency response strategy. He added: “We have built an existing relationship with other agencies on road emergencies. We meet and interact on strategies to employ in rescuing crash victims. “FRSC, on its own, has medical officers as members of our staff who we dispatch immediately to respond to crash victims. We also have accident investigation team and ‘Emergency Zebra’ stationed on major road corridors to help reduce delay in medical response to crash victims.” Corroborating Ogagaoghene’s views, the Lagos Sector Commander of FRSC, Corps Commander Hyginus Omeje, said that the commission was fully aware of the challenges associated with Christmas season. According to him, the commission has drawn up plans to face the challenges. He said: “The last Salah festival has taught us lessons on what to do during the Christmas season. We have been able to identify failed portions on the expressway which were causing gridlocks. We have plans to

FRSC officers educating motorists

File picture of an auto crash

deploy our men on the expressway, everybody, both senior and junior officers, to stop drivers from creating extra lanes. “We have also identified substitute routes on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Motorists can take LagosIkorodu route, Lotto-Ikorodu route and Mowe-Ofada-Shagamu route to ease off pressure on the main LagosIbadan Expressway.” Omeje said the FRSC would collapse all the units on the expressway into one unit, position personnel at critical points to check vehicle conditions, overloading, lane discipline, driving against traffic and other traffic offenses which might be committed by motorists during Christmas period. The sector commander sought the support of corporate organisations to help road agencies like FRSC by providing some necessary logistics to alleviate problems caused by gridlocks and bad portions on the road. Omeje said the FRSC needed support in the areas of provision of towing vehicles, patrol vehicles, ambulances and first aid facilities in order to speed up the removal of broken down vehicles and quicken medical response to crash victims. He said: “The truth is that government cannot do it alone; FRSC cannot do it alone too. Corporate organisations and other road stakeholders should help serve the mo-

Ogagaoghene

toring public by providing some facilities needed to quicken emergency responses on the expressway, especially during the festive seasons.” Also, the Unit Commander, RS2.23 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Oludare Ogunjobi, said that the unit was preparing for increase in volume of traffic during the Yuletide. Ogunjobi said the unit had also designed some other strategies which included need for proper journey management. He said FRSC officers would lead the campaign at major parks along the corridor to avoid rush hour, night journeys, over speeding, over-loading and lane indiscipline. “They are also to check brake, tryes and lighting systems of the vehicle before any travel. We shall focus on road traffic violations and any person or persons that contravene traffic rules will be prosecuted,” Ogunjobi added. The unit commander said the use of Mobile court would be employed for road traffic indiscipline because the command had no power to dismiss any traffic case. He said: “All offenders must also pass through compulsory public education class on proper road usage as one of the conditions for discharging them. “We shall not forgive these of-

Omeje

fenders for their own good. If we forgive them, we are aiding them and other motorists to their untimely death.” Ogunjobi added that the unit had sensitised other organisations like the police, fire service units in Lagos and Ogun states on the expressway, ambulance services and Julius Berger PLC which had the responsibility of the construction and maintenance of the expressway. He added that the unit would build on the award it received recently as the best unit in LagosOgun zone of the commission by maintaining a zero tolerance to offenses that could lead to road crashes during the ‘Ember’ months. A road user, Mr Fidelis Izegagbe, asked the state and Federal Governments to alleviate the suffering of the masses by making roads motorable. He said: “Why will there be no gridlock with the kind of roads we have. On highways connecting states, there are gullies; the roads are too narrow. What about the number of tankers, trucks and trailers passing these roads at the same time? “If we have to make Christmas or any festive period free of transportation hassles, the conditions of the roads have to be addressed.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESday, december 23, 2014

News 47

south - east

Court vacation stalls Ugwuanyi’s case against Eze Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

earing the suit filled the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, against one of the aspirants to the position, Senator Ayogu Eze, was stalled yesterday following to the commencement of the annual court vacation. Counsels to the plaintiffand the defendant had gathered in the court presided over by Justice Romanus Odu-

gu, only to discover that the court session could not hold because of the court vacation which commenced yesterday. The senator who is the first defendant in the case has been claiming that he was the one elected December 8 after the PDP governorship primary election, a claim Ugwuanyi has challenged in the present suit. The judge had last week extended an earlier order it granted restraining Senator Eze from parading himself as the Governorship candidate of the party based on the

prayer of the plaintiff/ applicant, Ugwuanyi. Justice Odugu, who granted the application by the Plaintiff, had adjourned the case to December 22 for further hearing. However, it was gathered that in view of the annual court vacation that eventually caught up with yesterday’s date for further hearing in the suit, the case has been assigned to a vacation court which could not actually commence sitting yesterday. It was also learnt that the parties eventually took a new date of Janu-

ary 19, 2015 for hearing of the matter. When the court handed down the injunction last week, it also restrained the PDP from recognizing or submitting any name other than that of Ugwuanyi as the PDP governorship candidate for the state. At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, December 15, the Plaintiff through his counsel, Mr. Ogochukwu Onyekwuluje, brought a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction against the defendants. Onyekwuluje, had told the court that he

had served all the processes to the 2nd Defendant (PDP), but had not been able to serve the 1st Defendant, Senator Eze and went ahead to move a motion for substituted service of the Writ of Summons and all other processes in the suit on the 1st Defendant by substituted means. The court, however, granted the application that the processes be served on the 1st defendant by pasting same on the front entrance gate of his residence at No. 1 Ayogu Eze Close, Independence Layout, Enugu.

L-R: The Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev (Dr.) Paulinus Ezeokafor; Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano; former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi and his wife Margaret, during the investiture of Papal Knighthood on Obi on Sunday

Knighthood: Obiano tasks Obi, Ilozumba on defence of poor

he Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has charged his predecessor in office, Sir Peter Obi and the Hon. Commissioner for Works in the state, Sir Callistus Ilozumba, to use their new position as Knights of St Sylvester to wage a fierce war that will liberate the poor and the voiceless in the society. Speaking at the special mass held at St Patrick Catholic Church, Awka, to mark the investiture of the duo as Knights of St Sylvester, Governor Obiano observed that Knighthood was not an end to the journey but a call to service to mankind. Citing the historic Siege of Malta, when the Ottoman Empire invaded the little island of Malta in 1565 and the heroic exploits of the knights in the eventual rescue of Malta, Obiano declared that the knight-

hood demands a high level of social responsiveness from the recipients. “The same spirit that the knights displayed in liberating Malta from the invading Ottoman armies is what I urge you to adopt in fighting the ills of the society and rescuing the social order. Do not hesitate to draw your swords to defend the poor, the needy, the hungry and those that don’t have people to talk for them. That’s why they gave you the swords you now carry,” Governor Obiano enthused. Spicing up his brilliant speech with humour, Governor Obiano jocularly remarked that he was happy when the National President of the Association of Papal Knights and Medalists, Sir Patrick Ikemefuna mentioned the fact that there were two categories of knighthood which no man had attained.

Imo APC Rep candidate raises N70m Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

he All Progressives Congress (APC), House of Representatives candidate representing Okigwe South constituency, in Imo State, Deacon Chike Okafor, yesterday realized an estimated N70 million to prosecute his electioneering campaign for the 2015 election. Okafor, generated the funds at the fund raising event organized by his colleagues, development partners and associates in the private sector. Speaking at event, Chairman of the fund raising Committee, Chief Emma Ezeonyeasi, noted that Okafor is a viable enterprise, any forward looking person would recommend to all men of goodwill who desire genuine improvement in the lives of people. On his part, the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, said that the synergy between Okafor and himself cannot be quantified in monetary terms. He declared that Okafor’s antecedents has earned him positive public perception and goodwill of the people of Okigwe South and the APC.

NIS repatriates over 120 illegal migrants N

o fewer than 120 illegal aliens were repatriated by the Nigeria Immigration Service, Enugu State Command in 2014, the Comptroller, Mr Bashir Ismail has said. Ismail, who spoke yesterday in Enugu during the command’s end of year party, said most of the illegal immigrants were from Niger Republic, while few were from Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Ghana. "The illegal aliens

were nabbed in Nsukka and Udenu local government areas as well as in Enugu urban. "The command ensured that immigrants in Enugu State were legally documented in view of the security threats in some parts of the country. "We maintained adequate surveillance in all parts of the state to ensure a good relationship between aliens and their host communities,’’ Bashir said.

He said that one of the most outstanding achievements of the Command was the arrest and deportation of one Mr Hassan Koffi, a human traffic kingpin. "Koffi specialised in trafficking women for prostitution and when we laid siege on him, he was arrested and deported immediately,’’ he said. The comptroller said that the upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam Interna-

tional Airport, Enugu to its current status had added additional responsibility to the command. He also said that his men had ensured that travellers were given the needed assistance and checks in line with their mandate. “This feat will not have been easy to achieve without a good working relationship between the command and the state government.

Ezea promises infrastructural development in Enugu he All Progressives ``stunted growth’’ in terms sadly, that is not the case. and commerce constitute T Congress candidate of infrastructural develop- I intend to address the the main livelihood of anomaly by ensuring a the people of this part of in the 2015 governorship ment, stating that one of election in Enugu State, Mr Okey Ezea, has said he will confront the infrastructural challenges the state currently faces if voted into power. Ezea, who stated this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that Enugu state has had a

his priorities would be to address those issues that affected the people’s lives. ``Take water supply for instance. This most vital social amenity has perpetually remained a mirage. Potable water should be readily and freely available to indigenes of this state. But,

24-hour water supply, not only in the major cities but also in all the towns and villages,” Ezea said. He also said the modernisation of markets in the state would be one of his priorities if voted into power. He said further, ``We are all aware that trade

the country. We intend to modernise the markets to boost buying and selling. But more importantly, we shall introduce and implement an aggressive policy of industrialisation so that our people do not only engage in buying and selling but in manufacturing as well,” the candidate said.

News

ATM

Rivers governor says he is not the bullion van of his party Emmanuel Masha PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed the claim that he has been funding the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the state’s funds, saying that the state has no money to

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH - SOUTH

Amaechi denies funding APC undertake such exercise. Amaechi, who was reacting to claims from some quarters that he has been funding the APC, and billed to play bigger financial role as the Director of campaigns for the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), challenged anyone with proof on the claim to prove it. Speaking yesterday at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt at the un-

Otu dumps PDP for LP in C’River

69.45%

veiling of the APC’s governorship candidate for the 2015 gubernatorial election, Dakuku Peterside, the governor urged those peddling the rumour to show one account which he uses in funding the APC. He said: “Rivers State government has no money to fund the APC. They have been accusing me of using Rivers money to fund the APC. The APC is a big party, so it can fund

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Australia in 2007. Source: Itu.int

Clement James

its activities. I do not fund the APC with Rivers money. I challenge all those who have been accusing me of funding the APC to show just one account through which I fund the APC with monies belonging to Rivers State” Amaechi, urged APC members from Port Harcourt Local Government, PHALGA, to collect their permanent voters cards, PVC’s, to enable them vote for General Muhammadu

$26m

The total salary and extra winnings made by Manny Pacquiao (Boxing) in 2013-2014. Source: Financenews24.com

Buhari, in the February 14, 2015, presidential election. He said, “Buhari can win the presidential election if you vote for him”. He stressed that: “Your vote can make the needed change in Nigeria. Buhari will make sure that the thieves amongst Nigerians (TANS), do not steal your money again. He will then use the money he has saved from the thieves amongst Nigerians to

The sex ratio of women to 100 men in Afghanistan in 2012. Source: Un.org

CALABAR.

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator, representing the Southern senatorial district of Cross River State, Bassey Otu, has dumped the ruling party and has concluded arrangements to run for the senate on the platform of the Labour Party in the 2015 election. The State Chairman of Labour Party, Mr. Austin Ibok, revealed this exclusively in an interview with our correspondent in Calabar yesterday, stating that the arrangement to allow the Senator, who until last week was still a member of the ruling party, to contest on its platform was as a result of the decision of the lawmaker to cross carpet to the Labour Party, following the crisis that engulfed the recently conducted PDP senatorial primaries in the state. “With the political tempo in Cross River State, I can be very emphatic that as I am talking to you, Prince Bassey Otu, considering what is happening in the PDP will still run election on the platform of LP in Cross River,” Ibok said. Otu, who lost the senatorial ticket to Chief Gershom Bassey a forth night ago, was speculated to have shown interest in picking the Labour party’s ticket, in his determination to return to the senate. The state Labour Party boss, said the Otu, was dissatisfied with the way the PDP handled senatorial primaries of the party, hence his decision to pitch tent with his party. “I can also tell you in confidence that he (Otu) is one of the persons who has joined us even though it has not been made open. But I can assure you that he is going to be a Senator for Southern senatorial district on the platform of LP,” the Labour Party boss said.

build roads, infrastructure and fight poverty and create jobs for millions of Nigerians”. The governor, who introduced Peterside as his successor, expressed delight at the huge turn-out of the party’s faithfuls, stating, “I want Port Harcourt Local Government to hold this rally again on December 2. This stadium has a capacity for 16,000 people. “You promised us you were going to mobilise 20,000 supporters to the rally, but you could only mobilise 10,000 which is not good enough," Amaechi said.

MOSOP decries exploitation Emmanuel Masha PORT HARCOURT

Founder, Rainbow Book Club/Project Director, Port Harcourt World Book Capital, Koko Kalango (left) with J.P. Clark, at the Port Harcourt World Book Capital celebration on Poetry…at the weekend

Ex-militants flay amnesty, seek review Emmanuel Masha PORT HARCOURT

ome aggrieved exmilitants in the Niger Delta region, have urged the Federal Government to review the amnesty programme, because according to them, the programme has failed to address unemployment. The former militants, who are members of the Niger Delta Peo-

ples Democratic Front (NDPDF), said despite the huge investment running into billions of naira expended by the Federal Government in the training of some repentant militants abroad, the beneficiaries have remained jobless. The group’s leader, Precious Iyoyo, who spoke on the development in Port Harcourt, noted that his group was rejecting the amnesty programme because

it felt it would not address the grievances of the people of the Niger Delta. He said, "This is a clarion call on the federal and state governments to take a second look at the way and manner the amnesty programme is presently structured. "The programme, has not yielded the desired result of creating manpower and employment for the teeming youths of the Niger Delta. It is

frustrating that the exfreedom fighters that have been trained, and on their return, have no jobs to fall back to, after training. This, in all sense, is abnormal". Iyoyo, noted that the huge money so far spent on amnesty should have been used to build industries for manufacturing purposes which would go a long way to create job opportunities for the region’s youths, and reduce restiveness.

South-South hunters dare Boko Haram Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

n an effort to check mate the incessant attacks by northern herdsmen, in the southern parts of the country, which has led to loss of several hundreds of lives, the association of South East and SouthSouth Association of Ani-

mal Hunters of Nigeria (AAHON) yesterday said they are to joining forces with their counterparts in the north to stamp out the heinous crime. A statement by the President of the association, Raymond Macaulay, which was made available to newsmen in Benin, Edo State capital, said a mobilization rally has been

slated in order to sensitize it's members and the public for action against the insurgents. Macaulay said, “We just want to be there, and put this nonsense behind us. As hunters, what hurts one hurts all. We are feeling what they have been feeling. And now, we are going there in our thousands to confront this

nonsense”. The body maintained that “It is time for action; time for all Nigerians to join the security agencies to take”. They urged Nigerians to “stand against insurgency” as “There is no country that can win insurgency by the military alone. It is the people that stand to defeat terror."

he Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), has warned politicians against exploiting the Ogonis, for their interest as another political contest in the country gathers momentum. MOSOP's president, Legborsi Pyagbara, who said this in a statement, criticized the idea of politicians taking advantage of the vulnerability of the Ogoni, stating that no politician would be allowed to exploit the people without failing to recognize the fact that the Ogoni Project 2015, aimed at producing an Ogoni governor remains alive. Pyagbara, also noted that recent comments credited to some politicians strongly demonstrate their hatred for the Ogoni, threatening that they will be exposed if they continue with their agenda. He said that the approach of the politicians aimed at undermining and ridiculing the Ogoni dream, would not be realized, stating, “The Ogoni have contributed and sacrificed immeasurably to the development of Rivers State” He, however, said that the Ogonis, have continued to suffer inadequate political representation in the state while political stakeholders in the state seem not bothered about their plight. “It is also painful that forty-seven years after the creation of the state, no Ogoni has been Governor or Deputy Governor or Speaker of the State House of Assembly or Chief Judge of Rivers State yet these characters does not feel cheated and had been politically enslaved,” he said.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESday, december 23, 2014

News 49

NORTH

Plateau approves N4.7bn contracts Musa Pam Jos

L-R: Bauchi State Head of Civil Service, Mr Abdon Gin; Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh and State Chairman, Christian Welfare Board, Rev. Shuaibu Byal, during a farewell to 2014 Intending Christian Pilgrims from Bauchi State …yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

Defeated APC aspirants call for cancellation of primaries Sani Muhd Sani Bauchi

auchi A new crisis is brewing in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State as defeated House of Assembly, House of Representatives and governorship aspirants in the party are calling for the cancellation of the primaries in the state. At least 10 House of Assembly and 15 House of Representatives and some defeated governor-

ship aspirants are calling on the national leadership of the party to cancel the elections and arrange for fresh elections into all the offices that were conducted in the state. Questions as to the recognition of the governorship candidate, A. M. Abubakar, by the national leadership of the party raised by some members of the party who are also calling for the cancellation of the primaries that was causing a stir, have been debunked. Speaking with newsmen in Bauchi, Abuba-

APC chairman decries PDP’s politics of religion Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

he All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Kaduna State, Bala Barnabas Bantex, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of using religion to exploit the people of southern Kaduna. Addressing a cross section of APC candidates and party leaders of southern Kaduna in Kafanchan, Bantex said the time has come to revive politics of principles that was prevalent in pre-independent Nigeria and during the first republic, because of the challenges of under-development that the country is facing. Bantex, who was a two-time chairman of Kaura Local Government in Kaduna State and a member of the House of Representatives said: “There is nothing Christian about PDP, it is just fiction and the imagination of some

people who are holding southern Kaduna people bondage in consolidating their outdated agenda of exploiting our people. According to him, “Christianity doesn’t tolerate injustice and killings, Christianity is about salvation and the good of the human race now and in the hereafter, so no one should blindfold us from seeing and understanding the reality of our predicament as a people.” The APC chairman, who said the destiny of southern Kaduna people is in their hands, posed some questions to the gathering. “Our destiny and future are in our hands, where is the development in southern Kaduna? Where is the security? Where are the roads and hospitals? Where are the infrastructure to make life worthy for our people? Who are those responsible for protecting our interests and are they doing it?”

kar also dismissed rumours that the primary elections were rigged. The APC candidate, while thanking delegates and his supporters for the massive support shown him before, during and after the primary elections, said the party leadership had set up an appeal committee which probed the conduct of the primary elections and found nothing wrong with his election. According to him, “The election that took place was the freest and fairest I have ever witnessed any-

where in the world. The election was conducted in the Lawn Tennis Court of the Zaranda Hotel in Bauchi and it has only one entrance which was guarded by soldiers. “There was nothing to mar that election, the election was free and fair.” Meanwhile, spokesman of the aggrieved aspirants, Musa Danazumi, said: “We observed that the elections were characterised with contempt, there was a court order that stopped the primaries in Bauchi State, we also observed that the elections were rigged,

there were violation of electoral laws, conspiracy, threats, intimidation, use of money and other illegal and corrupt practices during the election.” A joint petition, according to Danazumi, has been submitted to the election appeal panel that was constituted by the national leadership of the party, alleging manipulation of delegates and use of force to elect certain candidates, stressing that cancellation of the election will augur well for the success of the party in the state in next year’s elections.

ess than one week to the end of 2014, Plateau State government has approved additional N4.7billion contracts. State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Abubakar Badu, disclosed this in Jos yesterday while briefing journalists after the State Executive Council meeting at the new Government House, Rayfield. According to Badu, the meeting approved contracts for additional works at the new Government House, completion of Binchima, Zagum, DTV, Rafin Bama, Kpachidu electrification projects and the contract for additional work at the state cassava processing factory, which is to include the supply of three different machines at the cost of N59.8 million. Other contracts approved include additional work on the office complex of the Board of Internal Revenue along Bank Road, Jos and the procurement of ICT facilities for the new Government House at the cost of N78.8 million.

Mekafi: APC will win Kogi in 2015 Temitope Ogunbanke

chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Alhaji Yerima Mekafi, has expressed confidence that the party will win all the elective positions at the state and federal levels in the February 2015 general election.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Mekafi, a staunch supporter of a former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, said the state will return to the progressive fold, noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government has brought untold hardship to the people of the state. “Things would begin to change for us in Kogi State

Orientation agency seeks clean IDPs’ camps Ahmed Miringa Maiduguri

he Borno State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Yahya Iman, has charged Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the various camps in the state to safeguard their environment by keeping it clean. The director made the call at a sensitisation programme on environmental sustainability at the Government Girls Secondary

School, Maiduguri. Iman said the agency, in collaborating with the Borno State Environmental Protecting Agency (BOSEPA), is ensuring safety and a clean environment, adding that a clean environment is a must for a healthy condition. He said the campaign is necessary as most of the IDPs are ignorant of the environmental hazards in the camps. “You should please take issues of your health with all seriousness to prevent the spread of diseases."

from the next election. I can assure you that with Prince Audu, APC will win all the elections in Kogi State, because the people are tired of PDP’s misrule, they want a change, they have seen the difference and are ready to embrace change. “Audu as a grassroot mobiliser and actualiser has gone round Kogi State

to preach change and the people have accepted the APC, they have promised to dislodge the PDP with their votes,” he said. Describing Audu as the face of the party in Kogi State, Mekafi said the leadership of party under the former governor is fielding competent candidates that would actualise the party’s manifesto.

'NSCDC treated 2,039 cases in 2014' Dahiru Suleiman Dutse

igawa State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said that it has handled 2,039 cases since January this year. The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Dr. Gidado Fari, disclosed this yesterday. He said some of the cases handled include vandalisation, rape, defilement of minor girls, sexual harassment, among others.

Far also said 48 per cent of the cases were charged to federal and state high courts, with 36 per cent convicted while 11 per cent are on trial and 27 per cent of such cases were settled out of court. Least amongst the cases referred to federal and state high courts are fraud, drug trafficking, diversion of petroleum products, among others. According to him, other cases like drug trafficking, were transferred to the NDLEA for further interrogation.

WORLD | News

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Essebsi wins Tunisian election

eteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi has won Tunisia's first free presidential election, official results showed yesterday, the final step in a transition to democracy after an uprising that ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. But rioting broke out in one southern city, with police firing teargas to disperse hundreds of youths who burned tyres and blocked streets to demonstrate against the victory of an official from Ben Ali's old guard. Essebsi beat rival and incumbent Moncef

Marzouki with 55.68 percent of the vote against 44.32 percent, the results showed. A former official in Ben Ali's one-party administration, he has recast himself as a technocrat and his secular Call for Tunisia party profited from the backlash against the country's first post-revolt Islamist government, which many voters blamed for turmoil after 2011. Protests erupted in Hamma after Essebsi declared victory in Sunday's run-off. "Hundreds of angry youths upset over Essebsi's victory declaration set fire to tyres in

the streets of the city while police fired teargas and arrested several youths," Hamma resident Ammar Giloufi said. "All shops are closed. They are chanting 'No to the old regime'." Another resident told Reuters protesters had tried to storm a police station, but had been driven back by teargas. Local police officials could not immediately be contacted. Critics of Essebsi, an 88-year-old former parliamentary speaker under Ben Ali, see his return as a setback for the 2011 uprising that ousted the veteran ruler and put the North African

Beji Caid Essebsi,Nidaa Tounes party leader,gestures outside the party headquarters in Tunis yesterday.

Russia bails out bank following ruble slide

ussia has bailed out a mid-sized bank for about $500 million to save it from bankruptcy— a clear sign that the slide in the value of the ruble in the wake of falling oil prices is straining the banking system. The Central Bank said yesterday that it will provide a 30-billion ruble loan to help the Trust Bank to continue operating as normal. It will also place Trust Bank under its own supervision until it finds an investor. Major Rus-

sian banks said they had no interest in acquiring Trust, a top 30 Russian bank with about $5 billion in assets. The problems afflicting Trust Bank follow a tumultuous period for the ruble, which this year has shared the title of the world's worst performing currency with the Ukrainian hryvnia. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged yesterday that the Russian economy is facing "uneasy times," but vowed that the country has enough resourc-

Nurse charged for infecting 100 villagers in Cambodia

nurse has been charged with murder after being accused of causing the spread of HIV to more than 100 villagers in north-western Cambodia, a court official has said. Heng Luy, Deputy Prosecutor at Battambang provincial court,yesterday, confirmed charging unlicensed local nurse Yem Chrin on charges including spreading HIV, murder by torture, and running a unlicensed clinic. Luy said the murder charge applied to the possible deaths by caused by AIDS. Chrin faces a life sentence if found guilty of the murder charge, and up

to 15 years in jail for transmitting HIV. At least 105 villagers including 19 children were reported HIV positive, according to local media. Prime Minister Hun Sen, however, expressed doubts that that the nurse could have caused such a massive HIV outbreak during a public speech he gave Thursday. Villager Em Pov, whose wife and four children have been found to be HIV positive, said he and other villagers do not believe Chrin caused the infections intentionally. "Mr Chrin is a good guy. “He has been a nurse to my family for over 20 years," Pov said.

es to overcome the problems. Earlier, a respected former Russian finance minister warned that the country is headed for "a full-blown economic crisis." The ruble has lost about half of its value this year, pushed down by slumping oil prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's course on Ukraine. Last week, its descent gathered pace, sparking a consumer rush that saw worried Russians flocked to shops to buy cars and durable goods before prices rose further. Still, deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said yesterday he expects the ruble to rally following some signs of stability over the past few trading sessions. He also sought to soothe the market fears by saying the government is not planning to introduce currency controls on Russian companies. Following moderate gains at the end of last week, the ruble strengthened further on Monday, trading around 55 against the U S dollar. Alexei Kudrin, a well-respected former Russian finance minister, said oil prices weren't the main reason why the ruble has suffered this year. In comments to reporters, he said low oil prices account for as little as a quarter of the ruble decline whereas the sanctions imposed on the country could be contributing up to 40 percent of the collapse.

country on the road to full democracy, with a new constitution and free parliamentary and presidential elections. The Tunisian uprising also inspired the Arab Spring revolts across North Africa and the Middle East. As frontrunner, Essebsi dismissed critics who said victory for him would mark a return of the old guard. He

argued that he was the technocrat Tunisia needed following three messy years of an Islamist-led coalition government. Marzouki, who had sought refuge in France during the Ben Ali era, painted a potential Essebsi presidency as a reverse for the "Jasmine Revolution" that forced the former autocrat to flee into exile.

WHO says Syria approves medicine deliveries to Aleppo

he Syrian government has approved the delivery of medicine and surgical supplies to three areas of the country aid workers were previously unable to reach regularly, including oppositionheld Aleppo, the World Health Organization said yesterday. All sides in Syria's three-year civil war have prevented medicine from crossing front lines fearing it could be used to help wounded enemy fighters. This has deprived trapped civilians from life-saving medical assistance. Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO's Syria representative, told Reuters the government has now promised access to Aleppo, the besieged Damascus district of Mouadamiya, and Eastern Ghouta, outside the capital. "It is something that we have been negotiating, after the constraints we've had, we have had top level meetings. There has been willingness from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We see a positive outlook," Hoff said. “We have had some constraints in the past with delivering surgical supplies, syringes, but the situation is much better at the moment," she said. The United Nations says 4.7 million Syrians live in areas that are hard to reach; including at least 241,000 people who remain besieged by either gov-

ernment or opposition forces. "We have actually got promises to deliver to Aleppo and the hard to reach areas around Aleppo. This will happen this week. And next week we have deliveries for Mouadamiya, which has been besieged for a long time," she aid. United Nations peace envoy Staffan de Mistura has proposed a freeze in fighting in Aleppo to help get humanitarian assistance into the city that has been divided for more than two years between opposition fighters and government troops. "We also promised to deliver vaccines for regular vaccination programs to Eastern Ghouta which has been closed for a long time," Hoff said. "These are the prospects for the next two weeks and approved by the government.” Syrian activists in these areas say disease is spreading due to poor sanitary conditions and government siege. A plunge in vaccination rates from 90 percent before the war to 52 percent this year and contaminated water have allowed disease to take hold. Insecurity from the war remains the biggest impediment to aid deliveries, Hoff said. More than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 with popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad and spiraled into civil war after a crackdown by security forces.

Presidents meet to discuss peace in South Sudan

outh Africa's president met with the leaders of Tanzania and Uganda yesterday for talks on the South Sudan peace process, South Africa's government said. Neighboring countries have helped negotiate three previous ceasefire agreements in South Sudan, all of which have failed. President Jacob Zuma's trip to Tanzania, where he met President Jakaya Kikwete, and to Uganda to meet President Yoweri Museveni are a part on ongoing regional talks to end the crisis in the world's newest nation. Fighting broke out in the oil-rich country about a year ago, pitting Kiir's supporters against former Vice President

Reik Machar's followers. Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, accused Machar, an ethnic Nuer, of trying to oust him in a coup. Tens of thousands of people have died and 1.9 million more have been displaced by warfare in the young nation, the United Nations says. The U.N. Security Council blamed South Sudan's "man-made political, security and humanitarian catastrophe" and the threat of famine on its feuding leaders. The council has threatened to impose sanctions against figures hindering the peace process. East African nations have also threatened political and economic sanctions against Kiir's government and Machar's faction, if the violence continues.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Sport News

International Sport

I want Messi in Chelsea –Fabregas

Liverpool target Bony, Cech for January transfers

Falcons’ opponents begin World Cup training

Sport

Transfer News

Did you know? That English Premiership (now English Premier League) started on 15th august 1992

Boxing World Champs: Apochi targets gold AjibadeOlusesan

C Apochi (left)

ommonwealth Games bronze medallist, Efetobor Apochi, has vowed to claim gold medal at next year’s World Boxing championship in Doha, Qatar. Apochi was the captain of the Nigerian boxing team to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and he said the time

had come for Nigeria to win a gold medal in the world tourney and pledged to achieve that feat. He said he would have won the biggest prize in the heavyweight category at the Glasgow Games but for the high-wire conspiracy against African boxers at the Games. “I am looking forward to a successful New Year. My target is to win the world championship. I know the boxers in my

U-23 Eagles must not fail –Taribo

category, I have their details and I know that I am good enough to take care of them. I could have won gold at the Commonwealth Games but there was some kind of politics in AIBA against Africans which was part of the reasons we could not emerge the best. But right now I am ready to go for the best,” he said. He said he needed to have a good tournament so that he could gain confidence ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

l “NFF should back Siasia’s programmes”

Taribo

Charles Ogundiya

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

ormer Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has charged the National U-23 Eagles to live up to expectations and make Nigerian fans happy by playing good football so as to take some sting from the pain occasioned by the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the African Nations Cup. Speaking with our correspondent in Lagos at the weekend, the 1996 Olympics football gold medalist, said a good performance at the AllAfrica Games and qualification for the Olympics in 2016 would go a long way in erasing the sad memory of that disappointment. “Nigerians are still smarting from the failure of the Super Eagles and all eyes will

The people at the top management level should put everything in place for the team to succeed. We must prepare very well to avoid failure

Eduok (left)

now be on the U-23 boys to perform. “The biggest event for them next year will be the All-Africa Games and qualification for the Olympics Games in Rio in 2016. “Personally, I believe the team must gear up and perform well in both competitions so as not to incur the wrath of Nigerians,” he said. While applauding the input of the coach of the team, Samson Siasia, the former Inter Milan de-

fender appealled to the Nigeria Football Federation to support the programmes outlined for the team by the coach. Taribo added: “The coach has started well by inviting quality players featuring in the Nigerian league who are within the age bracket and also some of our young players from across the world. “I believe this will give him an opportunity to pick the best for the country, but the most important thing is the support

from the federation. “The people at the top management level should put everything in place for the team to succeed. We must prepare very well to avoid failure.” Speaking further the former AC Milan of Italy player said the problem affecting football and other sports in the country had to do with issues of management and lack of proper structure, noting that if things were done the right way football would regain its lost glory.

SPORT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Pillars, Enyimba, Falcons’ opponents begin Kano others get CAF opponents N World Cup training lAustralia shortlist 32 for Canada 2015 Ifeanyi Ibeh

oach of Australia’s women’s team, Alen Stajcic, has released a list of 32 players he plans on calling to a training camp ahead of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The camp will be held from January 12 to 15 ahead of the World Cup in June and July, and offers players the first chance to impress Stajcic following the completion of the Australian W-League season. While the rest of the Matilda’s World Cup preparations are yet to be confirmed, Stajcic says the camp at the Australian Institute of Sport will kick off an “intense preparation period”. “I’ve had a good look at all the players throughout the W-League season and I am happy with the group of

players that I have selected for this camp,” Stajcic said, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “There is a balance of youth and experience in the squad and it will be a good starting point for our intense preparation period. This is by no means a final squad as there are number of players returning from injury that are still in contention for selection. “It’s now up to the players to make the step up and show the coaching staff why they deserve to go to the World Cup.” Australia’s Matildas will play against the United States of America – who recently took part in a fourteam tournament in Brazil – Sweden and Nigeria’s Super Falcons in Group D at the World Cup. The NFF is yet to unfold its plans for the Super Falcons.

Falcons skipper, Evelyn Nwabuoku (left) in action for Super Falcons during the 2014 AWC

Taekwondo boss unveils plans for 2015 Emmanuel Tobi

resident of Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, George Ashiru, has expressed optimism on the development of the game while calling for more support from private and public sectors ahead of the Federation’s plans for 2015. “I want to say that 2014 has

been a rewarding year for taekwondo because we wanted to achieve some of our objectives in the year and we are happy that we were able to do this. We tagged it a developmental year and truly it was a year that we were able to discover athletes that will take over from the likes of Chika Chukwumerije,” he said. Ashiru added that, “We or-

Oboabona undergoes knee surgery in Turkey

igeria international Godfrey Oboabona has undergone a successful knee surgery at Acibadem Fulya Hospital in Turkey. The Rizespor defender had a right knee meniscus tear and cartilage injury and was operated on at the weekend. The former Sunshine Stars

captain, who is versatile in the defence, has played eight games with a goal this season for Rizespor. Last season, the 24-year-old Oboabona scored three goals in 19 games. He won AFCON 2013 with Nigeria and featured at Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup.

African Tourney: NTTF seeks NSC’s financial backing Ajibade Olusesan

he Nigeria Table Tennis Federation has called on the National Sports Commission to lend a hand in its bid to take part in the upcoming International Table Tennis Federation Africa Senior Championships, holding in Egypt from January 23 to 29, 2015. The tournament was earlier scheduled to hold in Sudan but had to be shelved owing to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in parts of Africa. The African Table Tennis Federation has however rescheduled the championship for the Egyptian capital Cairo and, according to a statement from the continental body, participation in the tournament is a prerequisite for all

countries keen on taking part in next April’s World Championship in China. The tournament will also serve as a major requirement for any nation keen on taking part in the table tennis event of both the 2015 All Africa Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. And it is for all these reasons that the NTTF is seeking the financial support of the NSC to make the trip to Cairo. “We are hoping to assemble our best players within Nigeria and across the globe so that we can have a strong team, which is why we are using this medium to appeal to the NSC to support us financially in order to be part of this competition,” said NTTF Secretary General, Chinedu Ezeala-Ogundare.

ganised six tournaments this year and we took part in five international competitions, which for us was encouraging. The Vice President, Commonwealth Taekwondo Union added that the 2015 World Championships and All Africa Games are the two major tournaments that are crucial to the country’s qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. “I cannot specifically confirm that we have the athletes that can compete well at the Olympic Games in Brazil because like other nations that considers tall athletes from other sports to represent them at the Olympics, we will also consider this workable system to identify tall athletes from other sport and we are intending to train them to become world beaters,” he disclosed.

igeria Premier League quartet of Kano Pillars, Enyimba, Dolphins and Warri Wolves have been handed their opponents in the 2015 Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup. Champions, Kano Pillars have been drawn to face South Sudan club Malakia in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League while Enyimba go up against Benin Republic side Buffles du Borgou FC. Pillars will start their campaign in Africa’s biggest club competition on the road to Malakia. Enyimba will play hosts to Buffles in Aba before heading to the Benin Republic for the second leg. In the Caf Confederation Cup, 2014 Federation Cup finalists Dolphins have been handed Equatorial Guinean opponents in Leones Vegetarianos in the preliminary round. Leones Vegetarianos will host Dolphins before the sec-

ond leg is held in Port Harcourt. Nigeria’s fourth club in the CAF Interclub competitions, Warri Wolves, have the toughest draw of the NPL sides. They will confront former Burkina Faso champions Racing Club de Bobo-Dioulasso in the preliminary round of the Confederation Cup. Wolves are going to have to start well on the road before they return to Warri two weeks later to seek a place in the first round of the Caf Confederation Cup. Interestingly no Nigerian club was exempted from the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup following recent poor showing in both club competitions. The first legs in both competitions for the preliminary round will take place on the weekend of February 13, 14 and 15. The return leg will be held on February 27 and 28 as well as March 1.

Manchester City starlet, Iheanacho, injured again K

elechi Iheanacho has been sidelined by an ankle injury raising concerns over his availability for both the Nigeria U20 and U23 teams. AfricanFootball.com has specially learnt the FIFA U17 World Cup MVP is currently back in Manchester nursing the injury after a stint training with MLS side Colombus Crew. In August, Iheanacho suffered a hamstring injury, which kept him out for several weeks. The left-footed forward is now expected to

be granted a work permit to ply his trade in the UK after Manchester City applied for it from the British Home office. Iheanacho has been called up by both Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, and the country’s Olympic team for crucial qualifying matches in the New Year. The Flying Eagles, for one, have a tough group draw for the African Youth Championship in March after they were pitched against hosts Senegal, Congo and Cote d’Ivoire.

Amokachi replaces injured Zango with Idris …as Eagles, NFF celebrate Salami’s marriage

Salami and wife, Ololade

Emmanuel Tobi

uper Eagles Assistant coach, Dan Amokachi has replaced injured Kano

Pillars defender, Zango Umar, with Mighty Jets of Jos star defender Ahmed Idris ahead of the inter national friendlies against Cote D Ivoire and Mali in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. New Te l e g ra p h scooped that the team is expected to resume camping in Abuja on Sunday, December 28, to commence preparations for the games. The two games are scheduled for January 9 and 13 in the UAE. Meanwhile the Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated national team striker,

Gbolahan Salami on the success of his wedding at the weekend. The talented striker got married to his wife, Opeloyeru Ololade, in an impressive event held at the Glover Memorial Hall, Tinubu Square, Marina, with Ea gles t e a m a d m i n i s t r a t o r, Dayo Achor, representing the national team and the NFF. Achor said apart from the leadership of the NFF sending their goodwill message, the Super Eagles technical crew and players, led by skipper Vincent Enyeama, sent words of encouragement to the player.

International Sport

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

I want Messi in Chelsea –Fabregas

Transfer News

Berahino linked with Tottenham move

esc Fabregas has said he “would love” to see Lionel Messi join him at Chelsea. Messi’s future at Barcelona has come under a lot of scrutiny after he suggested last month he could leave the club in the near future. Fabregas played alongside the Argentine in the Barca youth system and again in the first team when he returned to Spain following his time at Arsenal. The 27-year-old has been a key component of the Chelsea team which currently sits top of the Premier League and says he would love to team up with his former team-mate at Stamford Bridge. When asked if he thinks Messi should join him in west London, Fabreas told Radio Marca: “I wish! Why not? I’d love that to happen. I’d be all

ngland U21 manager Gareth E Southgate could have a great start to the new year as Mauricio Pochet-

tino looks to bring Saido Berahino to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are lining up a bid for a player valued in the region of £25million, as they look to strengthen in the January transfer window. Southgate will be extremely happy as his potential front two in Berahino and Harry Kane could be lining up together on a weekly basis, which in turn will help his team’s chances in the European U21 Championship next summer.

Fenerbahce plot move for Kavlak

esiktas’s Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce are B plotting a move for the 26-year-old midfielder Veli Kavlak.

Fenerbahce have been in talks with Kavlak’s representatives and are prepared to offer the Austrian international €1.5 million per season. Thehardworkingmidfielderhasalsobeenlinkedwith Lazio and Everton in recent weeks. Kavlak recently revealed he is happy at Beşiktaş but refused to talk about his long term future.

Messi (left) and Fabregas

Liverpool target Bony, Cech Roma will fight Juventus to the end, saysTotti iverpool have registered an interest LChelsea in Swansea striker Wilfried Bony and goalkeeper Petr Cech, accord-

ing to the Daily Mail. The Reds are keen to add a new striker and a goalkeeper in the January transfer window, with the problems of Simon Mignolet and Mario Balotelli well documented. No player has scored more goals than Swansea striker Bony over the course of 2014 in the Premier League, although the Ivory Coast international is set to cost more than £20million having recently signed a new deal with the south Wales club. A move for the forward could depend on the departure of Fabio Borini, who has been made available for a fee of £10million.

rancesco Totti insists Roma will fight Juventus all the way in the race for the Serie A title despite falling three points adrift of the champions. Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Milan at the Stadio Olimpico saw the Giallorossi lose ground on Juve, who had won at Cagliari 48 hours earlier. But Totti says there will be no letup as Roma attempt to go one better than last season’s second-place finish, while full-back Maicon assures

winning lottery tickets, is the club that holds the most titles – namely, Real Madrid. Apart from the trophies, winning titles also means that you make it big financially. The four titles won by Real Madrid have meant great news at the bank as well as out on the pitch. Real have earned no less than €65 million as prize money from football tournaments won. This bank balance boost has gone toward making the club even more afflu-

enoa have reportedly picked up former Valencia midfielder Tino Costa on an initial 18-month loan from Spartak Moscow. Gianluca Di Marzio’s website reported that the Grifone have secured the services of the 29-year-old from the Russian club on an initial temporary basis until the end of next season.

Hull City recall Ince, Figueroa

remier League strugglers Hull City have recalled Tom Ince and Maynor P Figueroa from loan spells to bolster their

Rodriguez (left)

ent, raising total revenues to €603.9 million in 2014. Apart from the prize money, there is also the knock-on effect of being the team of the moment – reigning World and Champions League champions.

Kramer signs new Leverkusen deal

next five years. It was revealed in April that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has regularly sent scouts to monitor the 23-year-old midfielder, who is currently spending his second season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, while recent reports have linked the Gunners with a bid ahead of the January transfer window. Kramer, who was part of Germany’s World Cup-winning squad this summer, has yet to make a senior first-team appearance for Leverkusen but has committed to a new deal with the Bundesliga club that will run until 2019.

Ali

location on Saturday mor ning. “Muhammad Ali has vastly improved since being admitted to the hospital over the weekend with a mild case of pneumonia,” the statement read. “Ali’s team of doctors hopes to discharge him soon. Boxing legend Ali has been hospitalised with pneumonia and is expected to recover because the illness was caught early. “The Ali family continues to request privacy and appreciates all of the prayers and well wishes. “No further details are being released.”

for it. “As a Barca man, I believe that Messi deserves to retire there for all that he has given the club. “He is a legend that has changed Barca’s history. But, as his team-mate and friend, without doubt I’d love to have Leo by my side. This season Barca are Messi and 10 others. Messi has saved his team on many occasions.” The World Cup winner was also asked if he felt Jose Mourinho would be a good fit to coach the Camp Nou club. “I’d say that Barcelona have a style that he has already experienced and understands perfectly,” he replied. “Chelsea play a very similar game: we want to be the protagonists, have possession and look to score. We may have a different system, but the philosophy is similar.”

Blatter seeks to restore Fifa’s credibility

Blatter

Ali’s condition ‘vastly improved’ The 72-year-old, who sufuhammad Ali’s condiM tion has “vastly im- fers from Parkinson’s disease, proved” since being admitted was taken to an undisclosed to hospital on Saturday with a mild case of pneumonia and his doctors are hopeful that he will soon be sent home, his representatives Boxcar have announced.

hristoph Kramer has signed a new conC tract with Bayer Leverkusen which will keep him tied to the Bundesliga club for the

supporters that his side will become a tougher proposition during the second half of the campaign. “Rest assured, Roma will not give up until the end,” Totti told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I would say that we are doing well,” added Maicon, “but we must be more like bad guys. Against Milan there was a handball by Nigel de Jong which was important, but I work for my team and I don’t talk about referees.”

Real Madrid hit jackpot he big winner this festive T season, apart from the holders of this Christmas’

Genoa pick up Tino Costa

options across the Christmas period. Winless in 10 league games, the Tigers have slipped to 19th place in the table with only Leicester keeping them off the bottom. And a statement on the club’s website announced: ‘Tom Ince and Maynor Figueroa have been recalled from their loan spells with Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic respectively. England Under-21 winger Ince was a summer signing from Blackpool but barely made an impression on Steve Bruce’s team, save for a goal in the Capital One Cup defeat to West Brom, before joining Forest on a temporary basis.

epp Blatter has admitted Fifa needs to work on restoring its credibility following the recent scandals surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid processes. The lead investigator of Fifa’s ethics committee, Michael Garcia, resigned last week following the governing body’s refusal to release an “appropriate version” of his report looking into corruption in the processes which led to Russia and Qatar being handed the next two World Cups. Fifa has since announced that an edited version will be made public, and Blatter has now insisted that the organisation must do what it can to clean up its image. “Public opinion is important because football is the greatest game in the world; connecting people, giving emotions, passion and hope in this world. So it’s very important for me personally at the helm of football to restore credibility,” Blatter said in a Fifa media release to mark the end of business in 2014. “I brought it to the attention of the Executive Committee in December in Morocco, and then with the intervention of the chair of the guidance committee, Domenico Scala, was asked by the two chairs of the ethics committee to bring a solution. “When he made the recommendation he made, I was able then to convince all the members of the ExCo, and we had for once a unity within the committee to say ‘yes, we support the publication of this report but in an adequate form’ and only when all investigation matters are not only finished, but are closed.”

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

Erdogan's coup against democracy in Turkey (1)

n February 2012, I happened to form a delegation of 10 senior Nigerian editors that paid a working visit to Istanbul, the largest city in the Republic of Turkey and the only one in the world that is located in two continents - Europe and Asia. One of the interesting places we visited on that trip was the Journalists and Writers Foundation, an NGO that seeks to promote peaceful co-existence through dialogue and understanding at global, regional and local levels. It is a very credible institution that has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and we were received by no less a personality than the President. Boko Haram had just launched one of the deadliest attacks on Kano, killing hundreds of innocent Nigerians. I recall that in the interactive session that ensued, we asked Turkish editors to lend us an insight as to the role they played in defeating the PKK, a terrorist group that was similarly killing innocent people in large numbers, and destroying public institutions. Their reply was simple: "terrorists all over the world relish seeing their destructive activities given prominence by newspapers and the electronic media." They advised us to as much as possible start giving Boko Haram a blackout, and assure us that doing so would play a part in discouraging them. The merits or demerits of this formula is a topic for another day, but it is rather very shocking to see our colleagues, members of this NGO and very respected editors in that country are now being harassed left, right and centre by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, branding them as "terrorists" simply because they seek to expose his government's unprecedented corruption and high handed approach to issues. One of the worst crimes a leader could commit is to fabricate outright falsehood with a view to implicating his own people to achieve dangerous, totallyselfish ends. Erdogan seems to have lost all sense of decency and decorum, and has gone haywire, declaring war on free press, ordering the arrest and detention of top journalists from the country's print and electronic media. The mass detention was clearly aimed at directing public attention away from the biggest corruption probe in the history of the country, involving four ministers, among others, that was revealed a year ago and has since been suppressed by the government. Crowds thronged outside the headquarters of the largest newspaper in the country, Zaman, which sells one million copies daily, and newspaper workers hoisted banners declaring that a “free press cannot be silenced.” But they shamelessly succeeded in arresting the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Ekrem Dumanli. All told, about two dozen people were arrested, including journalists, producers, scriptwriters and a police chief in eastern Turkey. Eight journalists were released last Friday, but others stay in custody. Erdogan maintains, with no proof whatsoever, that the probe was nothing but a “coup attempt” against his government by what he calls the “parallel state,” meaning the faith-based Hizmet social movement inspired by the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has lived in the United States since 1999 in self-imposed exile. On Dec. 19, the judge of a special court

Brass Tacks SULEIMAN UBA GAYA suleimanuba1@gmail.com 08035676295 (sms only)

Erdogan seems to have lost all sense of decency and decorum, and has gone haywire, declaring war on free press

Recent bomb blast in Kano

Boko Haram members

put in place recently in the context of measures to suppress the corruption probe decided to arrest Karaca, TV Executive and released Dumanlı editor in chief of Zaman Daily pending trial, banning him from traveling abroad. The court also published an arrest warrant for Gülen, and it was soon after reported that the Justice Ministry is to formally demand his extradition from the US based on that warrant. Seems like one thing that cannot be understood well enough here is the fact that the more you try to intimidate a social movement, and curb its activities it transforms itself immensely to be more

and more productive. There is also an irony in that Erdogan, while calling Gülen a “terrorist” and accusing him of running a “parallel state” in Turkey, is engaged in peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) (regarded as a “terrorist organization” by both the EU and the US), which is known to have established a true “parallel state,” a de facto administration, in the Kurdishmajority regions of Turkey, setting up courts, collecting taxes, recruiting fighters and maintaining order. Autocrats often have no choice but to invent pretexts, no matter how unconvincing, for crushing their opponents.

In the latest round of attacks on the news media in Turkey, warrants were issued for the arrest of journalists in which it was stated they are suspected of nefarious deeds, such as plotting “to seize state power” or forming an armed organization to support terrorists. These trumped-up claims are designed to divert attention from a crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his critics and rivals. At stake is Turkey’s democracy. The crisis was enhanced by a corruption scandal that broke a year ago — again. Mr. Erdogan claims, inspired by his foes — that implicated many of those close to Erdogan, then prime minister. In the summer, he was elected president of the nation’s first popular vote for the office. Mr. Erdogan wants more power for the presidency. Yet his bellicose behaviour in the past year suggests he is taking Turkey in the wrong direction. It is a shame that a country like Turkey, with one of the highest number of intellectuals, journalists and professors, is trampling upon the rights of its citizens just because they discharged their statutory role of holding leaders accountable. Freedom House, the democracy watchdog, earlier this year downgraded the Turkish press from being “partly free” to “not free.” Now it may have to create a new category: “not free at all.” To be concluded

Suleiman Uba Gaya

Sanctity of Truth

On Marble

Neglect kills injuries, revenge increases them.

– Ben Franklin

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Erdogan's coup against democracy in Turkey (1)

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Bringing Cuba in from the cold

n island nation in the Caribbean, the Republic of Cuba, with a population of over 11 million inhabitants, comprises the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud and several archipelagos. In 1492, a band of savage European invaders led by Christopher Columbus laid the land to waste, massacred its original inheritors, the Mesoamerican Indian tribes and stole the land in the name of the Kingdom of Spain. After centuries of European brutality, bloodbath, social strife and instability, Cuba came under the dictatorship of former president Fulgencio Batista in 1952. The July 26 Movement, led by Fidel Castro, embarked on a revolution that resulted in the ouster of Batista’s repressive, corrupt, drug-soaked and whoremongering regime in January 1959. A Communist regime was enthroned and endures to this day. In February 1960, in a bid to give bite to the regime’s Agrarian Reform Law, Castro signed a commercial agreement with Soviet Vice-Premier Anastas Mikoyan. Feeling antagonised by this move, the US president, Dwight Eisenhower, in March 1960, gave his approval to a CIA plan to arm and train a group of Cuban refugees to overthrow the Castro regime. Neither democracy nor the welfare of the Cuban people led to this interference. The geopolitical implications of having a Soviet friend just 90 miles off the coast of Florida drove some Americans round the bend. The American mood to bully and intimidate was overpowering. The notorious Cuban invasion, known as the Bay of Pigs, masterminded by the US, took place on April 14, 1961. About 1,400 heavily armed Cuban exiles disembarked at the Bay of Pigs, but failed in their attempt to overthrow Castro. In January 1962, Cuba was suspended from the Organization of American States (OAS), and later the same year, the OAS started to impose sanctions against Cuba of similar nature to the crippling and wicked embargo imposed by the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962. In the last analysis, it ended very well for Cuba - it got a commitment from the US not to invade and to respect its territorial integrity. That is why the US has not attacked that country directly since the 1961 debacle. It also ended well for the Soviets who forced the US to dismantle its nuclear weapons in Turkey in exchange for removing the empty silos in Cuba - something for nothing. By 1963, Cuba was moving towards a full-fledged Communist system modelled on the USSR. The kid on the block was growing into the man on the march. This skeletal sketch of the history of a small but great nation is necessary in order to essay the events of the past week, which saw the mutually antagonistic and belligerent countries come to some common sense. When the news broke that President Barak Obama had, through executive order, enacted a normalisation of diplomatic relations with the Caribbean nation of Cuba, a commentator retorted:

Broadside EMMANUEL ONWE agubata@aol.com

Castro

Obama

“Common sense from the USA.... I am speechless”! Indeed. The foreign policy of the United State of America is not distinguished by common sense, standard sense or high sense. At the heart of US foreign policy often lie hypocrisy, double standards and abracadabra. From South America to the Middle East; from Africa to South East Asia; the world watches America as it ties itself in knots, twists and turns and wriggles. But very much like the children in the playground, brave is the child that laughs at the bumbling ways of the playground bully. These are unhappy times in the world. But President Obama, the Nobel Peace Laureate who ignored Africa in its desperate search for peace, has once again demonstrated a little bit of the trait that had the world swooning when he was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. The broken promise gains occasional amendment in gestures such as this one.

fine and is one of the basics of the concept of Global Village. Seeking to impose one's political or even economic concepts or practices often work against developing cohesion of the Global Village. Australia and Pakistan are two very recent examples. Rauf Castro has rightly described this diplomatic detente as "the art of coexistence in a civilised manner with our differences". Very true. Those who strive to impose uniformity of actions and inclinations, seeking to construct a monochromic world where everything is seen through the grey prism of Americanism are totally deluded. The role of the Vatican and the Pope in bringing the American and Cuban leadership to the table of common sense is hugely commendable. This is one welcome instance of Church interfering with State and producing a common good. The “wisdom” of the US Congress will be put to test in the coming weeks. The restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba is one big step. But the lifting of the economic embargo which will practically improve the lives of ordinary Cubans is the real giant step that cannot wait for another moment to shift forward. The amount of damage that the senseless embargo has brought to Cuba and the suffering that its people, mostly young, have had to put up with is criminally inhumane. There surely cannot be any serious citizen of the world who seriously thinks any goals were achieved (other than furthering human misery on sev-

But Cuba deserves more. "The USA needs to deal with the world as it is, not as some wish it to be." True. I am delighted that this has been said and I suspect the US itself has been realising this for many years now, after being hit in retaliation many times, often very hard, occasioned by its ignorance of the signals of history, the realities of cultural and religious differences and the hubris engendered by economic and technological achievements. Seeking economic co-operation is

eral fronts) by this idiotic embargo. It should never have happened; good riddance to it. But the Republican Congress will have apoplectic fits followed by strokes. Not that I wish any of the reactionary, racist, extremist, bigoted, misogynistic Republican conservative dinosaurs anything of the sort. Whatever criticisms one might wish to level against Fidel Castro, one thing is clear: He is a towering figure in the huge expanse of 20th century history. He got rid of the corrupt CIA-supported Battista regime and constructed, against all the odds, a country with better healthcare system, lower infant mortality rate and higher literacy rate than its giant neighbour. It is conceivable that by engaging with Cuba in constructive dialogue, the US is more likely to shape the world, or at least Cuba, in a more constructive and progressive way. Fifty years of confrontation has achieved absolutely nothing. Cuba’s intentions and approach towards the rest of the world have been a lot more positive and altruistic than the exploitative, divisive, disrespectful and tone-deaf approach of the United States. No one can fail to praise Cuba’s engagement in and with Africa through its troubled history and turbulent present. Cuba’s efforts at combating the scourge of Ebola in Africa have put the rest of the world, including, particularly, the United States, to shame. The United States’ petulant embargo and snub had been going on for a ridiculous amount of time and it was deliberately designed to bring starvation, suffering, disease and paralysis to the noble Cuban nation. But the Cuban’s nobility, dignity and ingenuity have triumphed. I do hope, however, that the country doesn't return to the pre revolution days of it being a corrupt mafia nation run by US big business, epitomised by McDonalds, US pimps and US drug peddlers. I do hope that the Cubans will keep their proud independence and their many great achievements. Their emphasis on quality healthcare, education, housing and food for all must not be tinkered with until they become the first Nordic country in the Caribbean and indeed the Americas. It was precisely those priorities that made Cuba dangerous for the US. Think what would happen if those ideals were priorities in the rich USA? The US has always cooperated with nasty dictators all over the world, if those brutal dictatorships prioritized US corporate profits. Cuba is not a democracy but it is far better than most of the countries the US has declared "free world countries" or "allies in the war against terror". In the good old days, pre-revolution era, Cuba reached its corrupt zenith under the sleazy Batista - it was nothing more than a mafia brothel with casinos, vast wealth inequality, illiteracy, poor public health and a reputation for fat cigars moulded on the bare thighs of African women. But a new vista has opened, with blazing beacons of opportunity, progress and humanity.

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