25th dec 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Thursday, December 25, 2014

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Vol. 1 No. 310

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N150

Budget 2015: FG to borrow $6bn

lPension contribution hits N2.5trn Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

he Federal Government plans to borrow a whopping $6,084.78 million from external sources based on

the rolling pipeline projects of 2014. It will also borrow another N570 billion from domestic sources. According to its borrowing programme for the 2015 fiscal year, the exter-

nal funds would be based on the expected drawdown on existing loans and new borrowings. In one of the documents accompanying the 2015 budget proposal obtained by New Telegraph,

the drawdown on existing loans which will amount to $6,084.78 million will be sourced from different financial institutions including the Eximbank of China, Eximbank of India, African DevelopCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Teenage suicide bomber opens up lMy father handed mummy and I to Boko Haram }5 Quick Read

Editorial

The meaning of Christmas

}19

No Christmas carols for these players! }51 Christmas Break

Your darling newspaper, New Telegraph, will be off the newsstand tomorrow in commemoration of the season. We shall resume publication from Saturday. –Editor

A woman buying chicken at Kubwa Market in Abuja…yesterday.

Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, }7 Buhari, preach peace at Xmas

Travel Advisory Your guide to local and international flights 4

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Travel Advisory

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 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 104 W3 103 W3 101 W3 102

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 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Teenage suicide bomber opens up Muhammad Kabir KANO

captured female suicide bomber yesterday gave an insight into how Boko Haram prepared young girls for ter-

ror attacks. The 13-year-old girl (name withheld) who was among two others who attacked Kwari Textile Market, Kano, told reporters when she was paraded by the police in Kano that her relationship with Boko Haram began when her

father took her along with her mother to the bush and handed them over to the insurgents. The teenager was one of the three girls who struck at the Kano market on December 10, killing seven people. However, while she

was hesitant to detonate the explosive concealed in her body, her comrades did and she was injured. She was later arrested at a hospital where she was receiving treatment. Boko Haram has, in recent time, resorted to the use of female suicide

bombers to attack targets in Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi and Borno states because they are likely to draw the attention of security agents. The suspect said during a joint press conference by the Department of State Service (DSS) and the po-

L-R: Head, Client Service, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, Mrs. Amara Amakor; Chief Executive Officer, Olumide Oyetan; Head, Lagos Office, Thoughtful House Foundation, Ms. Omo Ogun and Executive Director, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, at the presentation of donation to the foundation in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Fashola, APC govs claiming credit for FG projects, says Sambo Wale Elegbede

ice-President Namadi Sambo yesterday alleged that the Lagos State Government and some opposition governors have developed tricks of turning Federal Government projects in their states to theirs. Sambo added that the governors put their pictures on Federal Government projects in newspapers. Addressing members of the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at a reconciliation parley held at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, the vice president bemoaned the burden of excessive taxation on Lagos residents, adding that the huge resources accruing to the state are used to the detriment of the people of the state. He said: “I will like to mention part of the tricks of the opposition where some governors put their pictures on projects on newspapers. In one of them, I saw the Lekki Deep Sea, this is a PPP programme where the Federal Government has large share with the Nigeria Ports Author-

ity (NPA), the site of that Lekki Deep Sea port was the site where the Federal Government was to build a methanol plant. That methanol plant could not continue because we had spent over $200 million on which has been converted to our share. “Apart from that, the NPA is a 20 per cent shareholder and then the private sector has the largest share. Some states are claiming that it is their projects. Our own pictures are there and we are confident that anything that we print and show you, can be verified. I believe that the coming of our new governor, we will have realistic development in Lagos State,” he said. Berating the style and level of governance in the state by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he noted that, “Lagos has, for years, been yearning for change from the burden of excessive taxation and squander you all know about. The huge resources accruing to the state are used to the detriment of the good people of Lagos state.” On the reconciliation move among its governor-

ship aspirants, Sambo who was accompanied to the parley by the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi; Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Mrs Aduke Maina, among others, said the governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, will not disappoint Lagosians. Sambo said: “I am delighted to know that we are more than ever before united to form a common front in realising our objective of not only capturing Lagos, but winning all seats at all levels in the forthcoming 2015 elections. The Lagos State PDP and, indeed, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Engr. Deji Doherty, Ambassador Tokunbo Kamson and Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi who were our governorship aspirants have agreed to team up together and work to win Lagos this time around in 2015. “Mr. Jimi Agbaje, our governorship candidate has signified interest all along to work with our party members to deliver Lagos State. He is indeed humble to know the enormity of the task in delivering Lagos State and, therefore, appeals

for total support by putting all hands on deck to realise the challenge that lies ahead of us. I will continue to pray that our party succeeds in this endeavour. “The PDP is confident that it will win presidential, governorship and all other elections across the board in Lagos State. The party has ensured the strict observance of democratic principles as all our candidates have emerged through a fair and democratic process. On our part, we have maintained our neutrality by encouraging aspiring candidates to go and seek the mandate of their people.” On his part, Obanikoro noted that with the intervention of the presidency, the PDP is on the path to winning the governorship and presidential election in the state, adding that the passion to create a new Lagos is the driving force behind the various issues trailing the party. “Despite the inadequacies experienced in our governorship primary, a lot has been said, we have disagreed but we have agreed that Jimi Agbaje is our candidate. I want to express my appreciation to

my supporters that stood by us. There is time for everything and that is why I want to implore all of you that yesterday belongs to yesterday. My passion for Lagos State is known to all of you and that passion will trigger a level of sacrifice that will ensure victory. “When you do that talk, you must do the walk because success and failure have a very thin line. A lot of us must be prepared to sacrifice and we should also bear in mind that there is no winner and there is no loser in this endeavour we have just ended. We must be ready to dislodge the APC in Alausa. It is time to do that and when that is done, PDP will be the winner in Lagos State. It is time for the APC to go." In his response, Agbaje said that through the intervention of the presidency, PDP has become one big happy family, adding that, “All animosities are declared dead and that is why I sang the song, everything is turning around. By God's grace in 2015, PDP will record resounding victory in Lagos State,” he said.

lice that during her stay with Boko Haram in the bush, she was forced to listen to sermons, along with others, during which they were told that they would go to paradise if they die in the service of the sect. She added that after their preparations, she was sent to Kano alongside two others on "the Kwari Textile market suicide mission." According to her, she had earlier insisted that she would not undertake the suicide mission because she did not believe in the Boko Haram Islamic doctrine which is contrary to what her teacher taught her in the Quranic school. "But they threatened to bury me alive like they did to all those who refused their offer and with my father by my side, I simply accepted," she said. She said her family hailed from Damaturu, in Yobe State, and they were residing in Kano before she was handed to the insurgents who constantly preached to her on suicide activities. "I was in the bush when the people, some who look like Arabs and some huge black men, told me that did I know what suicide mission is; that is one killing himself ? I said no, I didn't know. They explained it to me and said that if I did it reciting a Quranic verse, Sura Albakara, I will go straight to paradise. "I declined and told them I will not do it. They now told me that they will dig a hole and bury me alive because that is what they do to all women who refuse to adhere to their demands and they said they meant what they said. I now complied," the suspect stated. According to her, after being prepared for the operation, they were sent to Kano from the bush, the location of which she cannot remember, and dropped at Kwari market by their guide who left them there. "When we entered the market, one among the three of us said ‘ok, let's detonate the bombs but we should separate ourselves.’ I refused to follow them but because I was close to them when they blew up themselves, I was injured and I quickly came to the road where I got a commercial motorcyclist to take me to my home at Dawanau." She added that she located her former house but their neighbours refused to accommodate her because their husbands were not home. "I was taken to the hospital by an old man and CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Oshiomhole blames FG for low performance of states Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

do State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has attributed the low performance of the states to the inability of Federal Government to share the excess crude account (ECA) among the various tiers of government in the past 18 months. He said this has caused major distortion in the development plans of the country’s 36 states. Oshiomhole, who spoke during a visit of the Association of Enigies from Edo South to his office in Benin, the state capital, alleged that the money accruing to the ECA is being stolen. He said: “Over the past 18 months, we have not shared the excess crude account and yet, the account is empty. Sometimes we are told they have taken money from it to fund subsidies including subsidy on kerosene, but your royal highnesses, there is nowhere in your various domains where kerosene is sold for N50. So, in the name of subsidy, large sums of money are being stolen.

“Things are tough now around the country because the Federal Government mismanaged our national resources and what is being stolen, nobody agrees it is being stolen. What is arguable is who is responsible for this stealing? “When the Federal Government and the president talk about oil theft, the amount that is allegedly stolen is huge such that whereas we have the capacity to produce about 2.4 million barrels a day, what

accrues into the Federal Government account is less than 1.8 million barrel a day. “Ideally, we ought to be saving $36 per barrel and 2.3 million barrel a day over the past three years. If you look at these numbers, you will find that we have in our excess crude oil account should be over $30billion but as we speak, we have barely $3 billon in our excess crude account.” Also, Governor Oshiomhole has urged Nigerians to reject the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) at all levels in the 2015 general election. He said for as long as the PDP remains in power, Nigerians would be in total darkness. Speaking when he received about 2,000 defectors from Oredo and Egor local government areas of the state, led by Mr. Festus Oviawe and Igbe Kingsley, Oshiomhole maintained that the choice before Nigerians is that between darkness and change. He stated that, “In 16

years, after spending over $25 billion, yet we have no light. Now they have shared the electricity company to their friends and associates. For as long as they remain in power, Nigerians will remain in darkness. Our companies will remain shut and the economy will be subjected to the vagaries instability of the international oil market.” While accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of abandoning Edo, the governor pointed that,

“he got 95 per cent votes from Edo. What has he done in Edo, what has he done in Benin City? The Queen Edo erosion was caused by the Federal Government and I have written several letters to them to come and fix their mess, yet they ignored us and gave money to Delta, Kogi. “See the newly refurbished airport in Benin, I was there and the roof was leaking during the rain. Is that the kind of government we still want in Nigeria? No way.”

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

34oC

24oC

Mostly Sunny

ABUJA

36oC

19oC

Sunny

PORT HARCOURT

28oC

18oC

Mostly Sunny

KANO

28oC

19oC

Sunny

ENUGU

34oC

20oC

Sunny

IBADAN

24oC

22oC

Partially Cloudy

CALABAR

33oC

23oC

Mostly Sunny

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

29oC 11oC Sunny

35oC

22oC

Mostly Sunny

L-R: Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Lagos State Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tunde Sheille; former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi; former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, at a meeting of Lagos gubernatorial aspirants in Lagos… yesterday.

Pension contribution hits N2.5trn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ment Bank, French Development Agency, Japanese Intenstional Cooperation Agency (JICA) as well as Diaspora Bond. On the other hand, the N570 billion domestic loan will be sourced through bonds and treasury bills. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had a week ago presented a N4.4 trillion budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year. Out of this sum, N411.8 billion is for statutory transfers, N943 billion is for debt service, N2.6 trillion is for recurrent expenditure while the balance of N387 billion is for contribution to the Development Fund for capital expenditure. The statutory transfers are as follows: National Judicial Council, N73 billion; Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), N50.96 billion; Universal Basic Education (UBEC), N72.1 billion; National Assembly, N150 billion; Public Complaints Commission, N2.5 billion; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),

N62billion and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has N1.2 billion. In the sectoral allocations, Education came tops with N399.8 billion; followed closely by Defence with an allocation of N323.5 billion, Police Formations and Commands got N312.7 billion while Health had an allocation of N237.5 billion. Ministry of Interior had the sum of N154.5 billion allocated to it. Others include Foreign Affairs, N44.5billion; Youth Development, N70.7billion; Agriculture and Rural Development N32.2 billion; Information has N23.1 billion; Communication Technology has N10.6 billion while Ministry of Justice has N19.5 billion allocated to it in the 2015 budget proposal. The 2015 Appropriation Bill also contains an addendum where the Federal Government has made a provision of N102.5 billion to be released from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation to the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) as

additional contribution to the Development Fund for capital expenditure next year. Also, over N360 million has been earmarked to be spent on utility bills, books, newspapers and magazines for the State House in the 2015 Appropriation Bill. A breakdown of the budget of the State House Headquarters which houses the Office of President Goodluck Jonathan showed that the sum of N185,963, 317 is to be spent on an item marked Utilities General; another sum of N73,417,948 will be spent on electricity charges; N30,317,389 on water rates while the sum of N44,604,291 is to be sent on telephone charges. Also, the sum of N6,239,029 has been set aside for the procurement of books, N16,625,534 has been earmarked for newspapers while another N3,088,391 will be spent on magazines and periodicals. Similarly, Vice-President Namadi Sambo will be spending the sum of N21,648,222 to fuel his

fleet of vehicles just as N12,734,932 has been earmarked as cost of fuelling the generator to provide alternative power supply. Meanwhile, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has put the pension contribution by both public and private sectors into Retirement Savings Account (RSA) at the end of second quarter of 2014 at N2.5 trillion. The PenCom Quarterly Report, as obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said there was an increase of N93.08 billion, representing 3.82 per cent over the total contributions remitted as at the end of first quarter of the year. According to the report, the contribution by the private sector during the quarter is N42.21billion while the public sector contributed N50.87 billion, bringing the total contribution to N93.08 billion. The cumulative contribution of the public sector is 45.87 per cent higher than that of the private sector during the period. “While the private sector contributions were

higher than that of the public sector during the quarter, the cumulative contribution of the public sector was, however, 45.87 per cent higher than that of the private sector,” it said. The report said the private sector contributions increased from N977.32 billion at the end of the first quarter to N1.02 trillion in the second quarter. It added that the average monthly contributions for the private and public sectors were N16.96 billion and N14.07 billion respectively during the quarter. According to the report, the ranking of Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs) by total contributions shows that the top three PFAs accounted for 47 per cent of total contributions. It added that top five PFAs accounted for 62.7 per cent of total contributions received over the same period. “While the bottom three PFAs accounted for 0.26 per cent, the bottom five PFAs accounted for 1.20 per cent of total contributions.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, Buhari, preach peace at Xmas Our correspondents

he need for peace, unity and a violence-free general election in 2015 yesterday hallmarked homilies from President Goodluck Jonathan and other political leaders in their Christmas goodwill messages to Nigeria. Jonathan, along with Senate President David Mark; his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; Governors Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos),

Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) and Gabriel Suswam (Benue), urged Nigerians to let the puritanical and selfless lifestyle of Jesus Christ, whose birth the occasion commemorates, to guide their relationship with their neighbours and the country. Also, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC seized the occasion to call for prayers for the nation for the successful conduct

of the 2015 general election. In his message, Jonathan urged Christians and Muslims alike to pray for a greater manifestation of divine peace in the country and the vanquishing of all demons of hatred, divisiveness and disunity. He also assured Nigerians that as the country celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and prepares for the 2015 general election, the Federal Government will support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver on credible, free and fair election next year.

According to him, during Christmas, it is important for citizens to remember that "peace and love for others, especially, were a constant refrain in the Messiah’s teachings and admonitions to mankind." He said there could be no doubt that the greater internalisation of the virtues of love for our fellowmen, tolerance, Godliness, honesty, fairness to others, selflessness, and peaceful co-existence with others will help the nation to overcome its challenges. "I urge all Nigerians to offer special prayers for a greater manifestation of

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III (left) with Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, in Sokoto…yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

NATCOM’ll revamp NITEL/Mtel –Ayeni Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he preferred bidder of NITEL/Mtel, NATCOM Consortium, has said that the firm has the wherewithal to revamp and turn the fortunes of the telecoms firm to become the biggest and leading telecommunications outfit in Nigeria. The new owner pledged to turn around the moribund telecoms conglomerate in the shortest possible time to bring it back to its lost glory. NATCOM chairman, Dr. Olatunde Ayeni, made the pledge in Abuja on Monday at the signing of the Assets Sale Agreement and Issuance of Offer Letter to the preferred bidder by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). The bureau in a statement issued yesterday by Head, Public Communications, Chigbo Anichebe, said quoted Ayeni to have stated that the organisation still has potential to

make it the national carrier. Ayeni said the Consortium had the wherewithal to revamp NITEL/Mtel to become the biggest and leading telecommunications outfit in Nigeria. He said with the signing of the transaction documents, the process of revamping the organisation had begun. He recalled the previous failed attempts to sell the enterprise and maintained that the current effort would not be in vain as the Consortium was determined to break the jinx. “We pledge to make NITEL/Mtel to come alive again to the delight of the BPE that had unsuccessfully in the past tried to sell the enterprise and to the good of Nigerians who will be employed and afforded another service provider in the telecoms market,” he added. Ayeni commended the BPE for the professional manner it handled the entire transaction culminat-

ing into the emergence of the preferred bidder. “BPE is, indeed, one of the few government agencies in Nigeria that is transparent, meticulous and executes its assignments diligently,” he noted. Earlier, the Director General of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said that given the zeal and calibre of persons on the Consortium that won the bid, he was confident that the firm would pay the bid price and make NITEL/Mtel work again. “I believe we have the right group to turn around NITEL/Mtel and we believe without any doubt in their ability to turn around the fortunes of NITEL,” Dikki said. Dikki said the transaction had undergone a full circle with the ratification and approval by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP). He, however, warned the preferred bidder that signing of the Assets Sale Agreement did not in any

way confer ownership on the consortium, adding that only the full payment of the bid consideration would grant them access to the assets Also speaking, the Liquidator for NITEL/Mtel, Otunba Olutola Senbore, noted that though the task was daunting, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, the transaction was successful. It would be recalled that following the disqualification of NETTAG Consortium as a result of its failure to provide a bid bond, only the financial bid of NATCOM Consortium qualified for opening on December 3, 2014, having scored an average of 92 per cent in its technical proposal which was above the minimum pass mark of 75 per cent. Accordingly, the financial proposal of NATCOM Consortium was publicly opened on Wednesday, December 3, which it won a bid price of $252.25 million.

divine peace in our country and the vanquishing of all demons of hatred, divisiveness and disunity in our midst." Speaking further on the forthcoming elections, Jonathan said security agencies would be supported to enhance their ability to ensure that the elections are peaceful and violence free. He urged the political class to be law-abiding and place the national interest above personal or sectional ones in the countdown to the elections. The president also called on politicians seeking elective offices to conduct issue-based campaigns and eschew the promotion of falsehood, division and hatred. Mark and Ekweremadu, in their separate Christmas messages, also stressed the need for peace and tolerance among Nigerians irrespective of their faith and ethnic background. Mark said only peace, respect for one another and harmonious coexistence would guarantee development in the country. He bemoaned the unabated insecurity; terrorism and insurgency ravaging Nigeria and pleaded with religious leaders and traditional rulers to collaborate with government at all levels in order to end the menace. Ekweremadu also called for peace, love and

an immediate end to insurgency and bloodshed in the country. According to him, "since Christ came so that humanity might have life in abundance, the season of Christmas presents Nigerians with yet another golden opportunity to make peace, show love and work together as one people to overcome the challenges of insurgency, terrorism, and violent crimes in the country. “The characters behind the heinous onslaughts against our nation neither spare churches nor mosques, Christians nor Muslims. We must therefore all stand together in defence of our collective innocence as well as our cultural and religious values that treasure human life and dignity." In his message, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for the successful conduct of the 2015 general election. The speaker, in the message released by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, also urged Nigerians to seek God's intervention for the end to the current security challenges confronting the nation. He said despite the current difficulties confronting the nation, a new dawn for Nigeria was in the offing. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Xmas: IGP embarks on aerial surveillance lAssures of hitch-free celebration Emmanuel Onani Abuja

s part of measures to ensure a hitchfree Christmas celebration, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Suleiman Abba, yesterday, carried out an aerial surveillance of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi, Kaduna and Niger states. Addressing journalists at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abba noted that the aerial surveillance was carried out to enable him assess the combat readiness of the police for a violence-free Yuletide. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that police patrols and men were seen at a space of 10 kilometres, throughout the two-hour surveillance. The IG assured that strategic deployments have since been made, in line with his earlier directive to Zonal Assistant In-

spectors General of Police (AIGs) and Command Police Commissioners. This was as the police boss charged the public on the need to report suspicious movements around their environments as well as strange objects, to the police and other law enforcement agencies. According to Abba, "We decided to come out and ensure that our officers are leaving up to their responsibility of crime prevention and maintenance of law and order." A few days ago, the IG had announced through the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, that; "The various striking units of the Force viz; Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, Counter Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordinance Department, Dog Section, and Mounted Troop have also been deployed as part of the water-tight security measures."

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sultan, Fashola, Amaechi, Suswam, others preach peace at Xmas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

"The coming elections provide an opportunity for our country to start afresh. I am confident we will get it right," the speaker added. Like Tambuwal, the need for the 2015 elections to be free, fair and peace dominated the Christmas message from Buhari who said Nigerians would have better reasons to celebrate the festival, if he is elected in 2015. Buhari, in the message by the Director of Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr. Dele Alake, expressed displeasure over security challenges in the country and the poor state of Nigerian roads. According to him, while many Nigerians travelling towards the eastern part will encounter the failed promises of the Second Niger Bridge, those travelling through the SouthWest would have to bear the gridlock on the LagosIbadan Expressway. Buhari, who also condemned rising poverty in the country, said: “In a nation where a few individuals could raise N21 billion because they want to make their friend president, millions of citizens, who truly own the resources being accumulated by a few, are left to suffer in sorrow, tears and blood. “We promise that, by Christmas 2015, our administration would have brought out efficiency in management and allocation of public resources to make the inter-state roads smoother and easier to ride. “This year’s celebration of the birth of Jesus

Father handed mummy and I to Boko Haram, says suspect CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

the motorcyclist. While the doctors were treating me, the motorcyclist came in and asked me who owned the bomb in his motorcycle. I said I owned it and that was how security agents were invited and I was whisked away," she said. Earlier, Kano State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Adenrele Shinaba and the state Director of DSS, Mr. Bassey Itang, described the arrest of the female suicide bomber and her guide as a great breakthrough that has helped them in gathering more information to prevent terror attacks. Adenrele explained that the suspect and her guide would soon be charged to court.

Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, presenting the 2015 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly, in Minna…yesterday

Christ symbolises peace, love and togetherness to mankind. It reminds us, once again, of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ and the ordinary yet spectacular circumstances of his birth. His life enjoins all of us to follow his path by offering to sacrifice our selfish desires for the good of our country and mankind in general. This event, however, is taking place at a period of serious security challenges across the length and breadth of our dear country. “The right to life, guaranteed by our constitution, is under savage assault. The stories of murder in the print and electronic media make you shiver to the bones. The daredevilry of the Godless Boko Haram, which penetrated battle lines in the NorthEast to commit suicidal blasts in the North Central capital cities of Bauchi and Gombe, demonstrates the crucial need to review the military strategy of our defence forces.” Buhari also promised to initiate consultations with military chiefs across the world to devise “an alternative and effective strategy to crush this insurgency within the shortest possible time, if elected president on February 14, 2015.” While also calling on Christians to imbibe the spirit of oneness and political tolerance as they celebrate Christmas, Amaechi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, called for prayers for Nigeria to achieve the desired change the country yearns for in 2015. He urged Christians to emulate the virtues of Christ, noting that in peace, strength and unity Nigeria would be the envy of other African nations.

Amaechi's counterpart in Lagos while reiterating the determination of his administration to keep the wheel of progress turning with people-focused policies and far-reaching infrastructural development projects, urged residents to live together in peace and harmony. Fashola said Nigerians should accept and not pretend about the current status of the country, saying they must resolve now and believe that Nigeria will survive all its challenges. Also, Amosun called for prayers to ensure peaceful 2015 general election. In his Christmas message signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, the governor said with prayers, the nation could overcome the insurgency and bloodletting being witnessed in some parts of the country. Amosun also urged parents to be vigilant and ensure that their children are not used as tools for violence during campaigns and the forthcoming elections. Also speaking in the same vein, Ajimobi urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of togetherness, peaceful co-existence and love towards one another which the birth of Jesus Christ represents. The governor, in his goodwill message, said Nigerians could only thrive and achieve the desired greatness in an atmosphere of peace and love. Ajimobi, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, also called on politicians to exhibit high sense of political maturity and nationalism in their campaign for forthcoming general election. Suswam also called for

continued prayers for the country in the face of the monumental security challenges confronting it. The governor said the precarious security situation could only be overcome through the unity and commitment of Nigerians to fight terrorism. The governor, in a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Mr. James Uloko, commended Jonathan for the progress the nation has made in the fight against insurgency. For the PDP, Nigerians should use the season to remember victims of insurgency, share in their grief as well as bring succour to the survivors and families of the deceased. The party, in a message by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, also implored the people to extend the same gesture to the families of dead as well as wounded officers and men of the Nigerian security forces. “As we celebrate Christmas, we deem it very necessary that Nigerians share their happiness with compatriots who have lost their breadwinners, sons, daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives to insurgency. It deserves every thought that those who paid the price and those in the battlefield to keep us safe be remembered," it said. The party called on Nigerians to rally behind the president to deliver free and fair elections next year. Like its presidential candidate, the APC promised better celebrations ahead for Nigerians, if voted to power. According to the party, Nigerians now have the opportunity to change their fortune in 2015 by voting

for APC. APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, promised to create 12 million jobs within its first tenure, if elected. “While there is no magic wand to solve the myriad of problems facing our country in one fell swoop, an APC government will begin to positively impact on the citizenry within its first few months at the helm, to such an extent that Nigerians will have a better Christmas celebration in 2015. ''We have, through our manifesto, entered into an honest social contract with Nigerians. But we are aware that we cannot do it alone; hence we need the consent and participation of the people. Our eight pledges for a better Nigeria, which are highlights of our manifesto, form the core of our social contract with Nigeria," it said. The party also saluted military personnel battling the insurgency, saying their sacrifices will not go unrewarded. Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, called on Christians to pray for the restoration of peace in the country as they celebrate the Christmas. The Sultan, who is the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), made the call in a statement issued in Ibadan by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Secretary-General of the group. Abubakar said Muslim in the country would join Christians in prayers for the restoration of peace . “As Christians celebrate this important religious milestone; the Muslim community wishes them God’s guidance and abun-

dant blessings embedded in the festive season. “We join you in prayers as we beseech the Almighty God to extricate Nigeria from the shackles of the current challenges. “We pray that the occasion signals the beginning of more peace, more understanding, more security and more faithfulness to the true teachings of God as preached and lived by Jesus.” Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Adamawa State ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations. As part of the security measures, Governor Bala James Ngilari has banned the use of tricycles for three days. He said the ban was after due consultation with the state police command. The governor also urged operators of leisure points to be vigilant and ensure they properly screen all visitors and users of their facilities during the yuletide. The security measures are to forestall terror attack by Boko Haram, which is still in control of some areas in Adamawa, including Michika and Madagali Local Government Areas. Security checkpoints have also been mounted at strategic entrances to Yola. It was also learnt that churches across the state have also made alternative security arrangements to ensure violence-free Christmas. Police spokesman, Mr. Othman Abubakar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed that security vehicles and armoured personnel carriers will be deployed in hospitals, churches, army and police barracks to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

News

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Kuka wants Nigerians to remain faithful to the Holy Scripture Umar Danladi Ado SOKOTO

he Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, has advised Christians and Muslims to be faithful to the messages of their Holy Scriptures. The clergy said doing so remained the only plausible way out of the current quagmire in the country. Kuka stated this in Sokoto when he hosted members of the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) to the annual Christmas dinner on Tuesday night.

He maintained that Nigeria is a great and challenging project and “all of us must collectively work to ensure that it succeeds.” His words: ''People have died for it and we should not allow it to slip away from our hands. As such, we must bequeath a better, united and pros-

perous Nigeria to the next generation, and beyond,'' he said. He also averred that the possible disintegration of the nation after the 2015 general elections would not be possible. He noted that such negative and obnoxious postulations were unfounded, as they were

not based on any sound empirical evidences. Kukah further called on Christians to remain steadfast and firm, saying, “Jesus Christ preached the gospel of faith.” He advised journalists to always give priority to the issues that will cement the unity and

peace of Nigeria, and not disunity. Responding, the Chairman of the state Council of the NUJ, Labaran Dundaye, promised that the members of the union would continue to adhere to the ethics of the profession to ensure peace, unity and progress of the nation.

Makinde harps on spirituality Sola Adeyemo IBADAN

s Christians in Nigeria join their counterparts worldwide in the celebration of this year's Christmas, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has enjoined them to dwell more on the spiritual significance of the moment, rather than the festivities that had, over the years, become associated with it. He made the call in a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists in Ibadan yesterday. The Oyo State governorship hopeful remarked that the reason for the season which was the uncommon love of God for mankind which culminated in sending to the world His only begotten son and how to reciprocate this among the fellow beings should be the focus of today's Christians. According to him: "As we dwell on the agape love of God for us through the birth of Jesus Christ, which we are celebrating, we should reflect also on the humble circumstances of that birth (of Christ) and pattern our lives in a way that we shall be worthy of our call as Christians." "For Jesus Christ, whose name has become everlasting and household, even after over 2,000 years when He was born to have been born in the manger should be instructive on how we carry ourselves.

MURIC preaches love, tolerance, forgiveness Mojeed Alabi

s Christians today gather across the globe to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a Muslim group- The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called on Nigerians to close ranks irrespective of religious and ethnic differences, saying love, tolerance and forgiveness are the key ingredients to build a peaceful and progressive nation. In a message issued yesterday in Lagos and signed by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, MURIC prayed for the safety and well-being of all adherents of the Christian faith before, during and after Christmas. The group stated; “As usual, we reaffirm our goodwill for our Christian neighbours and assure all foreigners in the country of our commitment to their safety and welfare. Essentially, we reject the perverse ideology of those who ask Muslims to kill Westerners. Islam is not a racist religion.

CHANGE OF NAMES

MOSES

Women at the seller of fried rice ingredients market in the spirit of Christmas celebration in Lagos… yesterday.

Wike calls for bridges of unity G

overnorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has called on indigenes of the state and all Nigerians to promote unity, friendship, love and peaceful coexistence for the nation to attain development. In a Christmas message, Wike urged all Nigerians to share love and friendship during the Christmas season. The statement was signed by Simeon

Nwakaudu, his Special Assistant on Media. He noted that building of friendship across all divides will place the country on the right pedestal for the much needed development. "The birth of Christ signifies the beginning of new things in every community. It signifies love, friendship, peace and development. "I urge the people of Rivers State in particular and the rest of Nigeria to celebrate Christmas,

bearing in mind that they have to extend love, peace and friendship to their neighbours". He added: "In Rivers State, this Christmas season is a prelude to the enthronement of New Rivers Vision 2015 in the state for the purpose of galvanizing development all over the state. "The New Rivers Vision will usher in bridges of friendship, peace, love and development all over Rivers State to the joy of the people".

FCT Minister asks residents to preach peace Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

inister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, has urged residents of the nation's capital to spread the gospel of love, tolerance and peaceful co-existence as the nation joins the rest of the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas). The Minister gave this charge yesterday in his message to the residents of Abuja to this year's

Christmas celebration. Mohammed congratulated the residents, particularly the Christians, on this spiritual occasion and remarked that the celebration calls for sober reflection, as well as emulating the exemplary life of Jesus Christ. He charged residents of the FCT to re-dedicate themselves to the service of God and humanity to make the World a better place. The Minister, while expressing gratitude to God for the privilege and

mercy He has granted Nigerians to join Christians in other parts of the world to commemorate this auspicious day in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity, also urged Christians to imbibe the virtues which Christ lived for. He appealed to all residents of the FCT to continue to be good neighbours to their fellow residents, irrespective of religious beliefs; saying that the “best in the sight of Almighty God is the most pious”.

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Former Miss Adeosun Toyosi Temitope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Moses Toyosi Temitope. All former documents remain valid. General Public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE PEACE BROTHERS ASSOCIATION EBONYI STATE

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under part "C" of the companies and allied matter act no.1 of 1990. The Trustees are: 1. Agwu Ikechukwu Okorie - Chairman 2. Eze John 3. James Okafor 4. Friday Eze 5. Okorie Chibuike Victor 6. Emenike Okafor 7. Nwugo Ebenezer John 8. Paul Chinedu 9. Paul Amauche 10. Thomas Obinnaya AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. Promoting peace and brotherhood among the citizens. 2. To provide correct mentoring for men and groom them to fulfill their Gods given destinies. 3. To organize seminars and conference on community peaceful coexistence 4. To co-operate and associate with other organizations having similar objectives. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: TRUSTEES

PUBLIC NOTICE AWESOME CHRISTIAN BIBLE FOR ALL NATIONS GLORIOUS ASSEMBLY

The Trustees are: 1. Pastor Adegboye Joseph Alagbe 2. Mrs. Esther Ayansike Joseph 3. Deacon Adepoju Isaac Adegbola 4. Elder Zacheaus Olawumi Ojo 5. Mrs Esther Oyejope Ademola AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To preach the gospel of our Jesus Christ 2. To set the captives free 3. To plant churches worldwide 4. To organize crusade and evangelism outreach 5. To preach the word of God for healing, deliverance and salvation 6. To worship and praise God in spirit and in truth. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: TRUSTEES

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro Sabiu Mustapha JALINGO

t least 13 people were feared killed while more than 30 others were wounded as gunmen invaded a village in Taraba State and opened fire on people at a wedding reception. The incident occurred on Monday night at Nafirde village in Gassol Local Government Area. Similarly, on Tuesday, another set of gunmen, at Bantaje village near Gassol, stopped a mass transit bus and opened fear on people on board. The gunmen killed at least two persons, one of them a woman. Confirming the two incidents, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Joseph Kwaji, said that only 11 people

Gunmen kill 13, injure 30 at wedding reception were killed in the Nafirde attack. He, however, said that the Bantaje incident was an armed robbery attack. In recent years, Taraba State has plunged into an ethnic-religious crisis, particularly in the southern part. This year alone, the region has recorded more than 10 clashes which claimed the lives hundreds of people and rendered homeless, thousands of others in various communities in Wukari, Ibi, Gassol and Bali local governments.

File picture of attack at a Wukari community

‘We drugged drivers before snatching their vehicles’ Shola Adefuwa

former convict, now in police net, has revealed how his gang used to drug drivers and snatch their vehicles. The suspect, Temidire Oriowo, had only just been released from prison for manslaughter before he joined the car-snatching gang. Oriowo said his gang used to drug sausage and drinks of drivers, to put them to sleep, before stealing their vehicles. He said: “What we do is to put the drug into a ‘gala’ or any bottled drink while in the car of the driver. Part of the operation is that we would dress well as if we are going to board a private vehicle or hurrying to a board meeting. “During the course of the journey, I would ask the driver to help me buy two sausage rolls from vendors who sell in the traffic. Immediately the driver gives me the sausage rolls, I would subtly exchange one of them with the drugged one. I would give him the drugged sausage in appreciation for as-

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Again, thugs unleash terror on Ibadan

Oriowo

sisting me to buy them. “The unsuspecting driver would accept and starts eating it. A few minutes later, he would start to doze. Once he falls asleep, I would push him out of the car and drive off. The first time I did it, I succeeded in snatching a Toyota Camry at Okene which I handed over to Kazeem. He sold it and gave me N70,000. He promised to pay me additional N170,000.” Oriowo, a welder and father of two, said he was in prison for four years before his release a few weeks ago. According to him, it was in prison he met one Akeem Kazeem, who later convinced him to become part of the car-snatching gang. He said that he was still in prison when Kazeem was released. However, after his own release, Oriowo said he went in search of Kazeem. He said: “Immediately I was released, I went to Ogun State to meet Kazeem. Fortunately for me, Kazeem just sold a stolen Golf 3 car to a client for

N200,000. He gave me N20,000. He also gave me some sleeping pills which he instructed me to be using to drug private car owners before snatching their vehicles.” Explaining how he was arrested, Oriowo said that Kazeem gave him a Toyota Camry car to sell after he approached him for assistance. “That was the first time Kazeem gave me a vehicle to sell. I had to travel to Ile-Ife to transport the vehicle to Lagos. “Since I didn’t have any contact or buyer, I called a contact in the prison, who gave me another contact’s details. I, however, did not know that the contact he gave me was an undercover policeman,” he said. A police source said Oriowo was arrested based on a tip-off that a member of an armed robbery gang wanted to sell one of their stolen vehicles. The arrest was further facilitated by the undercover police who alerted his colleagues that Oriowo was about to sell the car to him, thinking he was a genuine buyer.

The scene of a recent attack in Ibadan

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

any people were injured while several vehicles have been damaged yesterday when suspected hoodlums attacked Bode and Popoyemoja areas of Ibadan, Oyo State. The attack was the third outbreak of violence in Ibadan in the last two months. A witness, who did not give his name, said that the fresh attack began as a minor argument on Sunday between two rival groups at a birthday party before it snowballed into a major confrontation yesterday. He said: “A young man nicknamed Elewedu at Bode area started this fresh trouble. He led other boys to attack us with deadly weapons while I was trying to persuade them not to get involved in any fight.

“On Sunday evening, those boys came to attack us at Shoboye Street, Bode. We called the police and they responded immediately but the boys ran away. They returned on Tuesday determined to wreak havoc. “They came this time with guns and started shooting into the air sporadically. But for the reaction of the police, it would have been deadlier.” When our correspondent visited the area yesterday, there was a heavy presence of policemen. The policemen also mounted a checkpoint in the area. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the incident, saying that an arrest had been made. He said: “We have made an arrest but the incident is being investigated. The communities affected are calm now.”

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Christmas: Porter steals American returnee’s passport, N1.4m

Ogbomoso Recreation Club marks 25th anniversary

Taiwo Jimoh

woman, who just returned to Nigeria from the United States to celebrate the Christmas, wept uncontrollably at Maza-Maza area of Lagos State, yesterday. The woman, identified simply as Nkechinyere, had lost her luggage containing various items and N8000 dollars (about N1.4 million) to an ‘alabaru’ (a porter). Witnesses said that Nkechinyere gave the luggage to a porter to take to one of the inter-state buses at Maza-Maza motor park. “The woman had only looked away briefly and before she knew it, the porter had disappeared with her luggage containing $8,000, passport and other important documents,” one of the witnesses said. Another witness said that the woman boarded a cab from FESTAC Town to Maza-Maza, where she wanted to board an interstate bus to Anambra State. He said all efforts to trace the porter were abortive. The woman was also said to have arrived Maza-Maza around 6am on Tuesday from Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA, to board a bus going to the East before the unfortunate incident. She, however, refused to leave the park till yes-

Travellers at Mile 2 motor park, Lagos

Photo: Tony Eguaye

terday when our correspondent stumbled on her. “As soon as the load carriers (porters) sighted the woman, about five of them ran to her. Everyone expected them to put the luggage in the bus going to Anambra State. One of them walked away with the woman’s bag,” another witness said. Nkechinyere was said to have broken down and wept after she realised she might never see her

luggage, money and international passport. Nkechinyere screamed and asked no one in particular: “This man has killed me. All my travelling documents and $8,000 were in that bag. Where do I start now? Who will assist me? The other load carriers said they have never seen the man before. How do I go back to Los Angeles? I never knew Nigeria is still as bad as this.”

The chairman of the park, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “This is a festive season. We have warned all our passengers to be wary of the ‘load carriers’. “Before Christmas, we tried to identify ‘load carriers’ in every motor park at Maza-Maza to avoid what we are witnessing today. Our concern is how the woman will go back to her base in the US.”

19 suspected criminals nabbed in Nasarawa locally made pistols, one set of camouflage uniforms, one set of DVD home theatre, one unregistered red motorcycle, one amplifier, one cutlass and two knives were recovered from them. The PPRO added that the police arrested one Elizabeh Aboh of Sharp Corner, Mararaba and one Kate Ugigwe of Angwan Useini for criminal conspiracy and abduction of two children. He said that the police arrested one Eshemutu Okar on

December 13 at Nasarawa Toto while on patrol of the area. According to Theodore, one locally-made revolver pistol and two AK47 live ammunition were recovered from him. The PPRO urged members of the public to volunteer useful information to the police to assist them in fighting crime. He assured the people that the police were on alert to protect lives and property during and after Christmas.

Muhammad Bashir LAFIA

olice in Nasarawa State yesterday paraded 19 suspected criminals arrested for various offences ranging from armed robbery, Ilegal possession of firearms, criminal conspiracy and child theft in November and December. The suspects were arrested in different parts of the state such as Karu, Mararaba, Keffi following a tipoff and complaints made by some members of the public. Items recovered from the suspects included a white Toyota Hilux vehicle with registration number BWR 659 AE, one 406

Ajuwa old students meet tomorrow

he re-union and Annual General Meeting of Ajuwa Old Students’ Association (AOSA) of Ajuwa Grammar School, OkeagbeAkoko, Ondo State will hold on December 26 at the school’s library. The Secretary, Mr Olutayo Aliu, said in a statement that various issues germane to the development of the school, in terms of its developmental needs, would be discussed. Aliu, who called for nominations into national offices of the association, said the main activity of the re-union was the election of new officers that would steer the ship of the association for the next one year.

Four robbers, two policemen die during bank raid

File picture of suspected criminals

Cheke Emmanuel

gbomoso Recreation Club (ORC) will on December 27 and 28 mark its 25th anniversary at its Club house on Ogbomoso-Ilorin Road. Activities lined up for the anniversary include lectures, members’ night and a book launch. The book launch which is the climax of the anniversary activities documented the history of the club. The book entitled: “Ogbomoso Recreation Club at 25,” is written by Olayinka Oyegbile, a journalist and deputy editor of The Nation on Sunday. The Anniversary Committee is chaired by Mr A. K. Amadu (an engineer) while the President of the Club is former governor of Oyo State, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.

Peugeot car with registration number AE 331 NGU and one live cartridge of 68 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition and one round of .9mm live ammunition. Parading the suspects at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Lafia, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ogochukwu Theodore, said that Umar Ndabawa, 25, Datty Babangida (20), Emmanuel Stephen (24), Ibrahim Mohammed (21), Sunday David (29) and Onyekachi Ukelere (26) who had been robbing, raping and terrorising innocent citizens at Karu, Mararaba and Masaka, were arrested by detectives from Mararaba Division. Theodore disclosed that two-

Lokoja

uspected robbers have shot dead four policemen during an attack on a bank in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. But in the shootout, the police also killed two of the suspected armed robbers. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Elvis Aguebor, said in statement that armed robbers numbering over 20 raided a new generation bank in Okene town on Tuesday night and killed four mobile policemen on the spot. He said: “The gunmen had, on emerging from four vehicles, fired sporadically

IG, Suleiman Abba

on the bank premises, killing our men on duty. “Their aim was to cart away money from the bank but the remaining policemen around the bank, assisted by others deployed in the two adjoining banks, gunned down two of the robbers in an exchange of fire.” Aguebor added that the

superior fire power of the policemen prompted the remaining robbers to abandon the operation. According to him, the robbers fled with various degrees of bullet wounds. The PPRO appealed to members of the public to report anybody seen with bullet wounds to the nearest police station or other security agents in the state. He, however, reassured the people of the state that the police would not relent in their effort to make the Christmas and New Year celebrations hitch-free. About a week ago, three policemen were killed during a robbery operation at a bank in Egbe in Yagba East Local Government Area of the state.

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATIONAL

Obasanjo, an infantile career liar — Soyinka

obel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a career liar and an over grown child of circumstance. Soyinka in a statement, reacted to Obasanjo’s comments about him

in the book, My Watch, which the former president launched few weeks ago. According to online medium, Premium Times, Soyinka mockingly described the old general as “our Great Immortal, the Unparalleled Achiever, Divinely

The life expectancy of women in Anguilla at birth in 2000-2002. Source: Un.org

appointed Watchman”. Soyinka described Obasanjo as an overgrown child of circumstance, whom he characterised as an individual with “capacity for infantile mischief, and for needless, mindboggling provocations, such as his recent ‘liter-

N8.44m

The total capital importation value of the Consultancy sector in 2009. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

ary’ intrusion…” Defining. Obasanjo’s many public interventions as a “compulsive career of lying” and the former soldier as a “Master of Mendacity,”. Soyinka promised a “full, frontal dissection of Obasanjo’s My Watch for later, most especially since the work

36.4%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Turkey in 2009. Source: Itu.int

itself is currently under legal restraint and is not readily accessible to a general readership.” However, he described Mr. Obasanjo as “a seasoned predator on others’ achievements – he preys on their names, their characters, their motivations, their true

1,860

The total area (in sq. km) of Mauritius. Source: Worldfactsandfigures.com

lives, preys on gossip and preys on facts, preys on contributions to collective undertakings… even preys on their identities, substituting his own where possible. Well, hopefully he may actually believe in the inevitable End to all vanities?”

Presidency tackles Buhari on mutiny call Anule Emmanuel

L-R: Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu; Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba; Commandant, Customs Training School, Gwagwalada, Mr. Abba Aminu; Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mr Mohammed Jafaru and others, after Abba's aerial surveillance to some states in Abuja …yesterday

Justice Akanbi, Jega, Ezekwesili, others for Daily Trust Dialogue Mojeed Alabi

former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, retired Justice Mustapha Akanbi; the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and former Vice President for African Region, World Bank, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, among other dignitaries, have accepted to grace the 12th edition of Daily Trust Dialogue, an annual forum for discussion about topical issues. The event, which is

scheduled to hold on Thursday, January 22, in Abuja, will be chaired by Akanbi while Jega will be the special guest of honour. According to a statement issued by the media house, the dialogue, which has the theme, 2015 Elections: How to make Nigeria the Winner, will have other speakers in attendance including the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Abdulrahman B. Dambazau and the Anglican Bishop of the Kaduna Diocese, Bishop Josiah IdowuFearon.

Ebola: Adadevoh makes CNN’s Most Inspiring Women of 2014 list

he late Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, a Consultant Endocrinologist who was reputed to have contracted Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while treating the index case that brought the ailment to Nigeria, is among professionals the Cable News Network (CNN) honoured with CNN’s Most Inspiring Women of 2014. Adadevor, who died this year, after overseeing the treatment of the first case of Ebola in Nigeria, the late Patrick Sawyer, prevented the man from

spreading the disease further. According to the CNN, Leading Women connects you to extraordinary women of our time -- remarkable professionals who have made it to the top in all areas of business, the arts, sport, culture, science and more. According to the respected cable station and as testified to severally by Nigerians including Lagos State Government officials, Adadevoh’s efforts prevented the wider spread of Ebola in

Nigeria, the world’s most populous black nation on earth. The list, which features remarkable professionals, who have made it to the top in all areas, including business, the arts, sport, culture, science and more, was released as part of the year ending activities by the global news medium. Other celebrities who made the list include Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kerry Washington, and a host of others.

he Presidency has condemned a call from the Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organization, Rotimi Amaechi, asking some soldiers in the Nigerian military to mutiny against the military authority. The presidency described it as a treasonable pronouncement. Dr. Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the President, in a statement yesterday, said no responsible Nigerian or political organization for that matter should ever contemplate encouraging or supporting mutiny in the Nigerian Army under any circumstance whatsoever. "It is a pity that because of Amaechi's huge financial commitment to the General Buhari campaign, the presidential candidate of the APC has compromised his personal integrity and enviable military antecedents to endorse such reckless statement issued on his behalf. He said: "Rotimi Amaechi is no doubt, an unrepentant socio-path, whose main preoccupation is to desecrate constituted authority and create chaos and anarchy in the country. Okupe added: "Very recently, for an election that is yet to be conducted, he announced shamelessly that his party will form a parallel government if it loses in 2015. "Nigerians must clearly see the unsuitability of the major personalities that hold sway in the APC for leadership in the country."

Stranded passengers may sue Aero over cancellation Wole Shadare

ver 80 passengers were yesterday left stranded in Sokoto as Aero Contractors cancelled its flight to Lagos. They expressed disappointment over the manner the carrier treated them. One of the passengers,

who called New Telegraph from Sokoto Airport, Adole Ochonu, said the aircraft was estimated to arrive at the airport at noon, but the passengers were surprised when the airline announced three hours later that the flight had been cancelled. Over five other stranded passengers who spoke,

alleged that the carrier abandoned them, refused to put them in hotels as required by law. Some of them wept that they had been deprived of celebrating Christmas with their loved ones, just as the fate of the passengers is unknown as the airline has announced that it won’t operate ser-

vices until Friday. The airline’s spokesman could not be reached to ascertain the cause of the cancellation as the passengers vowed to petition the Minister over the maltreatment meted out to them. According to Adole: “This is the worst treatment that one can get

from an airline. Tomorrow (today) is Christmas. We are stranded here in far away Sokoto. We cannot celebrate Christmas; we cannot re-unite with our families. The airline is not operating tomorrow (today)”. “They told us that they would not operate because of bad weather, but Arik

landed and took off. They are not even communicating with us. Where do we go from here?” Just recently, Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka harped on the need for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) not to relent on the implementation of Passenger Bill of Right.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Defection

LP not dumping ground for rejected politicians – Ajulo

Oyo guber

Makinde: 2015 polls’ll shock political heavyweights

2015

Time to review General Buhari

Politics Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor was governor of Edo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from May 2007 to November 2008 until the Court of Appeal sacked him. In this interview with CAJETAN MMUTA, he speaks on the 2015 elections, constitutional amendments and his desire to contest the 2016 gubernatorial election, among other issues. Excerpts:

Why I want to return as Edo governor, by Osunbor

You left Edo State Government House for many years, how has life been with you? As you know, I am currently the chairman of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission. So, there has not been any dull moment. We are still very useful to the country, and the society. We thank God for the opportunity which he has given us to serve. There have been several efforts at amending the constitution. How long will it take to have a perfect constitution? Let me say that no constitution is perfect, that is why in every part of the world people continuously strive to improve on their constitution. You know that the constitution of the United States of America has

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Osunbor

been amended 27 times since about 1873 when it first came into force. The constitution of South Africa came into force in February 1994 I think; already it has been amended 16 or 17 times. So, in Nigeria we have had the 3rd amendment, the 4th amendment is hopefully going to come about soon. So, it should not worry us that we are amending the constitution in Nigeria. Constitutions are amended to reflect current realities. Society is dynamic, which is why the constitution itself in Section 9 recognises that it can be amended from time to time;

I think the time is now appropriate for me... that I should make myself available to serve the people of the state

it should be altered. It does not worry me and it should not worry anybody that the constitution is being amended. That is what it should be. And this is not going to be the last. In future, if Nigerians feel there is any need to revisit the provisions of the constitution for the purpose of amending or altering it, that will happen. As a professor of Law, how do you see conflict judgements in the system? In respect to judgements of the court, in a federation as Nigeria’s this is expected. You

may find that the conflicting judgements are by different state High Courts, or even the Federal High Courts in different parts of the country. Even the constitution itself has inbuilt mechanism for narrowing down these conflicts and for arriving at a common position as to what is the law. And that is through the purpose of appeal. So, if you have conflicting judgements from different state High Courts or different Federal High Courts, then you can appeal. Of course, the court of Appeal also has different divisions across the country. If there are conflicting judgments from different divisions of the Court of Appeal, then the Supreme Court is there to resolve the matter once and for all. The Supreme Court decides what represents the position of the law in Nigeria. So, it should not worry anybody that there are conflicting judgements or decisions of the court. What should worry people is the question of the integrity of the judges themselves. The issue of corruption, the issue of some judges not deciding in accordance with the law as they ought to, but deciding according to some other extraneous considerations, influence or factors. That is really what will threaten the independence and integrity of the judiciary and the view that I have always canvassed and expressed, it will threaten the very foundation of our democracy because the courts as they say represents the last hope of the common man. So, if the common man and the general public cannot trust the court to deliver justice in accordance with the law, the next thing you see is that people will take the laws into their hands. And I have always urged that those judges who are compromising may not be the ones to suffer it, it may be other generations of judges that will suffer it. So, it is the collective duty of all of us, to impress it on the judges that they must respect their oath of office. They must continue to sustain the CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics | Interview

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

How prepared is Labour Party (LP) for the 2015 general election? Our party is well prepared for 2015. Preparedness does not necessarily mean that a party must have candidates for all offices. But for us wherever we have candidates we will ensure that our performance will not disappoint Nigerians. Let me assure Nigerians that there will be surprises in the 2015 general election. It is going to be a season for the fall of the high and mighty. In 2007, we surprised the nation; we repeated the same feat in 2011 and 2012, now we are even more prepared. Do you think your party will make any impact in 2015 with the strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC)? The thing about the two big parties is a myth. The reality is that these are parties not founded on strong ideological positions and commitment to the masses, and Nigerians are getting wiser by the day. In 2015, provided the elections are free and fair, the truth about the influence of Labour Party amongst the ordinary masses will no doubt come to light. We are a force to reckon with and we will demonstrate that. Electoral strategies must go beyond petty intrigues and rigging. Strategically, we are going to up the ante and tactically we are going to hold the political field. In 2011, Labour Party worked with the PDP in the presidential election. Will LP adopt a political party for the February 14, 2015 presidential election or presents its own candidate? A party does not necessarily have to produce a presidential candidate or bound to support another party’s candidate. The situation in 2011 is not what obtains today. Today, the variables are multiple and demands even more principled approach. People who have penchant for carpet crossing have demonstrated their notoriety than before; unprincipled alliances are much more rife, and political prostitution the order of the day. So, any serious party must think twice before making any move. You will surely hear from us. But we will be well guided by our party principles, ideological commitment to the cause of the ordinary people and the unity and progress of the entire country. Don’t you think the contest is between President Goodluck Jonathan and former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)? From all indications, the 2015 presidential election is bound to be most interesting. On the one hand, we have a candidate who is a sitting president and who has been on the political field since the inception of our current democratic experiment. Then we have on the other hand another candidate with well-known military and dictatorial past, and recurrent failed attempt to be relevant in the democratic polity. President Jonathan rose through the ranks, learned the rope and is contesting on the platform of a ruling party. But this party,

on the basis of sentiments that cannot stand the test of time. That would be foolhardy and counterproductive.

Ajulo

Ajulo: LP not dumping ground for rejected politicians Kayode Ajulo, a lawyer, politician and civil rights activist is the National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP). In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, he speaks on the defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) after their primaries to LP. Excerpts: PDP, has not really impressed Nigerians who are now calling for a change. General Buhari is running on the platform of the APC, which is an amalgam of strange bedfellows who do not have any clear cut idea on how to advance the country except to latch on one vague clamour for change. Let Nigerians make their choice between the two. Why did Labour Party adopt former Oyo State governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala as the party’s gubernatorial candidate in next year election? First and foremost, we will like to make the point clearly for all those willing to lend us their ears that, Alao-Akala is not a stranger as far as Labour and the ordinary people are concerned. During his tenure as governor of Oyo State, he carried along the workers in the various unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). While other governors in states controlled by supposedly progressive and pro-people party placed embargo on employment and were not ready to implement

Ours is not a dumping ground. It is not a platform for rejects from other parties... Some are victims of inequality within their former parties and if they see succour in Labour Party, we shouldn’t reject them

minimum wage, Alao-Akala employed more workers and did not denigrate the position of the working class. He is more than qualified to vie for office on the platform of the Labour Party. Secondly, Alao-Akala did not just get the Labour ticket in Oyo State on a platter of gold. It was not also a matter of giving the ticket to the highest bidder. Alao-Akala worked his way rigorously and painstakingly up the ladder. He was endorsed by all those who matter in the party after a thorough check on his renewed commitment to the cause of the common man. Lastly, we also have in AlaoAkala a candidate who has been there before, he had won election before, and he was a governor and has the experience to steer the ship of a state. He has all the credentials. He has won before and he can still win, in fact he is even in a better position to garner more votes than he did in the past. It would have been wrong for our party to refuse to endorse such a committed and marketable candidate simply because of what our detractors would say or simply

With the fallout of the PDP and APC primaries in some states, is LP still available for disgruntled members to realise their aspirations? For the avoidance of doubt, ours is not a dumping ground. It is not a platform for rejects from other parties. More than that, ours is an ideological party. It is rather difficult to explain the reason why our party is so attractive to many people, but when we look at the issue more critically, the reasons cannot be far-fetched. As we have always explained, in Nigeria most politicians often look for parties that can be used as platforms to launch themselves. They look for winning parties, because there are so many primordial factors to be considered in our polity. Virtually no party is ideological. Many do not have sound principles. But in our own case, we are an ideological party, and a natural constituency of most ordinary Nigerians. So, it is natural that when they have their nose bloodied in the so-called large parties and the scales drop from their eyes, they begin to retrace their steps. They are not merely disgruntled, they are only learning their lessons the hard way, and I think this is even important for tempering their political spirit and recovering their souls. Some are victims of inequality within their former parties and if they see succour in Labour Party, we shouldn’t reject them. They are welcome. Do you think the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is really prepared for the 2015 elections? With what we experienced during the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) and the attempt to arbitrarily create polling booths, one would say INEC is not well prepared. But if all criticism made from various quarters are taken seriously and the corrections taken, I would say we should expect free and fair election come 2015. There is no way an electoral body can conduct election in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and highly populated country like Nigeria and there won’t be some hiccups. The important thing is to recognise and ameliorate the situations as they unfold. This is what all Nigerians must demand. Recently, you called on INEC to put in place appropriate structure for the participation of the Nigerians in Diaspora in the 2015 general election. Why the demand? The denial of right to vote for the Nigerians in Diaspora is anathema. It is preposterous and opprobrious. It is not only contrary to standard practice in exemplary democracies around the world, but equally falls flat in the face of the peculiar facts earlier highlighted. Indeed, it can be said that without the contribution of the Nigerian Diaspora, the democracy we have today would not have come to life when it did. Yet, today Nigerians in the Diaspora are all but disenfranchised.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

16 Politics

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Supreme Court has final say on defection’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

integrity of the judiciary. Some people say after all judges are Nigerians and if there are corrupt policemen, corrupt lecturers, and corrupt custom officers we should expect corrupt judges. But I don’t buy that argument at all. Judges are a special set of people. They have power over the life or death of people. Not even the president of Nigeria can condemn somebody to death. Not even the Chief of Army Staff or the Inspector General of Police can say that this man has to die. Only a High Court judge or judges of superior courts can pronounce a death sentence on a human being and his life can be taken. So, do you equate that kind of person with a corrupt custom officer or a corrupt lecturer or police officer? No. They are a different kind of people and they must uphold that integrity. Even the Holy Bible expects certain standards from judges and pronounces a curse on judges who compromise. There is nowhere in the Bible where a curse is placed on corrupt police officers or corrupt lecturers as far as I know. So, judges should not be equated with others. It is by choice that people decide to be judges, so once somebody has taken up that responsibility he must ensure that he does justice to all, whether to the rich or to the poor without undue influence. It may be difficult but they should strive to maintain this position to the interest of the public, and to the interest of our democracy. How do you see the build up to the 2015 general election? There are a lot of activities across the various political parties. They have rolled out their programmes and agenda. They have held their conventions. So, at this stage of our democracy, every four years you expect this heightened level of political activities. And what we see now is really not different from what we have seen in the years past. It is only unfortunate now that we have added problem of insurgency and insecurity, I think that is the only thing that I see that is different. It is worrisome and it is very disturbing and we do hope that our security forces will do everything within their powers to bring this insurgency to an end. It is very disturbing; almost a shame that a country as big as Nigeria, has as many as 15 local governments now under the control of insurgents and militants. I think that is very disturbing. So, I will urge government and security agencies in particular to bring this insurgency to an end. What is your take on the gale of defections by politicians? First of all, the constitution of the Federal Republic has dealt with the issue of defection. There are situations where it is permitted; there are situations where it is not

Osunbor

permitted. For the executive, there is no such provision as far as I know. But the court has since pronounced on this matter before, I think in the case of Governor Isa Yuguda. I also know that with respect to governors who have changed parties recently, the matters are also in court. So let us wait for the judiciary to come with a clear position. I don’t think the Supreme Court has had occasion to decide on this matter. Perhaps when the Supreme Court does get the opportunity to pronounce on this matter, then we will know once and for all what the position is. As I said before, both the cases of the National Assembly members who changed parties and the governors are before the court, any opinion I may offer now may not carry any weight when the courts make their pronouncement. So, let us just wait and hope that the process is hastened up. It is being speculated that you are joining the Edo governorship race come 2016. I have been getting a lot of calls from people both within and outside Edo State saying that they would want me to run for the office of the governor again, to complete things that we had embarked upon that we were not able to complete. I have been quite reticent with respect to my response to the people when they call on me, particularly when 2016 still appears distant, but it is not distant any more.

Very soon we will be in 2015 and in another year we will be having the governorship election in Edo State. So, I think the time is now appropriate for me considering all the calls that people are making that I should make myself available to serve the people of the state. So, I will run by the grace of God for the office of governor of Edo State in 2016.

When the Supreme Court does get the opportunity to pronounce on this matter, then we will know once and for all what the position is

What do you want to accomplish with this? Governance is all embracing and it takes the personality to make things happen in the various spheres of governance. But the priority of the people of Edo State will determine the priorities of government, and you will recall that when I was there the priorities of the people was on road development and as soon as we came in, we decided to tackle it. First of all, we started carrying out emergency repairs on the streets and roads in Benin City within the first month or two. At least they became motorable and subsequently we improved on them and extended these developments to other senatorial districts of the state. We actually considered Benin City as one of four areas that we were developing. Benin City was an area of focus, Edo South was another area of focus. I am happy that even today you can drive across these various parts of Edo State and you will see the legacies of what we were able to achieve in the area of roads development then.

The area of human capital development is another one. First of all, the civil service was revamped, for the first time offices had computers; I supplied the first computers to offices because when I came in they were bringing memos to me typed with manual typewriter which was quite a shock. And I ensured that within a short time that all those offices had computers and the staff were trained to be computer literate. We supplied motor vehicles to civil servants. Edo Line was revamped, Bendel Brewery was producing again, and students got bursaries, school renovation and development commenced. Yes we did a few things from the Ministry of Education budget because at that time we could not access the Universal Basic Education (UBE) funds because we did not have State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in place in Edo State. But I had constituted the SUBEB about six months before I left. We had managed to secure counterpart funding in order to be able to access the funding from UBE. We were in the process of beginning to carry out massive renovation of schools when I left the seat of governor. So, we will sustain those developments both utilising the allocation to the Ministry of Education from the normal federal statutory allocations in addition to funds available through UBEC and SUBEB in Edo State. Grassroots development through the local government councils is also something we will do. I charged the local government councils through their chairmen to ensure that whatever allocation came to the councils were actually utilised for physical development. Like I said, we will be able to bring to bear the kind of zeal, the kind of determination and vision which we demonstrated between 2007 and 2008 and I am sure that the people of Edo State will be happy that the days of ‘Edo for Excellence’ are back again. I am sure that the people of Edo State crave for the excellence which we exhibited and by the grace of God, Edo State will continue to enjoy excellence. But do you think the PDP leadership in the state will give you the governorship ticket? We do hope that people have learnt their lessons. No condition is permanent. Life is dynamic; society is dynamic. I want to adopt a positive approach, a positive attitude. Let us be optimistic rather than pessimistic. Let us give people the benefit of doubt. I believe that my party, the PDP, will do what is right, get it right and will not make the mistake that they made in 2012. Not really the party but those who were responsible for that mistake would have learnt their lessons and won’t lead PDP into the kind of disaster that we witnessed in 2012.

Politics | Interview 17

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Engr. Seyi Abiodun Makinde is the Oyo State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). In this interview with WALE ELEGBEDE, he speaks on his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his chances at the February 28, 2015 governorship poll. Excerpts: What informed your defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP to the Social Democratic Party (SDP)? Well, it is an open secret how the primaries in the PDP went. The party would not adhere to its own guidelines and it wouldn’t also abide with a court order regarding the delegates to elect the party’s flag bearer. So, when they wouldn’t do that, our people insisted that they want us to have a platform for them where the hope of the generality of the people of Oyo State would be realised. We then decided to move down to the SDP to give that hope to our people. Why the choice of SDP? Well, there is concept of Omoluabi in Yorubaland. And that is who we are and that is how we were brought up. We looked at all the available platforms and coming from this part of the country, and being Omoluabi ourselves, we looked at the promoters of the SDP in the persons of Chief Olu Fale and Chief Segun Osoba. These are the men that have contributed immensely to the progress of Yoruba race. And they are Omoluabi personified. And we discussed with them. They have vision for Yoruba. We share in their vision. The governorship election comes up in two months’ time, how do you intend to face the incumbent and former occupants of public offices? Well, democracy is not about the positions you have occupied in the past. It is about the people. It is about the majority of the people and that is where we are going. We have listened to our people. We have heard them. We have given to them, our programmes, our manifestos, and there is an alignment that, give us a new platform and we will vote for you. Really, politics is all about people. If the majority of the people say this is where we are going, then that is it and that is democracy. So, I believe that politics of Oyo State is about to be turned around. And all these so-called heavyweights, I think they are going to be shocked at the end of the day. This is because the decision of the people is going to be final. Actually the vote is going to count. What are your chances in facing those who have been governors

Makinde: 2015 polls’ll shock political heavyweights before? That is actually our strength because of the people that have done it before, people have seen their limitation. And for us, we haven’t done it before, but we have done certain things that people have been able to see. And you can fool our people some of the time, you cannot fool them all the time. They are convinced where we are coming from. They know what we have done privately. They know precisely our engagement with them. They know precisely that over the years, we listened to some of the issues within our communities. So, ours is that we have been able to do some things privately and they know if we have the resources of government, we would even do a lot better. But SDP is unknown in the state. How do you intend to bring it to the consciousness of the people? It is not all that easy. It is about educating our people. They know already what we stand for. I am not just coming into the political arena. I have contested in the past and we have been engaged with our people all these years. We are doing a lot to introduce the party. And of course, the SDP was used as a political party in 1993. So, it is not something totally new. And people also recognise the fact that the freest and fairest election ever conducted in this country was won by the SDP. I will probably say, we have turned full circle. But Oyo being a Pace Setter State, I will not be surprised that we are the one projecting this. The reality is that the youths these days are not really concerned about the party but about the candidate. So, once we have a large following from Omititun as a structure and they follow Seyi Makinde as a person, then all is well. That is what they care about. And remember most of our youths are not illiterate. They are even better at identifying symbols. I think where we need to do a lot of work is actually with the elderly people. Do you have candidates across board? We had a hectic time sieving candidates. There is no constituency where SDP is not fielding candidate in the state for the election. What would you do different as governor if you eventually win? Well, we have our manifesto and our campaign theme which we term ‘Operation HEAP. We are talking about Health care delivery. We are talking of making agriculture a positive business in Oyo State and also weaning the state from overdependence on oil by projecting agriculture. We have education. We all see the level of decay in

infrastructure in Oyo State. We see students and pupils learning under very difficult and unsafe conditions. Dilapidated buildings here and there, nonprovision of material for the teachers. And if you look at the WAEC result, Oyo State came last in the South-West. We have a good shot at physical infrastructure. I am an engineer by training, and if I look at the current government, you will sympathize with us. If you go to Total Garden they made a fountain there which never works. So, to me, that is half-hearted way of doing things. We will give all we have into doing all those things. And we have security in our manifesto. We intend to deepen the current security situation in our state and make it better and more responsive. What are the factors you think would shape Oyo election in 2015? I think the major factor is the personalities that are involved. I can characterise it for you. You have three of the candidates who are over 65 years old. You have two who are around 50 years old. I am 47 years old. And one of those two has been tested as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And people have seen what he has done and what he didn’t do. And you have a personality that kind of stood out. I believe people would gravitate towards me. What is your take on generational shift? That is what is happening now all over the world. And if Oyo State, being a Pace Setter State, decides to actually go for generational shift, not just for the sake of it, but going to somebody with substance, and going there with a marking script. We will give to them what we intend them to do and the time frame within when to do them. Within those time frames, if we are not achieving and hitting our targets,

Makinde

then, people are going to know and hold us responsible for things we said we would do.

I believe that politics of Oyo State is about to be turned around. And all these so-called heavyweights, I think they are going to be shocked at the end of the day

What is your advice to the people of Oyo State? My advice to the people of Oyo State is, don’t be deceived by people saying, oh, this is a new party. And on how are we going to comb all the nooks and crannies of the state, over the next six weeks, I intend to cover almost everywhere within the state taking our messages to the homes of our people. They should listen and ask questions on those promises made to them four years ago and even indeed they have not satisfied the yearning of our people, then they should cast their votes for me, their son and humble servant – Seyi Makinde.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion

Securing Nigeria’s future

Julius Oweh

n less than sixty days, the fate, destiny and future of Nigeria shall be decided in a presidential election billed for February 14, 2015. This election shall be the all and end all of our collective dreams and those of unborn Nigerians. It is coming against the grim prediction of an American think-tank of the implosion and balkanization of the country. The situation in the country is not even cheerful against the upsurge of Boko Haram insurgency and the tumbling fortunes of the economy. Since independence, the country had not seen such worse times and we are on the edge of abyss imagining what will come out of that important election. The behaviour of the political class and their desperation for domestication of power and attendant capture of the economic purse are grim reminders that ours is indeed a very bad case. The two major political parties, the ruling PDP and the APC have concluded their presidential primaries with various promises ranging from the mundane to the ridiculous and it is a matter of conjecture whether they would allow the electorate to exercise their mandate, and the inefficiency of INEC and the very partisan nature of the security forces. President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari in their acceptance speeches of their parties` tickets have spoken about securing and preserving the nation`s future. Speaking in Abuja, the PDP flag bearer assured Nigerians of a brighter future, promising to do things better than the present. This is how Jonathan assured Nigerians of a brighter future: `Our political opponents shall assail us with the fury of their desperation to win power. They will use every means – intimidation, false accusations, hostile media and more. Do not descend to their level. We must stay focussed on the mission at hand- to secure Nigeria`s future`. It is only hoped that these words would be matched with deeds so that the sovereign will of the people as exercised in elections shall be allowed to hold sway. On his part, Buhari of the APC placed his hope on the ability of his team to preserve the nation`s future

and do things differently from what the PDP is afflicting the nation with. Listen to Buhari`s sermon on a new Nigeria: ‘Preserving the nation`s future is a great obligation to all of us. This is what the government in power should be saddled with; otherwise they have no reason being in government..... I see it as a tribute and mark of confidence to carry the torch as we all join hands to rescue our country, Nigeria from those who have led us into the current state of insecurity, poverty, sectarian divide and hopelessness among our people`. Thus like Jonathan, Buhari is also on a rescue mission and no obstacles should be placed in his path to defeat this noble dream of turning around the fortunes of Nigerians. Times are tough and hard and Nigerians are passing through the most excruciating times in their history. Violence had enveloped the nation as the Boko Haram terrorists roam parts of the nation unchallenged. Armed robbery and kidnapping are becoming part of the unfortunate signature tunes of the nation. The Naira is on a free fall and corruption stalks our nation making vast majority of Nigerians to be walking corpses whereas the few in the corridors of power are pregnant with our money and making a mockery of our common inheritance. It staggers the imagination that Nigeria has the unique but dubious distinction as the only oil producing nation in the entire universe that imports petroleum products. Our refineries, against all economic calculations, cannot work because the fat toads of exploitation are happy with the outlandish importation of petroleum products. Yet there is a government in power. This is not a critique of the Jonathan administration but if the truth must be told, the nearly sixteen years of PDP in power in the nation is a pure let down. The billions of petro dollars have not manifested in the people’s standard of living rather rot in infrastructures, penury and agonizing unemployment assault Nigerians and the blessing of black gold is now a curse. Therefore’ 2015 is another opportunity for Nigerians to chart a better course and in the political formulations of the two candidates, truly rescue the future of the nation. Even the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega had spoken of his fears of that poll, saying poor funding,

insecurity, attitude of the political class and inactive citizenry are the major obstacles to free and fair elections. The desperation of our politicians whether of the PDP hue or APC stripe, to win elections is giving patriotic Nigerians a lot of concern. Add the partisan nature of the police and other security agencies in the conduct of elections; you have disaster waiting to explode. The conduct of 2015 polls is beyond the sermons of the two major presidential candidates and their plastic smiles at various campaign rallies. What is facing the nation is beyond personal ambition. It is beyond North and South divide. It has nothing to do with religious persuasions of the candidates. In fact, the poll is about survival of the nation and how to secure a better future for all Nigerians. Poverty and despondence have no tribal or religious coloration. It is also beyond partisan level and it is unfortunate that one cannot really distinguish between the PDP and APC as they are two sides of the same bad coin. However, hope is not lost and that INEC should try as much as possible to be above board and that the integrity of the polls should not be compromised. The history of this nation is littered with the carcases of failed elections and the transfer from one political party to another. The Balewa and Shagari regimes` failed attempts at power transfer continue to mock our claim to democratic credentials. Similarly, since 1999 we have been saddled with one party in power at the national level. That is why INEC must make sure that the 2015 polls are free and fair and that the Jonathan administration should not militarize the political space under the veneer of conducting elections. The police and other security agencies should not descend to the abysmal level of partisanship to please the government of the day. They should instead show their loyalty to the Nigerian people. Campaigns must be issues based as both men are eminently qualified to govern the nation. Name calling or propaganda cum political sophistry are not substitutes for programmes that will address the security and welfare of the citizens. The appeal here is that the wishes of the electorate should be allowed to prevail. • Oweh, a journalist, writes from Asaba, Delta State. 08037768392

Tompolo’s acquisition of warships Mike Arayuwa Wilkie

igh Chief, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, is a retired militant leader in the Niger Delta geo-political region. He, probably, does not need any formal or informal introduction within the context of the Nigerian society and perhaps, the comity of nations. Born in 1969 to a Royal lineage in Gbaramatu kingdom, he dropped-out of college in 1993 when it became certain that the ex-militant commander could not key into the rigours, strains, severity and asperity of education. Inspite of this set-back, those who are close to him have confirmed that he is intelligent. In 1998, Tompolo joined the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) where he quickly rose to become the grand commander of the camp 5 paramilitia squad with about 1500 militants. His command attacked and destroyed oil installations belonging to the oil conglomerates. MEND also declared a genocidal war on the Itsekiri over the location and relocation of the Warri South West Local Government headquarters which is now at Ogbe Ijoh in favour of the Ijaws. He also gave a firm support and finance to the Arugbo Ijaws in their war of attrition against the Ilaje of Ondo State. On June 27, 2009, he surrendered to the Nigerian Government under President Umaru Musa Yar ‘ Adua (deceased) and was granted Amnesty along with other militant leaders and members of MEND. The ex-militant commander of MEND

is extremely wealthy to the extent that he is worth an estimate of N24 billion ($153 million) only. His profile equally reveal, that he made his wealth through the mechanism of a highly sophisticated system of oil bunkering, just like his comrade commanders of MEND and other oil bunkers in the oil industry. In view of Tompolo’s rugged strength to intimidate the oil companies, he became an imposed contractor to them. With his enormous financial empire, he has become powerful, authoritative and influential in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Tompolo, an Ijaw, also has the listening ears of Mr. President, who hails from the same ethnic nationality. In recent times, the “Global West Vessel Specialist Company Ltd, the corporate interest of Government Ekpemupolo, was said to have acquired six motor Torpedo (MTB). One of them is a Norwegian made warship built at Karljohansvern in Horten City in 1977. The warship retired from active service in 2008. The other five motor Torpedo Boats are equally warships capable of destroying the lives of men and properties including marine inhabitants. Some authors of paid advertorials and Newspaper columnists are however of the honest view that it was totally wrong for Tompolo to have purchased such deadly warships because he has no reason to do so. The most fundamental question to ask and ponder-on is: Are the warships the personal property of Tompolo? If the answer is affirmative, it will only suggest that Tompolo has up-graded himself to the

status of and direct equivalent of the Nigerian Navy. To the best of my knowledge, this supposed affirmation is totally impossible. Tompolo, whether as a powerful ex-militant commander or not cannot own any warship within the sovereignty of Nigeria as a Nation State. The extant laws of Nigeria does not permit any Nigerian citizen to purchase and own warships. Another issue to be derived from the warships’ saga is probably to ask: if the “Global West Vessel Specialist Company Ltd of Tompolo is a licensed body corporate to purchase arms and ammunitions and especially, such heavy duty gunboats which are required to fight and defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria? I hold a candid opinion that only the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria can look inwards and provide the adequate answer. For me, I do not have access to this information. However, inorder to reduce the tension already generated by the warships’ scandal, one Partrick Akpobolokemi, also an Ijaw and the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA), had in a press briefing, intensely defended Tompolo’s purchase and ownership of the warships. According to him, Tompolo’s company purchased the warships for the NIMASA which would be handled by men of the Nigerian Navy. He further added that the purpose of purchase was to combat sea piracy, oil bunkering and to guide against the consistent vandalisation of oil pipelines in the Riverine areas of the oil industry.

Ordinarily, the defense of the NIMASA Director General ought to have put paid to the purchase and ownership of the six warships, but there are still some unanswered questions. From the point of view of the ethnic nationalities in the area and the periphery, especially the Ilaje and Itsekiri in this part of the country, the warships belong to the ex-militant leader. According to them, the man is making some serious-minded preparations for another war of contrition and genocide against them. The two ethnic nationalities will always draw anybody’s attention to the Warri crisis in which Government Ekpemupolo was a principal actor and active participant. The Itsekiri are particularly of the earnest, sincere and humorless belief that the Ijaw agitation for the creation of a “Torube State” of which they are strictly against is the major factor why Tompolo has purchased the warships to fight them including the Ilaje and Bini. These ethnic nationalities have severally canvassed the fact that they are not against the Ijaw having such an envisaged Torube State but it should not be created on their lands in the Delta, Ondo and Edo States. The fear of the warships already purchased by Tompolo therefore, is quintessentially the beginning of their wisdom. However, it will be a relief to the doubting ethnic nationalities, that the House of Representatives has volunteered to investigate the warships’. • Wilkie can be reached at pmikky1950@yahoo.com (08023097251)

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

EDITORIAL

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The meaning of Christmas

t is that time of the year again where merriment and enjoyment of all sorts are the buzzwords. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, parties everywhere, stockings hanging in the living room, and shouts of “Merry Christmas” to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas? For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. They do not have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. Turkey dinners may be only a wish and not a reality for some. Yes, several expectations cannot be met, hence, sadness sets in. But it is important to note that, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His

birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels, all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child. Moreover, people talk about loving one another as God loved us by sending His Son to the earth. We are reminded of values that are forgotten or at least diminished at other times of the year. And if it were not for the Christmas holidays, family relationships would be worse than they are. This is the only time many families make an attempt to get along. Therefore, Christmas is a time to bond and show love to one another in a very peaceful way. This Gospel of peace is one reason there is such a universal acceptance of the Christmas season, even among those who are not Christians. Christmas is all about God’s love and mercy, not His damnation. It is spotlighting God’s unconditional love for us the way it should be done all year long. It’s focusing on the good news of God’s love and not the bad news of our failures. That is the Gospel of peace that the angels were

singing about, and that should be our message too. In Nigeria, Christmas should be a time for ceasefire, a time to bury the hatchet and embrace peace, this is an appeal to the Boko Haram insurgents that no matter the grievances they have against the Nigerian state, they should sheathe their swords, they have proven their point beyond all reasonable point, hence, this is a very appropriate time to sit down at a roundtable to ventilate their spleen, knowing fully well that important lessons must have been learnt. Also, we must all appreciate the fact that violence under any guise does not pay, it is not the solution to any problem, instead it would worsen already bad situation, therefore, peace which Chrisman preaches is indeed the best bet. Another very important message of Christmas apart from peace and the spirit of accommodation, as well as the need to be tolerant of one another and love ourselves deeply is the fact that, we as a people must learn to value simplicity. Money is not everything. It is the only thing. The aim of life should not be to accumulate as many possessions and as much wealth as possible. We must learn to be content with what we have and appreciate the benefits of sim-

plicity. For example, if we clear out our unnecessary clutter, we will achieve a greater feeling of space and freedom. This message is very important to people in positions of authority who have been blinded by accumulative and possessive tendencies that we came into this world with nothing and we will surely depart with nothing. In addition, a great leadership lesson that can be learnt from Christmas is connecting with the people, Leaders connect. Who cannot connect with a baby? If leadership is all about people then connecting is essential. Leadership does not exist in a vacuum, the purpose of leadership is to make life worthy for the generality of the people. A situation where leadership is inept and cannot adequately meet the expectations of the people, creates animosity and social disorder. Therefore, a leader does not sit on a high horse and look down on the people. The people are the reason why the leader is there in the first place, hence, a leader must be in constant touch with the people and always feel the pulse of the nation. These salient messages of Christmas are not just for the festive period alone, they are timeless virtues that can be imbibed for the betterment and improvement of the society, especially in our clime.

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20 Politics | Interview

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Time to review General Buhari Mustapha Abdullahi

ednesday, December 17, 2014 marks the 72nd birthday of General Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator and now presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). As it is customary in this country, one must join millions of Nigerians in wishing General Buhari a happy birthday and many happy returns. This year’s birthday must be especially plea-

surable for the former dictator because he has just trounced the better organised former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar in a five-man contest for the APC presidential ticket in which Atiku, always the eternal optimist, ended up in third place. Beyond the celebratory birthday messages and expected prayers and kind wishes, one wishes to use this occasion to conduct a modest review of the man Muhammadu Buhari. After all, as he steps forth at 72 to once again offer himself for service as Nigeria’s presi-

dent, it is only fair to ask about the records of his past service to our dear country. The followership that has grown around Buhari mainly in the North of Nigeria is based on the perception of the man as “Mai Gaskiya”, or, as this writer understands it, the incorruptible one. Among Nigeria’s past governing elite, Buhari is one of the few who cannot be counted as wealthy. Not that being wealthy automatically implies corruption. For instance, former US President Bill Clinton was practically bankrupt

by the end of his time in office, but he has become fairly well-to-do through honest earnings mostly from the speech-making and lecture circuits. So the fact that Buhari continues to flaunt his status as a man without means may indicate that he is not interested in earning more money than his Army pension. Or, it may mean that he might not have the entrepreneurial capacity to make himself rich. Or, it may be a pointer that he is downright lazy and likes playing the poverty card

for popular empathy. One thing his lack of self-generated financial capital clearly shows is that he lacks the ability to create wealth and bequeath the same to a new generation. How then can his supporters honestly expect him to create wealth for the Nigerian nation and her teeming population? Moreover, on closer examination, the perception of Buhari as being incorruptible raises an important question. If he is incorruptible, does that also mean he has stopped those around him from

being corrupt? This is a question that the verifiable facts surrounding Buhari amplify. In the late 1970s, when Buhari was Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources under then Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo, N2.8 billion oil money went missing. One is not accusing Buhari of stealing. However, as the oil minister, did he not have the responsibility of knowing where the money had disappeared to? Similarly, when General Ibrahim Babangida led the coup that kicked Buhari out of power in August 1985, one of the reasons the new junta gave for their action was that the nation’s mineral resources were “once again being wasted on unproductive ventures.” Supporters of General Buhari may say that the late General Tunde Idiagbon was the one taking economic decisions, but that then raises the question: who was the ultimate boss? In the same vein, during Buhari’s days as the overlord of the General Sani Abacha-established Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), it is on record that he engaged the services of the late Ahmad Salihijo, his brother in-law and head of the all-powerful Afri-Projects Consortium, as a super-consultant. When Obasanjo assumed office as a civilian president in 1999, he disbanded the PTF and set up an Interim Management Committee. The committee discovered that, under Buhari’s watch as Executive Chairman of the PTF, N25 billion had been stolen largely through AfriProjects Consortium out of a total of N181 billion that had accrued to the fund. So, the dilemma resurfaces: Agreed that Buhari himself is not corrupt, but who is to be held responsible for the corruption that took place under his nose? Discerning Nigerians must wonder if the retired Army General is really an ostrich with his head buried in the sand not to know about the deals that go on around him; or, he is simply behaving like the chichidodo bird referred to by Ghanaian prose stylist, Ayi Kwei Armah, in his tour de force – “The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born” – which hates faeces but feeds on the maggots therein. He sure fits in between duplicity and ignorance. Duplicity? Mostly probably so! Ignorance? Perhaps, not exactly! But, if, indeed, he is so unknowing, why should Nigerians allow a man so easily manipulated by his subordinates and acolytes anywhere near the nation’s Presidency? •Abdullahi contributed this piece from Kaduna

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Interview

News

Ononogbo to Jonathan: Declare full war on insurgents now

Man jailed two years over fake insecticide

22&25

Law He is a professor of law and Lord Justice of England and Wales Judiciary. Sir Maurice Ralp Kay, an expert in Terrorism Law, was called to the Bar about 40 years ago. He speaks on plea bargaining, capital punishment and sundry issues. TUNDE OYESINA met him.

UK Lord Justice: Why Nigeria must abolish death penalty

e made a swift progress as a barrister in private practice and took his seat on the High Court Bench 20 years ago where he became a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2004. In 2010, Sir Maurice Ralp Kay became the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, Civil Division in the United Kingdom. Maurice is in Nigeria to support the work of the Criminal Justice Team in the British High Commission, an evidence of the UK’s relationship with Nigeria against the common threat of terrorism. Kay who was passionate about the abolition of every form of capital punishment, said it was no longer in practice in the civilized world, asking Nigeria to expunge it from its rules as it was done some 50 years ago in the United Kingdom. He said: “It is 50 year since death penalty was abolished in England. I do not support capital punishment. Now there is no country in Europe which carries out capital punishment because it is contrary to the European convention on human rights. Although he agreed that plea bargain as a method being employed by Nigeria’s judicial would go a long way to fast-track speedy trial, Kay faulted the practice when it was held under secrecy where un-

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY EDITOR

foluso.ogunmodede@ newtelegraphonline.com

Kay

derhand deals were conducted in the name of plea bargaining. Instead, he counseled that there must be stricter rules and guidelines if it must achieved any desire results. He said: “If it is open and not done in secret and it’s done in good faith, between prosecution and the defence and the judge, it can be alright, but if it is done secretly where people talk to Judges in private, in secret where underhand deals are done then it is not alright. “Yes, in fact that was what happened in England, it used

It is 50 year since death penalty was abolished in England. I do not support capital punishment

to exist. Not exactly plea bargaining but a process of dialogue with the Judge used to exist informally and without guidelines. Some Judges did it but some didn’t. In recent times it is all regulated by guidelines. When that happens I have no problems with it so far it is open and transparent. Free on the part of the defendant who should not be forced into it. Also, the Lord Justice of the United Kingdom pushed for an independent judiciary as democracy which must have legal framework for its suc-

cess, would only thrive under an independent judiciary. His words: “The judiciary is crucial to democracy because democracy must have a legal framework for election but it is crucial in other sense because democracies are built on the rule of law and it thrives when you have independent Judges decide cases to which the government is a party. The judiciary plays a pivotal role in securing the rule of law and that enables democracy to function if they are allowed to do so in a highly independent way because they have to apply the law and that is what the rule of law is. Kay, who spent the greater part of his life on the Bench, said he had no regrets spending his career on the Bench. He said: “I enjoyed it and do not have any regret. I said in my speech on the day I retired that I enjoyed every day on the Bench and that is true. On globalization in the practice of law and how Nigerian lawyers could tap into it, Kay said “that is not very easy for me to say because it is 20 years since I last practiced law. The way in which lawyers from one country interacts with lawyers from another country is something which I got no recent experience. One way is that there are ways in which older countries can help with training lawyers and that happens to my knowledge. English lawyers go to other countries and train lawyer and that serves a useful purpose but I don’t know if we have come to Nigeria. Large commercial practice in London is global in reach, they do have offices all over the world even in Lagos and it can happen through that. He however did not see any difference between Nigerian Judges and those of England as there were still evidence of judges taking down evidence in long hands in the United Kingdom like their Nigerian counterparts. He said: “That still happens in England too, the evidence in the criminal and Civil trials in CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Law | Interview

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ononogbo to Jonathan: Declare full war on insurgents now another question entirely. He is entitled, just as I am entitled to contest for elective position. Some people say, no, having being sworn in when he completed the term of late Musa Yar’Adua, that he is not supposed to contest again, and that he will be president for more than eight years. That’s not the Constitution. He has not contested, won and sworn in as president for more than two times. He has contested only once in 2011, under PDP, won and sworn in. Now he is seeking a re-election to do a second term. He completed a term because of the circumstances of the death of the late Yar’Adua, he did not contest in 2007 as president, flying the flag of a political party, and he was a vice president. So, he is entitled to run, whether he is going to win the general election is another thing.

Ejike Ononogbo is the principal partner, Points Law Partners. In this interview with ETAGHENE EDIRIN, Ononogbo says President Goodluck Jonathan- led government could only rid the nation of the unending insurgency if it declares full war on Boko Haram, among other issues. There have been a lot of developments in the political scene in Nigeria recently, what is your take on what has been happening? That is politics; we don’t expect it to be a smooth sail. It’s a game of ups and downs. But what we are saying is that politics should be played with the people in mind, not for selfish interests. But the way it is going now, it seems people are playing politics of selfish interests more than that of the people that elected them into offices. So, that’s why we are asking people to play it with caution, so that at the end of the day everybody will be a beneficiary of the system and we can reap the dividends of democracy. That’s what we have been yearning for all along. What do you think of Nigeria’s uninterrupted democratic experiment so far? Well, so far, it is better than nothing. If somebody says we have not improved, it is a lie. At least we have moved from the era of military dictatorship to civilian rule, and give or take, some people will not feel good with what is happening. There is no society where everybody will be satisfied at all times. Some will feel bad, some will feel good, but what we are saying, is that it has brought relative good to the majority of the people. As we have it now, some people feel the government in power has not done enough. We are saying, they may not have done enough, but there are some remarkable improvements from the past, like infrastructure wise, good roads; and power is relatively better than what it was. There may be some shortcomings, because we are in trial times, and it is a gradual process for everything to fall in place. So, how would you rate the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan? Rating is relative. You may relate it in terms of infrastructure, or in terms of the present insurgency actions, or in terms of corruption, education, or provision of amenities like

Ononogbo

roads, hospital, water and others. People like us are saying that we will need this country to stabilise to enable the generality of Nigerians reap the dividends of democracy. There is no way the government can do much in an atmosphere of instability, or insurrection like the one we have now in the north. And more money is being expended towards quelling the insurgency. If we channel that money towards the provision of infrastructure, there is going to be appreciable improvement. And that’s why we’re praying that all hands should be on deck to ensure that this insurgency is controlled. And some people are promising that unless they are voted into power that is the only time they can help in curbing insurgency, that’s not good enough. If you can curb insurgency today, let it be your campaign point, to say; ‘after all, I am the one who ended this thing’, and we can vote for you. Not allowing everyone to die, unless you are voted into power, which means if you are not voted in, insurgency will continue. We don’t want such a situation. What we want is for people to live in peace amongst each other, and in such an atmosphere, a lot can be achieved. The state of emergency that was put in place in the three most affected states hit by insurgency has expired. Do you think it should be renewed?

If we say we have not achieved anything with the state of emergency, picture a situation where there is no state of emergency at all. That is to say, the military will not carry out operations as they would do in a state of emergency

People have argued, asking what we have achieved with the state of emergency. If we say we have not achieved anything with the state of emergency, picture a situation where there is no state of emergency at all. That is to say, the military will not carry out operations as they would do in a state of emergency, they will only mount road blocks, stop and search. It’s going to be a worse situation. I am of the opinion that it should be extended, but the civilian governments in those areas should be suspended, let there be an administrator, not necessarily a military administrator. It should be a full state of emergency; the legislative apparatus should be dismantled, the executive governors should be removed, like as happened in Ekiti and Plateau states during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. We believe that the reason the insurgency thing is not abating, is because there is a lot of money in the hands of politicians who are being fingered as sponsors. If you starve them of funds, because these are arms are being bought with money, and these guys don’t print their own money. Somebody is funding them, either within or outside the country. Do you think President Goodluck Jonathan deserves a second term in office? He is eligible to contest, whether he will win or not is

But in terms of performance, do you think he deserves a second term? Like I said earlier, performance is relative. If you take it sector by sector, you’ll be able to decipher whether he has performed or not in the different sectors. If you also look at performance relative to the past presidents we have had, it becomes relative. If I want to compare the regimes, I’ll score Sani Abacha 70 per cent and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 30 per cent, because during Abacha’s regime we had stability in prices of goods and services. But in Obasanjo’s administration, that was not the case, prices of things went up. If you compare the government of President Goodluck Jonathan with that of Obasanjo you will see that there is a difference. There has been some level of development during the Jonathan government, and I will say that he has relatively done better than Obasanjo’s regime. But the same Obasanjo said that Jonathan has performed below average Well, that is his opinion, and he is entitled to it. Let him come and place his scorecard. His own performance was the sale of Federal Government properties to himself and his cronies. I asked; why did he not privatize the Nigerian Railway, if that is the best. Nobody touched the moribund institution, but they took the ones that are doing well and sold to themselves and cronies. The defection of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal recently caused some rancor within the polity. What do you think of this? I have no take on the issue, except the take provided in the Constitution, which is very clear concerning when a legislator defects from the party under CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

Law | File

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Osinbajo: Excellence in learning, character Wahab Kunle Shittu

ormally, I try to warn myself not to be taken for granted by the actions and shenanigans of the political elite in Nigeria, but the emergence of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as running mate to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on the APC Presidential ticket excites me greatly because of his antecedents as a man of principle/integrity and a first class brain. I am not a card carrying member of any political party but when the news filtered out that he was being considered amongst an array of equally competent individuals as a possible running mate on the APC Presidential ticket, I knew that a fresh insight was about being introduced to the political space - an element capable of changing the political equation in our country forever. I have always been excited at the prospects of our politics being dominated by the power of ideas, power of action, and ability of the power of ideas and power of action to be galvanised into concrete policies and laws for the transformation of our country. The entry of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) indeed represents a positive beginning in the realisation of these ideals. I first came across Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as a final year law student of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in 1986. He was my lecturer in the Law of Evidence who made tremendous impact on the entire class for his sheer brilliance and mastery of the subject. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) would come to class armed with just a pen and take on the whole class for nearly 3 hours, making copious references to authorities and cases off head, with uncommon exactitude that can only be associated with his rating as a GENIUS. In no time, he won many converts and admirers including my humble self. So much was the impact of this extraordinary Nigerian on my classmates that when it was time for us to choose our supervisors for our final year projects, I had no difficulty zeroing in on the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN). I wanted to tap from the anointing. No doubt Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) is an intellectual of great standing. The rating of the eminent Professor as an intellectual prodigy is still relevant at the University of Lagos even as I write this piece. As a lecturer in the Faculty of Law, I was privy to a discussion of some final year law students of the Faculty some months back who had a very interesting encounter with Prof. Osinbajo. The students were indeed impressed with his delivery that they vowed never to miss any of his classes. This may have shown that the Prof is not in this race for lack of some other meaningful engagements. He may perhaps have accepted the nomination because of his passion for service and the need to offer his talents at the service of the nation, in the true spirit of patriotic sacrifice. Prof. Osinbajo is also a First

Know more about Osinbajo

Osinbajo

class debater and endowed with tremendous advocacy skills that is rare to find in this clime. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria who also attended Igbobi College, Yaba narrated to me sometimes ago in a private discussion on how the eminent Professor used to dazzle in Debate competitions involving Igbobi College and some other institutions in Lagos where “Jebby” (for that was the nickname of the erudite Prof) to the admiration of all as the lead speaker of the institution. The other attribute of this gentleman that one can readily recall is his integrity and humility in spite of his many accomplishments. He was also perceived as generally accessible by the students who could knock at his door even at short notice and be sure of being given attention and treated as human beings. I can confirm that he left the ivory tower to serve as the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Lagos State under the Bola Tinubu administration for 8 years with his integrity at the University intact and unblemished. I can also attest to Prof. Osinbajo’s high sense of professionalism and sense of justice. I recall what happened when I had to approach him for assistance to facilitate the medical treatment of Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi abroad, when it was becoming difficult to get the authorities in Abuja to endorse the trip. Appraising the situation objectively, notwithstanding the fact that the Prof was the prosecutor in the case he had surprisingly endorsed his approval to the request to allow the General travel for the urgent treatment, only extracting a guarantee from me that the General would return. Indeed,

I know on good authority that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at birth received the blessings of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. One of the old pictures adorning the sitting room of the Osinbajos is a picture taken with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, cuddling the young Prof.

as a gentleman, the General did return to the country at the end of his medical treatment abroad. The incident may have revealed the attribute of Prof. Osinbajo as a thoroughbred professional who believes in the rule of law and the protection of the rights of others. What about the reforms that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) carried out as the Chief Law Officer in Lagos State during his tenure, reforms that became a model of distinction for other states of the federation to emulate; for the enhancement of the quality of administration of justice in Nigeria and Africa as a whole? Again, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) made his impact in the Justice sector in a manner that convinced the stakeholders that he is a candidate for higher responsibilities. This may not be a coincidence after all. I know on good authority that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at birth received the blessings of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. One of the old pictures adorning the sitting room of the Osinbajos is a picture taken with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, cuddling the young Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) in his arms. This chemistry that he shared with Awolowo owing to the close relationship between the Osinbajos and the Awolowo families of Ikenne was later to be fortified by marriage in that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is presently married to a granddaughter of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo named Oludolapo. Some have argued that the spirit of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo may have had a hand in the choice of Osinbajo as the running mate on the APC Presidential ticket. Whether this spirit will catapult him to the seat of power, remains to be seen.

l According to Who’s Who Legal Nigeria

emi Osinbajo is the senior partner at SimmonsCooper Partners. Yemi is a professor of law and former attorney-general of Lagos state and commissioner for justice. He is also a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Yemi was educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980). He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform. Yemi has 31 years of litigation experience including significant trial and appellate work. Yemi supervises the commercial litigation group at SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP), a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria. With a multi-jurisdictional competence spanning Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom, SCP fuses sound legal counsel with superior advocacy, and personal and responsive service. SCP provides a very comprehensive and integrated range of litigation, transactional, advisory and several support services to a vast array of clients. Yemi has conducted very important constitutional and precedential cases before the Nigerian Supreme Court. Some of these include fiscal disputes between the federatCONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Law | News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Parties must not be forced to embrace plea bargaining’ CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 24

England is now recorded but it does not stop any body writing from going along, in the average criminal trials in which Judges take notes and he is writing down evidence just like as the Nigerian Judges. There are few of the younger English Judges who are very IT competent and they would take notes on the Bench on a laptop, they are still in minority. Information Technology (IT) has revolutionalized the way English courts are run. But we have not progressed as quickly as we could have done. There are all sorts of experiments and models showing what could be done. We see that a lot in the commercial courts, but in criminal courts and in the family courts they are not that hi-tech yet and the facilities exist. On challenges bedevelling Nigerian Judges and his experience as pupil lawyer, Kay said judges’ challenge in Nigeria was not different from those obtainable in England. “The most striking thing is that their challenges are just the same as anywhere else just as the challenges confronting English Judges. In my life time, I was a Judge for 20 years and a lot of the things I see as challenges in Nigeria now are things we experienced as challenges in England about 10 or 20 years

Kay

ago. Young law graduates and new lawyers don’t pay tutelage but they pay for their university and vocational education. When I was young lawyer, I paid for my tutelage to a barrister. We had to pay the pupil master for the tutelage but that was about 40 years ago and it has stopped,” he said. On terrorism some restrictions place by the Constitution on human rights violation and the need in some cases to detain terror suspect for more time than is allowed by the constitution, Kay said “I have read your constitutional provisions and they are very

similar to law in UK, basic Human Rights provisions are identical to the human rights provisions in the European convention and the UK. You have to embrace human rights requirements in fighting terror while taking usual steps that interfere with individual human rights, you may well be justified in doing it provided you do it to the least extent to achieve the result you seek to achieve. You may be justified going outside the normal procedure because of the pressing needs to fight terrorism. It is for the courts to decide where the line should be drawn”.

Lawyers tackle army over death penalty for 52 officers Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Abubakar Malami and a senior lawyer, Kayode Ajulo yesterday in separate chats with New Telegraph in Abuja said that the conviction and sentence to death of the 52 soldiers charged with mutiny by the Army Tribunal cannot hold any water. They concluded that the conviction and sentence on the soldiers was nothing but a nullity. According to Malami, the argument was whether the soldiers were entitled to the benefit of constitutional security and facilities of selfdefence which a government was bound to provide. “No person shall be liable to be condemned to death on account of dereliction of duty when adequate provision is not made for him to effectively perform. “More so when he refused performance out of constitutional exercise of accorded

constitutional right to selfdefence and failure of government to guarantee and provide facilities for his security”, Malami stated. The learned silk however concluded that the conviction was lacking in judicial foundation for its sustainability. To Kayode Ajulo, there was no trial in the first place, for a matter that was about life and death, saying it was expected that the procedure should be in adherence to the Constitution and natural justice. Ajulo said: “The judgment cannot stand as it is premised on empty foundation. What our armed forces literarily did was to be a judge in their own case, court martial in essence has no basis in our jurisprudence. It is arbitrary and against the Constitution whereas the Constitution sets up the executive, legislative and judiciary. “Finally, universally, death sentence is not in vogue again, we are in the 21st Century not in the 70s

or Ishola Oyenusi era”. Chief Akpan Nkwereum was indifferent. He said the soldiers ought to have known that in the military, certain acts of mutiny carries death sentence, hence, there was the need for them to have obeyed lawful orders without hesitation. He said: “The soldiers knew or ought to have known that their conduct cannot be justified under the law and that the punishment is death. “There is no doubt about that. What we are saying at this point in time is merely pleading with President Goodluck Jonathan to spare their lives and commute the sentence to prison terms in view of the peculiar circumstances of this case. The point to note is that the rest of the officers and men in the fronts are watching and treating these ones with kid gloves may encourage more mutiny and endanger National security. “So it is a delicate balance which the President is to maintain”.

SERAP, others threaten to sue Coca-Cola over consumer rights abuse Akeem Nafiu

ix rights groups have raised the alarm over what they described as consumer rights abuse being perpetrated by a giant beverages company, the Coca-cola Nigeria Limited. In a letter addressed to the company’s chairman Board and chief executive officer, Mr. Muhtar Kent, said the company’s refusal to comply with relevant laws portend great danger to the country’s health scheme. The groups, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC); Women Empowerment and Legal Aid Initiative (WELA); Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre); Partnership for Justice (PJ), and Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC), expressed serious concerns about the continuing refusal by Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited to comply with the recommendations by the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria (CPC). They said: “The failure by Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited to effectively comply with Nigerian laws and regulations as illustrated by its refusal to subject their manufacturing process to inspection by appropriate

authorities, in particular the CPC; failure to establish a Shelf Life Policy for their products in the country which clearly would help to facilitate the removal of expired products from the market; and failure to address health and safety implications of its operations and practices.” “Failure to put in place appropriate grievance resolution policy that can address compensation for injuries, or compensation in instances where replacement will be inadequate; failure to review the Company’s supply chain management to include retailers in order to minimise the distribution of defective, non-conforming or expired products; and failure to bring the Company’s traceability policy in line with international standards by only relying on information as to the place of purchase to trace their products.” “Impunity persists when Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited despite its many years of operation and profit-making in the country continues to fail to provide strong leadership and embrace best practices in the implementation of international standards, and therefore failing to provide value for money for millions of Nigerian consumers. Yet, investment guarantee and profit considerations should not take precedent over consumer inalienable rights and satisfaction.

Man jailed two years over fake insecticide GUILTY

He was sentenced to two years imprisonment for producing fake insecticide

Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has sentenced a middle-aged man, Okwara Emmanuel, to two years imprisonment for manufacturing fake insecticides. Okwara, who had pleaded guilty to a six-count charge preferred against him, was found guilty on all the charges. He however through his counsel, Ugochukwu Oparah urged the court to be lenient in its verdict. The convict was arrested following a petition against him to the National Agency For Food, Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC). Shortly after NAFDAC’s receipt of the petition, the commission raided the convict’s shop in Kuje, a satellite town in Abuja on November

7 and arrested him with a gas cylinder and empty cartons of insecticides. In the charge filed by counsel to the Federal Government, Umar Shamaki, the convict was accused of manufacturing unregistered Raid, Baygon, Mortein insecticides and Dettol antiseptic. According to the charge, the offence was contrary to Section 1 of the Food, Drug and Related Products Act, Cap. F33, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under section 6(1) of the same Act. The charge reads, “that you Okwara Emmanuel ‘M’ of Okanga Plaza, Guduaba, Kuje area Council Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court on or about the 7th day of November, 2014 at Kuje area council, Abuja sells fake Drug Product to wit, Baygon, Mortein, Raid Insecticides and Dettol Antiseptic and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(b) of counterfeit and fake Drugs and Unwholesome processed Foods (Miscellaneous provision) Act, Cap C.34, LFN 2004 and Punishable Under Section2(1)(a) of the same Act”.

Law | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

‘Declare full war on insurgents now’ CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 22

which he was elected to another party before the expiration of the term of his office. The Constitution says you lose your seat. But people are dancing around the proviso of Section 68 (1g) as if it is the main provision. It is not. If you look at Section 68 (1d), the provision is quite clear and it is not something that should be subject to interpretation. In law, the only time you subject a particular legislation to interpretation is when there is ambiguity, or when literal interpretation will lead to mischief. In law, you will say you suppress the mischief and advance the remedy. Assuming Tambuwal became a president, vice president, governor or deputy governor, minister, commissioner of a state, or special adviser in accordance with Section 68 (1d) would there be any question as to whether he is still going to retain his membership of the House. He will vacate his seat; those are the conditions that will make one lose his seat in the legislature. As it is, Tambuwal has lost his membership of the House, and therefore lacks the capacity to adjourn the House immediately he pronounced his defection to the APC. The issue of whether Tambuwal is the speaker does not arise because he has ceased to be a member of that House. And what do you think of the action of the Police on this issue? The Inspector General of Police (IGP) said there was a security report, that some hoodlums were coming to invade the National Assembly and so directed that nobody should come in. And as a sane person, the police is an authority, those members have sworn to protect the Constitution, they would not scale the fence. And Tambuwal is saying the

police acted in error by removing his security details. But I tell you, the security details given to him was attached to the office of the speaker. Having seized to be a member of the House, and the speaker, he has no right for such details to be provided to him. But as an individual he can apply to the police for protection, and it will be viewed on its strength, whether it can be granted or not. The thing is that people are latching onto the delay in our judicial system to bring in all sorts of applications and suits, because they know that before the suits will be decided, the life of the Assembly must have expired. And that’s why they are rushing to the courts to file frivolous applications. Elections are close by with a lot of anxiety over 2015, what do you think of the 2015 elections? A winner must emerge somehow. Whether we like it or not, whether people fight or not, INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) will announce a winner in all the elections. But if you want to govern people, why do you want to kill or maim, or make it a do or die affair, if you actually want to serve? People should be cautious in their electioneering campaigns, so that they don’t heat up the polity. And there have been predictions that the election may break up Nigeria. I am not pessimistic. Some people may fight, but that it will break the unity of this country, I don’t see it that way, unless like Rotimi Amaechi said, if they don’t win the election that they will form a parallel government. I don’t expect such utterances from people who claim to be leaders. And he said that they would not go to court. It was the same man who was installed by the Supreme Court, because he was

Ononogbo

Whether we like it or not, whether people fight or not, INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) will announce a winner in all the elections

wrongly substituted by (Celestine) Omehia. Those are the types of utterances that make people feel there will be crises. And people are actually brewing crises because of their selfish interests. It is condemnable; let us play according to the rules. And if you are going into politics with a view of benefitting the people, I’m not sure you would want people to lose their lives because you did not win election. What is your advice for Nigerians concerning 2015 elections? Nigerians should elect people who have their interest at heart. I tell you, in 2007 when Governor

Babatunde Fashola was elected, when I travel home I tell people we don’t have a governor in Lagos State: we have a worker. And that’s how it should be, not these people gallivanting about. So, Nigerians should elect people who will give them what is now called ‘the dividends of democracy’. And what are we asking for; we are not asking them to cook for us. Let there be good road, hospitals and school. Most of the people in government today went to public schools. So, don’t look at the amount of money given to you, or what is now touted as stomach infrastructure. We should eschew it because it is a remedy for today and not for tomorrow.

Know more about Osinbajo CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 23

ing units and the federal government; disputes regarding the ownership and control of oil and gas resources; town and physical planning disputes between the federating units and the federal government; an international territorial jurisdictional dispute in the West African sub-regional court; shareholder disputes involving a multinational, private investors and state owned investment corporations and energy disputes arising from multinational participation in power projects in Nigeria. In other cases, Yemi has advised and represented clients in a broad range of commercial and corporate issues including securities litigation, investments and divestments, joint ventures, oil block acquisitions, product liability, fiduciary duties of directors, intellectual property, and corporate valuations. He is also involved in statutory and

Osinbajo

regulatory appraisal representation before the legislature and federal and state agencies. While in public office as attorney general, Yemi is credited with undertaking far-reaching significant judicial reform in Lagos state, addressing criti-

cal areas as judges’ recruitment, remuneration, training and discipline. In addition, he addressed access to justice for the poor by establishing appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender and the Citizens Mediation Centre. In

honour of his contributions to legal reform and the development of law in Nigeria, a compendium of essays on Nigerian constitutional law was compiled. The authors of these essays were senior lawyers and law professors with a foreword provided by a past chief justice of Nigeria. Yemi is a member of the International Bar Association and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and has served in the Nigerian Body of Benchers and the Council for Legal Education of Nigeria. He is currently an independent director of CitiBank Nigeria and an ethics adviser to the board of the Africa Development Bank. He has also served in various capacities within the United Nations Organisation. Yemi speaks frequently at several commercial litigation events locally and internationally. He is actively involved in the pursuit of legal education reform in Nigeria.”

In the months ahead, and particularly in the build-up to the campaign for the 2015 Presidential elections, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) may be missing in action in the courtroom as a brilliant advocate (a factor that is generally acknowledged) but if his well-known advocacy is deployed in enriching the polities of ideas and action, Nigerians should indeed be ready for a swell time. One thing that I can guarantee is that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) will never be associated with the politics of mudslinging, calumny and abuse in propagating the ideals of his political party. Given the fact that the candidates of the ruling party PDP are also tested gentlemen, one can say for certain that this time around, our elections and the campaign would be dominated by ideas rather than politics of abuse. Welcome on-board Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN). A GENTLEMAN’S GENTLEMAN.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014

Health News

Healthy Living

Health New

Nature Power

‘Information, key to breast cancer survivorship’

Untreated heartburn may be fatal

Doctors advocate voluntary blood donation to save lives

Life giving properties of water

Health

The good side of beer With over 40,000 beer brands produced worldwide, scientific evidence shows that if taken in moderation, beer is part of a healthy diet, writes APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

Barley, cereal grain used to brew beer

t is Christmas and customary for most families to stock their homes, usually with variety of foods and drinks. Similarly, in line with the joyful mood of the celebrations, numerous gifts are given to friends, colleagues and family members. During this Yuletide and imminent New Year celebrations, one of the food drinks that is available and well relished is beer, an alcoholic beverage that has been around and consumed for centuries yet deeply misunderstood by the public. Although, both the nutrition and social benefits of beer

Appolonia Adeyemi appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline.com

PHOTO: boardsandbarley.com

have long being documented, discuss on the misconception of this beverage still dominate religious and social gatherings in both the rural and urban settings. Widely perceived as a mixture of some damaging chemicals and intoxicants, consumption of beer is blamed for causing countless vehicle accidents. Here are some of the reasons listed by those who detest beer: “I cannot stand the taste; one gets intoxicated on consuming beer, hence it is a problem; its smell puts me off; and I am put off by people who lose control after drinking beer”. Similarly, some religious beliefs forbid consumption of beer and other alcoholic drinks while some also see the drinking of beer as irresponsible. Ironically while those in the above school of thought chose to keep beer products at arm’s length, others savour it. However, amidst these conflicting views, questions on whether it is safe to consume beer and even if drinking beer can be injurious to health have been variously asked. In order to reposition beer in the psyche of the populace

Hop flower is used to flavour and preserve beer

Fermentable sugar that is present in the process of brewing beer comes from barley and is broken down to alcohol and Co2 by yeast. He emphasised that at the maturity of the beer, no sugar is present.

especially with evidence from scientific studies, the Nigerian Breweries Limited (NBL), a brewery industry leader, organised a conference tagged “Media Beer Academy” in Ibadan, Oyo State recently. The gathering brought together media professionals who were exposed to detailed and up-to-date research information delivered by brewery, food and nutrition experts. Debunking the widely held claims that beer product is a mixture of dangerous chemicals, Brew Master at the NBL, Mr. Ben Anozie who is credited to have brewed beer for 29 years, said beer is brewed with four major ingredients. Among them is water, which constitutes 90 percent of beer and yeast. The third ingredient is barley, a cereal grain eaten as a staple in mediaval Europe. Barley has also been used as animal fodder, as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages. Similarly, hops, (female flowers of the hop plant) are other important ingredients for the production of beer. It is used primarily as a flavouring and preservation agent.

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

Anozie dismissed the popular belief that sugar is added to beer. However, he noted that fermentable sugar that is present in the process of brewing beer comes from barley and is broken down to alcohol and Co2 by yeast. He emphasised that at the maturity of the beer, no sugar is present. Tola Atinmo, a Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of Ibadan, said at least two ways in which beer might impact beneficially on the body is through a direct physiological impact on bodily tissues and functions and through indirect impact, but founded equally on a physiological interaction. He said beer has a relatively low calorie value compared to other alcoholic drinks. Moderate beer consumption does not lead to weight gain or abdominal fat, Atinmo asserted. The professor of human nutrition added that the perception that drinking beer results in a ‘beer belly’ is not scientifically supported. CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Health News

THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Information, key to breast cancer survivorship’ Shola Adefuwa

nformation has been described as very vital to both patients and survivors of breast cancer disease. Executive Director of Sebeccly Cancer Care and Support Centre, Dr. Omolola Salako stated this during the 17th Sebeccly Breast Cancer Support Group meeting which held in Lagos recently. The Sebeccly Breast Cancer Support Group bring together women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and those who survived the ailment and empower them with relevant information as well as available resources to help them cope with the disease. According to Salako, a lot of women do not have clear information as at when they are diagnosed. Even when they are receiving treatment they don’t know what to expect. She therefore reasoned that information is the key. “Last year, we did a focus group

discussion when we want to understand the challenges women diagnosed with breast cancer face,” she noted. Similarly, Salako said it is important for breast cancer survivors to have a network of support so they can be informed and have access to available resources they get to understand what other people go through. This can help them prevent making certain mistakes”. She added, “ it is important for a survivor to understand diet, how she can boost her immunity, to know dose of exercise in reducing of the ailment occurrence. We also want survivors to understand emotions related with breast cancer which can range from denial, frustration, anger depression, among others. “We have a social worker, a psychologist handling that station, and we have the medical station managing the treatment of breast cancer, educating them on the treatment available and how to over-

come the side effects of drugs. “We have the fruit station where we make affected persons generally understand the role fruits play in repairing the body from cancer and the treatment.” She challenged those who have passed through the health challenge to understand beauty tips that can keep them beautiful and attractive. Executive director of Sebeccly advised that breast cancer patients and survivors need to be informed so that they can make the right treatment. “Its common practice for a patient to want to fast alone, pray alone and not receive treatment, but if she has met women who receive treatment and who have survived, she would be informed wisely because some of the challenges are that they have access to wrong information. “If a woman notices breast abnormalities, it is important for her to see a doctor to confirm what type of lump it is,” she said.

Senior Registrar, Endocrinology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Opeoluwa Fasanmade (2nd right), receiving the AstraZeneca Research Grant Award from the Medical Liaison Officer, AstraZeneca Nigeria, Dr. Seun Jewoola (Left); Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Dr. Dike Ojji (2nd Left) and Consultant Gastroenthologist and Hepatologist, Dr..Funmilayo Lesi (RIght) during the AstraZeneca Research Grant Award Ceremony held in, IKeja, Lagos recently.

Poor data on diseases, health issues hinder policy formulation G

lobal biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca is investing $300,000 US dollars in research on healthcare challenges in Nigeria. At its Inaugural Research Grant Award Ceremony which held in Lagos recently, the company said the lack of credible data on diseases and other health issues affecting Nigeria’s population was not only embarrassing but becoming a hindrance to proper policy formulation in tackling such issues. According to Karl Friberg, the Country President for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, it

was this state of affairs that compelled the organisation to institute the Grant Awards. He summarised that estimates from international organisations may have understated the true prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria. The reality, though, is vastly different and encourages the importance of continuous support towards research that can help build knowledge and thus, data on diseases and other issues affecting healthcare delivery in the country. It was this need that led AstraZeneca to invite research proposals from ac-

ademicians and scientists that are interested in the medical and healthcare fields in February 2014. Over 80 Proposals made it through for screening by a Scientific Review Committee which then subjected them to carefully laid-down criteria. “There were many good proposals that came before us but because we had set up strict guidelines regarding subject and budget, we passed them over”, said Dr. Funmilayo Lesi, a member of the committee and Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL).

Healthy Living Dr. Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

Photograph show impact of GERD on health PHOTOS FROM NETPIC

Untreated heartburn may be fatal A

lmost everyone has had heartburn. Sometimes, it happens when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Heartburn is a painful burning feeling in the chest or throat. If anyone experiences heartburn more than two times weekly, the person may have developed a more serious form of heartburn called GERD (Gastro esophegeal reflux) which is when the muscles at the end of the esophagus do not close tightly enough. This allows contents of the stomach to back up or reflux which can damage the esophagus. Over the counter medications may help but if it persists an affected person might need to see a doctor. GERD is a common chronic relapsing condition that is associated with a significant morbidity and can cause death from complications if not treated. Many patients self diagnose and self treat and do not seek medical attention. Some of the risk factors may include certain medications, tobacco use, pregnancy, very hot spicy food. Other risk factors include drinking alcohol and consumption of fatty or acidic food. Some of the classic symptoms may be chronic cough, hoarse voice, belching, bloating, wheezing mouth odour, and some signs might be yellow discolouration of the teeth from too much acid and recurrent sore throat. Others are acid regur-

gitation provoked by lying flat on the back or leaning forward, and regurgitation of digested food or clear burning fluid. Undigested food regurgitation is not acid reflux. There is no clear cut way to diagnose GERD but checking the acid content in your mouth over a 24 hour with a probe will help. Red flags that complications are developing include difficulty swallowing, weight loss, early fullness when eating and vomiting. Complications Persistent chest pain especially after eating, cough that will not go away even with cough medication, developing asthma and laryngeal cancer. Management General measures Drink eight ounce of water (1250ml), non-caffeinated fluid every day, decrease or eliminate caffeine, spicy food and milk products towards the end of the day.

GERD is a common chronic relapsing condition that is associated with a significant morbidity and can cause death from complications if not treated

Also, avoid chocolate as well as fatty foods. Stop smoking; stop eating two to three hours before bedtime. Sit upright 45 minutes to one hour after meals. If there is no relief, an affected person might try over-the-counter anti-acid medications like maalox, tums and rolaids but if symptoms persists, a prescription like the ones that stop too much acid from being made in the body in the first place and the ones that soothe the stomach walls containing the acid for backing up into the throat, should be tried. Similarly, an anti-acid chewing gum can be used immediately. Anti-acid medications Anti-acid medications increase the barrier to acid penetration in the esophagus. It has been shown to effectively relieve symptoms and lower acid regurgitation. Some people may be able to predict when they will have reflux symptoms. They may benefit for premedication with an antiacid drugs or medications that prevent production of acid in the body. But in patients with long term complicated GERD, there is potential benefits from long term treatment. Similarly, in very severe cases where the esophagus has been completely washed off by acid, anti reflux surgery can be considered but success has not been 100 percent and post surgical complications might be severe difficulty swallowing solid foods, nausea and vomiting.

Health News 29

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014

Rotaract Club takes free health care to Gbagada Flora Onwudiwe

Participants at the Rotary’s free medical check up which held in Lagos recently.

Caffeine-free Little Bigshot energy drink debuts T

he advent of energy drinks and their consumption by mostly adolescents and youths is raising health safety concerns due to their high caffeine content. In order to ensure the safety of consumers and provide them with healthy choice, a new caffeine-free energy drink called Little Bigshot Energy drink has been introduced to the Nigerian market. It is specially formulated with organic substance as energy booster

that is not harmful to the body. This has been a major breakthrough. “Little Bigshot energy drink is the number one natural energy boost with absolutely no caffeine and taurine, said Elias Edetanlen-Elliot, managing director/chief executive, Elias Elliot International Limited, which owns the franchise for Little Bigshot energy drink to Africa. The drink is for everyone including children from the age of eight. Similarly, it is good for

pregnant women. “Our business covers Real estate, Agro business, and general merchandise,” he said. He added, “We are deter mined to provide quality services to Nigerians and also provide employment. Elias Elliot International Ltd owns the franchise for Little Bigshot energy drink to Africa. The product owners of Little Bigshot N.I. UK is based in the United Kingdom (UK).

arket men and women especially those selling perishable items including pepper, tomatoes, fresh meat, among others are among 120 Nigerians that benefitted from the Rotaract Club of Gbagada’s free medical checkup, donation of drugs and insecticidetreated mosquito nets. The beneficiaries who were drawn from Sholiyi, Araromi and Ifako communities of Gbagada accessed the health programme at the Araromi Primary School, Gbagada on Saturday where they went through various medical checkup including blood sugar level, blood pressure measurement, body mass index, among others while those that tested positive to malaria fever got free malarial drugs. Similarly, expectant mothers went home with mosquito nets. The beneficiaries were also lectured on the need to always wash their hands. Furthermore, they were advised to teach their chil-

dren the practice of hand washing so as to protect them from infections. While advocating routine medical checkup as a strategy for healthy living, Dr. Ajibola Ayanwale of the Rotary Club of Gbagada in his lecture also stressed the importance of checking genotype or blood group among intending couples to prevent the delivery of children with sickle cell anaemia in the future. He added that both young couples must endeavour to check their blood group so as to rule out two partners with SS genotype getting married. While he urged every expectant mother to register at a nearby hospital to enable the doctors monitor the baby in the womb till delivery, Ayanwale discouraged them from patronising quacks and herbal homes as alternative to hospital delivery, adding that many women have died as a result of birth complications. “If a baby is delivered in the hospital, the doctor will be of help to save the situation,” he said.

The president of Rotaract Club of Gbagada, Rachael Treasure Akerele said that the mission of the group is to create awareness for wellness in the community by reducing malaria scourge. Hence, the distributed free malaria drugs and mosquito nets and the medical checkup for beneficiaries in all the communities. Akerele who is also a medical student said the mission became necessary to eradicate illness and diseases. “If we allow sickness in a community and fail to educate people it will spread. It will cost more to get it treated properly and could result to high mortality.” She consequently reasoned that the awareness is necessary to create healthy living among people in the community, adding that the choice of benefitting community is because it falls under the jurisdiction of the club. The ex-president of Rotaract Club of Gbagada, Osore Akinwole Sola said that the club always organise free health check twice a year.

‘Moderate beer consumption, part of healthy diet’ CONTINUED FROM PAG E 27

Anti-oxidants in beer According to Atinmo, beers are generally a valuable source of polyphenols. (polyphenol extracts from plant source such as grape skin, grape seeds, olive pulp and maritime pine bark are sold as ingredients in functional foods, dietary supplements and cosmetics). Furthermore, he stated that the levels of antioxidants in beer are of the same order of magnitude as those found in fruit juices, teas and wines. In addition, he said flavonoids in beer have potential value as chemo-protective agents. Polyphenols and beer The professor of human nutrition said polyphenols lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other chronic diseases due to their antioxidant properties. “Polyphenols have beneficial effects on blood pressure, lipids, insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers.” He said beer, through its components, has preventive effects on lifestyle-related diseases. Lifestyle-related diseases are sicknesses caused by unsuitable dietary habits, lack of exercise and stress. Examples of these include type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, osteoporosis, gout and many types of cancers. “Beer seems to play no role

in the so-called ‘beer belly’ neither in men nor in women. “Moderate alcohol consumption decreased fasting insulin and HbA1c concentrations. “There is a lower risk of type 2 diabetes with moderate alcohol consumption due to improved insulin sensitivity or improved glycemic status.” Speaking further, Atinmo said light to moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with significant reduction in all-cause and particularly cardiovascular mortality, adding that beer may prevent carcinogenesis and osteoporosis. “Beer provides plasma with significant protection from oxidative stress. Isohumulones, the bitter substance derived from hops, may prevent and improve obesity and type-2 diabetes, improve lipid metabolism and suppress atherosclerosis. “Moderate consumption of alcohol (beer) may be beneficial to bone in men and postmenopausal women. Silicon in beer strongly mediates the association of beer on positive higher bone mineral density (BMD).” Although, the production and consumption of beer dated back to 7,000 years with earliest evidence from Sumeria (modern Iraq), then Assyria and in Egypt, today with over 40,000

Anozie

Beer brings people together and it is brewed with natural ingredients that its consumers are very familiar with. Besides, beer complements food.

Egenmonmei

brands of beer produced worldwide, the brewery industry now employ quality, excellence and technological innovation to deliver perfect beer products to consumers, the Brew master at NBL concluded. With over several decades of beer production in Nigeria, managers of NBL believe that beer is a product with future value; it belongs to consumers and the society. Hence, the need to sustain its production with a view to meeting consumer tastes and desire which is said to be the biggest concern of the brewery industry. Another huge challenge widely seen as a sustainable

Atinmo

factor for the industry is making those who go for beer to consume the product moderately. Explaining why beer consumption is necessary, Senior Strategy Manager with NBL, Mr. Tony Egenmonmei said “Beer brings people together and it is brewed with natural ingredients that its consumers are very familiar with. Besides, beer complements food.” Egenmonmei noted that while beer beverage contains many positive and great things, many misconceptions and negative campaigns are peddled and “even without evidence a lot of people believe what they hear.”

Health News

THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Doctors advocate voluntary blood donation to save lives

Resident doctors from LASUTH donating blood

NAFDAC drug laboratory gets international accreditation Abubakar Jimoh, the Direc-

Stories by Appolonia Adeyemi tor General of NAFDAC , Dr. he regional drug labo- Paul Orhii dropped the hint

ratory of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( (NAFDAC ) located at Yaba, Lagos State has recorded a major feat with its international accreditation by the National board of American Society for Quality . The cheering news of the international accreditation of the drug laboratory filtered in after a thorough audited and assessment of the quality Management System (QMS) of the entire laboratory carried out by officials of the American Society for Quality technically known as ASQ-ANSI . According to a statement from NAFDAC signed by its Director (Special Duties), Dr.

while addressing regulatory officers of the Agency at the Annual Budget Retreat held in Lagos. Orhii disclosed that the Yaba laboratory has now joined four other NAFDAC laboratories that have gained international accreditation in the last one year. He listed the Mycotoxin, Pesticides, Food and High Performance Liquid Chromatography ( HPLC ) Laboratories as the four laboratories that have obtained international accreditation . According to him, NAFDAC is making giant strides not only in infrastructural transformation but also in the area of international standardisation and recognition of the Agency‘s regula-

tory activities. The director general of NAFDAC said the international accreditation of NAFDAC laboratories has positive ripple effect on the current effort of the federal government to diversify the economy by boosting production and export potential of indigenous industries. Dr. Orhii noted that NAFDAC has made Nigeria very proud as the first medicine and food regulatory agency in Africa to belong to G – 20 Heads of Medicines Regulatory Authorities drawn from all over the world. He assured that management of NAFDAC will continue to be committed to the improvement of staff welfare and provision of conducive working environment for its workforce.

blood in a human body is about five litres and those donating give about 500 mills, which is about one tenth of the blood in their body. Thereafter, within two months the donor’s body regenerates that blood. Whether or not the woman is menstruating, “she can donate so as long as she is not breastfeeding and not pregnant,” he said. Abdulsalam said, “If you come forth to donate blood, you get screened so that if you have hypertension, hepatitis and other forms of diseases, you get screened, you can easily be screened and those health conditions identified. “The third reason to donate blood is that “there is a reduction risk of over 40 percent of cardiovascular disease in people who donate blood. A number of people have excess of iron in their body and iron contributes to atherosclerosis which is what causes cardiovascular diseases. “So, when you donate blood, all the time, you remove the excess iron from the body. That explains why women are less prone to cardiovascular diseases. They lose blood from menstruation on monthly basis.” Furthermore, the president of ARD-LASUTH said“you can lose calories by donating blood. So it is encouraged that people should donate blood and we are also trying to encourage voluntary blood donation.”

Spring is purest source of water

PHOTO: www.naturepictures.co

octors under the umbrella of Association of Resident Doctors Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (ARD-LASUTH) has advocated voluntary blood donation by Nigerians, saying apart from saving lives, the exercise is also a form of health screening. President, ARD-LASUTH, Dr. Moruf Adekunle abdulsalam who made the call in Lagos said it has become necessary following blood shortage being recorded in the nation’s blood banks and the fact that many people are running away from blood donation because of perceived reasons. He spoke at the voluntary blood donation exercise organised by ARD-LASUTH recently to boost blood banks and to educate the public on the importance and benefits of voluntary blood donation. According to Abdulsalam, anyone within the age of 18 and 55 years, can donate blood. Besides, the male or female donorwhose pax cell volume (PCV) is 40 percent is fit to donate blood. He noted that averagely most people have PCV that is between 30 to 45. However, if the PCV of an intending donor is low, he will be encouraged to go and see a doctor so that blood medication to boost the PCV can be administered on him.(PCV explains the oxygen carrying capacity on one’s blood.) “The total amount of

Life giving properties of water (1)

ater is a life giver. Apart from air, there is nothing as essential for life as water. The origin of water goes back to the origin of the earth itself. From the accounts of creation in Genesis, we find that water is the oldest and commonest substance on earth. In the beginning, before creation, the earth was a formless void; a mass pool of water covered the earth. Water is also connected with the destruction of the world. When the Israelites refused to obey God, God sent the flood to dissolve the world. Water, then, is a principle of creation and dissolution. Note that I say dissolution, not destruction, for God does not destroy. This is indeed a mystery. Right from the beginning, human beings have been fascinated with water. Water is the strongest natural force in the

Nature Power Fr. Anselm Adodo, OSB

naturepower@paxherbals.net; twitter: @anselmadodo world, far more powerful that fire or wind. Everything on earth contains water. We came from water. Our survival depends on water. An apple is 80 percent water. Tomato is 95 percent water. Pawpaw is 90 percent water. Orange is 95 percent water. The human body is 70 percent water. Seventy percent of the earth surface is water. It is no wonder, then, that water and water animals feature greatly in our dreams. We are a water people. The symbolism of water is central to our Christian faith. In many places all over the world, people worship water. Water is the chief symbol of Christian initiation. At baptism, we were im-

mersed in water. It is important to note that immersion in water is not just a Christian practice. Immersion in water is common to all religions. When an initiate is immersed in water, he/she is symbolically dead. Immersion in water symbolises dissolution, end of the old life. When the initiate emerges from the water, he/ she becomes a new person. The old world is gone. Everything is now new. Even though it is the commonest substance on earth, we actually use less than 10 percent of earth water. Only 30 percent of earth water is fresh water, and we use less than 10 percent of this. The rest exists as snow on mountains and hills, and so

can’t be used. Our earth is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. When hydrogen mixes with oxygen, it turns into water. The earth is water. We are water. Everything is water. Water exists in three forms, namely, solid [ice], liquid [water] and gas [vapour]. Of all natural substances on earth, only water exists in three forms. Liquid water is in oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, etc. Solid water is ice or snow. This happens when the temperature falls to 0 degree centigrade. CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

To stay healthy, each person needs to drink at least 2 ½ liters of water daily. A normal adult drinks between 60,000 and 70,000 liters of water in his lifetime.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Industry

ICT

Palm oil: Stakeholders want govt to suspend 75% duty import waiver

Broadband: Positioning Nigeria as Africa’s gateway

Business What's news

‘Only 28% cybercrimes emanate from Nigeria’ Despite the increase in the cases of cybercrimes in Nigeria, only 28 per cent emanate from the country.

SHARING FORMULA Revenue sharing formula between value-added service providers and mobile networks has always been a major issue in the telecoms VAS market

Kunle Azeez

p.32

India records $136bn trade deficit with Nigeria, Russia India’s trade deficit with Nigeria and Russia has grown 22-fold from $6 billion between 1990 and 1991 financial year to $136 billion in 2013- 2014.

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

ncreased collaboration between telecoms networks, the providers of value added services (VAS) on mobile networks and the regulator remains a viable option for growing the telecoms VAS market from its current $200 million to $500 million in the next few years. This was disclosed by the National Coordinating Consultant of the Wireless Applications Service Providers Ltd GTE (WASPAN), Mr Simon Aderinola, in a telephone interview with New Telegraph this week. WASPAN is the umbrella body of companies offering value added services on mobile networks in Nigeria. This was the new position of the Wireless Applications Service Providers Ltd GTE (WASPAN), which represents the umbrella body of companies offering value added services on mobile networks in Nigeria. Aderinola particularly urged all stakeholders in the mobile telecommunications industry to join hands towards developing the wireless application sub-sector for the country’s social and economic growth. Aderinola said that the current scenario whereby mobile networks and wireless application service providers hold divergent opinions on several critical industry issues would not augur well for the sector’s development and the country’s growth. According him, wireless application sub-sector is one that

‘How to grow telecoms VAS market to $500m’

has emerged globally in recent years and not part of the traditional telecommunications services. He noted that based on this reality, there is some degree of uncertainty about how to regulate the activities of wireless application providers and how

to help develop the sub-sector. Aderinola, however, noted that the problem was not peculiar to Nigeria, noting that, in many countries, after initial problems, collaboration between network operators, application service providers, the industry regulator and other

stakeholders had led to the development of the industry for greater economic benefits. “We need to learn from the success of the models adopted in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

L-R: Managing Director, LASAA, Mr George Kayode Noah; Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola and Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr John Ugbe, during the opening of 2014 Lagos State Countdown Festival.

Bayo Akomolafe

orld’s largest beverage company, Coca-Cola, is to cut over 2,000 jobs from its 130,000 employees in Nigeria and other parts of the world in January, 2015. Also, the company is introducing stricter budgeting such as asking executives to swap limousines for taxis, and has cancelled its Christmas party. The job cut is part of Coke’s

Coca-Cola to cut 2,000 jobs in New Year $3 billion cost-cutting plans, which it announced in October after posting a 14 per cent drop in third-quarter profit, according to the Wall Street Journal report. Coke had said in October

that it was targeting $3 billion in cost savings by 2019, up from the $1 billion it announced in February. It was learnt that the job CONTINUED 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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Only 28% cyber crimes emanate from Nigeria’ DELAY

Nigeria’s House of Representatives is yet to pass the country’s Cyber Security Bill into law Kunle Azeez

espite the increase in the cases of cybercrimes in Nigeria, only 28 per cent emanate from the country. This was the observation of the Information Technology System and Security Professional (ITSSP) during a roundtable organised in Lagos. The roundtable was organised by ITSSP, which is the Information Technology security group of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) to preview trend of security threats in 2015 and beyond. According to ITSSP, the largest chunk of cybercrimes recorded in Nigeria, representing

about 78 per cent, was from outside the shores of the country. ITSSP, which commended Nigeria for being at the forefront of IT revolution in Africa, said many “foreign hackers and cyber criminals” were leveraging the fastgrowing status of the country’s ICT ecosystem to launch cyber-attacks offshore. However, the pressure group warned Nigerian government at various levels as well as key players in the ICT sector to take security of information as a global challenge whereby the country has to play its own role. Speaking at the forum, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Commit Technology and Consult, Dr. Niran Oyekale, stressed that the bane of information insecurity in Nigeria was, no doubt, a result of poor technical knowhow in Nigeria, saying that there was the need to scale up IT skills in the country.

He decried the state of school curriculum and scheme of work adopted in the country which, he said, were not in tune with the reality vis-à-vis the advancement in ICT development. “IT knowledge must be a vital aspect of learning right from primary school to university level. This is the only way to ensure capacity building in information security. “Capacity building would stop data losses that we normally experi-

ence. For instance, lack of capacity building to manage our biometric data in the country can, indeed, forfeit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s permanent voters card (PVC’s)’s registration and accreditation and the National Identity Card registration and many other data-based exercises.” Also, former President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr Chris Uwaje, said that

the deficiency of certified and strong IT security team in the country was responsible for the disjointed and disparate databases that Nigeria operates. He said: “As external hackers keep hijacking Nigeria’s information resources, the best way to save the country from becoming a digital colony of these external threats is by training all and sundry involved in information management.” The IT mogul urged

government to come up with policies that not only helped in further deployment of IT infrastructure in the country but also help in the protection of the country’s information banks from all-time robbery by hackers. Meanwhile, a tech and youth-oriented socioorganisation, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), has tasked the National Assembly to conclude legislative work on the passage of Cyber security Bill.

Coca-Cola to cut 2,000 jobs CONTINUED FROM PAG E 3 1

cut notices will go out to North American staffers by January 8, 2015, while Nigeria and other employees across the globe will get their quit notices by January 15, 2015, the Wall Street reported. The impact is expected to be significant at Coke’s headquarters in Atlanta and global regional offices, where over 10 per cent of corporate staff could lose their jobs, according to the report. The company’s bottling and distribution divisions, which account for over 85 per cent are largely out of the firing line for now, the report

said. Wintergreen Advisers, a minority shareholder of the company, had called for the replacement of Chief Executive, Muhtar Kent, calling him “incapable of leading Coke’s turnaround.” The company’s portfolio features $17 billion brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, CocaCola Zero, vitamin water, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in over 200 countries enjoy its beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.

How to grow telecoms VAS market CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 3 1

These are countries where the wireless application services industry is doing well. These countries collaborated to develop a framework that is now successfully benefitting stakeholders,” he said. New Telegraph recalls that following unending controversies, especially between mobile networks and wireless application services providers, WASPAN, in 2012, invited experts from South Africa to help in sharing their experiences on the matter. The consultant who

helped South Africa set up its joint industry regulatory framework, Dr. Leon Pellman, led a delegation to Nigeria and had useful discussions with several stakeholders in the country on how to develop application service sub-sector in the telecom industry. But Aderinola said that if the outcome of discussions during the visit of Dr. Pellman-led delegation has been fully implemented in Nigeria, the sector would have developed more than it is currently, saying that collaboration was needed so that the potential of the sector could be realised.

L-R: Business Manager, First Bank Plc, Ijebu-Jesa, Mr Ayodeji Olorunfemi; Business Development Officer, Mrs Kehinde Olateju-Lawal; Osun Business Development Officer, Mrs Foluke Hamilton and the winner, First Bank Savings Bonanza, Mr Hosea Olaomo, at the presentation of a new Hyundai Elantra car to Olaomo in Osogbo.

India records $136bn trade deficit with Nigeria, Russia IMBALANCE

India’s merchandise quandary creates wide gap between deficit and surplus Bayo Akomolafe

ndia’s trade deficit with Nigeria and Russia has grown 22-fold from $6 billion between 1990 and 1991 financial year to $136 billion in 2013- 2014. The country’s exports which stood at $18 billion in FY1990-1991 have grown to around $314.5 billion in FY2013-2014. In the same time, India’s imports also grew from around $24 billion to $450.5 billion during the period. It was revealed that its imports grew over 18 times in

the last two decades, partly due to growing reliance on oil. In 2015, the country is targeting $340 billion or a growth of eight per cent in merchandise exports. According to the country’s Ministry of Commerce, India’s merchandise trade stood at around $42 billion in FY1990-91, and has grown to around $765 billion in FY2013-14. Its Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, informed the parliament that India’s trade had grown at an annual average growth rate of 13.42per cent and has increased 18-fold since 1990-1991. He added, “India had a trade surplus with countries such as USSR, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Mauritius, Spain, Afghanistan and Nigeria in 1990-1991.

“However, it now runs a deficit with Russia and Nigeria, and has a trade surplus with countries such as USA, Singapore, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, UK, Kenya, Nepal, and Vietnam. “Measures taken by the Indian government to open its markets as part of economic liberalisation in the early nineties have led to a massive growth in overall trade, but the trade deficit has widened more rapidly than overall trade growth in the last 20 years.” The minister said that the figures reflected changing macroeconomic factors of India and the world, such as demand and supply, exchange rates, and economic conditions of different countries. India’s trade balance is also heavily dependent on oil and gold imports.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Experts caution FG against taxing industries p.34

Industry

Govt seeks support for home-made products p.34

Stories by Dele Alao

MPR increase will further endanger industries – NACCIMA

he Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) have described the increase in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 12 per cent to 13 per cent as inimical to industrial growth. National president of the association, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, while reviewing the state of the nation at a media parley, said: “While we recognise the effort of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in addressing the various fiscal challenges in our nation, we wish to state that the recent increase in Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 12 per cent to 13 per cent will further endanger our ailing industrial sector, considering the current global outlook. Investors are worried that their businesses are at risk with the high lending rate in existence.” “We therefore counsel that the Federal Government should initiate policies that will create enabling environment for investors to look inward for investment opportunities while working towards reducing the MPR to a single digit,” he added. Abubakar, who was represented by the 1st eputy national president, Chief Bassey Edem, also reiterated the need for the

diversification of the economy. While commending the effort of the Federal Government towards diversifying the economy through various reforms in the non-oil sectors, the NACCIMA president noted that diversifying the Nigerian economy was a pathway to achieving economic stability and would lead the nation in realising its long term socio-economic development goals. He, therefore, called for an improved collaboration between the public and private sectors and government’s sincerity in facilitating a private sector-led economy, which, he said, would enable Nigeria to maximally utilise her abundant resources. “Government should provide a climate for a profitable and flourishing business enterprise. In this regard, the first and most critical area of attention is to intensify its transformation agenda on infrastructure. With this, cost of production will reduce, unit prices will reduce and our goods will be able to compete internationally. Government should address other areas that effectively raise the cost of doing business such as excessive tax burden, high cost of compliance with government regulations and extortion/harassment of companies by regulatory

DANGER High lending rate creates anxiety for investors

Firm rewards schools with gift items

s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Bobo Foods and Beverages Limited, manufacturers of Bobo Fruit milk drink variants, has rewarded three schools who emerged as final winners in the Smartkids Brain Competition, the company’s CSR platform, with various gift items. The schools are Sharon Praise Children’s World, In His Grace School and Initoro Progress Nursery & Primary School, all in Lagos. The three schools emerged winners from the 15 schools, which participated in a keenly contested quiz competition, held at Danjuma Hall of the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, Lagos, recently. Participating schools included Lagooz, St. Cathering Model School, In His Grace, Sharon Praise Children’s World, Mabecon Schools, Regal Foundation Schools and Initoro Progress Nursery & Primary School, among others. The quiz, which went into the knockout stage, covered the modern use of English language, current affairs and arithmetic (simple calculations).

No fewer than 400 schools from Lagos and Ogun states entered for the competition. Prizes offered to the winning schools are seven sets of desktop computers and laser jet printers (1st prize), drum sets, keyboard and two desktop computers (2nd prize) and drum set, keyboard and one desktop computer (3rd prize). Speaking during the quiz competition, the company’s Marketing Manager, Mr Dennis Ativie, said that the competition is developed as a concept to help touch the lives of the next generation Nigerian leaders. “Bobo Foods and Beverages Nigeria Limited is investing in this annual program to actualise the company’s concept of ploughing back to the society that has given it so much. We are committed to the corporate existence of this great nation, hence the need to be fully involved in corporate social responsibility to the society by motivating pupils to aspire to greater heights,” he said. The marketing manager added that the annual event would be sustainable and prizes on offer would be improved upon in consequent editions.

agencies,” he said. He added: “Government should examine the various incentives and harmonise them appropriately. The ineffective ones should be abolished while others should be fine-tuned to make them practicable and realistic. In this wise, the abolition of Duty Draw Back Scheme is commendable and the fine-tuning of the Export Expansion Grant will be a step in the right

direction.” The NACCIMA president said that although, the nation has made significant progress in some sectors, this, he said, was still not adequate, considering the country’s aspiration of becoming one of the top 20 most developed economies in the world by the year 2020. He, however, said that the ongoing socio-economic reform programmes of the federal

and state governments must be intensified and appropriate policy framework put in place through public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements. “NACCIMA has a strong conviction that with the right political will, good governance and commitment to the ideals of the private sector-led economy, the nation’s socio-economic visions would be realised sooner than later,” Abubakar said.

L-R: Deputy National President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Remi Bello; 1st Deputy National President, NACCIMA, Chief Bassey Edem and acting Director-General, Mrs. Janet Omisore, at a press conference on the ‘Review of the State of the Nation’ in Lagos.

Palm oil: Stakeholders want govt to suspend 75% duty import waiver

takeholders in the palm oil sector of the economy, especially operators in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, have called on the Federal Government to suspend the 75 per cent duty waiver granted importers of crude palm oil. They have also threatened a form of action should the Federal Government fail to rescind its decision. Findings showed that consultations are on-going among the stakeholders such as the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Vegetable and Edible Oil Producers Association of Nigeria (VEOPAN), Vegetable and Edible Oil Sector of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria (POFON) President of the NPPAN, Henry Olatujoye, said: “To me, the owners of the Lekki FTZ are out to kill Nigeria’s effort to develop our palm oil industries and they are

treating us like goats. Give the goat a green grass and have your way. This has to stop immediately. We are appealing to government to immediately remove that clause from the Act and close the Lekki FTZ with a view to reviewing the activities of the companies operating in the Zone. Olatujoye said that the industrial users of CPO in Nigeria have come to realise that it was very important to develop their own plantation to sustain their demand for CPO. “That is why PZWillmar is developing about 30,000Ha, Presco 16,000Ha, Okomu 12500Ha, Slabmark 4000Ha, among others. 10,000 hectares represent 10 km by 10 km in area. You can see that operators in the industry in Nigeria are spending huge fund to develop plantations. Therefore, any policy that will negate this investment should be seen as anti-Nigerian and should be crushed immediately. All sponsors

of this act should be exposed and dealt with,” he said. Also, the managing director, Okomu Oil Palm Plc, Dr. Graham Hefer, said that the 75 per cent waiver should be withdrawn immediately as it is illegal and inimical to the future development of the oil palm sector and open to abuse. Also, the managing director, Araromi Ayesan Oil Palm Plc, Mr Babatunde Kuku, said that the granting of 75 per cent waiver on duty payment to some companies in the vegetable oil sector creates undulating playing ground for manufacturers in the industry; while industries enjoying the waiver pay only 8.75 per cent, others pay 35 per cent. “This is unfair and capable of destroying the investments of the companies that are not favoured. Government should reverse the waivers or in the alternative, bring duty down to 8.75 per cent,” Kuku said.

Business | Industry

WARNING Measures weaken purchasing power of the masses

he Federal Gover nment has been urged not to impose tax on industries if the sector must shore up the shortfall from oil revenue. Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, the Secretary-General, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Mr Eke Ubiji and a former, Director of Budget and Planning, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Titus Okunronmu, who said this in Lagos, noted that the hinging of more revenue on tax and other measures due to low oil prices would further retard business growth. They said that taxes and other austerity measures put in place would weaken the purchasing power of the masses even

Govt seeks support for home-made products

n its continued determination to encourage local manufacturers, the Federal Government has said it would no longer subsidise products nor support firms that import goods that are produced in the country. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said this at a sensitization exercise for stakeholders on the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) in Lagos. The minister, who noted that the economy was moving in the right direction with economic managers doing their best to ensure that the diversification agenda was achieved through the NIRP, said: “We are not panicking due to the falling oil price. The NIRP is a proactive step taken to address the situation. The primary goal of the NIRP is to diversify the revenue profile of the economy. With a young population growing at three per cent per annum, if we continue to import everything, then the country would run into trouble within a short while.” “We are interested in local production goods and not just assembling of goods. We need to accelerate implementation and the private sector is important in making this achievable”, he added.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Experts caution FG against taxing industries if the masses were not directly taxed. Yusuf, who noted that the benchmark of the budget was a risky optimism, said that the funding of the 2015 budget on $65 per barrel was unrealistic because of the forces of demand and supply in the international market. “The $65 per barrel oil benchmark is on the optimistic side, given the developments in the global oil market. At times like this, it is better to be conservative in revenue ex-

pectations,’’ Yusuf said. He noted that the benchmark would further compound the woes of entrepreneurs, who had been struggling to grow their businesses despite the various challenges confronting entrepreneurs. “Businesses are seriously burdened by the recent depreciation and devaluation of the naira. “High import duty, high cost of funds and the impact of poor infrastructure are adversely

affecting the growth of businesses. “Government should not impose additional pressure on businesses in its quest for an increase in non-oil revenue,” he added. On his part, Ubiji appealed to the Federal Government to prop up the non-oil sector instead of increasing taxation to augment government revenue. He said: “Our reliance on crude oil is not sustainable because government will not be buoyant

enough to invest in infrastructure in the face of a reduction in global demand for oil. Government will not be able to meet up with its recurrent expenditures like payment of salaries to staff and even contractors. Exchange rate is currently high and its effect on businesses is unquantifiable. There should be greater emphasis on cost savings and efficiency of tax administration rather than the imposition of new taxes or charges on businesses.”

Also, Okunronmu, who noted that the benchmark would create a deficit in government revenue and in turn increase inflation, said that the global oil price which had dwindled since the first quarter of 2014, might reduce to as low as $55 per barrel by mid-2015. Okunronmu noted that that the US, which was Nigeria’s biggest market for crude oil with about 40 per cent purchase, had stopped patronising the nation.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

ICT

CWG installs over 4,000 ATMs for banks p.36 The ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in conjunction with the Ministry of Communication Technology to attract investment into the country’s broadband sector has been commended with experts saying the country is poised to be positioned as the gateway to African continent in terms of broadband development. KUNLE AZEEZ writes

igeria may soon become the first country to be reckoned with on the African continent in terms of having robust and pervasive broadband internet network going by the ongoing efforts by the telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications Technology, to drive increased foreign direct investment (FDI) into the broadband segment of the nation’s Information and Communication Technology industry. This is based on projections by international experts at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where Nigeria has continued to play a prominent role in the past decade. Following the approval of the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018 by President Goodluck Jonathan early in 2013, the country has been embarking on various projects and attending most international ICT fora to woo potential investors to come and invest in the country’s broadband market. According to experts from KPMG, consultants to the regulator, the investment drive has become imperative as Nigeria would need about $10 billion investment in its broadband sector in the next five years with $2 billion investment annually. Nigeria’s broadband penetration, which currently stands at about six per cent is to be increased five-folds to about 30 per cent in the next four years. It is, therefore, instructive that the recognition of Nigeria’s efforts towards attaining a leading position in the area of robust broadband network development has informed the commendations given to the NCC by the outgoing Director General of ITU, Dr Hamadoun Toure, at the recently-concluded ITU Telecoms World 2014 held in Doha, Qatar.

35 New Android TV offers 70% power-saving feature p.36

Broadband: Positioning Nigeria as Africa’s gateway

Johnson

He commended the Nigeria’s leadership in ICT, saying that for five successive years, Nigeria led the global chart as the fastest-growing ICT sector. “Indeed, it is the gateway to Africa, having become the leading investment destination for ICT, a status that will continue to drive investment into the country’s broadband sector in years to come,” he noted. Also speaking, the incoming scribe of ITU, Mr Houlin Zhao, who expressed excitement about the colourful nature of the Nigeria pavilion at the global event, said that “there has been a massive growth of the ICT in Nigeria.” Zhao should understand Nigerian telecoms ecosystem better, having been the Deputy Secretary General of ITU for about 16 years, during which he had witnessed the growth trajectory in the country’s ICT sector compared with other countries on the black continent. According to him, Nigeria’s adoption of Long Term Evolution/ Fourth Generation (4G) is one of the fastest in the world, expressing assurance that broadband growth will experience same growth pattern and so encouraged investors to visit Nigeria to tap into its huge investment opportunities in broadband. “Nigeria’s broadband will be fastest in growth than many developed countries and African countries going by the sound broadband policy already put in place in Nigeria,” Zhao said. He added, “So, I am very optimistic that Nigeria is on its way to leading the world in ICT and the future is very bright. “After China, India, then Africa and Nigeria is the gateway and Nigeria has shown the way on how

Juwah

Nigeria would need about $10 billion investment in its broadband sector in the next five years with $2 billion investment annually

ICT should be implemented and we congratulate Nigeria for showing the way.” While noting that Nigeria still need a lot of hard work to achieve its targeted status in the global broadband ecosystem, Minister of Communication Technology, Dr Omobola Johnson, said the broadband initiatives in Niger were still work in progress. “This is why we have come to ITU and our focus of discussion has been to woo foreign investors into Nigeria to invest in broadband,” she said, adding that necessary incentives would be given to willing investors. Also, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, while reeling out statistics to explain why the country is where it is now, agreed with the minister that ICT is, indeed, work in progress. He said that Nigeria currently had over 134.5 million subscribers, 96 per cent teledensity and over 74 million internet subscribers connected via narrow bands, and over $32 billion ICT investment, saying that growth in the sector today continues to be impressive. Juwah, however, said that despite these, opportunity for growth was still high, hence, the adoption of the Open Access Model for the regime of soon-to-be-licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) to promote healthy competition, affordability and access to all in the seven zones for which the InfraCos will deploy services. He said, “Our adoption of global best practices in regulatory activities has become an inspiration to many African countries which come to ask us to tell them how we do it.” According to him, broadband offers huge returns on investment

and those who said ICT is ‘the next Oil and Gas’ for countries that have opened up their frontiers are right. He said government would provide incentives like tax holidays of between five and seven years and also provide financial incentives of between 15 to 30 per cent of the operators’ capital expenditure (CAPEX). This is to create attraction for operators to go to areas they believe may be unattractive. While updating “our stories and sharing our experiences,” Juwah said “ we must report that the positive ways in which ICT is affecting lives and businesses in our nation is breath taking.” He said, “Broadband availability and usage is top on the NCC agenda that is why we have entrenched the Open Access Model o actualise this. This is why we have hinged our participation at ITU World 2014 on the theme: Broadband Nigeria, Enabling Access, and Transforming Communities. You may be aware that the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of his President Goodluck Jonathan, has graciously approved an inclusive national implementation plan for effective nationwide pervasive broadband deployment.” Juwah said part of NCC story was the successful auctioning of a wireless broadband licence on the 2.3 gigahertz frequency spectrum bad in February 2014. “Regional fibre optics infrastructure deployment licence is currently being finalised for North Central geopolitical area of Nigeria and Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria with a very huge population. Licences will soon be issued to the winning InfraCos while we prepare to put up more infraCox licences for grabs for the rest of the five geopolitical spread. So, investors have a good dose of opportunity in our broadband plan,” Juwah said. Explaining further, he said, “A lot more potential and opportunities exist in financial sector of our economy where the banks are yawning for broadband services to enable their indispensable data applications. The education sector has huge demand for broadband data applications, and so do government agencies. The potential are simply enormous.” In their submission, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Mike Ikpoki, and a Director with Etisalat, Mr Ibrahim Dikko, who were also at the ITU conference, expressed their belief that with good regulatory regime being put in place by the regulator and the telcos’ continuous investment to deepen broadband, Nigeria is poised to become a gateway for ICT investment.

Business | ICT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

CWG installs over 4,000 ATMs for banks BOOST The company’s role in the financial services sector in terms of infrastructure deployment is adding the needed fillip to the industry Stories by Kunle Azeez

igeria’s Information and Communication Technology conglomerate, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc, said it had installed over 4,000 Wincor Nixdorf brand of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) for banks in Nigeria. This represents 30.7 per cent share of the total 13,000 ATMs of different brands so far deployed by banks in the country. This is according to an unpublished survey conducted by Wincor Nixdorf, a global manufacturer of ATM in collaboration with CWG, its country’s technical partner The survey report said, “There are about 13,000 ATMs in Nigeria and over 6,000 of them are of Wincor Nixdorf brand. CWG installed over 4,000 of the Wincor Nixdorf ATMs and CWG is also supporting over 2,500 of them.” The CWG’s achievement,

which further buttresses its leadership in the e-channels services, has recently won it the Wincor Nixdorf Best Absolute Achievement award. The recognition came the way of CWG at Wincor Nxdorf ’s Portugal, Middle East and Africa (PMEA) Regional Partners’ Conference and Award held in held in Mauritius. Wincor Nixdorf uses the event to celebrate its partners in the region for their sales performances and shares the company’s focus for the next fiscal year. At the event, 10 partners were selected for top sales performance and CWG Plc came first while other Nigerian companies such as Cyber space Networks Limited and Soft Works Limited took fifth and seventh positions respectively. Computer Networks from United Arab Emirates was the first runner up to CWG Plc. Presenting the award to the Head of e-Channels Business for CWG, Mr. Olatayo LadipoAjai, the President of Wincor Nixdorf, Mr. Eckard Heidloff, noted that CWG’s performance in the year in under review was outstanding, saying the award was a well-deserved honour for such a dependable partner as CWG. “CWG’s contribution in Fiscal Year, 2014 made it possible for Wincor Nixdorf to meet her

target in PMEA,” he said. Receiving the award, LadipoAjai expressed his gratitude for the recognition, saying it was always good to see the reward of commitment as it triggers greater commitment. He said, “At CWG, excellent customer service delivery has been the bedrock for greater achievements. We hold our customers in high esteem, hence our commitment to deliver

power fluctuations. Speaking on the new product, Business Development Manager at Blue Gate, Dr. Tope Obayemi, said the 55inch Android TV combined Internet and TV functionalities in one delightful package for more engaging and exciting entertainment. He explained that with a Wi-Fi connection, users could stream live movies/ TV programmes, access social media platforms, search engines, download and install Apps from Google play store right on to the television screen. He said, “The Blue Gate Android television comes with frequently visited sites

like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, Wikipedia etc on the browser for easier navigation and provides enough memory for users to download desired Apps right to their television. This Android TV will truly define the concept of entertainment in Nigeria.” Highlighting more features of the Android television, Obayemi disclosed that the 55-inch Android television was designed to give users the very best of internet experience through their television screens as it possessed connecting ports that allow for interaction with other devices.

MTN begins selection of promo winners

o consolidate on its ongoing Season of Surprises campaign, Nigeria’s largest telecoms firm, MTN, has begun the selection of winners in the customer reward promo. Tagged MTN Cash Quest, this latest promo is a platform through which a millionaire will emerge daily, from 4th December, 2014 till 13th March, 2015. At the first draw held at the Ikoyi premises of the company recently to select the first batch of winners, two winners, Sadiya Mohammed from Bauchi State and Isa Mohammed from Kano State emerged the

first set of beneficiaries of MTN’s largesse. The news was broken to them through phone calls amidst lot of commendations from everyone present. Speaking on the draws, the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Mr Richard Iweanoge, said that MTN Cash Quest is a promo targeted at new and existing subscribers. “For existing customers, theirs is an interactive gaming promo with significant winnings that will open doors and create opportunities for Nigerians who use the MTN network. While for newly joined MTN customers, they

community. Speaking at the conference, Heidloff noted that his company was refocusing its business on driving the hardware business using software and retail services. “Wincor Nixdorf is favorably positioned to support retail banks and retailers in their efforts to combine digital and stationary channels to the customer,” Heidloff said.

L-R: Brand Manager, StarTimes, Somoye Tunde, Deputy Director, Regulatory and Monitoring, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Baba Adamu and Public Relation Manager, StarTimes, Israel Bolaji during the StarTimes Season’s Jolly Promo draw in Abuja.

New Android TV offers 70% power-saving feature n alternative power solutions company, Blue Gate, has introduced a 55-inch Android Television in Nigeria as a new product to its expanding product range. This is coming on the heels of the previous introduction of Blue Gate LED televisions and air conditioners into the consumer electronics market. Like all others before it, the 55-inch Android Television consumes less energy with an approximate 70 per cent energy saving ability, comes with an inbuilt power surge protective device that protects the device from

what we promise in spite of any challenge.” “CWG, having topped the chart in sales and support performance consecutively for two years spanning 2013 and 2014, is a proof that the company is the number one e-Channel service provider in Nigeria.” In addition, he said the recognition challenged the company to sustain service excellence to the Nigerian business

are not left out as they stand a chance of joining the millionaires’ club simply by buying an MTN SIM, registering it and making a call to loved ones,” he said. According to him, Nigerians are about to witness the making of millionaires, as MTN will dole out cash winnings on the daily basis to give both existing and new customers more reasons to celebrate this festive season. Present to witness proceedings at the draws was the Head, Regulatory and Monitoring, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lagos Zonal Office, Mr Jude Ogaga Ughwugabo.

Samsung’s Galaxy A series devices enter Nigeria

ne of the global smartphone manufacturers, Samsung Electronics West Africa, has unveiled the Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A3, which offer a refined, trendy design with the most advanced functions to support social networking in Nigeria. Available in a variety of colors and sizes, both devices empower younger consumers to quickly and easily capture meaningful moments, connect to social media and share their daily experiences. The devices were unveiled at the Movie Premiere of Banky W’s music films and video, “A Music Film Experience” at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas in Lagos. “The Galaxy A5 and A3 offer a beautifully crafted full metal unibody, slim design, superior hardware and the best possible social media experience. These devices make our advanced Galaxy experience even more accessible to young and trend conscious consumers,” Director of Hand Held Products for Samsung Electronics West Africa, said. Featuring refined full metal body designs that are 6.7mm and 6.9mm thin, respectively, the Galaxy A5 and A3 are Samsung’s slimmest smartphones to date.

The devices are available in Pearl White, Midnight Black, Platinum Silver and Champagne Gold to accommodate the personal style and preference of diverse users. The Galaxy A5 and A3 come with two hybrid SIM slots that allow users to decide between the option of using two SIMS or alternating the second slot for memory expansion with a micro SD card. According to Revmatas, the devices will be available in the market in the New Year and the first set of consumers to purchase the devices will be given a Selfie Stick, a monopod specifically designed to be held at arm’s length for that perfect shot. Other exciting features of the Galaxy A5 and A3 include a superior mobile and social experience for young consumers who want to express their unique style while constantly staying connected. With an advanced 5MP front-facing camera, taking vivid selfies is now easier than ever before. Innovative photo-taking features such as Wide Selfie, Palm Selfie, Animated GIF, Beauty Face Features, and Rear-cam Selfie let users capture attractive selfies in high resolution by automatically detecting and focusing on a person’s face.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Mom&Parenting

Games men play

It is almost every woman’s desire to settle down with a man. It is even better when she finds mostly a man of her dream, usually referred to as Mr. Right. As such, she is ever hopeful of a sweet marriage in a sweet and smooth going relationship, even when the man is practically toying with her emotions and playing pranks with her. However, how genuine are most of the relationships? OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI recounts experiences of some people in such relationships.

Having a swell time together

Mom&Parenting Team

Oluwatosin Omoniyi Coordinator

Grace Essen Contributor

he saying by an old time philosopher, Bertrams that “those who have courage to love should have the courage to suffer,” may aptly be the best sentence to capture ladies in relationships hoping for marriage, perhaps. Or how else would one put it when most men nowadays engage in relationship pranks. Instead of keeping to their promises of marrying their spouses, they engage in deceitful pranks. Quite a number of women and men that spoke to New Telegraph were filled with bitterness and full of disappointment. Ra-

chael Ekpenyong was in a relationship for three years. It was a relationship that seemed promising to her. After proposing to her in the second month of the relationship, she said, she opened up totally and became relaxed that she had reached her final bus stop. But that was it all, as the man kept saying “just a little more time, we will seal up this relationship.” With this constant promise from Emmanuel Olatunji, she stayed glued to the relationship and was very hopeful. But upon entering into the fourth year of the relationship and seeing that all was set-

PHOTO: www.jucyafrica.com

tled. “I asked him, what else is remaining and the man shocked me out of my bone marrows when he opened his mouth to tell me that he just wanted to teach me a lesson,” she said. What was the lesson? Ekpeyong replied that, “he said I gave him tough time at the initial stage of the relationship and that my people treated him like a common man because they perceived him as a poor man”. For whatever reason, Ekpeyong still stayed hoping CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

38 Mom&Parenting

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Games men play

MOM’S ALERT with

Grace Essen

grace.essen@gmail.com

Perfect Christmas!

F Thinking about a gone relationship?

PHOTO: WWW.OBAASEMA.COM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

for a change of mind from the man but Olatunji made real his threat by going ahead and marrying someone else. Of course, till this moment, Ekpenyong never wished Olatunji well. Ekpenyong’s experience might be mild compared to that of Eunice Gbadebo, single and fashion designer. At 44, it is normal and expected to be involved in a meaningful relationship. So, she didn’t waste her time in playing the normal delay tactics ladies play with men when Ike Idigo proposed to her. He was promising and very nice to her. He improved and expanded her business line. He introduced her to big customers, and took her outside the country. He practically changed the focus of her dream and broadened it for her. From a room to a large duplex somewhere in Abule Egba, a fashion institute was established. Of course, which man would go that length just for the fun of it? Alas! Idigo was only catching his fun with her. According to Eunice, he only wanted to while away his time and to avoid disturbing his pregnant wife, who was abroad. Idigo’s wife, according to Eunice’s narration, eventually became successful in getting pregnant after several attempts. She discovered that the man had been married for 13 years and suffered a great deal to have a child. His wife had made four attempts at IVF, without success. And when eventually she made it, he sent her abroad for advanced medical care and to nurture the pregnancy to fruition. So, while his wife was there, and he didn’t want to engage in multiple sexual partners, he came for her, according to her. “He told me that he did all that for me because I stabilised him emotionally but he had no genuine intention of marrying me because his culture forbids him to marry two wives. He also said he pampered me to assuage his feelings that he led me on wrongly,” she said. Olasunmbo Jones, 39 and single, is another victim of men’s pranks. According to her, the man was ever complaining about her for the two years of their relationship. “He completely robbed me of my pride and confidence. It stuck to my skull that I was no good or that I just couldn’t get it right,” she said. Jones explained that the man approached her and asked her to marry him, right from day one. She said he didn’t complain about her during the first year of the relationship. “Rather, he was full of my praises until the second year when I subtly began to tell him to do the proper thing so that we can settle down. Then, he started rolling out excuses of how bad I was in bed, how bad a cook I was and that I lacked manners of approach,” she said. Jones calmly took and told the guy to teach her because she was willing to learn. Learning that it would not be easy to jilt her, she said the man went spiritual; that anytime he slept with her, his business was adversely attacked. “Which reasonable lady would hear that and not find her way?” she questioned. “I believe he just wanted to sleep with me and having had me to his fill, he thought

Is love a dangerous game? PHOTO: WWW.VIDEOJUG.COM

wise to litter me away. I know for sure that God will judge,” she said. The men have tales to tell too. Lanre Folarin would not forget in haste a terrible experience he had with his ex-fiancée, Roseline. Recounting the good old times he had with her, he concluded that she was only good in bed, “all I can recollect vividly was that she was super in bed and nothing more,” he said. Folarin narrated that when he saw Rose as he fondly called her, she cut the perfect picture and possessed the aura of a typical African lady, he wanted. But how wrong was he? He said Rose would write a list of food and soup items for him to go to the market. And any day, she managed to go to the market, she would go to expensive market like Alade in Allen, Lagos to buy stew ingredient. And the stew ingredient, he said would cost about N14,000. That would only last four days. He said he still forged ahead thinking he could mould her into a proper economical African woman. Again, he got it wrong. As Rose would wake up in the morning and not think of sweeping the house, “All she does was to play a song, blasting from my home theater, singing, “Somebody loves you. Marry me, marry me, I want you!” Continuing, he said, “hell no, I can’t marry such a lady. It shows she wasn’t prepared for the home she was desperate for. And I cannot marry a woman that would not be able to manage my home and children properly,” he said. Segun Olajuwon, advised ladies to be their true self in any relationship. He said they always guard their hearts and not lay open all their cards. I am not saying they should pretend but they shouldn’t throw caution to the wind. They should reserve and keep the man in a loving suspense. That way, they will not feel cheated and dumped,” he advised. Olusola Odesola, a Sociologist turned business man, based in Dublin, Ireland said men don’t go outright to deceive ladies. He believes that no man would spend his time, resources and energy for quite a long time with a lady and then end up with a cock and bull story that he doesn’t want to marry her again. He stressed that something must have happened along the line that might have scared the man away. “As much as I am not trying to exonerate men or that there are no wolves among us, ladies can be very nasty and too pretentious when it comes to marriage. They should save themsealves from psychological torture by being truthful and godly,” he said.

or many, Christmas is not a time to look forward to because they are afraid a whole lot can go wrong, judging from their past experiences. It’s almost certain someone will likely push when you want to pull, another will want to go when you would rather stop, and someone will want to take when you are not just in the mood to give. If you are one of those, you may not like the thought of Christmas coming again, and to think we are right in the middle of it. I remember some years ago, I was to travel to my hometown for a traditional wedding ceremony, and I was particularly glad the wedding was slated for the period after Christmas and before New Year, the road would be less busy and the journey would not be as stressful, I thought. But while I was thinking the road would be relatively free, so were a thousand others. We all hit the road and it didn’t look any different from a ‘24th of December!’ Where was everyone rushing to? A question every other person would have been asking as well. In the mad rush and heave traffic, you could see cars pulled up by the road side as a result of overheating, and others breaking down right in the middle of the road and making the situation even worse, and with many passengers stranded and looking so helpless. A middle aged man was travelling in a Toyota corolla car with his wife and children, in the course of the journey his car got bashed by one of the mass transit bus drivers and was badly damaged. To everyone’s amazement, the bus driver took off. Crazy! The man angry and very desperate ran after the bus leaving his car and his family behind. At first we thought we would soon get tired and give up, we thought wrong. He kept chasing the bus, even hit by moving vehicles at some point, but he was not ready to give up. Luckily, he ran into some police officers, tired, panting, and bleeding, he narrated his story to them, and they took over the chase to every one’s relief, including the man. What a Christmas experience! If that was days after Christmas then what would a day before Christmas be like? First, let’s look at the reason why we experience increased stress at this time of year. A closer look at our desires might reveal some unconscious picture of what we believe Christmas should be like or ideas of what we want our

Christmas to be - we want to spend the holiday with family and friends we haven’t seen in a long time, we want to show what we have achieved or acquired within the year, we hold family meetings and other ceremonies at that time of the year, and many more reasons. These can make us have unrealistic expectations of what our experiences should be, and when things don’t appear to be as we expect, we feel very sad and disappointed. You would agree that in such situation, it is our own expectations of Christmas that creates undue pressure and stress. The events of the season have somewhat become a way of life for us, so we tend to prepare ourselves for whatever we might encounter, however bad or bitter. Maybe it is the spirit of the season that helps us pull through whatever situation we find ourselves in. No wonder we are able to shake off the bitter experiences and still have a wonderful Christmas. As times change, traditions and routines often change as well, may be we could consider creating new ones. So for those of us who are willing to let go of traditions and the expectations we have about what they should be or not be, and when they should be or not be, we may decide to have family reunions at a different time of the year, or choose to travel much earlier before ‘the whole world’ decides to hit the road and have to spend as much as 18 hours for a journey of 8 hours, even the airports are not spared at this time. We could also find new ways to celebrate together, like sharing photos, videos or having Christmas on Skype! We all live online now don’t we? There are times when things won’t just work out, no matter how hard we try. And even when some situations suggest Christmas time will be stressful, that does not take away the joy of the season, does it? Though we can all learn more effective ways to handle situations to make them as ‘manageable’ as possible or even prevent them altogether. No matter how horrible the roads are and how terribly annoying other road users can be, no matter how frustrated you feel getting to know your flight has been cancelled only after you got to the airport, or how much blackout we may experience this period, just keep in mind that Christmas does not have to be perfect to be a good one. Merry Christmas!

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa; Founder, The Hydra Edge Foundation, Mrs Abiodun Opeifa; All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Orile Agege, Prince Sunday Ajayi; beneficiary, Mrs. Yinka Olasode and Nollywood Star, Prince Adebayo Salami (aka Oga Bello), at the end of the year programme for widows, by the Hydra Edge Foundation in Agege, Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

L-R: Head, Public Affairs and Communications NBC Limited, Mr. Uzo Odenigbo; NUFBTE Executive, Comrade Ali Ibrahim; President, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwahid Omar and Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Mr. Ben Langat, during Omar’s visit to NBC in Abuja.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Staffs and Loans Board, Osun State, Dr. Oyebade Gboyega; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; President, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Adekomi Jacob and NULGE Treasurer, Osun State, Comrade Biodun Ojo, at a courtesy Visit to the Governor at Government House, Osogbo.

Rivers State Governor/Director- General, Buhari Presidential Campaign, Rotimi Amaechi (left), with Chairman, Rivers State, Mr. Dauis Ibiamu-Ikana, during a press briefing to announce Buhari’s Presidential Campaign activities in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Photo | News

L-R: Head of Civil Service, Mr. Danladi Kefasi; Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and Chief Executive Officer, Phase3 Telecommunications, Mr.Stanley Jegede, at a Christmas Carol in Abuja.

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha (middle); his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere (second left); New Chief Judge of Imo, Justice Paschal Nnadi and his wife (right); Imo Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Chukwu Machukwume and other officials, at the swearing-in of the wew Chief Judge in Owerri.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Edo State, Mrs Gladys Idahor; Commissioner for Basic Education, Hon Patrick Aguinede; Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Enojie of Ogwa, Victor Ehizojie II, at the commissioning of the rebuilt Ogwa Grammar School, Benin City.

L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godwill Akpabio; his wife, Ekaette; Catholic Bishop of Ikot Ekpene, Most Rev. Camillus Umoh, during the consecration of St. Lucy Catholic Church, Ukana building, donated by Akpabio and family in Akwa Ibom.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Leisure Arcade NUTS

By Kaycee

NTPuzzle

Bird Word Find

MAMA LASISI

By Aliu Eroje

MOYIN & FRIENDS

By Ayo Oyerinde

NTJokes Hungry and Broke

SUDOKU - Answer to No 20

SUDOKU - No 21

9 9

6 6

5 6 4

7 6 5

9 1

4 7

How to play

Sudoku

ALIU EROJE

CHIEF CARTOONIST aliu.eroje@newtelegraphonline.com

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

There were three men living together in London. An AfroAmerican, a West Indian and a Nigerian. They were all starving because they didn’t have money to buy food. However upon coming close to a posh London restaurant in this classy neighborhood, they decided to come up with a plan. The Afro-American went in first. After being seated, he ordered a three course meal with white wine. When he had finished the meal, the waiter came by with the bill. “LISTEN MY MAN, I ALREADY PAID YOU!” - the Afro-American shouted! The waiter was very confused because he could not remember being paid. But because he did not want to cause any trouble, he let the brother leave. Five minutes later, the West Indian walked into the same restaurant and ordered a five course meal with red wine. When he was finished eating, the waiter came by to collect the money for the food. “HEY, HEY, LOOK AT ME CROSSES. BUT AH PAID YOU ALREADY!” - the West Indian shouted. This time the manager came and had to calm down the West Indian, because he did not want anything to upset the other customers. He let the guy go. Ten minutes later, the Nigerian walked in. And you know how we are. He sat down. Lit up a cigarette, and ordered the most expensive meal on the menu, plus two bottles of Beer. After he had finished, the waiter came to collect the money for the meal, But before the Nigerian could say anything, the waiter spoke to him.”Sir, I have been having all sorts of problems all day and I can’t understand it. Two other people like you came in earlier and ate, and they say that they paid me but I don’t remember getting any money from them so, “ Before he could finish, the Nigerian interrupted, rather emphatically, “OGA I SORRY FOR YOU OOOO. BUT DAT NA YOUR PROBLEM. I JUST WANT YOU TO GIVE ME MY CHANGE!!”

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Business | Money Line

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

PTI: NDIC allays fear of mobile money subscribers layed apprehensions over the subscribers loss of money should anything go wrong in the mobile money operation. According to him, there are two models for implementation of mobile services namely, the bank led model which comprises bank or its consortium as lead initiator and the non-bank led, a corporate organisation licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as lead initiator in line with mobile payments services in Nigeria guidelines. Specifically, in the bank led framework, he said there were four main participants in the Nigeria mobile payment scheme. These are mobile money operators (MMO), an entrepreneur licensed by the CBN to carry out business of mobile payment services; payment agent who maintains identity and account records of its customers; banks which are custodians of the money involved in the transactions in the form of a pool account maintained by the MMO. Nwaigwe explained that the mobile payments service framework had a risk-based tiered Know Your Customer (KYC) principle to ensure full customer identification and that as many people as possible were accommodated in the mobile payment services scheme. But the customer identification process has been graduated into three tiers to correspond to volume of transactions.

GUARANTEE Regulator provides enhanced safety net for depositors Godson Ikoro

he adoption of PassThrough Insurance (PTI) has enabled the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) extend deposit insurance coverage to mobile money subscribers, Deputy Director, NDIC, Mr. Kingsley Nwaigwe, has said. Pass -Through Insurance implies that the mobile money pool accounts would not just be regarded as a single account, but that the benefits of the deposit would be enjoyed by the individual subscribers or customers of the pool account. He said each customer of the mobile money scheme as a subscriber to the pool account would be covered to the insured maximum for deposit money banks, adding that PTI would encourage MPS and enhance financial inclusion and boost of public confidence. Speaking at a forum recently on the role and challenges of deposit in mobile payment environment, Nwaigwe ,who is Head, Research, Policy and International Relations at NDIC, said the Pass -Through Insurance had, to a great extent, al-

Describing the modus oparandi of mobile money payment, Nwaigwe said the MMO operates two bank accounts. The first account is its own personal account while the second one is a pool account into which balances of various mobile money customers accounts balances are domiciled. Accordingly, every agent is mandated to open an account with its principal – MMO and the agent could only transact business equivalent to the level of its account balance with

Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

perators of Microfinance Banks in Kwara state want the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to stop intimidating them and treating them like commercial banks, particularly with respect to reporting activities. Chairman, Kwara State chapter of the National Association of Microfinace Banks (NAMB), Chief Joseph Adeyemi, who made the appeal at the association’s end-of-year luncheon and sent-forth of the chapter’s former leaders, lamented that the way regulatory bodies treat MfBs could be sometimes dis-

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

have been government concern. According to him, MfBs employ over 500 Nigerians and give out over N100 million as loans monthly to clients most of them low income earners both from public and private sectors of the economy. The NAMB boss who identified arbitrary and double taxation as the major challenge confronting members in Kwara state, appealed to the government to look into such complaints and assist MfBs instead of putting more burden on them. On the dwindling monthly allocation to government, Adeyemi said additional incomes should be sourced from several other sources especially from citizens living in luxury instead of over taxing MfBs that are more or less social services provider.

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

propriately priced,” but black market hawkers out on the street are trading it at around 3-5 per cent below its floor in the run-up to Christmas. Despite an eight per cent devaluation of the target band and efforts to crack down on currency speculation by squeezing liquidity, the naira remains at record lows. But while the central bank and the interbank markets argue over the naira’s fair value,

sold. Nigeria devalued its currency and widened its target trading band to 160-176 against the dollar, but few analysts believe that can hold, given a steady decline in reserves. Several street changers, mostly Muslim northerners from the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups, told Reuters they were trading a dollar for 180-182 naira the day before Christmas.

Western Union education programme hits $11.5m

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

couraging and provocative. In his words, “These regulatory bodies are supposed to be our friends but sometimes their reports after routine examinations could be frustrating, sometimes the language of some of such reports could be highly provocative and discouraging. The business community ought to cooperate at a friendship level without any form of intimidation. “I appeal to our regulatory bodies to be more homely and stop treating the MfBs like commercial banks. Some of the requests and demands by these bodies cannot be met in view of our capital base.” Adeyemi also pleaded with governments at all levels to see MfBs as critical support agents assisting to solve some social problems that ordinarily would

Naira: Street rate well below CBN’s at Christmas he Central Bank of Nigeria it is harder to argue with the T (CBN) says the post-devalu- price on the streets where ation band for the naira is “ap- many dollars are bought and

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

transacts business of N3000 per customer and not more than N30, 000 per day, using only name and mobile phone as KYC. The second tier agent transacts business ranging from N10, 000 to N100, 000 with addition KYC of identification and address required while tier 3 ranges from N100, 000 to N1million with full and more stringent KYC. However, notwithstanding these limits, there is no limit on the individual customer account balance on the scheme.

MFB operators caution CBN, NDIC over intimidation

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

principal. While the agent transacts business, the account balance with the MMO reduces and in this way the risk of loss or possibility of fraud from agents’ activities is considerably minimised because a subscriber has no outstanding fund with any agent at any point in time. He argued that mobile money customers had transactions limits with any of the appointed agents based on the three tiers KYC categorisation. For instance, Tier 1 agent

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

he Western Union Company and The Western Union Foundation said that it had exceeded its goal of pledging $10 million for education programmes around the world. In a statement yesterday the company explained that it “reached more than $11.5 million in grants and formal donations, a year ahead of schedule.” The statement stressed, “Education for Better” commitment “represents more than 250 grants and formal donations in partnership with the Western Union Company,

employees, Western Union Agents, other business partners and consumers – benefiting students, teachers and schools in 53 countries via 160 organizations.” “Education is important to both our customers and Western Union,” said Patrick Gaston, Western Union Foundation President. “We’re committed to supporting programs around the world that help ensure success for the next generation.” Western Union announced its ‘Education for Better’ program, a three-year commitment.

Business | Financial Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

24-Dec-14

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

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,783.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,364.36

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

0.33 1.65 2.34 2.59 2.69 3.43 4.51 4.83 7.09 9.22 13.93 14.41 14.91 15.58 19.57

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

13.48 15.50 15.23 15.20 15.21 15.32 15.46 15.46 15.36 15.11 14.46 14.40 14.35 14.81 15.02

13.00 15.39 15.15 15.12 15.14 15.20 15.37 15.35 15.29 15.04 14.41 14.35 14.28 14.75 14.96

96.98 96.50 99.70 88.85 87.43 87.98 101.70 71.90 104.30 95.50 103.19 88.47 64.39 71.00 82.00

97.13 96.65 99.85 89.00 87.58 88.28 102.00 72.20 104.60 95.80 103.49 88.77 64.69 71.30 82.30

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

24.56 3.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.41 1.15 1.96 2.32 2.53

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

16.13 18.81 17.36 16.23 16.19

93.70 98.38 97.85 95.53 92.47

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

308.73

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.68

4.44

19.20

95.83

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.52

3.23

16.91

98.90

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

0.81

4.46

20.06

94.76

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

0.82

3.48

19.11

96.89

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.32

5.59

20.82

80.80

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.37

1.00

17.10

95.69

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.02

1.79

17.05

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.19

1.80

17.07

94.83

93.01

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.78

1.00

16.37

93.43

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.39

1.00

16.21

96.88

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.39

4.78

19.99

89.48

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.57

1.00

16.20

96.71

A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

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

15.50 14.50 14.75

16.23 80.00 26.62

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

2.83 4.91 2.89

1.00 1.00 2.74

16.24 16.46 17.98

98.62 93.53 93.18

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.40

10-Oct-20

3.35

1.00

16.31

96.19

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.93

1.00

16.40

89.23

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.02

1.94

17.33

91.47

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

A/Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

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

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.78

31-Dec-20

3.50

1.44

16.77

94.26

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.53

1.95

17.29

94.27

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds

468.62 430.88

Nil

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.02

8.71

22.97

99.85

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

18.38

96.71

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.34

09-Dec-15

0.72

1.00

15.96

97.62

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.56

2.63

16.54

98.46

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.77

1.00

16.55

94.69

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.84

1.34

16.82

96.02

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.77

1.00

16.23

92.97

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.79

1.88

17.41

101.80

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.79

3.48

19.01

95.95

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

1.96

5.20

20.56

96.38

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

1.96

5.06

20.42

101.84

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.75

1.35

16.72

92.58

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.07

2.29

17.59

97.25

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.15

6.11

21.39

92.97

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.02

2.16

17.42

96.89

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.89

2.76

18.16

89.67

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.84

80.83

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.84

87.29

NGC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

126.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

118.50

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

16.28

85.48

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

16.46

84.66

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.22

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

6.33

6.08

102.08

103.35

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.43

4.87

99.04

100.82

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.62

6.40

98.40

99.86

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,497.57

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

8.25

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

7.01

100.63

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.47

99.48

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

11.02

10.52

88.60

89.89

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

8.26

7.43

92.65

95.28

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

7.49

95.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

13.31

12.36

85.15

88.01

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

8.57

98.00

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

AFREN PLC III ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

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

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

6.63 9.25 8.00

360.00 400.00 450.00

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

19.11 10.97 10.66

19.11 10.60 10.66

56.75 92.50 87.00

56.75 94.13 87.00

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.06

9.04

93.05

97.85

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,398.78

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

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 (%) 16.39 13.00 14.21 13.51 13.55 12.00 13.68 13.97

Offer Discount (%) 16.14 12.75 13.96 13.26 13.30 11.75 13.43 13.72

Bid Yield (%) 16.45 13.07 14.33 13.66 13.73 12.17 13.94 14.28

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 11.8500 14.6816 15.4567 16.0749

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

11.42

O/N Tenor Call 1M

11.75

REPO

Rate (%) 11.58 15.12

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

180.00 183.28 183.57 184.24 185.49 186.73

180.10 183.39 183.71 184.69 186.46 188.19

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.68

4.44

19.20

95.83

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.52

3.23

16.91

98.90

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

0.81

4.46

20.06

94.76

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

0.82

3.48

19.11

96.89

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.32

5.59

20.82

80.80

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.37

1.00

17.10

95.69

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.02

1.79

17.05

93.01

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.19

1.80

17.07

94.83

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.39

1.00

16.21

96.88

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.39

4.78

19.99

89.48

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.57

1.00

16.20

96.71

A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

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

15.50 14.50 14.75

16.23 80.00 26.62

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

2.83 4.91 2.89

1.00 1.00 2.74

16.24 16.46 17.98

98.62 93.53 93.18

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.40

10-Oct-20

3.35

1.00

16.31

96.19

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR‡

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.93

1.00

16.40

89.23

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.02

1.94

17.33

91.47

A/Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

Business | Financial Market News

3.78 1.00 93.43 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 201416.37 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigerian stocks extend gaining streaks CONFIDENCE

14.50 EKITI II jostle 31-DEC-2020 as bargain hunters Consequently, 31-Dec-13 the 06-Jan-14 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 for shares on the back of All-Share Index gained TOTAL OUTSTANDING blue chip companies in 1,642.82 basis points or Nigerian bourseVALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION spite of expectations by 4.7 per cent to close at maintains positive some market watchers 34.428.82 as against 32,786 Corporate Bonds momentum, gainsµNGC that investors sus- recorded the previous day 17.00would NGC 31-DEC-2014 01-Apr-10 Nil tain the sell-off mood to while market capitalisa10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 17-Aug-10 Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC N545bn 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 A-/Agusto 09-Dec-10 celebrate Christmas. tion of equities appreci*FLOURMILLS 14.00 CHELLARAMS BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS The key market perfor-06-JAN-2016 ated by N545 billion06-Jan-11 or 4.7 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO mance measures, the NSE per cent as market 29-Sep-11 sentiStories by Chris Ugwu 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 A-/Agusto 25-Oct-13 FSDH All Share Index and mar- ment remained green. 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR 30-Sep-10 UBA ket capitalisation, rose by ctivities on the Meanwhile, a turnover 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 *C & I LEASING Nigerian Stock market MPR+7.00 DANAsen9-APR-2018of 581.9 million shares 09-Apr-11 Nil *DANA#{r} 4.7 per cent as market yesterworth N3.2 billion in09-Sep-11 3,448 MPR+7.00gaining TOWER 9-SEP-2018 A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR *TOWER# timents extended # MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 AAA/DataPro†;day A/GCR ended *TOWER the streaks following invesdeals was recorded 09-Sep-11 in the 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 day’s trading. A/Agusto;on A/GCR 22-Sep-11 UBA week a positive route tors’ high optimism.

14.50 financial4.78serOther vices 15.00 sub-sector of4.79the financial services468.62 sector 430.88 was the most active during the day (measured by turnover with 17.00 volume); 2.00 199.4 million shares worth 10.00 3.61 9.34 N815.812.00 million exchanged 14.00 0.60 by investors in 661 deals. 13.00 in the sub-sec15.00 Volume 14.25 5.53 tor was largely driven by 13.00 20.00 activities in the shares of 18.00 0.64 FCMB16.00 Plc and FBNH Plc. 6.30 Banking sub-sector 18.00 2.90 0.80 of the16.00 financial services 35.00 sector,14.00 boosted by activi-

3.50of Diaties31-Dec-20 in the shares 06-Jan-21 mond Bank and3.53 UBA Plc followed with a turnover of 148.3 million shares valued at N1.1 billion in 1,081 deals. 31-Dec-14 0.02 The number of0.41gainers 17-Aug-15 09-Dec-15 0.72 at the close of trading ses06-Jan-16 0.56declinsion was 33 while ers29-Sep-16 closed at 15. 1.77 25-Oct-16 1.84 Guinness Nigeria Plc 30-Sep-17 2.77 led30-Nov-17 the gainers’ table with 1.79 a gain of 10.24 per 09-Apr-18 1.79cent to close at N151.87 per 09-Sep-18 1.96 share 09-Sep-18 1.96 while Seplat Petroleum 3.75 with Plc22-Sep-18 also followed

16.7710.24 per 94.26 a gain of cent 1.95to close17.29 94.27and at N322.11 Presco Nigeria Plc added 10.23 per cent to close at N24 per share. On the hand, 8.71 22.97 other 99.85 Plc 4.88Wapic Insurance 18.38 96.71 led 1.00the price 15.96 losers’ 97.62 table, 2.63dropping 16.54 98.46 to 4.55 per cent 1.00close at 63 16.55 kobo per94.69 share 1.34 16.82 96.02 while Sterling Bank Plc 1.00 16.23 92.97 followed17.41 with a loss of 1.88 101.80 4.12 per cent to close 3.48 19.01 95.95 at Okomu Oil 5.20N2.33 and 20.56 96.38 Plc 5.06shed 3.54 20.42 101.84 per cent to close 1.35at N24.80 16.72 per share.92.58 1.44

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.07

2.29

17.59

97.25

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.15

6.11

21.39

92.97

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.02

2.16

17.42

96.89

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.89

2.76

18.16

89.67

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.84

80.83

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.77

1.00

15.84

87.29

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

Market analysts blame speculative trading on foreign investors TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

ollowing the massive TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

equities is very low. Howsell-offs that have per- ever, it surpasses what is Supranational Bond vaded the Nigerian stock obtainable in several ad10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC market, some operators vanced markets. The relaAFDB 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P in the local bourse AfDB have tively stable11.25 exchange rate TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE linked the speculative environment is an addiTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION trading that has lingered tional attraction for foreign in the Nigerian capital portfolio investment in NiRating/Agency geria’s financial assets. Description market to the dominance Issuer of foreign investors. Other than few domesFGN Eurobonds The Managing Direc- tic investors, several retail 6.75reJAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P Executive Oftor/Chief investors who are yet to cover from the recent crash ficer of Lambeth Trust & BB-/Fitch; FGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P Investment Company Lim- of equities continue to shun BB-/Fitch; ited, Mr. David Imafidon the market. Several market 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 BB-/S&P Adonnri, who made this operators and institutional TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE remarks in an interview, investors who participated TOTALthe MARKET CAPITALISATION said move of the for- actively have also suffered eign investors when com- deadly damages to their balCorporate Eurobonds pared with investment in ance sheets due to the11.50 near FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I the bond market showed crash of the equities market. 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I an average yield on equiOn why local investors 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC ties as being very low. have continued to shun 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC the stock market, Adonri According to Adonri, 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC “Foreign institutional in-PLC II explained that, “Domestic 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN vestors seeking speculative who were fright6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANKinvestors PLC ened the opportunities now domi8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC by past events in nate equities market now 8.25 seek AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch;our B/S&Pequities market. FIRST BANK PLC 6.63 DEC 09, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P when compared AFREN PLC IIIsafety by migrating their Although USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II to domestic fixed income financial assets9.25/6M to fixed in8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK LTD market, average yield on come securities.” B-/S&P

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Designated advisers will assist ASeM on post-listing obligations – NSE 126.63

118.50

he Nigerian Stock Ex- in the Nigerian economy and change has said that the NSE is a staunch believer 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.14 the introduction of in the critical role of emerg10-Jul-14 11.25 12.95 01-Feb-21 4.36 designated advisers would ing enterprises in a develop24.95economy. assist ASeM companies meet ing post-listing obligations and 21.22 “Recently in 2014 we witsupport them as financial nessed a successful listing of Outstanding Value Issue Date Coupon (%) Maturity Date & Bid Yield (%) advisers. Omoluabi Savings Loans ($mm) The Head, Listings Sales and Plc. on ASeM on the Daily OfRetention, NSE, Mrs. Taba Pe- ficial List of the NSE. There 07-Oct-11 6.75 recent500.00 28-Jan-21 of compa6.33 terside, who stated this is a strong pipeline ly at a road show across the nies that have commenced the 500.00 12-Jul-18 5.43 South12-Jul-13 West region of5.13Nigeria process of listing, with more for its12-Jul-13 Alternative Securities IPOs on 6.38 500.00 and listings 12-Jul-23expected 6.62 Market (ASeM), said in a bid the board” she said. The Exchange organised a to nurture the growth of small 1,500.00 to mid-sized companies, the Ex- 1,497.57 road show across the South change unveiled some dealing West region of Nigeria for its member firms as Designated ASeM, a specialised board8.25for 01-Feb-11 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 Advisers (DAs) for companies the listing of emerging com19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 7.01 listed on the ASeM. panies operating in Nigeria. 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.47 Peterside further explained The board02-May-18 on the NSE was de09-May-13 6.88 300.00 11.02 that the Exchange had proveloped to accommodate small 08-Nov-13 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 8.26 vided08-Apr-12 ASeM as a platform for to mid-sized08-Apr-19 companies, with 10.25 300.00 9.66 sustainable high potential, seeking 22-Apr-14 growth and 6.25 devel500.00 growth 22-Apr-19 7.49 to access the21-May-19 capital market by opment of these companies. 21-May-14 8.75 200.00 13.31 long term capital. 8.57 “Since the launch 8.25 of ASeM, raising 07-Aug-13 300.00 07-Aug-20 09-Dec-13 09-Dec-20 19.11 the NSE has proven6.63 that this 360.00 The theme for the road 24-Jun-14 focus area. 9.25 SMEs 400.00 24-Jun-21 10.97 show was “Accessing Long is a major 23-Jul-14 8.00 450.00 remain the drivers of growth Term Capital23-Jul-21 for Growth;10.66 The 14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

10.06

9.04

4,760.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

14-Aug-21

ASEM Platform.” The benefits of listing 1.00 discussed 16.28 and partici85.48 were 1.00 16.46 84.66 pants were exposed to the opportunities available in the capital market. The need for small to midOffer Yieldcompanies (%) Bid Price to formalise Offer Price sized their businesses to becoming Prices & Yields sustainable institutions was 6.08 demonstrated, 102.08 103.35 also seeking businesses that are ready to 4.87 99.04 take the required next100.82 steps towards accessing the capital 6.40 98.40 99.86 market. There are three major pillars supporting ASeM: Designated Advisers (Accredited capital market operators to 8.25 103.30 103.30 prepare SMEs for listing and 7.01 100.63 100.63 provide continuous financial 7.47 99.48 99.48 advisory support throughout 10.52 88.60 89.89 the7.43 listing life92.65 of the company); 95.28 Institutional Services (A value 9.66 102.00 102.00 adds SMEs 7.49of The NSE 95.50 to help95.50 formalise their businesses, 12.36 85.15 88.01 ahead 8.57 of listing); 98.00 and Growth 98.00 19.11 56.75 56.75 Ambassadors (Influential indi10.60 92.50 the board 94.13 to viduals to project 10.66 87.00 87.00 relevant stakeholders. 93.05

97.85

24-Dec-14

4,398.78

The DQL contains and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute **Treasury Bills data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities FIXINGS Money Market & Forwards) professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information Offer is accurate; however, theBidInformation is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE”Tenor basis and may Rate not be accurateForeign or up toExchange date. We(Spot do not guarantee DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Discount (%) Yield (%) (%) NIBOR the accuracy,8 timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, 1-Jan-15 16.39 16.14 16.45neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information. FGN

15 22 Bonds29 36 43 Rating/Agency 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 NA 120 127 134 141 225 253 344 358

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 Issuer 12-Feb-15 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 NA 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 7-May-15 14-May-15 6-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15

13.00 14.21 13.51 13.55 12.00 Description 13.68 13.97 4.00 23-APR-2015 12.74 13.05 16-AUG-2016 17.55 15.10 27-APR-2017 11.22 9.85 27-JUL-2017 12.61 9.35 31-AUG-2017 12.80 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.06 12.77 16.00 29-JUN-2019 13.21 7.00 23-OCT-2019 13.79 16.39 27-JAN-2022 12.43 14.20 14-MAR-2024 11.63 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.06 12.49 22-MAY-2029 11.53 8.50 20-NOV-2029 11.84 10.00 23-JUL-2030 14.70 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 15.00

12.75 13.96 13.26 13.30 11.75 Issue 13.43Date 13.72 23-Apr-10 12.49 16-Aug-13 17.30 27-Apr-12 10.97 27-Jul-07 12.36 31-Aug-07 12.55 30-May-08 12.81 12.52 29-Jun-12 12.96 23-Oct-09 13.54 27-Jan-12 12.18 14-Mar-14 11.38 28-Nov-08 11.81 22-May-09 11.28 20-Nov-09 11.59 23-Jul-10 14.45 18-Jul-14 14.75

13.07 14.33 13.66 13.73 12.17 Coupon 13.94 (%) 14.28 4.00 13.03 13.05 18.17 15.10 11.50 9.85 12.99 9.35 13.23 10.70 13.54 13.26 16.00 13.77 7.00 14.44 16.39 12.99 14.20 12.15 15.00 12.65 12.49 12.41 8.50 12.90 10.00 17.06 12.1493 17.59

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M Outstanding Value

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

Maturity Date

(N'bn)

535.00 581.39 452.80 Tenor 20.00 1M 100.00 2M 300.00 3M 6M 351.30 9M 233.90 12M 600.00

OBB

Rate (%) 11.8500 14.6816 15.4567 16.0749

Bonds

NITTY

23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 Rate (%) 27-Jul-17 13.9413 31-Aug-17 14.1706 30-May-18 14.3985 14.4618 29-Jun-19 14.5418 23-Oct-19 15.5307 27-Jan-22

414.68 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 NIFEX 200.00 20-Nov-29 Current Price ($/N) 591.57 23-Jul-30 BID($/N) 181.0750 178.00 18-Jul-34 OFFER ($/N) 181.1750

4,783.63

11.42

Spot O/N 11.75 7D 14D REPO Tenor Rate (%) 1MYield Offer TTM Bid11.58 Yield (%) Call(Yrs) 2M (%) 1M 15.12 3M 0.33 13.48 13.00 3M 15.33 6M 1.65 15.50 15.39 6M 16.30 1Y 2.34 15.23 15.15 2.59 15.20 15.12 NOTE: 2.69 15.21 15.14 :Benchmarks 3.43 15.32 15.20 * :Amortising 4.51 Bond 15.46 15.37 µ :Convertible 4.83 Bond 15.46 15.35 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 7.09 Management Corporation 15.36 15.29 FGN: Federal Nigeria 9.22Government of 15.11 15.04 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 13.93 Mortgage Bank 14.46 14.41 IFC: International 14.41 Finance Corporation 14.40 14.35 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.91 14.35 14.28 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 15.58 14.81 14.75 O/N: Overnight 19.57 15.02 14.96 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

180.00 180.10 183.28 Price 183.39 183.57 183.71 184.24 184.69 Bid Price Offer Price 185.49 186.46 186.73 188.19 96.98 97.13 190.98 193.88 96.50 96.65 200.06 205.50 99.70 99.85 88.85 89.00 87.43 87.58 88.28 NA :Not87.98 Applicable # :Floating 101.70Rate Bond 102.00 ***: Deferred 71.90 coupon bonds 72.20 104.30 104.60 ‡ : Bond rating under review 95.50 95.80 †: Bond rating expired 103.49 103.19 N/A :Not Available 88.47 88.77 {r} :Issuer in receivership64.69 64.39 71.00 71.30 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 82.00 82.30 UBA: United Bank for Africa

4,364.36

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

Tenor

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

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

0.41 1.15 1.96 2.32 Implied Yield 2.53

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

16.13 18.81 17.36 16.23 INDEX 16.19

93.70 98.38 97.85 YTD95.53 Return 92.47 (%)

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM Modified Duration Buckets

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 3<5 >5

Sub-National Bonds

Market

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 Total Outstanding Porfolio Market Value(Bn) 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 Volume(Bn)

24-May-12 0.00 BOND 03-Apr-12FMDQ FGN 17.25 09-Dec-11 0.00/16.00 20-Apr-12 0.00/16.50 Weighting by Weighting by Mkt 06-Jul-12Vol 0.00/16.50 Outstanding Value

24.56

INDEX 3.00

112.22 116.70 Bucket 66.49 Weighting

322.97

1,369.75

1,385.48

43.71

46.31

1,021.82

1,014.68

32.01

34.55

308.730.32

565.97

769.57

24.28

19.14

0.24

2,957.54

3,169.73

100.00

0.44

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR‡

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

A/Agusto

EDO

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

1.00

22.98

15.40

116.6291

1,107.74

10.7739

36.96

15.25

119.5711

1,012.48

1.2483

40.06

14.86

86.1541

1,007.29

15.13

110.1720

100.00

31-Aug-15

0.68

4.18

30-Sep-15

6.27

30-Jun-16

15.50

7.37

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

A+/Agusto

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 Implied 1.00Price Portfolio

1,052.05

0.7293 5.2046

4.44

19.20

95.83

0.52

3.23

16.91

98.90

0.81

4.46

20.06

94.76

30-Jun-16

0.82

3.48

19.11

96.89

19-Apr-17

2.32

5.59

20.82

80.80

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.37

1.00

17.10

95.69

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.02

1.79

17.05

93.01

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.19

1.80

17.07

94.83

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.78

1.00

16.37

93.43

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.39

1.00

16.21

96.88

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

News 45

NATIONAL

Intrigues as forces within APC plot Oyegun’s removal Wale Elegbede

xcept the leadership of the All P r o g r e s s iv e s Congress (APC) quickly intervenes, plans aimed at removing the party’s National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun, over his roles in the just concluded National convention of the party, may soon throw the opposition party into crisis. Oyegun, it was gathered, is being targeted

by two forces within the party. While one of the forces is said to be angling for what its leaders described as “balancing act,” the other force is said to be aggrieved that the Chairman truncated an earlier plan to feature a Muslim/Muslim ticket. According to a source, who pleaded anonymity, the camp loyal to Rivers State Governor, Chief Rotimi Amaechi is angling for what is described as “balancing act” within the party, following the emergence of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as

the running mate to General Mohammadu Buhari in the 2015 contest. According to argument put forward by the group, since the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) faction of the party led by General Buhari has picked the Presidential slot, and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) side of the merger has also picked the Vice Presidential slot, the Governors’ camp led by Rivers State governor should now be allowed to pick the Chairman. They argued that the

import of their agitation is to ensure that the party can effect a balancing act by calling an extraordinary convention, regardless of the fact that Oyegun only got elected in June. Similarly, another source in the party claimed that some leaders of the party are not happy with Oyegun for failing to back the Muslim/Muslim ticket option, believed to be capable of providing the party with its strongest hands. It was gathered that

the target of the Muslim/ Muslim ticket was the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who is believed could provide massive votes from the South West. The grievance of those in the second group is that Oyegun failed to strongly defend the option and allowed some young elements from the North to force the party’s hands and drive it away from the Muslim/Muslim option. Though the resentment from the two forces

appear to be gaining more grounds, there appears no agreement in the place as to the possible timing and structure of the bid against the chairman. However, sources said that three meetings, one in Abuja and two in Lagos, have been held to strategize on the plot on how and when it would be expedient. While some people have argued that his removal now would have minimal effect on the elections, some had insisted that nothing can be done before the election.

Group berates Jonathan over 2015 budget KNOCK

Group knocks 2015 Budget's inability to address economic policy directives

Amadi Nnamdi, ABUJA

A L-R: Mrs. Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi; husband of late Folake, Mr. Adeyemi Oduyoye and Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (Ward C), Mrs. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, during a press conference on the cause of death of Mrs. Oduyoye at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, in Lagos…on Tuesday.

Judiciary workers to begin strike January 2 Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

he Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has said that it will embark on what it called ‘total strike’ over the failure of stakeholders to respect the last Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding financial autonomy of the Judiciary. JUSUN said it would commence an indefinite strike from January 2, 2015 pending when the judiciary is free from the captives and strangulation of state governors. The union after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, said the planned strike became imperative, considering the ‘rough terrain encountered by the union to make state governors implement the judgement of the federal high court delivered on January 13, 2014, which it said fell on deaf ears.’ In a communique made available to journalists, which was jointly

signed by the President of the union, Comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu and the Assistant General Secretary, Comrade Placidus Nnamani, said it was obvious that the state governors are deliberately disobeying and frustrating the independence of the judiciary. JUSUN also alleged that the Accountant-General of the Federation is suspected to have compromised his position and the authority imposed on him by the court order. It will be recalled that the union suspended its earlier attempt to embark on strike following the last Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) supervised by the Minister of Labour. JUSUN, however, warned that ‘the indefinite strike which would start on January 2, 2015 would be total until the total compliance with the judgement of the court and the terms contained in the MoU.” It added that the union would not take responsibility of any mishap as a result of the breach.

Prosecute IGP, Abuja CP, group tells AGF Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

Non-Governmental Organisation, Downtrodden People’s Empowerment Foundation Worldwide has asked the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to prosecute the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory and six others over alleged violation of the fundamental human rights of its president. In a petition dated November 23, 2014 and signed by Comrade Ti-

jani Olabode and Mrs. A. A. Tijani and addressed to the AGF, the group alleged that the Nigerian Police violated the fundamental human rights of its president. Also joined as respondents are the DPO, Lugbe Divisional Police Station, DCO, Station Officer, IPO, Officer in Charge, Tundun Wada Police Out Post and the suspect, Maliu Musuni. In a related development, the group also petitioned the Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal over alleged bias of a Lugbe Area Court judge, Garba Gambo.

HURIWA wants stiff legal action on rapists Kenneth Tyohemba

uman Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised the alarm over the incessant cases of rape and corruption in the country and has vowed to do anything within the confinement of the law to bring perpetrators to book. National Coordinator of HURIWA, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated this during the public presen-

tation of his book titled; “Who Cares about Human Rights.” The 1, 025-page book, which is the highlight of human rights challenges confronting Nigerians also sought constructive and legal modalities for redressing such crimes, and protecting human rights. Prominent issues raised by the author centreed on rape, subsidy withdrawal, and corruption among others.

civil society group, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has berated President Goodluck Jonathan, over what it described as his inability to address key economic policy directives contained in the proposed 2015 budget. The group’s position was contained in a statement issued yesterday by their Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, in Abuja captioned; “Preliminary Views On The 2015 Federal Budget.” According to the CSJ, “The 2015 federal budget laid before the National Assembly on December 17, 2015 by the Minister of Finance came very late in the year and marks the second time the President chose to make himself unavailable to address

the Nigerian people on key economic policy directives contained in the budget.” The group said: “Although, legal scholars opine that the constitution did not oblige the president to come in person to present or lay the budget before the legislature or even address the nation, the idea of a President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shying away and delegating his core duty to another person is a departure from tradition and does not portray Mr. President as being in charge of the economic policy direction of the country.” It also observed that the budget is being laid before the legislature at a time the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) has not been approved, which according to the group is contrary to section 18 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. “The MTEF undergirds the budget and nothing is to be found in the budget that has not already been approved in the MTEF,” they said.

JOHESU staff vow not to end strike Sola Adeyemo IBADAN

ollowing the collapse of the meeting between their representatives and the Federal Government team in Abuja, the nation’s nonmedical staff under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has vowed to continue with their ongoing nationwide strike. Alleging the stoppage of their salaries by the government, the staff called on Nigerians, including members of the National Assembly, traditional rulers and mem-

bers of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to prevail on the Federal Government to accede to their demands ‘expeditiously.’ JOHESU members present at the failed Abuja meeting, which took place on Monday, included the national and state executives of the associated bodies. JOHESU members, however, maintained in a statement issued shortly after the meeting that, “the unseriousness on the part of Federal Government cannot give us the courage to convince our members to suspend the current industrial action.”

News

2015 ALERT Deeper Life church lead advises votes and politicians on coming polls Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

he General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church Worldwide, Pastor William Kumuyi, has advised Nigerians to collect their permanent voters’ cards and

THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

Kumuyi to Nigerians: Get your PVCs, don’t vote on sentiments not to vote on religious, ethnic or any other sentiment in the 2015 elections. Briefing newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the cleric said: “If people failed to exercise their civic duties, they would have no basis to query their leaders when elected and when they go wrong. He also urged losers

in elections to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and accept all in good faith. Kumuyi, who spoke on the ongoing crusade of the church entitled; “Extraordinary encounter with the God of miracles,” also advised public office holders to remember that there would be a day of reckoning with

their creator. On whether miracles are still happening, Kumuyi said people were the ones not doing their own part of the bargain by committing sin and lacking faith. “God is doing wonders and this is our time. Just come and the Lord is going to bless you. There is going to be peace and unity

in this state, God has lifted us and we won’t go down, just come and we will all be blessed,” he said. On the proliferation of churches in the country, Kumuyi said there was nothing like glut in the sector, adding that only that people should serve God diligently to make the expected impact.

L-R: South West Chairperson, Women for Change Initiative, Mrs. Abosede Ogunleye; PDP senatorial candidate for Ogun Central Zone, Dr. Bisola Sodipo-Clark; Zonal Secretary, South West, Chief Pegba Otemolu; Prince Buruji Kashamu; state PDP Chairman, Chief Adebayo Dayo and others, at the public presentation of a book “No Enemies to Fight” in Ijebu-Igbo...yesterday. PHOTO: KUNLE OLAYENI

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, Prince Buruji Kashamu, yesterday fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying that his recent controversial autobiography, ‘My Watch,’ was meant to deceive Nigerians. Kashamu spoke in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State dur-

Kashamu hits back at Obasanjo ing the public presentation of a book titled; ‘No Enemies to Fight,’ which was a compilation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s quotable quotes. The 171-page book, which was edited by Messrs. Oronto Douglas and Akpodigha Filatei, was apparently in reaction to Obasanjo’s book, where the former president accused Jonathan of incompetence. It will be recalled that

an Abuja high court restrained Obasanjo from publishing the book, following an ex-parte application filed by Kashamu. Kashamu had, through his counsel, Alex Iziyon (SAN), contended that part of the content of the book related to the subject matter of the N20 billion libel suit instituted by the PDP chieftain against the ex-president. The content of the

book was said to be related to a letter dated December 2, 2013 written by Obasanjo to President Jonathan, claiming that Kashamu was wanted for drug-related crimes in the United States of America. But despite the court order, Obasanjo, on December 10, launched the autobiography at a public presentation held at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos.

Alaafin charges Christians at Christmas Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

laafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, yesterday enjoined Christians all over the globe and those in the country to use this occasion of Yuletide to reflect on their relationship with God and fellow human beings by making the world a better place. In his message to Christians signed on his behalf by his Media Aide, Alhaji Azeez Fehintola, the monarch congratulated all Christians for witnessing another Yuletide in the land of the living. He charged them to imbibe the spirit of meekness and humility, personified by Jesus Christ, who not minding His glory and special birth, eventually died for the sins of man. The monarch said the world would be a better place for all to live if people would adhere strictly to the tenets of love and brotherliness as preached in the holy books, adding that “the birth of Jesus Christ being celebrated is instructive on how to live a humble life and be at peace with all at all times.

INEC to paste list, credentials of contesting candidates in Osun Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State yesterday said that the list and credentials of all candidates contesting the 2015 general election will be displayed in the state today. The commission, in a statement by the Chief Public Affairs Officer,

Mrs. Adenike Tadese, said the list will be pasted at the state office of the commission and the 30 local government offices and the area office, Modakeke, Ife. She said: “The development would allow members of the public to verify information and documents provided by the candidates with a view to challenging them before the court of any anomaly noticed.

Former speaker dumps PDP for APC in Ondo Mimiko: Let’s work for peace in our land Babatope Okeowo Akure

for mer Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr. Ayo Agbonmuserin, yesterday dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Agbonmuserin was the speaker of the House during late Adebayo Adefarati’s administration before he joined the PDP. While addressing his teeming supporters, members and leaders

of the APC at the state secretariat, the former lawmaker said his coming back to the APC is like coming back home. Agbonmuserin said he left the PDP because of lack of internal democracy and denial of justice. He also said that the crisis that followed the arrival of the Labour Party into the PDP cannot allow members of the party thrive. Agbonmuserin said if not for an idea formulated by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there will be nothing called

democracy in the country by now. He said the idea of the former Lagos State governor made it possible to have APC which will surely form the next government of the federation next year. Welcoming those that defected into the APC, Chairman of the party, Hon. Isaac Kekemeke, congratulated them for being foresighted and courageous to leave the PDP. He said the APC is a moving train, which everyone is aiming to join so as to be part of the change that is imminent.

Babatope Okeowo Akure

ndo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, yesterday asked Nigerians to work ceaselessly for the peace of the land with the purpose of Christ’s birth as an inspiration. In his Christmas message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, , Mr. Eni Akinsola, the governor said now, more than ever before, is when Nigerians have to work together as citizens for the peace of the land. He said: “We must realise that the essence

of the coming of Jesus Christ is to reconcile mankind to God. And as reconciliation is a principal condition for peace, we must endeavour to reconcile ourselves with our country, love her more dearly and seek its peace at all times,” Mimiko said. The governor, who said the country’s march towards greatness, though slowed down by security challenges, is steady, added that Nigeria’s movement to greatness will be faster if Nigerians show greater commitment to its peace. “We are moving forward as a country in spite

of our challenges, yet our movements could be faster and our pace steadier if we champion the cause of peace and reconciliation as exemplified by the birth of Christ, now being globally celebrated at Christmas. “Either as Christians, Moslems or men and women of other faiths, the pursuit of peace is and should be a common goal. Celebrations should, therefore, be sober and be an opportunity for introspective reflections on the future of the country,” the governor added. He wished all a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in advance.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

News 47

SOUTH - EAST

Imo govt issues pensioners dud cheques GOVT MAGIC

Joy of pensioners turned anguish as cheques given by govt bounced Steve Uzoechi

OWERRI

etired primary and secondary school teachers in Imo state are presently passing through a harrowing experience as pension cheques issued to them by the Imo state government have been discovered to be dud cheques. Some of the anguished pensioners, who confided in New Telegraph complained that since early November when they lodged the cheques in their banks, they have had to go to their banks severally in the hope that the cheques will clear, but the banks insist that there is no fund in the state’s Diamond Bank account from where the cheques were issued. While some of the banks were already asking the pensioners to come and collect their failed cheques for fear of misplacement, an official of the Owerri Municipal Council area accounts office urged agitated pensioners to bear with

government as they have received reassurance that the cheques would be funded by Tuesday the 24th of December, 2014. As at the time of going to press, there were fears that the cheques may have yet again failed but an accountant at Owerri Municipal, who was simply identified as Mr. Njoku, urged the retired teachers to pay in their cheques again, though

18,600

he did not state whether there was any certainty that government has provided funds for the cheques. Some of the pension cheques sighted by our correspondent had entitlements as small as N2500. The retired primary school teachers in Imo state are presently being owed arrears of pensions for upwards of 10 months. There are very strong

The number of facilities providing antiretroviral therapy in low-and middle-income countries in 2009. Source: Who.int

indications that the state is presently struggling with financial challenges. Governor Rochas Okorocha gave credence to this fact when he hosted newsmen yesterday. He stated that though the state has managed to pay salaries for December that 70 percent of the states in the federation owe arrears of salaries. This he attributed to what he called ‘a calculated pol-

4,800

The number of adults and children estimated to be living with HIV in Denmark in 2008. Source: Blatantworld.com

icy by our economic managers to convey that there is no money in Nigeria.’ There are hints that the recent summon of the Accountant General of the State and the state Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere by the Imo State House of Assembly over MDG and ISOPADEC funds may not be unconnected to issues of fund paucity in Imo state.

97%

The percentage of onchorocerciasis (a parasitic infection) accounted by Africa of the world’s burden. Source: Unesco.org

National Co-Coordinator, Good Governance Vanguard, Uju Ohanenye (middle), with Anambra Women Leaders, during the presentation of wrappers to women at a rally in Awka in support of President Goodluck Jonathan's re-Election in 2015…yesterday.

Abia PPA chides Orji over filthy state of Aba

he Progressive Peoples Party (PPA) on Wednesday decried the state on filthiness the administration of Governor Theodore Orji, has bestowed on Abia State, stating that its position was evident in the statement of the Nigeria Railway Corporation Managing Director, Engr. Seyi Sijuade, that heaps of refuse in Aba had affected the efficient running of trains on the eastern rail line. The NRC boss, was said to have had made the remarks in Port Har-

court on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Enugu-Port Harcourt-Enugu inter city train service, while top government functionaries including Vice President Namadi Sambo, Governor Orji, and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, were inattendance, among others dignitaries. According to Sijuwade, "the mountain of refuse in Aba, which is about five metres high had buried some sections of the railway track which has eventually lead to the to-

tal collapse of the No. 15 bridge of the rail track, preventing the smooth running of the locomotives in the region.". Speaking of the filthy state of Abia State, the Chairman Abia PPA, Emeka Okafor, in a statement made available to the media on Wednesday said: "The past seven years of the Orji’s administration has set the state backward especially in terms of infrastructure. A tour of Aba will expose the bad leadership of the current administration.

2015: Abaribe seeks Ukwa PDP members’ support Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

enate spokesman and senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Abia South senatorial district in next year’s polls, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has appealed to his Ukwa kinsmen to accept the outcome of the party’s primaries which produced

Okezie Ikpeazu and himself governorship and senatorial flag bearers of the party respectively for the zone as the decision of the party, urging them to work for the success of the party at next year’s general election. While making the appeal, the senator said it is to allay the fear of marginalisation among some PDP members of the two local government

areas of Ukwa East and Ukwa West, who have threatened to mobilise support for candidates of other parties among other options, unless the situation was reversed, stating that either way, Ukwa, had nipped one of the esteemed slots in the coming elections. The senator, stated that his intention was to vie for the governorship position in Abia State.

The governor and his socalled Abia elders, have been running the state on mere propaganda without having anything tangible to show for all the media hypes about all the claims on performace. We use this opportunity to challenge the governor to visit Aba without been heavily guarded with soldiers, if he is popular among the people.’’ The PPA Chairman, noted that the remarks of the NRC boss, is a testimony to the earlier comments of Chief Ar-

thur Eze, who had at the 17th year celebration of creation of Abia State, described Aba as the dirtiest state in Nigeria. Okafor, urged Abians, to be wary of politicians offering money and other consumables to induce them to vote, saying, "Be mindful of selfish leaders who are of the habit of pretending to be caring towards election, only to neglect their constituencies after they forcefully win elections. Protect your votes and resist any form of intimidation".

Anyim mobilises for APC’s victory in Abia Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

head of next year’s general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Abia state, Chief Nyerere Chinenye Anyim, has unvieled his campaign team with a charge to them, work for the victory at the polls. At the Inauguration of his campaign organization at his campaign office in Aba, Chief Anyim, noted that the team is made up of men and women of credibility and proven integrity, drawn from the three senatorial zones of the state. He charged them to reach out to the electorate, who he described as the decision maker in the forthcoming polls. He said, the APC as a party, does not believe that election results are written, saying that the party has set up structures across the federation and the pulling units where elections are won and lost to ensure credible result. He also noted that the party is determined to give the country the best in terms of service delivery and dividend of democracy. Addressing a large crowd of supporters after the inauguration Anyim, urged the party faithfuls to belief in the power of their votes, pointing out that the time for change has come as while noting that God would deliver Abia state from the bondage and captivity of bad leadership and governance. Responding, the director of publicity, mobilization and strategy for Ayim, Hon. Offor Okorie, assured of the team’s determination to ensure that the APC would form the next government in Abia state and Nigeria. He promised to ensure proper orientation and enlightenment of the electorates on the need to ensure that their votes count come 2015.

Nigercem crisis: Nkalagu community backs Ibeto group Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

ost community of Nkalagu, in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi state, have thrown their weight behind the Ibeto group in the quest in resuscitate to the Niger cement company. The entire clan, had accused the Ebonyi State

government, under Governor Martin Elechi, for frustrating the effort of the company to revive its operations despite the court case, which has constituted clogs in the way of the effort. Briefing newsmen in Abakaliki yesterday, Chief Obinna Ogba, who spoke on behalf of the community said the people cannot be deceive by the government, which

in the last seven years in power, has been unable to build even a cottage industry in the state. Ogba, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Ebonyi Central district, stressed that it is on record that Nigercem, was bought by Eastern Bulkcem, afer due process midwifed a by the Bureau of Public Enterprise(BPE).

News

THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-SOUTH

Udoedehe dismisses defection claim Tony Anichebe UYO

he All Progressives Congress,( APC) leader in Akwa Ibom State, Senator John James Akpan Udoedehe, has said that the crisis rocking the party on the back of the recently conducted primaries will

26%

not force him out of the party even as he stated that the party is yet to have a flag bearer for February 28, 2015 governorship election. Speaking yesterday with New Telegraph, Senator Udodehe, a gubernatorial aspirant, who lost to the former Secretary to the state government, Obong Umana Okon

Umana, described as false and mere blackmail the insinuations that he has defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP after being forced out of APC. The APC leader maintained that he has no plan of leaving the party, adding that his loyalty to the party cannot be threatened by those who wanted to reap where

2,860

The percentage of the population of womThe total area (in sq. km) of en above 60 years in Austria in 2012. Samoa. Source: Un.org Source: Worldfactsandfigures.com

they never sowed. He said, “We may have misunderstanding, that cannot make me to leave my party. People may think that the coming of Umana Okon Umana may change the party’s structure, but that’s not true. Or, tell me, why should I leave the party that we’ve laboured to build? You know, some people are usually in-

The sex ratio of men to 100 women in the 60+ age group in Romania in 2012. Source: Un.org

toxicated with pork and dog meat when they take them. And so, they tend to talk just anything they like. My supporters and party members know my reputation and prove my action which is for the general good. “When I was locked up in prison some years ago, I never contemplated defecting, why now? But I bore everything because

6.6%

The annual growth rate of air travel passengers of Jos airport (2012-2013). Source: National Bureau of Statistics

L-R: Special Adviser to Bayelsa State Governor on Religious Matters, Pastor John Peters; Chaplain, King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Bishop Doutimi Egbegi; Governor Seriake Dickson and his wife, Rachael, at the Christmas carol night held in Yenagoa…yesterday

NEMA distributes relief materials to victims Tony Anichebe UYO

lood victims in Ikpa Ibekwe community in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state, yesterday received relief from the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Sidi, in collaboration with the state government. Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Lady Valerie Ebe, said the administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio, was committed to the wellbeing of its citizens and will always ensure they have the best in terms of basic amenities and other infrastructure. Ebe charged beneficiaries to be partners in progress with government, stressing that they should reciprocate the gesture by making sure the items were properly

distributed and used. Also speaking, the Director General of NEMA who said the flood incident was as a result of heavy hydrological runoff which had limited exit due to blocked channels and environmental issues, appealed to residents of the state to be environment-friendly. Represented by the South-South Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Ben Oghenah, the Director General congratulated the state governor for the massive risk reduction compliant infrastructural transformation that is ongoing in the state, saying “the investment done presently will go a long way in mitigating any future disaster incidence.” Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Ikot Abasi Local Government Council, Arc Ufot Udoinyang, thanked the State Government and NEMA, saying though the incident was pathetic, the relief materials have rekindled hope in the people.

of the interest and passion which I have for my people. Infact, so many things have happened which would have made me compromise, but I’m still on track, trying to fight for my people”. Concerning the alleged bribe by some agents of the ruling party to frustrate Umana’s emergence as APC flag bearer, Udoedehe claimed he was not so poor to stoop low for bribe”, adding that he never for once got any money from the governor. “I am a man of my principles and not a beggar for anyone to present some token to do a thing. It has never happened and I can tell you that I have not collected any money from any fellow. Come to think of it, how much millions of naira can define my personality? If I need money, I’ll go straight to him openly and make demands, I don’t operate in the secret. “People also say that Umana Umana has bought over the party with his money. I wonder how possible this can be. Infact, let me tell you that inspite of his acclaimed wealth, he has no influence over the party leadership. One problem we have is that people no longer respect authorities, they seem to be blind folded by money…”

Dickson tasks financial institutions on liberal services Chris Ejim YENAGOA

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has urged financial institutions operating in the state to make their services more liberal for the benefit of the people of the state. Governor Dickson, who spoke while commissioning a new branch of the Sterling bank, in Yenagoa, decried a situation where some banks only show interest in the collection of deposits from

their customers without doing return the gesture with value added services. Describing Bayelsa as Nigeria’s best kept secret, he reiterated his administration’s determination to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state. While thanking the management of Sterling Bank for heeding to his earlier call, Governor Dickson, urged other financial and private institutions to emulate the bank in building befitting corporate offices to

compliment the development of the state. Expressing confidence in the partnership between the state government and the Sterling bank, he however, asked the bank to work out modalities that would create wealth and employment opportunities for Bayelsans. According to the Governor, “I am confident that by opening this branch, more of our people will have access to the opportunities and services that your bank provides. “I’m keenly monitoring and will like to have a

report in no distant time that business people in this state and those involved in the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will continue to benefit from your facilities. “And I dare say I challenge you to prove in no distant time that you are not like other banks that come to Bayelsa only to collect deposits. I want to see that you are also in the business of giving facilities (loans) and encourage the development of indigenous businesses in Bayelsa State.

Emerhor appoints Oghenesivbe campaign spokesman

elta State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship flag bearer, Olorogun Otega Emerhor, has appointed Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, as the Director of Media and Political Communication of his campaign organisation. The gover norship candidate, who formally introduced Oghenesivbe, to Media Executives and Political

Correspondents at his villa in Warri Delta State said he was attracted to the choice of Oghenesivbe, following his strong credential and communication skill, which would positively impact to his electioneering in the run off to the 2015 governorship election in the state. The APC candidate described Oghenesivbe

as an accomplished communicator, who does his job with high sense of humour in the realm of political communication and strategic media marketing skills. He told newsmen that he was aware that his new media director, was involved in a similar engagement recently, adding that he was convinced from the inside that Oghenesivbe

will offer bettter professional services for the APC and his campaign organisation. The Meda Director of Emerhor campaign organization, is expected to develop stratetic campaign focus that will convey the lofty socioeconomic programmes of the APC Governorship candidate to the target audience within and outside Delta State.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014

News 49

NORTH

Yuletide: Security beefed up in Adamawa, Taraba A STITCH IN TIME Govt takes proactive steps to compat terrorism at Yuletide Ibrahim Abdul Yola

ecurity has been beefed up in Adamawa and Taraba States ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations just as Governor Bala James Ngillari,

banned the use of tricycles popularly known as ‘Keke NAPEP’ for three days. Ngillari said the ban was after due consultation with the state police command. Operators of public places were also asked to be vigilant and ensure they properly screen all visitors, users of their facilities during this Yuletide. Members of the public are also urged to report any suspicious movement in their area

to the police. The Boko Haram insurgents are still in control of some areas in Adamawa State, which include Michika and Madagali Local Governments as thousands of displaced persons are still scattered across the state. Already, there has been heavy traffic at various security checks across major towns in the two states. Also, security check points have been mounted at strategic entrances of the state capitals.

New Telegraph also gathered that churches across the states have also made alternative security arrangements to ensure violent-free Christmas celebration. Police spokesmen in Adamawa State, Othman Abubakar, confirmed that security vehicles and armoured personnel carriers will be deployed to hospitals, churches, army and police barracks to forestall any breakdown of law and order. Abubakar assured the

people that the normal ‘stop and search’ security arrangement and surveillance activities are also part of efforts to ensure a smooth Christmas celebration. He said: “The command is leaving nothing to chance to ensure we have violent-free Christmas celebration. The police are raiding all flashpoints across the state to counter any attack that may want to disrupt the peaceful nature of the celebration.

Secretary to Bauchi State Government, Alhaji Mahmud Maijama’a, (Third left); Chairman, Due Process Office, Mr. Aliyu Jibrin; Director-General, Bureau of Public Procument (BPP), Mr. Emeka Ezeh; Governor Isa Yuguda and others, at the inauguration of Due Process Office building in Bauchi …yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

PDP settles for Benue deputy gov’s candidate as running mate Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

fter so much horsetrading between Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani and Senate President, David Mark, over who presents a running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the state ahead of next year’s general election, the party has finally settled for the deputy governor’s candidate, Mr. John Ngbede. The three have been at each other’s jugular over whose preferred candidate gets the position. While the former Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Sam Ode, was Suswam’s choice for the position, the Senate President was supporting the NTA boss, Mr. Patrick Ogbu, with the deputy governor backing the incumbent Commissioner for Works and Transport, Ngbede. But New Telegraph gathered that the decision of the PDP to settle

for Lawani’s choice was to compensate him for his failure to secure the governorship ticket during the December 8 primaries of the party, during which he polled 311 votes to place second to Mr. Terhemen Tarzoor, who emerged winner. Lawani hails from Ogbadibo Local Government of Benue South senatorial district. Ngbede came to political limelight during the George Akume administration, when he served as Special Adviser to the governor on Assembly Matters, where he rose through the ranks to serve as Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment as well as for Works and Transport, all in the Suswam administration before being appointed deputy governor. The deputy governordesignate, who is expected to be presented to the PDP stakeholders after documentation at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja next week, hails from Agatu Local Government of the state.

Niger budgets N80.8bn for 2015 Dan Atori MINNa

ducation, personnel costs and completion of ongoing capital projects top the list of priority projects the Niger State government will execute in 2015 as Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu yesterday presented next year’s fiscal estimates to the state House of Assembly. The budget estimates, with a total value of N80.8 billion out of which N42.1 billion is for recurrent expenditure and N38.6 billion is for capital expenditure, showed that for the first time in the eight-year administration of the PDP government in the state, recurrent budget outweighs capital expenditure. Governor Aliyu told members of the House of Assembly that Value Added Tax (VAT) will generate for the government over N10 billion while capital receipts and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) will each bring in N9 billion. The budget, the governor said will be 82 per cent dependent on federation account, adding that the government has provided all necessary safety valves to receive the shocks from the continuous drop in the price of oil in the international market.

Aliyu: INEC has bungled PVCs’ distribution Dan Atori MINNa

iger State governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has bungled the collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) ,,a major requirement for voters to exercise their franchise in next year’s general election. The collection of the PVCs started last Friday and was to have ended on Monday while registration of others was to start yesterday. Governor Aliyu told

members of the Niger State House of Assembly when he presented the 2015 fiscal estimate for the state that majority of eligible voters in the state will not be able to vote during the election. According to him, “As I speak to you, myself, former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, have not collected our voters’ cards.” Painting a very gloomy picture of the development in the collection of the cards, Aliyu said only 11 out of the 25 local government areas got materials even

with lots of problems, insisting that not more than 12 eligible voters out of 500 received their cards in most of the polling units where the distribution took place. Governor Aliyu also said that in most of the collection centres, it was either the machines brought for the exercise were not functioning, or the INEC officials in charge abandoned their duty posts. This development, the governor said, has resulted in people claiming that the exercise has been deliberately bungled to disenfranchise some voters and give undue advantage to a certain party, which is a mi-

nus for credible elections. Aliyu, who is the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, therefore advised INEC to wake up to its responsibilities and correct the anomaly though he added that the INEC chairman has promised that necessary corrections will be made before elections. The governor, however, advised that since everybody cannot get the PVCs, INEC should consider allowing all eligible voters to make use of the temporary voters’ cards so that no one will complain of disenfranchisement.

Wamakko proposes N112.54bn 2015 budget Umar Danladi Ado Sokoto

okoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko, yesterday presented the 2015 budget of N112.54 billion to the state House of Assembly for consideration. Presenting the budget tagged; “Budget of Consolidation and Renewal,”

Wamakko said 60 per cent of the budget has been earmarked to service capital projects while 40 per cent will be for recurrent expenditure. Our correspondent gathered that the proposal represents a drop of about N13 billion against last year’s N125 billion. He said: “The budget

would finance N50.8 billion recurrent and N60.7 billion capital expenditures respectively,” he stated. According to him, the priority of his government is to ensure the completion of ongoing projects and achieve more than 60 per cent implementation of the

budget. Wamakko recalled that last year’s indices were favourable. The governor added that the state government has, after reflecting on the realities of the economy, fine-tuned modalities on how best it can improve on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) sources.

WORLD | News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Jordan pilot captured as IS downs airplane

he Islamic State group yesterday shot down a warplane from the US-led coalition over northern Syria, a monitoring group said, with the jihadists claiming to have captured a Jordanian pilot. “We have confirmed reports that IS members took a (non-Syrian) Arab pilot prisoner after shooting his plane down with an anti-aircraft missile near Raqa city,” the Syrian Obser-

vatory for Human Rights said. The IS branch in Raqa published photographs on jihadist websites purporting to show its fighters holding the captured pilot, with a caption identifying him as Jordanian. Several photographs were released showing the pilot, wearing only a white shirt, being carried from a body of water by four men, and also on land, surrounded by about a dozen armed men.

Another photograph was released of the pilot’s alleged military identification card, showing his name as Maaz alKassasbeh, his birth date as May 29, 1988, and his rank of first lieutenant. The jihadists claimed to have shot down the warplane with a heat-seeking missile. The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria, said IS had used

a missile taken from Syrian rebels who have been battling President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. IS “has a large number of anti-aircraft weapons taken from the rebels,” Observatory director, Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. A still image released by the Islamic State group’s branch in Raqa on jihadist websites on Decem. There was no immediate reaction from authorities in Jordan. Jordan is among a number of countries that have joined the US-led alliance carrying out air strikes against IS after the jihadists seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emir-

ates, Jordan and Bahrain are taking part in the air strikes in Syria alongside the United States. Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France and The Netherlands have joined the raids in Iraq. The Sunni extremist IS has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control, including mass executions of captured soldiers and public beheadings of hostages including Western journalists and aid workers. Coalition warplanes have carried out regular strikes around Raqa, which IS has used as the headquarters for its selfproclaimed “caliphate”.

Russia says NATO turning Ukraine into ‘frontline of confrontation’

R The Jordan Army confirms one of its pilots has been captured in Syria after Islamic State fighters said they shot down his plane.

Zuma to take fifth wife

outh Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma has hinted he may be ready to take a fifth wife to accompany him through old age, the daily newspaper, The Star said yesterday. During a visit to a Durban township Tuesday in KwaZulu-Natal, the 72-year-old said in Zulu “Angakayakhi indlu yokugugel laba ngisabathathile nje” (I do have wives but I’m yet to marry my last one). The crowd, most of them elderly, laughed and cheered, The Star said. Zuma, who recently said he was in “perfect condition” after a stay in hospital in June, had earlier given a speech about the need to re-

spect and tend for older people. Sihawu Ngubane, a professor at KwaZulu-Natal University, was quoted by the newspaper as saying it was fairly standard among Zulu people for a man who practices polygamy to take a last wife for his final years, sometimes the younger sister of one of his wives. “They call the last wife ‘indlu yokugugela’ (the home in which I will age in) because the responsibility of looking after the husband in their old age predominantly lies with the junior wife, who is often younger than the other wives and more agile in case there is an emergency,” he said. Some South Africans reacted to the rumour

with support. “Good for him and the wife to be,” said radio presenter Sebenzile Nkambule on Twitter. “Why are people upset? It’s THEIR culture. You don’t like it, don’t be polygamous.” But with over 20 children, and four wives currently on the state’s budget, Zuma has also been harshly criticised for hitting taxpayers’ pockets with his personal life after refurbishments to his private home -- including a swimming pool and amphitheatre. The 246 million rand ($21 million, million euros) refurbishments were paid for with public funds under the guise of “security upgrades”.

Japanese PM unveils new government, defense pick may rile China

apanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe unveiled a new cabinet yesterday, appointing a defense chief whose desire for a stronger pre-emptive strike capability could rile neighbour China. Gen Nakatani, a lawmaker who served in the armed forces for several years, has served as defense minister before and favors Japan having the ability to hit enemy bases pre-emptively in the face of imminent attack. He replaces Akinori Eto, who had faced questions over his use of political funds. The rest of the cabinet, Abe’s third since he returned to power late in 2012, was unchanged. Abe stressed Nakatani’s experience as the reason for his appointment, while emphasizing the need to improve ties

with China, South Korea and Russia. Despite suggestions that a record-low election turnout 10 days ago had devalued his victory, Abe vowed to push on with his “Abenomics” brand of stimulus policies and craft an economic package later this week while pursuing a more assertive security stance. “A strong economy will allow us to build strong diplomacy, which is closely linked with security. That’s the very reason I have promised to place the utmost priority on the economy,” Abe told a televised news conference. His choice of Nakatani for the defense portfolio is a nod to concerns about growing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea and China. Nakatani’s appointment could draw fire from China, especially given Abe’s stated goal

of a stronger security profile for Japan that includes passing a law in 2015 to reinterpret its pacifist constitution. This would allow the country to come to the aid of an ally and pave the way for its troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two. Nakatani, 57 and a graduate of the National Defence Academy, said yesterday that this would be only for defensive reasons and was not to be seen as a means to go to war or invade another country. The December 14 election, which returned his coalition with a large majority, was billed by Abe as a mandate on his reflationary economic policies that include hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and promises of deregulation.

ussia said yesterday NATO was turning Ukraine into a “frontline of confrontation” and threatened to sever remaining ties with the Atlantic military alliance if Ukraine’s hopes of joining it were realized. The Kiev parliament’s renunciation of Ukraine’s neutral status Tuesday in pursuit of NATO membership has outraged Moscow and deepened the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. “NATO countries pushed Kiev to this counterproductive decision, trying to turn Ukraine into a front line of confrontation with Russia,” Deputy Defence Minister

Anatoly Antonov told the Russian news agency Interfax. “If this decision in the future takes on a military character (accession to NATO), then we will respond appropriately. Then there will be a complete severing of ties with NATO, which will be practically impossible to repair,” Antonov said. It is likely to take years for Ukraine to meet the technical criteria for accession to NATO and, even then, there is no certainty that the alliance is ready to take on such a political hot potato. Yet Russia has made clear it would see the NATO membership of such a strategic former Soviet republic with a long common border as a direct military threat.

Diplomat: Egypt, Qatar plan reconciliation summit

gyptian and Qatari intelligence officials have met to arrange talks between leaders of the two countries to end a row over the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, a diplomatic source said yesterday. The planned summit is part of reconciliation efforts brokered by Saudi Arabia after Qatar this month pledged its “full support” for Egypt. Qatar’s earlier backing of Morsi and his blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement left it isolated in the region. “Talks are under way to organise a meeting between the Egyptian president and the emir of Qatar,” an Arab diplomatic source told AFP. “The talks took place in Cairo over the past two days between the head of Qatari intelligence and his Egyptian counterpart for arranging such a meeting in Riyadh.” He said there was a possibility that a meeting between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani “could be held on Sisi’s way back from China”. Sisi, who overthrew Morsi in July last year, is ex-

pected to return from China yesterday after a two-day trip. A foreign ministry official when contacted said he had no idea that intelligence officials of the two countries had met in Cairo. Ties between Cairo and Doha deteriorated after then-army chief Sisi toppled Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood movement was backed by Qatar. Since Morsi’s ouster, a crackdown overseen by Sisi against the Brotherhood has left hundreds dead. Qatar repeatedly denounced Sisi’s overthrow of Morsi and it still provides shelter for some Brotherhood leaders who fled Egypt. The crackdown led to a diplomatic spat pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which all supported the ouster of the Islamist president. But at a regional summit in November hosted by Riyadh, Qatar joined its Gulf neighbours in supporting Egypt under Sisi. “Egypt looks forward to a new era that ends past disagreements,” Sisi’s office said after he held a meeting with a special envoy of Qatar’s emir on Saturday his first with a Doha representative since becoming president in June.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

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Basketball

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Did you know? That Chelsea scored a whooping 103 goals in the 2009-10 title win

U-23 Eagles’ Isaac Success

F’Eagles’ Ojo Olorunleke

for these PLAYers!

Vincent Eboigbe

hristmas has always been a time when people take the much desired break from work, the drudgery of every-

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

day hustle and bustle especially if you lived in a city like Lagos, and just generally take it easy, legs off the pedal for once and hung in a leisurely manner. Interestingly, Lagos also empties in that period, with those left wishing that the city could be like this always, free of all the snarling and snagging traffic, both vehicular and human. In spite of the constant battles of trying to keep the wolves from the door, Christmas is still looked forward to with anticipation, and one of the most enchanting signs of the season is the Carols. When Boney M’s variant, which was quite popular back in the day, wafts through, you knew the Yuletide was finally around. Across the football world right now leagues are on break or on the verge of doing so, the exception being English Premier League that has refused to accept the winter break. The Christmas season affords footballers the opportunity to spend time with

their families, away from the task of playing matches weekly or sometimes twice weekly. But in Nigeria, many players will not have the luxury of enjoying Christmas with their families, away from the pitches. The U-23 National team had been in camp. The coach, Samson Siasia, took the players through their paces in readiness for the All Africa Games next year and the Olympics in 2016, before calling a few days break. The team reconvenes immediately after the New Year The Flying Eagles and the Golden Eaglets are also gearing up for their respective African championship in Senegal and Niger. Both competitions will take place early in the New Year, so the players are busy and do not have the luxury of having a full break to celebrate the season. Indeed the Eaglets have no break at all. Both Manu Garba and Emmanuel Amuneke, Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets’ coaches are on the

grind to ensure they raise teams that will not only win the African tournaments, but also pick tickets for their respective World Cups in New Zealand and Chile also in 2015. For these players, spending time with their families is out of the question, and coming from a prolonged season that ended only last month, the expectation is for them to take a break. But the much needed break will not be a possibility given the task ahead. Interestingly, the people involved don’t seem to take too much to heart the fact that they will be working during the Yuletide period. “It is national service, so it is in order. At any rate as a journalist I am used to going to work weekends and on holidays when others are at home,” said Flying Eagles media officer, Samm Audu. “It is just a little sacrifice to make so as to be able to meet challenges of the task ahead. As you know we are in a group at the African Youth Championship that includes Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Congo; that is a tight pool and we need to get cracking so as

Super Eagles’ Gbolahan Salami

not be caught napping. This is the feeling of the players. So it is no big deal not observing the Yuletide holidays.” Super Eagles striker, Glolahan Salami, who got married on Sunday, said he would spend his honeymoon in camp as they have two friendly matches against Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. The Eagles did not qualify for the African Nations Cup, so those games are part of the endeavour to get the team going in spite of the anticipated lull of January and February. Salami said: “It is most unfortunate that I will not be able to go anywhere with my wife because of national team assignment. I will surely be spending the festive period and my honeymoon in the national team camp because of the coming friendly matches against Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. “Camp resumes on Sunday and I will surely be part of the team from day one. I can’t say I am sad missing out of the Yuletide celebration at home, and I am sure my wife will understand the situation.”

SPORT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Random musings at Christmas! Muyiwa Daniel “M on Thursday ustard Faith…Faith is like the radar that sees through the fog; the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see”. – C.T.Boom I have a recall. It was during one of those days of nationwide strikes that followed an increase in fuel prices during the military regime. Two years earlier in 1989, I had been on the reporting team as BCC “Lions” of Gboko played the final of the African Winners Cup against Esperance of Tunisia. Chief Barnabas Gemade- Yes, the Senator of the Federal Republic and former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party – was the top boss at the cement manufacturing firm that funded the club. Now, Nigeria Football Association (NFA) – that is what is legal with the Corporate Affairs Commission – technical director, Amodu Shaibu, was the team’s coach. I had earlier interviewed him when he led the team to beat Lagos side – Stationery Stores –in the Challenge Cup final in Bauchi. Stores fan had a re-union Thursday and Friday at the funeral rites of former striker, Yomi Peters, who lost the battle to stay alive at 74 despite the spirited efforts and funding by former international and immediate past Executive Chairman of Surulere Local Government – Tajudeen Ajide - who incidentally played against Peters while at First Bank within

the bowel of the then UAC (now Teslim Balogun) Stadium. Amodu had the free hand at BCC and despite the first leg that ended goalless in Nigeria, he had faith that the club would win the Winners Cup. His joker? Amir Angwe. And so it came to pass that Angwe got the only goal that delivered the trophy to the Nigerian team. Angwe however switched allegiance to Lagos side – Julius Berger- and featured in the same continental competition. Unfortunately, the player was to slump at the Onikan stadium against Ferroviarro of Mozambique. With the strike the medical personnel at the Stadium watched in awe as players of both sides swarmed round the player. The doctor of the Mozambican side had come equipped medically to the match and battled for more than forty minutes to revive the player. It was not to be. On a stretcher, the lifeless body of the player was transported to the neighboring General Hospital with Dr Bola Farri in tow. At the Hospital morgue, we were made to pull the player’s jersey and shorts before depositing his remains in one of the trays by one hospital attendant whose palm had to be “gresed” because he was rendering a favour on a strike day. After it all, I had to call Ladi Lawal (God continues to rest his soul) at Raypower. Lawal who was putting together the station for Dr Raymond Dokpesi, went straight into the

md_muyiwa@yahoo.com 08023525087 (sms only) studio and the story was the first ever breaking news the station had live. All the medical details especially the doctor’s report which stated – “Brought in Dead (BID)”- was reported live. Dokpesi later in the day had called Lawal that I should be immediately employed at the Station. It was not to be. The military junta the following day lifted the ban on the Concord Group of Newspapers and I had to return for duty. Lawal had scored a first and despite the disappointment that I couldn’t join Tony Akiotu, Tunde Orebiyi and other members of our “Martins Street Gang” we remained friends until he also succumbed to the cold hands of death at the Abuja National Hospital. I don’t know if DAAR Communications is still keeping faith in his memory. This recall is as good as a wake-up call for former players to rally round

themselves as before. I had cause to report on the rescue mission of Governor Babatunde Fashola when former National team Green Eagles- goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, was struck down. I had also reported Ajide’s effort in the rescue of another former international –Peter Anieke-a man whose head had caused nightmares for opposition teams especially at UAC and Onikan. Anieke, in his Igando via Ikotun, Lagos residence, can still do with more help. At Peters’ funeral, we discussed with ailing former administrator, CAF and FIFA instructor, Austin Akosa, who acknowledged the player as “Egbon” at their 70th birthday put together by “The Gang” at Madam SWAN’s National Stadium gate Joint four years ago. Former Stars like Olusegun Odegbami (MON) who attended like

Ajide felt it was time for players to take the future in their hands through welfare and insurance programmes. The challenge is being confronted by the Players Union whose secretary, Austin Popo, another former star of New Nigerian Bank. Can I ever forget former coach, referee, match commissioner and effervescent administrator-the man from Illa- Stephen Keshi’s village- Pa John Ojidoh? (also with the Lord) who in 2000 as Chairman of the NFA electoral Committee, where I humbly served, put in our report to Sports Minister, Steven Akiga (God also rest his soul) that a compendium of ALL the country’s footballers-past and present-be put in place for a welfare and post performance activity. From Sam Okwaraji, to Angwe and the players I saw at Peters’ funeral rites I muse that a firm step has to be taken for a CHANGE. That reminds me. Whatever happened to the house, car and continued membership of the Lagos State Sports Council Board promised the deceased four years ago by Fashola! Random Musings! Have a blessed Christmas!

Amodu’s kamikaze dance

Around the Stadia

joebooster391@yahoo.com

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amikaze is a traditional Japanese war strategy invented before the 1944 second world war, where the proponents preferred suicide attack against the enemy than surrender or be captured. It is only applicable when all options have been exhausted. The Nigerian scenario, particularly as it relates to football is indeed a funny case. There is no segment of our football, be it administration, refereeing, coaching, sponsorship or even supportership that could be said to have exhibited any sense of decorum. It is a case of what they call in our local parlance, “Fuji House of commotion.” The resultant confusion generated by these crises is so loud that the essence of the wrangling in the first place is completely lost on all. None of the combatants in the disputes could aptly capture the essence of the war of attrition they have unleashed on each other. This has invariable left out football comatose, since the World Cup ended and the battle for the control of the soul of the nation’s football ensued. The simple truth is that Nigeria has ended up being the loser. Our global ranking as a football power-house has plummeted. Every-

JOE BOOSTER

thing appears to be in disarray, since the centre no longer holds. I have watched with great trepidation how the principle of “dog eat dog” has become the norm rather than the exception. All combatants have taken their time to call the integrity of one another to question, thereby reducing Nigeria to a laughing stock before the global football community. It is obvious that FIFA can easily recall the name Nigeria simply for bad reasons against what used to be in time past; simply because “litigation” has become the only wing we are conversant with. However, I was appalled recently with the comments ascribed to our national Technical Director, Coach Amodu, Shaibu, against our “permanent Coach” without contract, Stephen Keshi, describing him as a complete failure without honour and urged him to resign from the national team immediately. Ordinarily, such vituperations coming from an otherwise good buddy when the going was cool ought to be ignored or be deemed internal affairs of the nation’s coaches. But, having taken it to the public domain, we cannot but talk about the wider implications,

since Coach Amodu is not just anybody. Keshi was an assistant to Amodu when he was Super Eagles’ coach in 2001, before their unceremonious exit as a result of issues the FA then considered to be indiscipline in the national team. They worked together as pals until the last minute. The Amodu we knew was reserved, discrete, conservative and taciturn. But, it appears years of isolation and reclusive lifestyle have created a fiery Amodu, who does not bat an eyelid before saying it the way he feels. Amodu took a vantage timing to excoriate his friend, Keshi, in the manner, most unbecoming. If he had stopped at advising his former colleague to resign, it would be understandable. But by stretching the analysis to the point of calling him “a failure without honour” beats one’s imagination. In other not to be labeled pro-Keshi, it may be appropriate to state that there are only a few Africans, dead or alive, that have come close to Keshi’s record in football. Amodu’s are nowhere close to comparing with Keshi’s. Amodu merely succeeded in winning bronze medals of times he was saddled with the task of leading the Eagles to Nations’ Cup. Keshi’s records rival most of the best expatriate coaches African countries have engaged at one time or the order. He has the African Cup of Nations to his credit as a player and coach, while Amodu has none. Keshi played for Nigeria and abroad as a professional for over a decade. He was also one of the

longest-serving captains Nigeria has produced. He has coached some African national teams such as Togo and Mali, while Amodu has not been able to venture outside our shores. It shows he has limited exposure as he could not operate at the international arena. One even wonders what qualified him to be the technical director – the father of all coaches. The office of a technical director of

Keshi was an assistant to Amodu when he was Super Eagles’ coach in 2001, before their unceremonious exit as a result of issues the FA then considered to be indiscipline in the national team

a football body should not be for a local champion since it entails meeting with international bodies. He has bared his fang, showing that he has been commissioned to embark on a kamikaze dance. The onslaught by Amodu shows clearly that he has completely run out of ideas. As a way of showing gratitude to his latest benefactors who saw Keshi as the source of their problem, he is prepared to do anything at the slightest prompting. Even though an average tactician in his heydays, but having been idle since his exit from the Super Eagles, 12 years ago, he now sounds rustic, outdated like a broken record and therefore requires an upgrade. Amodu’s appointment to pioneer the rebuilding of the twenty first century Nigerian football, from the age group cadres is a bird’s eye-view into the competence or incompetence of those who hired him. Nigerian football if truth be told has gone beyond parochial and patrimonial sentiments. Amodu’s outburst could not have been predicated on deepseated animosity, considering their long standing friendship. Who could be manipulating him to tow this destructive path that profits nothing? The cavalier manner by which Amodu was offered the Super Eagles’ job preparatory to the encounter with Congo was suspect. The eventual appointment as the technical director was untidy; as it never followed any known credible standard criteria. And “a failure without honour” statement against Keshi fittingly leaves much to be desired. His present duty among other things in any case should be to unite coaches and not to serve as a hatchet man. lAround the Stadia is a regular Friday column but New Telegraph will be off the streets tomorrow.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT 53

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

AFCON 2015: Song out of Cameroon squad

Balotelli struggling to adapt – Rodgers

rendan Rodgers admits Mario Balotelli is struggling to adapt to Liverpool’s style of play. Balotelli is available for the Boxing Day trip to Burnley after a groin injury and a one-match suspension limited him to just one match since November 8. However, the Italy striker is likely to be on the bench at Turf Moor. Rodgers recently changed to a 3-4-3 system with Raheem Sterling leading the attack and the Liverpool manager admits it does not suit Balotelli’s style of play.

“I think we’ve seen it’s not really his game,” Rodgers said on Sky Sports News. “Working with Mario, we see someone who is better around the box. That level of intensity and pressing isn’t part of his game but you try and get the best out of the players you have and the qualities that you have. “So that’s something that we will focus on, but the most important thing is that he’s available after his ban. It adds another player to our squad and another player who is available, especially with Fabio Borini unavailable.”

Rooney to continue in midfield – Van Gaal L

ouis van Gaal has hailed Wayne Rooney’s versatility as he looks set to continue in the central midfield role he has occupied recently. Rooney played as a deeplying midfielder against Aston Villa as Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to seven games at Villa Park. When United were chasing the game at Villa Park they switched to a 3-4-3 system with Wayne Rooney in midfield and the change helped them force

an equaliser. “Against Aston Villa he (Rooney) was more of a defensive midfielder. He has the ability to run from box to box - that is also a little bit that he has to feel in the match, to read in the match that he can do that” “That is a matter of time and I believe that he can do that.” Van Gaal later confirmed the United players, in a break with tradition, will be given Christmas Day off.

Balotelli

lex Song has not been included in Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. The West Ham midfielder, on loan from Barcelona, was not among the 22-man party named on Wednesday for next month’s event in Equatorial Guinea. Song, who had made it clear he was available for the January 17 to February 8 showpiece, is now free to play against Swansea, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester United. However, West Ham will be without Senegalese duo Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate after they confirmed their participation in the Song tournament.

Lakers win without Bryant

os Angeles Lakers proved they could cope without Kobe Bryant after claiming a 115-105 over the league-leading Golden State Warriors. The NBA’s No 3 career scorer was rested by the Lakers, but his teammates performed well in his absence, with Carlos Boozer scoring 18 points to seal victory over Golden State. Coach Byron Scott decided to leave out the 36-year-old Bryant, who is averaging 35.5 minutes through the first 27 games of his 19th NBA season. Stephen Curry had 22 points and six assists for the Warriors, but could not prevent

them from slipping to only their fourth defeat in 27 games. Elsewhere, Kevin Love returned to haunt Minnesota as he scored 20 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 125104 win over the Timberwolves. Love faced Minnesota for the first time since his summer trade and played a key role for the Cavaliers, while Kyrie Irving also impressed with 29 points. LeBron James added 24 points for Cleveland, but the game was overshadowed by a serious leg injury to centre Anderson Varejao, who had to be helped back to the locker room. Bryant

Mourinho to unleash Mikel, Matic on West Ham Emmanuel Tobi

Mikel in action against Stoke City

ollowing their superlative performance against Stoke City on Monday, Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, is favourably disposed to featuring the duo of Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic against West Ham on Boxing Day. There was a minor but crucial change in Chelsea’s midfield with Mourinho starting Mikel and Matic togeth-

er in the league for the second time this season having only previously been paired together against Hull earlier this month. With Fàbregas moving forward to the top of the midfield triangle and Oscar dropping to the bench, Mourinho’s side were extremely powerful After the match, the coach said, “Today (on Monday) we decided to play Mikel and Matic so we lose one creative player. “We had that stability

in the team, and left Fabregas, Willian and Hazard the responsibility to create and they were not afraid to do that. “They put themselves in every situation and I think the kid was fantastic,” Mourinho said at the post-match press conference. The Portuguese however expects a tough game against the Hammers. “It will be very difficult,” said Mourinho, ahead of Friday’s match with West Ham.

Dumas, Marawa to compere Glo-CAF Awards

hanaian actress and television host Joselyn Canfor-Dumas and Supersports of South Africa presenter, Robert Marawa, have been confirmed as the official comperes of the 2014 Glo-CAF Awards. Dumas was born in Accra on 31 August 1980. After attending Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School she travelled for further studies and graduated with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies from University of Phoenix,

U.S.A. She is currently the host of a new TV talk show @ Home with Joselyn Dumas which is aired across Africa and parts of Europe. Marawa on the other hand, is a South African sports journalist and television/ radio personality. He attended Hilton College near Pietermaritzburg and the University of the Witwatersrand where he studied Law. Also expected are Global jazz icon, Hugh

Masekela from South Africa, Congo DR’s multiple award-winning singer and guitarist, Fally Ipupa, Nigeria’s sensations Flavour and Lagbaja, pan African group, Cirque D’Afrique, Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa, Tanzania’s prominent multiple award winning singer, Diamond and sensational singing group from South Africa, Uhuru amongst others. A fun-filled night awaits guests at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos on 8th January, 2015.

L-R: Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations; Dr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, Director General/CEO, both of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency; Samson Siasia, Coach Nigeria’s U-23 team, and Timi Ebikagboro, the team’s Media Officer on a visit to NIMASA’s Head Office recently.

Nelson predicts bright future for Pepsi Academy

r. Iain Nelson, consultant to Pepsi Football Academy, has tipped players from the Academy to transform into superstars in the nearest future. Hundreds of youngsters from the Pepsi Football Academy centres across the country stormed Agege Stadium at the weekend to showcase their talents at the annual Festival of Youth raising hope of a new dawn in Nigeria football. The event provided a platform to evaluate and appreciate the progress made by the young players through inter-regional competition. Nelson said the essence of the event was to create motivation and provide a challenging platform for the Pepsi Academy lads to showcase their talents. “The challenge for these youngsters is to try and be selected from their centres to play at the regional level or represent the academy at local and international competitions.” He described the respectable performance against an experienced FC Barcelona’s team at the just concluded Copa Lagos as one of the greatest achievements of the Pepsi Academy in recent time.

Faith

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

More Grace Bible Institute

lUnveils 2015 Academic Calendar The Three-day Holy Ghost International Crusade of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries titled “God will make you to rejoice” will take place at The Lord’s Chosen International Secondary School Mgbidi Imo State on 3rd, 4th and 5th January 2015 at 8a.m daily. STANLEY CHIBUIHEM AMALAHA writes on the significance of the crusade

gbidi, the gateway to Imo State from the Niger, is a pilgrimage land of sort. It is one of the headquarters of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries where faithful converge annually for the Holy Ghost International Crusade. The forthcoming 2015 programme promises to be the best ever held by the 12-year old mega ministry says Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer of the ministry. The event which comes every first weekend of January annually unarguably attracts the largest gathering of any kind East of the Niger. It is accompanied with diverse signs and

wonders with unprecedented power of God as of old where yokes are broken, sinners are saved, succour given to the sick, freedom for the captives and hope for the hopeless. The title of the crusade: “God will make you to rejoice” is taken from the Book of Luke 7:12-16. “We are inviting people from all parts of the world to come and receive from the Lord. As they come, the God Almighty must surely make them to rejoice,” says the distinguished man of God. One of the uniqueness of Christian higher education is the pursuit of godly community that follows the example of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Bible. More Grace Bible Institute is an educational institution

committed to creating a conducive spiritual environment in the process of equipping the Lord`s Chosen Church members for the proclamation of the whole gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world. The institution gathers people who have the calling of God and are willing to serve him, prepare them to answer their calling and also make them ready for the Lord to fulfill the three fold visions and 10 billion souls mandate which the Lord has given to the Lord`s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry. It is with this regard, that More Grace Bible Institute was established in July 2005 by the General Overseer of the Lord`s Chosen Charismatic

Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen CRM

The institution gathers people who have the calling of God and are willing to serve Him, prepare them to answer their calling and also make them ready for the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill the three-fold visions and 10-billion souls mandate, which the Lord has given to the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries

The Lord’s Chosen brothers rejoicing at Mgbidi crusade

The Lord Chosen Youth choir, Lagos The Lord’s Chosen Choir, South Africa performing at the previous Mgbidi crusade

Abuja Campus Students of More Grace Bible Institute in Jabi Abuja, with their leaders.

The Lord’s Chosen congregation rejoicing

Faith 55

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

set for pilgrimage in Mgbidi Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, as a vocational institute essentially for the orientation of thoughts and outllook on the general context for the pastors and leaders of the ministry. According to Dr. Chidozie Amadi, Dean of Academic Affairs of the institute, â&#x20AC;&#x153;our 9th annual graduation ceremony will take place on January 2015 at the main Campus in Ijesha Lagos. Presently we have other campuses in Abuja, Imo and Abia states. Similarly, 2015 Academic Session has commenced with registration in progress. We train and teach the ministers to-

ward fulfilling the three-fold vision which the Lord has given the church through our General Overseer, Pastor Lazarus Muoka. We train leaders who not only know and teach the truth, but can also exhibit leadership requirements which focus on the example they are to provide (1Tim. 3, Titus 2). We stress on the relationships of the ministers and members within the body of Christ to reinforce the uniqueness of our church`s existence as a distinctive community within human society cultures.â&#x20AC;? l

Stanley Chibuihem 08035624538

Imo State Campus Students of More Grace Bible Institute in Owerri, with their leaders.

Abia State Campus Students of More Grace Bible Institute in MCC Road Aba, with their leaders.

Students of the Main Campus of More Grace Bible Institute, Ijesha Lagos with their leaders.

Pastor Muoka

Another corss section of Students in the Main Campus of More Grace Bible Institute, Ijesha Lagos with their leaders.

Dr. Chidozie Amadi, Dean Academic Affairs, More Grace Bible Institute, Lagos

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

On Marble

The Church of the Nativity (565 AD, Bethlehem, West Bank) is one of the oldest church buildings in the world today, it still hosts multiple church services every day.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

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Leisure & Puzzle }40

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

N150

Re: Are we building or destroying this democracy? In the spirit of the Yuletide, I hereby give readers the opportunity to air their views, especially on Nigeria’s democracy. Merry Christmas.

he way you analyse political issues touches some of us. Your thinking is very deep. But please, stop referring to all these people as politicians. They are not. They are simply political parasites and democracy destroyers. Kamoru Adeleke, Ede

Talking Tough GABRIEL AKINADEWO gabyfola@hotmail.com

08023010222, 08052097814 (sms only)

Obviously, we are only united geographically. We are not united economically, politically, socially, religiously. That is why this country is not moving forward at all. By the time all these politicians finish their game, I don’t think we will have a country anymore. May God help us. Chidi Odims, Asaba

Anybody who thinks these politicians love this country is living in a fantasy land. Tunde Ojo, Osogbo Can you imagine the President and his deputy spending over N4 billion on food and travels in 2015? I love this country. Khadija Ajayi, Ibadan

With the way politicians are embezzling our money with reckless abandon, I believe it is high time the masses revolted so that we can have a better country. Lydia Akomose, Enugu

Even before the real election, politicians are already manipulating the system. Of course, if we are talking of the presidential election on February 14, 2015, nobody knows who will win because Nigeria is too diverse and the voting population too large for anyone to say with certainty who will win between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. My only concern is that they want to spoil Valentine Day for us with their election which will take Nigeria nowhere. I pity all of them. Nonsense. Ikechukwu Odion, Benin

Jonathan

Buhari

the problem because how could anybody import arms without official conspiracy? So, politicians are not the only ones destroying this country. David Chukwu, Uyo

What I know is that everybody is tired of PDP. Bello Biobaku, Lagos

Why did you refer to what happened recently as primaries? Please, don’t take sides with all these politicians. They are just destroying this country. How I wish we can take all of them to the Atlantic Ocean and allow sane Nigerians to govern this country. Ahmed Sule, Lokoja

All these politicians are nothing but prophets of doom and gloom. Geoffrey Ukala, Abakaliki With the way arms and ammunition are being imported into this country, there is no way we can avoid violence during and after the election. Both PDP and APC are determined to rig the election and an unprecedented violence will follow this rigging. Only God knows what will happen in this country after February. Friday Ulama, Owerri Permit me to quote Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi in my response to your masterpiece: “The violence of 2015 is going to be horrendous and worse than the one of 2011 for the simple reason that the illegal massive importation of weapons into the country has reached such alarming proportions that I really wonder which is better armed, the militias on the one hand or the official armed forces on the other hand”. With this statement from the respected professor, what are security agencies doing to ensure that illegal arms in the country are confiscated? Or are they part of

Honestly, APC is the only party that will make Nigerians smile soon. Godwin Igbonla, Abuja. I just can’t stop laughing after reading your piece. Imagine the aspirant who did not know that the venue of the primary election had been changed to his own disadvantage? What a country? Saka Tiamiyu, Lagos

Your piece always hold me spellbound. It is always fearless and courageous. But are you sure these guys in power read at all? Femi Ogedengbe, Lagos

All these politicians are not building our democracy. They are just destroying it. But, the question is: Who will build this democracy? Ahmadu Adamu, Bauchi

years, breaching all known laws with impunity. Today, many cannot travel home due to kidnapping, religious crisis and insurgency, depending on which part of the country you hail from. Many are hungry because there is no food for them to eat. The naira is too weak. And what our politicians are doing is just to kill themselves because of public office. If democracy is working in other countries, it is not working here. That is my verdict. Foluso Aina, Lagos

Where are politicians taking this country to? Campaigns must be issues based but what we have here is different. Politicians are just mud-slinging. With the outcome of the primaries, I doubt if the wishes of the electorate will be allowed to prevail in February next year. The election will be manipulated, a recipe for disaster

All of us witnessed primaries in which aspirants did not know delegates and venues not known until last minutes. Do you expect a better arrangement during the election proper? We are just jokers in this country. Joke Abrahams, Ibadan The governor of my state (names withheld) is the worst of them all. Can you imagine him bribing leaders of his party (names withheld) with more than N500 million just for his candidate to be cleared? What sort of democracy is this one? And you see him everywhere with people eulogising him as a democrat. Are we not better off under the …....? Ambrose Efe, Lagos Court stopped Olusegun Obasanjo from launching his book. He defied the court, went ahead and did the launching. After the event, he now went to court to appeal. Is there any sense in that? And some people still refer to him as one of the builders of this democracy. Builder or destroyer? Who is fooling who? Mohammed Dankwambo, Abuja I feel like throwing up when some gullible people argue that PDP is better than APC or APC is better than PDP. With the outcome of the recent primaries, are they not the same? Shaka Titus, Makurdi Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries now and this is due to bad leadership. It will be simplistic to attribute it to Goodluck Jonathan alone. We must blame all the past leaders. We all know what Olusegun Obasanjo did when he was president for eight

All these politicians on the other side are just chasing shadows, leaving substance. How can anybody blame President Goodluck Jonathan for the woes in the land? He only became the president in 2010. What of the mismanagement of the economy by past leaders? The most annoying is Olusegun Obasanjo, castigating Jonathan publicly. When did Obasanjo become an activist? Does he think Nigerians believe him? What miracle is Muhammadu Buhari going to perform? Some Nigerians are just shouting that PDP is the problem of the country. What of all these politicians in APC? More than 90 per cent of them were once in PDP. So, who is fooling who? Samuel Shittu, Ilorin What can be more damaging to our democracy than the recent fund raising of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Section 91(9) of the Electoral Act (as amended) is very clear on the limit of a presidential campaign (N1 billion) and it is clearly stated that a presidential candidate “who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence and, on conviction, is liable to a maximum fine of N1 million or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.” Is the more than N21 billion raised by the PDP not the height of impunity? Because of the immunity he enjoys, who will arrest President Goodluck Jonathan now? Is this not the time for the EFCC and the police to prosecute the donors who exceeded the N1bn limit prescribed by the law? Emeka Obi, Enugu Where are politicians taking this country to? Campaigns must be issues based but what we have here is different. Politicians are just mud-slinging. With the outcome of the primaries, I doubt if the wishes of the electorate will be allowed to prevail in February next year. The election will be manipulated, a recipe for disaster. If this country survives next year, we must really thank God. Toyose Abiodun, Lagos

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